Jeff

Thank You Saris

Thank you Saris for selecting me as one of the Power to the People winners.  Thank you to everyone (Brian) that read my amazing content.  My time is up for the blog!

Take Care,

Jeff

Jan 4th, randomness, and awards

Next year officially starts on the 4th of January or at least that is what my little spreadsheet it indicating.  Starting then will allow me to get in three peaks next year (2 for road, and 1 for cross).  The first 16 weeks are planned out in very fine details with the remainder of the year being more generic.  One thing I am not sure of is how long my first peak will last.  Last year was not a good test as I switched jobs in the early spring that derailed my training.  The job has settled down enough that I am very hopeful of getting my workouts in with the necessary sleep.

My wife did remind me that I tend to have bold plans that don't fully reflect reality.  This may be true but if you don't set your sights high you will never reach your potential.  Thus for next year I would like to increase my power to weight ration by 10% and my FTP by 5%.  Are these reasonable I am not sure.  The lower levels goals I have are to complete the full strength and power cycles of my lifting plan and continue to develop my race savvy.

On a very different note I won the most improved rider award at our end of year team party.  It is nice to be recognized by your teammates.  I still feel like I have a ton of untapped potential!!!!

Take Care,

Jeff

the plan for the plan

So the plan for the plan.  I started to convince myself that using a coach to help me create my plan was a good idea and even did a little pricing around.  Unfortunately at work the rumors of layoffs started circulating again, and since I am in a middle management role decided less spending is better.  So I decided on taking the 16 week plan in the Training and racing with a power meter, bring the volume down a little, and add the strength training I want to do.  I am concerned it is still a little heavy on volume.  Below is an excerpt of what I am starting with.  On the main worksheet I have my FTP, and then all the subsequent weeks reference that value and take the ratio to what the book has.  The left side is the original volumes and the right has the modified version.

I still have not completely given up on the idea of a coach.  

Jeff

Done Racing for 2009 time to start 2010

I had planned on doing 2 more cyclocross races in Lincoln, NE the weekend before Thanksgiving, but my plans fell through.  Unfortunately my wife's grandma passed away the Wednesday before the weekend, and family events prevented me from attending either day.  Thus it is time so start planning 2010.

Today was my first day hitting the weights this year, which I am excited about.  I have a little gym rat in me and enjoy working out over the winter.  We are fortunate enough to have all the necessary equipment in our basement so I don't waste any time.  Last year I followed the program that is included with the Weight Training for Cyclists by Ken Doyle and Eric Schmitz.  I really enjoy that the program changes every month as you progress from stabilization to strength, to power.  Last year I did not finish the power phase or continue with the maintenance work throughout the year.  One of my goals this year will be to finish the power phase and incorporate the maintenance work throughout the year.

The one significant piece of work I am starting to figure out is how to plan for next year.  Do I purchase a plan from a site like training peaks, use the plan in Training and Racing with a Power Meter (problem being is the volume is a little higher than what I can budget, thus the dropping of the lifting last year), hire a coach (too expensive for my budget),  or use some variation of the Time-crunched cyclists program (I can allocate more time than the suggested range, and am not sure how to modify accordingly.)

What to do??

I would like to start using a bigger build up over the winter for a strong first peak early in the season then convert over the to the time crunched program for a late road season peak and cross.

Suggestions are welcome on power based options for the winter build-up.

December will be focused on getting my lifting routine going and low key rides on the trainer or rollers.

More to come.

Jeff

Cross Race #2

Did my 2nd cyclocross race of the year today.  My performance was not as good as my first race, but I still had a blast.  There is so much for me to learn in terms of bike handling.  I am definitely still feeling the effects of being sick as the last lap was very rough and was passed by 4 dudes.  I am going to try and get 3 hrs on the road tomorrow to take advantage of the great weather we are having.  The next two weekends I plan to race both Saturday and Sunday, which should be fun.  Hopefully next weekend will be better with another week of riding in my legs.  Since I don't really have time to build and peak I am picking from the TCTP workouts to finish of the season.  This week I did a SS set on Tuesday and then tried to do Power Intervals on Thursday.  Unfortunatly I didn't make it through the full set on Thursday and skipped the last two intervals as I just couldn't hold the perscribed power range. 

As I stated early hopefully next weekend will be better.

Jeff 

TCTP and H1N1

What do Carmichael's Time Crunched Training Plan (TCTP) and H1N1 have in common.  In my life one ended when the other started.

TCTP:
I was supposed to start week 5 of the TCTP last week and had been feeling great.  It definitely works well with a tight schedule.  The program focus is in an area I need improvement so it is a double benefit.  I would recommend it for sure at this point.

H1N1:
So I can not remember when I have felt this bad for this long.  Last week I missed 3 days of work and spent most of the time in bed.  I even called my wife home from work to take care of me (I know pathetic!!!)  The only redeeming part about calling her home is that she called the ambulance once she saw me.  It was a little surreal having a policeman and paramedics in your bedroom talking to your wife about you, all while you lay motionless in the bed.  In the end I did not get my first ride in an ambulance as they are telling people to stay home, but my wife did pamper me the rest of the week.  What happened was 18 straight hours of sweating and not taking in fluids making me very dehydrated.  Ooops!  Since then I have not been able to get better going from the flu to a general cold.  Unfortunatly the cold is in my chest making riding hard.  I tried to ride yesterday and only made it 15 min before stopped due to caughing.

Plan forward:
I am not going to race this weekend, which I only mentally accepted after yesterday's "ride".  I am going to try and get some riding in and start back to training.  I would like to get a few more cross races in before the end of the year.  It looks like I will be able do the NE state cross race weekend, as it coincides with our Thanksgiving trip home.  That will be fun as my brother can come with me to the race.  I have been trying to get my brother into cross as I think he would enjoy it, he was a high school cross country stud back in the day.

Time to get to bed, I have been pushing myself to get at least 9-10 hours of sleep everynight to try and kick this sickness.

I hope everyone can stay away from the flu as I would wish it on no one.

Jeff

Upgrades and Cross

Upgrade:
In the end I did achieve one of my goals for the road season, which was an upgrade to Cat 3.  I could have stayed in Cat 4 for a little longer, but I feel that I will progress quicker if I move up.  Plus the guys on the team have stated that I would be able to hold my own as a 3.  This will be good motivation for the winter.

Cross!!!!
I did my first cross race last weekend and it was AWESOME!!!!!!  I am hooked it was such a painfully great time.  I ended up 8th out of the 30 Cat 4's, with plenty of opportunity for improvement.  I fell on the first lap in a corner that transitioned from gravel to grass and could not clip my right shoe in for the rest of the race.  Unfortunately when I fell I lost contact with the lead group and pushed solo for the rest of the race not able to close on the lead group.  I can definitely improve my start and dismount/mounting technique.  I think I am going to be able to get in a few more races before the end of the year, which I am very excited about.

More to come soon....

Jeff

No NE

On Thursday my buddy and I decided not to go down to Omaha and race.  At the time there were only 8 registered riders, which did not seem worth the trip.  The decision was with mixed emotions:  On the one hand I am ready for a break as I feel like I tried to extend the season beyond my base.  On the other side it would have been nice to get another shot at a win.

So at the end of the year I did not get the results I had hoped for, but I do feel like I have become stronger.  Next years goals will be more power related.  I am thinking of the following:

1.  Increase Power to Weight ratio by x% (not sure what is realistic)
        a.  Lose 5 lbs (sub 170)
        b.  Gain Power (back to the gym)

2.  Increase FTP by x% (again not sure the right number)

Before the start of next season I plan on doing some cross racing.  Since my cross bike is still at the shop (recalled front fork) this will be a good week to take off the bike.  If anything a few short rides to keep the legs moving.

I plan on trying my first race in early Oct so I will let everyone know the outcome.

Jeff

Not Ready to call the year done

The MN state road race was going to be my last RR of the year, until I saw that the NE state race was on the calendar for Sept 18th.  I did the race last year as a Cat 4 and had a good time, plus my teammate Bob is willing to go as well.  It is a course full of rollers and wind, what else do you expect for the midwest.

I ended up getting 4th in the 30+ 4/5 MN state RR.  I will take the top 5.  It is good to finish a race without crashing as I did at the race the week before.

Last weekend I was able to get in 150 miles of training.  Saturday morning I tried to do a power test, but was not the most powerful I have ever been.  Sunday I did 7 race winning intervals and felt great for a total of 50 miles.  Monday morning I rode with Marc and ended up getting in 76 hard miles.

I am meeting up with a LSC guy on Tuesday to try the velodrome.  That should be a blast.

So one more road race and then some cross races.

Take Care,
Jeff

Eve of the last road race

So tomorrow is the last road race of the season.  The year has not gone completely to plan in terms of results, but I feel stronger than last year.  I can keep up with the fast guys (cat 2's) on the team rides.  The great thing about the PowerTap is now I can set goals of approving my power to weight.

Last weekend I rode my best race in terms of staying out of the wind and conserving energy, but then someone crashed in front of me with 500 meters to go.  BOOM race over.  I was sitting in about 10th wheel, but it was not meant to be.

I have felt okay the last few weeks so I am hopeful for tomorrow.  Plus I have decided to do some cross races this fall.  At least this way I will have something to write about!!!!

Jeff