Pat

Weeks 2 & 3 Time Crunched

I finished up weeks 2 and 3 of the experienced competitor plan from "The Time Crunched Cyclist" and everything is pretty much going as planned. The intervals in weeks 2 & 3 get progressively shorter and more intense. But, the time required to accomplish the workouts stays right at 6 hours. The one thing that strikes me is that I keep wanting to do more. Don't get me wrong, every time I try and walk up a flight of stairs I'm instantaneously reminded of my last set of intervals. It just doesn't feel like I'm spending that much time on the bike. Which, of course, is the point of the plan.

 

On the nutrition side of things I've been following the books recommendations very closely; with one small change. I've been using the recommendations for a 165lb rider, not a 190lb rider.  You see the formula doesn't know what your lean body mass is and doesn't differentiate between a  200lb rider with  5% body fat and one with 25% body fat. Metabolically, there is a huge difference between those two riders. On the flip side, a 165lb rider with 7% body fat and a 190lb rider with 19% body fat both have about 154lbs of lean body mass and metabolically are very similar.  And seeing that my goal is to be the former not the latter I decided to use the recommendations for a 165lb rider.  So far, I haven't had any fueling problems finishing my workouts and after three weeks using the TCC plan my weight is unchanged. So, I figure I'm fairly close to where I need to be nutritionally.

 

Week 4 is a "rest" week, which is to say there is one less hard work out than last week.  After that, it's four more weeks of work before a final test to quantify how well the Time Crunched Cyclist works for me.

 

Train Hard and Smart

Pat

Week 1 Time Crunched Training

Week One of my Time Crunched program is in the bag.

It started off with testing down at Saltair near the SLC airport. I know testing at 4200ft and training at 6500ft isn't ideal but I decided to do it that way for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have no idea if my local roads will be safe for doing an all-out test in 8 weeks as it'll be getting close to snow season. Secondly, almost all of my significant testing and/or racing for the last year has been down in the Salt Lake valley and I'd like to keep things consistent. On my first 8 minute test I averaged 295w which was very high for me. The second test I was blown and didn't go well, but it was 95 degrees so I let it go. According to the Time Crunched Cyclist, Threshold power equates to approximately 90% of average power of this 8 minute test. That would put me at 265w threshold power which is way above the 245w I've been using in Salt Lake. But, the workouts are based on this test so I happily took my 295w and went to work.

The first week of workouts are a combination of longer intervals at or just below threshold (prescribed percentages of the test) and endurance miles also at intensity derived from the test. My first set of intervals went fairly well except I fell about 10w short of my target wattage on each interval and totally blew up by the end of the last one. I figured I'd take some of the outdoor variables out of the equation by doing the next workout on the trainer. By 5 minutes into my first interval I knew I was in trouble. I was using an altitude adjusted 254w and my heart rate was already 178 bpm or 7 bpm over my LT. I finished the first interval, mangled my way through the second and stumbled through about 3/4 of the third before falling off my bike. For the third interval workout I used 235w and everything went OK. The endurance ride was a non-event as it was at a much lower intensity.

It's hard (and really unfair) to try and characterize a program when you've only gotten 1/8^th of the way into it. One thing I can tell you is that if the weeks to come are anything like last week, I'll need to pay very close attention to nutrition and rest. Because, this program is intense and the better I focus on doing everything exactly as prescribed the better my results will be.

As far as the test results go, I'll try and get back out to do the 8 minute test again. I'll also try and do a 20 test just for a basis of comparison. And maybe a hill climb....how many workouts is that?

Train Hard and Smart

Pat