I'm back!

7 months since my last post????!!! What the?! How time flies.

Good progress over last 6 months, but I want more! After 2 week break in canada, and the purchase of Joe Friel's training bible (buy it!!!) I've revised my training regime and programming style. Gotta ease into it though after a break!

Also testing some months ago revealed a Vo2max of 57.5 (probably higher now)and a LT of 183bpm occuring unusually at 70% VO2max.

Today's workout was a 2hr ride in Zone 2 (152-163bpm) into Southbank and back. 51.5km covered, avg HR 158.5, avg speed 25.5km/h,1hr36min in zone (3min above and 21min below), 1700calories burn at 40-45% fat.

That'll help me lose 5kg by xmas.

Research and training

After yesterday's rude, yet fun, awakening to my lack of brute power on the bike, I did some research on crit races. As you can see in the image, a typical crit race has power spikes (measured in watts on a power meter fixed to the bike) where the rider (me) is pushing way above limits they could hold for more than 20-30secs. So basically it's true, all-out, full-gas interval training. The research suggests the guys that win spend a greater % of race time at 0 watts (not pedalling) so they're fresher for these power spikes.

Training tonight was designed to boost my power for the 2 slight uphill sections of the Murrarie course where I found it hard to keep up. My race had at least 20 laps, so my training now has to replicate the 40 (20 x 2) power spikes. So I found a hill near my house and did 5 sets of 10sec sprints with 30 secs recovery.

I still covered 21.2km, but there's no way I can replicate the intensity of a race at the moment, so my avg speed was way down.

Total time: 57mins, avg HR 158, 784calories, 35% from fat
Set 1: 79-88% HR MAX
Set 2: 86% max
Set 3: 79-91% max
Set 4: 83-93% max
Set 5: 86-92% max

First race

Okay so saturday was my first criterium race at Murrarie. To be honest I was nervous: I've never done this sort of race before as I'm more suited to long endurance efforts or time trials from my triathlon background, but my training has been quite specific to crits lately so I was relatively confident, especially when they put me in c grade for my first race, and there were some old buggers in the group. But boy could they pull!!!!!!!!!!!!
The race was for 40mins + 3 laps, with sprint prize half way at 20mins.

The pace was quick, real quick, and I just wasn't used to that type of racing. My heartrate was in the 190's, and I thought I was gonna die. so tactically I had to learn to hold back in the group to recover, which I did. Nevertheless, the last lap came around and I stuffed up tactically! I was in 2nd place, so doing all the pulling for the group, and when the first slight uphill hit the fresher blokes zoomed past and I got dropped off the back!!! I managed to pull back the gap and not finish last, but it was a painful and rude awakening. I've got some work to do.

But it was fun, and awesome training. We covered 31.1km in approx 46mins, so our average speed was 37.2km/hr, but we hit 48km/hr.

For that time period I was below my lactate/anaerobic threshold for only 6mins, and above for 42!!!!!!! So it burnt. My avg HR was 187, but I hit my max of 199 at least once. I burnt 899calories!!!!!!

Threshold training

After a series of lactate threshold work, I didn't really feel I was improving in terms of speed etc. Using Karvonen Heart rate reserve method instead of %Max Heart Rate method, my 85% threshold is now 178 instead of 168. This should see me working much harder.

If you're interested in working out your training zones, let me know.

Yesterday did 3 x 10min steady state threshold repeats @ 178bpm with 5mins rest between (only had an hour or so to workout). Real tough workout and I think I overgeared a bit, should focus on spinning higher cadence with slightly less load. So may have counted as a climbing workout. Totals: Avg HR 155 @ 78%max/70% Vo2max, 927calories @40% fat =40g fat burnt.

10km run

Gotta start building the k's up for the Gold Coast half, so last night, 10km run @ relaxed 6min/km pace. 1hr duration with average heart rate 167bpm = just over 75% Vo2max. 887 calories burnt, 35% fat, 35g body fat burnt. That should have burnt off the couple donuts I had. oops!!!

Strength and Conditioning

Bloody hard session yesterday with Fran.
Started with 60kg squats x 12+ 3 pause reps, supersetted with 8 wide grip chinup, then 8 x narrow grip chin ups.
Repeated, but with 80kg for squats. ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!
15 x jump squats
2 x 15 swissball hamstring curls, burning.
5 x 22.5kg DB chest flyes, into 8 x 22.5 DB chest press, supersetted with 22.5kg reverse lunges x 12
Repeated.
I felt sick.

Recovery ride

Easy recovery ride today on spin bike. 30 mins at 60% Vo2max = avg 142bpm. 342 calories, 50% from fat.