I Swim , Bike , Run. The rest of the time I work on data systems
So I have decided it is time to give up on trainingpeaks and switch to strava. This change was way over due. Now I need to figure the in and outs of the new system. Would also help if I can get to be more active since it will make me competitive with everyone else on strava.
I will still use trainingpeaks as a calendar system. With the idea I can switch that to another calendar anytime.
So finished my latest ftp test. Did the test from the office after work, on my regular stamford bike route. These tests always hurt, and hurt a lot. The idea is ride your heart, legs out for 20mins, break for 2min, and then repeat for 20mins.
The pnorm power you generate is your FTP. So my new ftp is 203. A jump of 12 watts . I will take that.
Numbers Numbers. I like numbers , I live for numbers. And because I take my hobby as a hugely analytical exercise I love when I get new numbers.
So week 1 and day 2 , I am meant to do an FTP test. For me this is a bit of mixed bag. I don’t own a power tap yet (on the list of purchases). So till then I have to use heart-rate , perceived effort, and cadence at a specific gear as an estimate. Yeah I know after all that I would much rather have a power tap which tells me how many watts I am generating. Get a headache just getting a good ftp measure.
Continue reading “ftp Test”
Some days I just don’t feel like training. On a day when it is raining and cold outside, and you are burnt out mentally from work. Sitting on the bike doing repeats takes a different type of animal. a different person.
When all you want to do is grab a beer with friends. I had to suffer a 1hr 3×15 repeats on the trainer. by the 2nd set I was mentally and physically beat. did a half hearted cool-down and called it a day. now where is that beer
So after being sick for the last couple of days. We didn’t know if we were still going to be able to make it up to LP. Rhian had booked the hotel about a week before. Thursday night I was still feeling horrible, so we decided to delay it for a day and drive up on sat. That would mean I would have to do my race rehearsal on either saturday afternoon , or sunday. Driving up on saturday we left late, on the way up heard the worldcup game on pandora.
We get to the hotel and find out they have majorly screwed up. They had over booked the hotel, and when we had called to change our arrival date from friday to saturday they didn’t put it in correctly. And since we didn’t come in on friday they canceled our reservation for sat to mon. Needless to say both of us were pissed. We knew getting a reservation in LP on jul4th was close to impossible. We complained to the managment , and had them in all sort of twists but they just couldn’t do anything. They were fully booked.
So now we were stuck trying to find a new hotel in the adirondacks on jul4th. In the end we went over to sarnac lake, where we were able to find a decent place.
First day of camp and a bunch of us have to do a race rehearsal. We meet up at high peaks cyclery and weather gods are having a laugh at us. It is slightly colder and most of us need an extra layer. We head out of town and do the modified bike course. I do a 3:10 on e first loop. Get back into town take a break for 10 min and then head out again. The next loop I am somehow with a faster group of riders ( don’t know how that happened) . On the 2nd loop I decide to skip the 2nd outback. On the way back from Wilmington the sun is out and I am cooking in e extra layer that I have on. I get back into town and I stow the bike . The second loop was slower around 3:29. I curse myself for riding a 6:30 split I was meant to do an even 6:00.
Either way I have done 109 miles and just want to get off the bike. I would have been willing to sell my bike for $1 if I didn’t need it for the race. I start off on the run with Keith . We are doing a nice 9min/mi after 3 miles I pick it up to race speed. Run down the hill flip it around and run back into town
So after proposing to R ( and her saying yes) I decided to go for my long bike ride. The plan was to do 2 loops of the lake placid course at pace faster than race pace because I didn’t have to run afterwards. Started out from the tennis courts and did the 1st loop in 2:40, that for me is fast especially on these hills. The 2nd loop started out well I was cruising out of town and then the wind picked up. I felt like I was riding in a tornado my avg speed dropped to 10 in the headwind. I passed a couple of bikers by van honderberg and they were on the 2nd loop as well but were turning around. By the time I got to Keene I was beat. I started debating what to do tried to call rhian but had no signal. I rode towards jay and the wind was worst, a lot worst. By the time I made the turn to Wilmington I was done (d o n e) . I had been riding in the wind for 2 hrs my avg hr was well into z3-4 just to get up the hill. I csaw the top of whiteface and figured I should have signal from the tower at the top. I did. I called R and asked if she could me meet me at willmington . She was nice enough to bail my ass out of the wind. I rode into willmington decided to take a break to rest my legs. I then figured I could ride back to placid and catch R on the way. Did that passes whiteface and she picked me up by the koa sign.
What A day for a ride. I know when they say it was windy on the course what it could be like
You wonder what is wrong with you when you consider a 20mi ride and easy bike ride. The day after the race rehearsal I was awake at 5am. Don’t ask why, I wake up at that time on the weekends (at least some weekends). My options were to get stuff ready and do a sprint triathlon at the local Y where I swim or do a nice bike ride with R later in the day. Since I was recovering from the the race rehearsal the day before I decided I slowEr bike ride would be better. We got ready and did a quick ride on my regular loop. It was good to flush the legs
So I finished my bike fit and went out for my sun ride. It’s been a while since I rode the titicus loop around Stamford, most of os has been doing the quick new cannan loop. Went out on long ride and I was quickly reminded of the hills, oh the hills of long ridge. I have never quite measured it but there are 2-3 long climbs on that road. I guess that is why the bike store is located at the end of the hills.
Anyway the bike felt great. I felt I was in more control and for a training ride I was avg at 17mph which for me is great.
Rode around the resivior and back to new cannan and then Stamford. R had parked the car at her office went re-filled on infinit and then went out for round 2.
This time i decided to do the reverse loop and rode from Stamford, to new cannan and then back. I could feel I had less juice in the legs. On the way down to long ridge I was wondering I didn’t cut this ride short. Got into the parking lot with 4hr of saddle time.
Got my running shoes on and tried to hammer out as quickly as possible.
The next day on Sunday was an easy 3 hr ride around Milford .
That is what I call the end of a good training week.
So what does a triathlete need to do when he is recovering from a sinus infection and has asthma, he needs to do a self-supported triathlon. I mean isn’t that obvious, it is so obvious it is stoopid . So I am not doing the harry man race. I get up in the morning go for a long swim of 1hr. The pool is somewhat empty so it is nice.
On the way back I stop by to get breakfast.
And then it is off for e ride. Do the 1st loop of 40mi using 2 bottles of infinit, feel good legs feel fresh. Stop by the house to get refills and then head out for the 2nd loop. Doing well till the 70 mi mark and then the wind picks up. I must have been riding into a horrid headwind because I slowed down from 18mph to 14. Finally get home having done 96mi. Change into running shoes, timed it perfectly because R is done with her ride she decides to pace me for the run. I run out to silversands beach and do the regular 8 mi loop from the house. By the time I get home I am beat but considering I was recovering from an infection this was a good day.