Tag: ftp

fitness, tips, training

Marooned in Markleeville – Seven Trainer-Related Things I’ve Learned

OUR wild and wooly winter continues here in the California Alps. We were given some space between storms by Ma’ Nature since my last weather related update but we’re back into the wintry cycle now, this time with rain.

WEATHER related shipping delays (whine – first world problem) have prevented me from finishing up Farley’s tubeless set up. Got ‘im taped and ready but that old trick of using a CO2 cartridge to quickly pop those beads in place DOES NOT WORK for those humongous fat bike tires, and so the weekend before last I ordered the digital inflator and presta air chuck for my compressor.

It’s still not here and so I patiently wait for UPS.

FRANKLY, though, all this adversity has allowed me to stay focused on my training plan; Sunday was the last day of that four-week foray.

THAT brings me finally to the point of this post.

HAVING grown up in San Jose, I was able to ride all year long. Sure, sometimes in the rain, but for the most part the weather wasn’t that impactful.

HERE in the heart of the California Alps, though, things can be different. Haha. This year, I’ve ridden almost 900 miles, with all but 75 of that on the trainer. With plenty of time to ruminate during those many miles inside, I’ve listed below what I consider some brilliant bits that have helped me get through all of that time focused on a screen rather than the road ahead.

I herewith share them with you with the hope that they’ll help ease some of your pain, or at least distract you from it, so you can get the most out of your indoor sessions. And for those of you who are pain cave professionals, and mayhaps have some tips of your own to share, please feel free to comment away.

Have A Plan

TRAININGPEAKS is my application of choice in this regard. I’ve been using it for over two years and I really like the daily feedback and data tracking. You can also buy plans for various endeavors. Once you do, that plan stays in your library for future use. So, with the Ride and Walk4Art coming up I resurrected the plan I had purchased a couple years back and added it to my TP calendar.

PLANS are perfect for the pain cave. I’m not sure about other applications but TrainingPeaks syncs with Zwift so you can throw the workout up on the screen, turn on the tunes and just do what the screen “tells you” to do. Zwift has some good plans and workouts as well, so give those a try, too.

Use More Than One App

FULGAZ is my other app. of choice and I particularly like the contrast of Zwift’s animation and crowds with Fulgaz’s (FG) scenery and lack thereof (crowds, that is). I’m still surprised at how many riders I talk to don’t know about FG. “Less Virtual, More Reality” is its very apropo slogan. Check out the AMAZING SIGHTS post at the top of this page for more on Fulgaz. This post from the winter of 2021 is also worth a gander.

Yet another Deathride area option for your pain cave riding pleasure – Grover gravel and some pavement too.
Lots of pain cave riding options, including one in Markleeville. And it’s trending too. Sweet!

FRIEND and local, Graham F., made this comment recently on Strava, referring to the “Going to the Sun Road Glacier National Park 2020” ride (15.77 miles; 3238 elevation gain) he had just done on Fulgaz: “The scenery is good enough to make you ignore some of the suffering.” Exactly.

Focus On The Thing

SPEAKING of suffering…On whatever app. it is that you use, (my example here is of Zwift) focus your riding on the thing the interval is about. In other words, if it’s about leg speed, then get the leg speed where it needs to be and let the watts sort themselves out. On the other hand, if the interval is watts-related, focus on those watts and let your leg speed get to where you feel most comfortable. Zwift will adjust accordingly and get your watts, or your cadence, where they belong.

The hardest part of this workout…Focus on the cadence!
The hardest part of this workout by far…Focus on the watts!

Music Is Your Friend

USE headphones, they eliminate distractions from fan noise to door bells. Rather than focusing on the time left in the interval, or the data on the screen, for example, you can instead focus on the song. “Get through the song then look at the screen, Mark.” “One song at a time, dude.” Set up a playlist timed for your efforts – easy listening for the warm up and cool down phases, and something more pulse-pounding for those hard bits. I’ve got specific playlists for TTs, big climbs, endurance days and more.

WHILE it’s admittedly not music, I’ve found that CBD helps me listen better to the music and “get out of my own way.” It lessons that monkey-brain and increases focus. Something to consider perhaps? Do of course consult your medical professional, or make your own decision, though. Really that advice applies to this entire post!

Put It On The Big Screen – And Use Companion

IF you can have a big screen set up in your cave, it’s worth the effort and IMHO, the expense. It’s so much more immersive and that matters especially if you’re putting in many miles en su casa. And, if you are a Zwifter and you don’t use the Companion app., you should. That little helper makes things easier to control and gives you another data set to help distract you from the monotony of miles and miles with no movement.

Focus On Your Form

THE trainer is the best place to focus on your form. Circles they say. Wipe mud off your shoe, I’ve heard. Drive your knees to the bar. All of the above, IMHO. For me, though, it’s the knee-drive that seems to give the most gains on the pedaling efficiency front. Power meter data is key here so take advantage of those metrics. E.G., what was your left-to-right ratio? Knowing you put too much emphasis on one side of the stroke will help you adjust next time.

IT’S not just about the legs, either. Elbows bent? Shoulders not at your ears? Check. Or, not. In addition to their intrinsic value, I have found these little check-ins also help distract me from the grind. Like meditation, keep coming back to those things.

WHY not stretch a little while you’re at it, too? Another advantage of the trainer.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

MEASURE your success. For those of you who’ve been following this blog you know I do like the data. What better way to validate your approach then through testing?

BE sure, though, that it’s “apples to apples.” I was reminded of this recently, hence the mention here, via a comment by Coach Ozier (Peaks Coaching Group) in a post I wrote in the spring of 2021. Suffice it to say that this time I made sure that I ran the same test I ran previously.

I ran the 1 hour 13 minute Zwift FTP test and I did the last test in January of this year. Note: Per Coach O, go all out on the five-minute section before the actual test for a true representation of your FTP.

From 246 to 267 since January…

A 21 point gain from my last test; that’s what I’m talking about! I’m on the upswing and gaining back fitness after last year’s prostate surgery. Prior to that surgery my FTP was 297. Still some work to do.

NOT a watt nerd? Don’t have a power meter? No problemo. These 7 tips will serve you well too, I think.

TRY ‘em out. Add your own suggestions and comment on this post. Share the knowledge!

AND don’t forget to make time for a cool down spin and a bit of stretching post-workout.

THIS weekend’s Ride and Walk4Art will help me determine if all my bitchin’ advice translates to the road.

I hope to see you there. I can already taste that chicken in a barrel that Rob’s wife is cooking up!

fitness, training

Take Aways from the Training Plan

LAST Sunday I finished up the Trainingpeaks 4-week FTP-Focus 2021 plan. On one hand I’m happy it’s over but on the other I’m going to miss the structure of just doing what the coach (Paul Ozier – Peaks Coaching Group) tells me to do.

AND so the challenge: how to keep the vibe going! I’ve been pondering that for awhile now; this after I just rode (on Zwift) Tuesday. Per the coach’s recommendation this is to be a week of just riding the bike. It was nice and I felt strong.

LUCKY me…I am finally employed (I started March 1st)!

However, that puts a serious damper on this former professional cyclist (dripping sarcasm here), so named by my brother from another mother, Scott Keno. I’m likely not going to be able to keep up the pace but maybe, just maybe, I can come close. The plan was designed for weekend warriors. I’ll just have to re-think how, when and where I’m going to execute it, right?

AND perhaps most importantly, I don’t want to lose the gains that the workouts brought my way.

What Improved

I hit one power PR on the last day, the FTP test, and some twos and threes, too.

  • I can produce more power at a higher cadence. The plan focused a bit on this since in a sprint it’s necessary to keep up the power while that cadence goes up – especially if you’re smoking and on your lowest gear.
  • I can breathe more efficiently (fewer breaths) at threshold (and everywhere else, really).
  • I can keep a high cadence (90-100 rpm) for longer and much more easily. A lot less rocking.
  • MY overall fitness improved. I was productive more consistently.

What Didn’t

  • MY FTP (290 or 287 – 2.87 or 2.90 w/kg depending whether I listen to Zwift or Garmin) went nowhere. I was surpised by this but am going to hold out on final judgment until I get the WKO files to the coach. My last test was in November (should have done a more current one, doh!) and I followed that test to the letter. I should mention that I am rather large for a cyclist (220 lbs – 100 kg exactly) so certainly dropping some lbs would help and I’ve been working on that: at the start of 2014 I weighed 307 pounds!
  • FOR this test, the coach had me go ALL OUT on the five (5) minute Vo2 max interval that was just before that ten (10) minute rest which was just before the twenty minute test. 🙂 That had to have made a difference (fingers crossed), right?

What Was The Most Challenging?

  • That’s an easy one to answer: the endurance rides. They were hard to endure!
  • As I read in the spring issue of VeloNews this a.m.: “Many riders underestimate the value of long endurance days, which in my opinion are the MVP of training.” – Coach Julie Young, former U.S. national team member and founder of JulieYoungTraining.com.
  • Those long days in the saddle at fairly low watts (205-ish for me) are interesting, especially the four (4) hour versions. It takes some focus to not let loose the hounds.

What Was My Biggest Takeway?

I can see why having a coach makes athletes better. Paul was responsive and helpful when I had questions, and as I wrote earlier, it’s pretty groovy when all you need do is what the coach, and the plan, “tell you” to do.

THANKS coach!

I can’t wait to see what he has to say about my FTP test. In the meantime, now that I have a job, I’m thinking some more coaching is in my future.

Most importantly, I hope some of my take aways resonate with you, fellow rider.

Let me know, will ya?

businesspeople preparing schemes on papers at table
fitness, training, virtual rides

Feeling a Bit Sluggish on the Bike? Perhaps You Need a Plan!

MY fitness was flagging. There was no “go” in the gams. The brain was befuddled and my slumber was sub-standard.

a roaring lion

AND in addition to all of that I was a bit cranky.

YUP, you guessed it! I was overtraining. Over reaching. Well, just over.

IT was time to find a training plan I decided. I’ve done a few structured plans in the past (click here to read about one I did a couple years back that is climbing focused) and they’ve always done me right.

ZWIFT Academy had some options as did TRAININGPEAKS. I tried one of the workouts on Zwift and it was really good. I’ve done quite a few of the other generic workouts on Zwift as well but I was looking for something or someone to tell me what to do, and mayhaps more importantly, what NOT to do, or when NOT to do it. 😉

I needed some structure and I couldn’t really afford a coach. Frankly, I don’t feel I’m at the level where having a coach is even justified, anyway.

SINCE I’ve been using TRAININGPEAKS for some time now, and digging the feedback, I decided to go with one of its plans.

FTP FOCUS 2021 – Power/Threshold Improvement – 4 Weeks’ Training Plan

WAS the plan I chose. I went with it because it was only four (4) weeks long and I had a good base fitness. My new job starts on March 1st too (so stoked!) so I didn’t want to go with a longer program. As it was, I’d be doing that last week during my first week of employment, but in looking at the plan particulars I could see that was do-able; the last week was the easiest and least time consuming.

THE other reason I went with it, and this is a biggie IMHO, is that it syncs with Zwift. Once you purchase the plan you can access each day’s workouts in the training area of Zwift! You can pick any course and then just select the workout you want to run. Zwift will run in ERG mode, provide the prompts for each interval and “yell” at you if your watts are too high or low or your cadence is too fast or slow.

Get those watts up! Not low enough to get “yelled at,” though. The intervals that have been completed, and those that are coming, are displayed on the left.

HELPFUL tip: Pick a flatter course if you want to get more miles in or a hilly course if you want to get the elevation. Since you’ll be in ERG mode the trainer won’t adjust based on the terrain. Instead the resistence will be set according to the workout parameters.

Doing the Work

THE week before I started the plan I noticed my VO2 Max was flat. If I’m doing things right that doesn’t happen; it typically rises as the week progresses. That was another sign (of over-training) as was my steadily rising resting-heart rate.

SO, to kick things off I took two (2) days off, one of which was Day 1 of the training plan. Every Monday is a rest day. Each week ramps up and culminates in a tough weekend. The day before each workout I get an email reminder with the necessary details and the sessions also appear in my TRAININGPEAKS calendar (image below) so I’m prepared for the next day and focused on the current day’s nutrition, recovery and hydration.

My trainingpeaks calendar for this week. The calorie info. is there because TP also integrates with MyFitnessPal, yet another cool feature.

SO it was that on Tuesday, February 9th, I jumped in, or on really. That first week was fairly difficult. It started with a “Power and Fast Cadence” workout, some sweet-spot training (SST) on day 2, a two (2) hour endurance/tempo workout on day 3, some more endurance work on day 4, three (3) max FTP efforts on day 5 and it finished off on Sunday with a two (2) hour SST and endurance ride.

Let’s just say I was happy to have a rest day this past Monday.

UP to this point I’ve done all of the rides on the trainer, which for me is better because there just aren’t that many flat roads here and trying to maintain certain watts and cadence while hitting the rollers, for example, is problematic. Mentally, though, it’s hard being on the KICKR for two (2) hours and I find it somewhat formidable when the sessions are focused on maintaining the same power for a long period of time, like the endurance workout I did on day 4.

203 watts at the same cadence for an hour took some discipline!

WHAT about that four (4) hour ride that’s coming up this Saturday, the 20th? I’ll be doing that one OUTSIDE. In Monterey. The bonus: it will give my wife and me a chance to smell some seaweed, feel some fog and gorge on some good seafood.

The Data Points

HERE’S what I’ve noticed so far, after completing eight (8) workouts:

  • My VO2 max has gone from 45 to 49
  • I feel stronger
  • I’m sleeping better
  • My resting-heart rate is back to where it should be (low to mid-40’s) and is stable
  • I’m not “that lion” anymore
  • My Garmin watch is providing validation – I’ve been “productive” since I started the plan whereas before I was in unproductive mode for quite awhile.
  • FTP – Currently it’s 290. I’m certainly interested to see how (if?) it improves. The plan does include a test on the last day.
  • Weight – Currently about 218 pounds. Getting it down further, and FTP up at the same time, is an important bench-mark as to the overall success of the plan.

SO, whether it’s TRAININGPEAKS, Zwift Academy, TrainerRoad, or some other application, I suggest you give it a try if, like me, you were somewhat stagnant on your steed.

What are You Doing?

EVERY body (and mind) is different so please feel free to dole out your advice by commenting on this post.

IN the meantime, ride on, stay safe and healthy, and let’s train, so when the weather allows and this virus has been sent packing, we can kick some passes’ asses…together!

data, equipment, racing, science

Training & Racing With a Power Meter – Will it Make You a Better Rider?

THE short answer is YES! It certainly has in my case and I’m willing to bet it will help you improve too.

I’VE recently finished reading the 3rd edition of the book “Training + Racing with a Power Meter.” It’s a lengthy and technical tome, and I first mentioned it last October in a post I published about fitness apps.

CLICK here to read that post.

THE book is full of juicy bits (and myriad workouts) and I’ve been practicing what it preaches for several months now, with my most recent efforts focused on pacing. If you’re like I used to be (and most cyclists are I suspect) than you’ve probably been using your heart rate for your focal point, and that’s a decent option, especially since some power meters can be a bit pricey. And if you don’t have one…

Don’t get me wrong. I still pay attention to my heart rate but now it’s in comparison to my power numbers, not vice-versa. Let me explain.

PACING and POWER

Typically, cyclists just ride. We ride hard if we feel good. We ride easy if we don’t. We’ll watch that heart rate and let it settle down if it gets too high and we’ll push harder if we think we’ve got some beats to give. And yes, you can pace yourself using those criteria. I have and sometimes still do.

However, if you take the leap and instead make power the cornerstone of your cycling workouts (after you test yourself and figure out your FTP) then you can instead set your pace based on the watts you’re producing.

FTP, or Functional Threshold Power (no, not File Transfer Protocol you computer nerd) is defined as “the highest power that a rider can maintain in a quasi-steady state without fatiguing for approximately one hour. When power exceeds FTP, fatigue will occur much sooner, whereas power just below FTP can be maintained considerably longer.”

THAT’S pacing in a nutshell: Don’t go all out early. Save some matches (also defined in the book) for later in the race. For most of my cycling-life I’ve been this guy: Go as hard as you can until you get tired and then rest more often, and longer, in order to finish the event or workout. Holding back is hard. Especially on a time-trial and especially when other cyclists are passing you or you’re riding with a stronger rider.

I’ve been working on my pacing, mostly inside on the trainer, by doing a couple rides I’ve done many times before, one on Zwift and one on FulGaz: Alpe du Zwift on the former and the Alpe d’Huez on the latter. The former by the way, is Zwift’s version of the latter. They both have their advantages, or likes as the case may be, but I won’t bore you with those distinctions. Suffice it to say they are difficult climbs, with specific sectors, that easily translate to pacing practice or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

When I’m working on those “two- P’s” I focus on keeping my power number down in Zone 3 for most of the ride and as I get closer to the finish I continue to push harder through the other zones so that I finish in Zone 5 or 6.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING

Yum! Pudding! It’s been awhile since I’ve had some good pudding. I have to make some and put it on my post-ride list. I’m salivating now but will move on. Apologies…

Last week I was reading one of the last chapters (chapter 13) and came across the section(s) on time trials. Last year, as you may have read in my “Social Distancing Racing” posts (use the search box on my home page to find ’em) I participated in some racing, and due to Covid-19 all the races were essentially time trials but I didn’t know then what I know now. I would have done better had I read the chapter sooner.

THE section(s) to which I refer delve into flat TTs, hilly TTs and more. There is great advice to be gleaned but I’m not going to regurge it all here. Instead let me just say that I took the author’s advice and applied it (last Sunday as it turns out) on an 18-mile TT (with rollers, and coincidentally, a headwind).

Drum roll please…

I paced myself at my FTP (290). I didn’t worry about speed or heart rate.

I kept my power close to my FTP when hitting the rollers. In the past I would instead push well over my FTP, sometimes into Zone 6 on the climb, and then try to rest a little on the downhill.

AS you can imagine, I didn’t fare too well towards the end of the races. I was coming in 10th, 11th, or worse. I was burning WAY too many matches WAY too early.

THIS time though, I didn’t do that and the above screenshot of the segment (the entire TT) from Strava says it all!

AND what you can’t see is the TT within this TT that I had done twelve (12) times before. It’s approximately 9.5 miles long and on this effort I beat that previous time by OVER 3 MINUTES, and my average power was 70 WATTS HIGHER!

Holy frijole Batman! As I told my wife via text when I was done: “I guess that book was right! Check this shit out! 2nd out of 168. All time! It actually works!”

THE moral of the story is that training and racing with a power meter DOES WORK and it can make you, like it has me, a stronger rider and a more formidable racer.

IF you’d like some 411 on power meters and what I’m using, shoot me an email with your contact information and I’ll get in touch. I’m currently running two different power meters (both crank-based) on two different bikes and have experience with a third single-arm meter. Here’s a link to a good article as well.

Wishing you a happy and powerful new year. Stay safe and healthy and let’s kick some time trials’ asses!