Thursday, March 29, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Tempo TTT

These are my results from all the TTs I've done at Todd's:

Date Test Number Completion Time Average Watts
March 29, 2012
TT #8b
(tempo)
13:50
(tempo)
220 watts
(tempo)
March 27, 2012
TT #8a
(tempo)
14:01
(tempo)
212 watts
(tempo)
January 26, 2012
TT #7
13:46
226 watts
January 24, 2012
TT #6
13:43
228 watts
May 4, 2011
TT #5
13:37
237 watts
March 3, 2011
TT #4b
(tempo)
14:26
(tempo)
202 watts
(tempo)
March 1, 2011
TT #4a
13:38
229 watts
January 6, 2011
TT #3b
(tempo)
14:58
(tempo)
185 watts
(tempo)
January 4, 2011
TT #3a
14:06
217 watts
March 25, 2010
TT #2
13:56
223 watts
January 28, 2010
TT #1
14:22
208 watts

I decided to make today a tempo day, again, even though Tuesday had also been one. For some reason, I just couldn't commit to a super hard effort. I did the entire warmup like I should have, but then for the test I found an easy-ish gear and kept my cadence at 102 RPM. I was as consistent as I think I could've been, and this might have been the first time my average watts actually went UP as I was getting closer to the end. One of my goals for the year was to do each one better than the previous, and I did not hit that goal this week. But I rode well and made each day have a purpose.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Tempo TTT

Today was the first test of the week, but I went with a tempo ride rather than an all-out test ride. These are my results from all the TTs I've done at Todd's:

Date Test Number Completion Time Average Watts
March 27, 2012
TT #8a
(tempo)
14:01
(tempo)
212 watts
(tempo)
January 26, 2012
TT #7
13:46
226 watts
January 24, 2012
TT #6
13:43
228 watts
May 4, 2011
TT #5
13:37
237 watts
March 3, 2011
TT #4b
(tempo)
14:26
(tempo)
202 watts
(tempo)
March 1, 2011
TT #4a
13:38
229 watts
January 6, 2011
TT #3b
(tempo)
14:58
(tempo)
185 watts
(tempo)
January 4, 2011
TT #3a
14:06
217 watts
March 25, 2010
TT #2
13:56
223 watts
January 28, 2010
TT #1
14:22
208 watts

I decided to make today a tempo day. I'd thought about actually testing, but I am still not feeling well and just couldn't do it. It was fun to watch everyone else suffer, though.

1:10 total ride, 141 bpm (187 max)
52:00 warm up, 129 bpm
14:01 ride, 5 miles, 182 bpm
4:00 cooldown, 157 bpm

This week has already been crazy busy, and it's only Tuesday morning. Yesterday I got in 1h on the step mill and a few curls but not much else. I will be happy when this week is over.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Tour de Tuscaloosa Races Report

We all got paid, so we decided to show off our envelopes
Catherine, Shelly, Valerie, Parri, me, Anna, Kat

Team Belladium (all of us!) headed to Tuscaloosa, AL, for another weekend of racing. The entire weekend was so much fun, and our results do a pretty good job of showing how well each of us rode.


Cali and Catherine pre-race

Cat 3/4 crit race start line

We started out with a Cat 3/4 crit on Saturday, which Shelly, Catherine, and Valerie competed in. They rode well together and all stayed with the field, finishing 7, 8, and 12 respectively, of 22 racers.

Cat 3/4 crit race

It was so much fun to watch them race; I had my bike and was near the (1) and the (END) in the course graphic below—I just went from side to side to cheer them and try to help them with words as much as I could. On such a long course, I missed a lot of the action (including 2 crashes), but I still got to watch them work and then finish as well.

Saturday's Crit Course


The Cat 1/2/3 race began a couple hours after the Cat 4 race, so we had plenty of time to watch, relax, and warm up between races. We had a couple more riders in our race, with 23 finishers and at least 1 or two more who started but didn't finish. The pace was fast from the start and never really let up; any time Debbie Milne races with us, the racers in the field usually race differently, as if they're content with second place (that is, once Debbie's off the front [and we all know that's what she's going to try to do], then our race begins). Today, however, was different—Team Belladium was not letting up, and we were not content letting Debbie stay away and create a huge gap.

Crit photos courtesy of AJ





Therefore, we did a lot of work to keep the pace high and the gap small. There were a couple times we thought we might catch Debbie, but we never did. I think it is probably the closest we have ever been to her at the finish of a crit, and that made us pretty happy. Unfortunately, a crash in the second-to-last corner kept Kat and Parri from finishing higher than they did (9 and 10), and I had already dropped off the lead group and didn't finish as well as I'd have liked (14). Lee was 12, and Anna was 17, rounding out the Team Bd finishers. The lead group was 13, so I was the next to finish after them; I wish I would have been with them!

Looking back at this crit race last year, though, I made a huge improvement. Last year, I lasted 2 laps with the lead group. This year, I stayed with the group for the first 10 or 11 (depending on whether we did 13 or 14; there were 3 to go when I was off). I wasn't the first to fall off, and I wasn't the last. In those last 3 laps, I ended up catching at least 4 people, all of whom I beat, thus moving myself up into the money.

Crit 2012: 45:42, 16.34 miles, 21.5 mph (34.1 max), 176 bpm (199 max); 14/23
Crit 2011: 45:32, 15.16 miles, 20.0 mph (34.4 max), 190 bpm (200 max): 13/16

RR 2012: 1:50:26, 37.24 miles, 20.3 mph (36.5 max), 164 bpm (194 max): 14/28 (46 total)
RR 2011: 2:04:13, 38.97 miles, 18.8 mph (35.9 max), 160 bpm (191 max): 19/22 (39 total)

The road race began early on Sunday morning, with nearly the same group of women as we'd raced with the day before. Today, however, we all started together; the twenty-eight 1/2/3s were racing against each other and the eighteen 4s were racing against each other, but we could all work together as we desired. We did 4 loops of the same route as last year; it is fairly flat except for a significant climb at 8.5 miles in. Again in this race, the pack was riding and waiting to see what Debbie would do. It was fun to be on and watch everyone else fight to be on her wheel; we all knew she'd attack eventually, and we all wanted to be in the best position to go with her. Eventually, on that climb, she attacked. She split the group at that point, taking Kat, Parri, and 8 others with her (a group of 11). They all stayed together for another lap, when she again attacked on that hill. That time, only Kat went with her while Parri stayed with her group of 9. Among those 11, Debbie won (the finish was up the hill, and Debbie attacked Kat on the hill and stayed away), Kat was 2nd, and Parri won her field's sprint for 3rd place.

Sunday's Road Race Course


I ended up in the chase group with Val, Anna, Shelly, and about 10 other women. At times we would work really well together, and at other times no one really was determined to catch the group ahead of us. Although we all wanted to do well, the majority of us had teammates up the road that we wanted to stay away up the road. All four of us Belladium girls rode very smart; we didn't attack much, but we responded to any attacks that other teams made and kept all of us together. This allowed us to get organized and work together on that uphill finish. I found Anna and Valerie and kept both of them right in front me (they are great climbers). Anna drove the pace just enough to shell nonclimbers off the back, and Valerie found the perfect place to make room for us to get through to the front of the group. In our field, Anna finished second, I finished third, and Valerie finished fifth. No 4s were in the lead group, and no 4s were ahead of Val on that final climb, so she earned the win for race—two weeks after a crash that bruised some ribs and kept her from racing with us last weekend and in fact riding her bike much at all.

Looking back at this race last year, again today was a huge improvement. During last year's RR, I was by myself more than this year; I got dropped on that first climb and had to work super hard to catch any group. We were a small group at that point and weren't even the chase group (there was a lead group, a chase group, some stragglers, then my small group). Also, I was at least 28/39 overall last year (13/16 Cat 1/2/3), whereas this year I was 14/46 overall (14/28 Cat 1/2/3).

Thursday, March 22, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power X

This is my kind of class—3 short tempo efforts and lots of sprints. I could definitely feel the weekend's races in my legs, but that didn't stop my from doing my best! There was one more sprint, but otherwise this is pretty close to what the workout looked like:



3-06-12. 3-08-12. 3-20-12. 3-22-12.

  • 1:40 total ride
    1:37 total ride, 149 bpm (184 max)
    1:36 total ride, 150 bpm (182 max)
    1:40 total ride
  • 10-min warm up for the trainer
    8:37 warm up for the trainer, 74 bpm
    13:30 warm up for the trainer, 114 bpm
    Warm up for the trainer
  • 10-min warm up + 5-min tempo; 3-min rest
    10-min warm up + 5-min tempo, 152 bpm; 3-min rest
    10-min warm up + 5-min tempo, 159 bpm; 3-min rest
    10-min warm up + 5-min tempo; 3-min rest 
  • 10-min tempo; sprint to 580W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 168 bpm; sprint to 586W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 168 bpm; sprint to 555W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo; sprint to 583W; 4-min rest  
  • Sprint to 62xW; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 648W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 656W; 4-min rest  
  • Sprint to 641W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 656W; 4-min rest   
  • Sprint to 65xW; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 665W; 4min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 656W; 4-min rest   
  • Sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 665; 5-min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 5-min rest
    Sprint to 656W; 4-min rest
  • 1-min hill; 1-min rest
    1-min hill; 1-min rest
    1-min hill; 1-min rest
    1-min hill; 1-min rest  
  • 2-min hill; 1-min rest
    2-min hill; 1-min rest
    2-min hill; 1-min rest
    2-min hill; 1-min rest 
  • 1-min hill; 5-min rest
    1-min hill; 5-min rest
    1-min hill; 5-min rest
    1-min hill; 5-min rest  
  • 10-min tempo; sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 166 bpm; sprint to 665W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 164 bpm; sprint to 643W; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 665W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 675W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 655W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 656W; 4-min rest   
  • Sprint to 666W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 678W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 688W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 676W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 686W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 700W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 712W; 1:30 cooldown
    Sprint to 676W; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 688W; 4-min rest 
  • 2-min hill; 1-min cool down
    2-min hill; 1:43 cool down
    --
    2-min hill; cooldown

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Good Morning!

Any day that starts this way is bound to be a good one

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power XI

This is my kind of class—3 short tempo efforts and lots of sprints. I could definitely feel the weekend's races in my legs, but that didn't stop my from doing my best! There was one more sprint, but otherwise this is pretty close to what the workout looked like (I skipped the final 2-minute effort):



3-06-12. 3-08-12. 3-20-12.

  • 1:40 total ride
    1:37 total ride, 149 bpm (184 max)
    1:36 total ride, 150 bpm (182 max)
  • 10-min warm up for the trainer
    8:37 warm up for the trainer, 74 bpm
    13:30 warm up for the trainer, 114 bpm
  • 10-min warm up + 5-min tempo; 3-min rest
    10-min warm up + 5-min tempo, 152 bpm; 3-min rest
    10-min warm up + 5-min tempo, 159 bpm; 3-min rest 
  • 10-min tempo; sprint to 580W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 168 bpm; sprint to 586W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 168 bpm; sprint to 555W; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 62xW; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 648W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 641W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 4-min rest  
  • Sprint to 65xW; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 665W; 4min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 4-min rest  
  • Sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to less than 665; 5-min rest
    Sprint to 643W; 5-min rest  
  • 1-min hill; 1-min rest
    1-min hill; 1-min rest
    1-min hill; 1-min rest 
  • 2-min hill; 1-min rest
    2-min hill; 1-min rest
    2-min hill; 1-min rest 
  • 1-min hill; 5-min rest
    1-min hill; 5-min rest
    1-min hill; 5-min rest 
  • 10-min tempo; sprint to less than 664; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 166 bpm; sprint to less than 665; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 164 bpm; sprint to 643; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 665W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 675W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 655W; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 666W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 678W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 688W; 4-min rest 
  • Sprint to 686W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 700W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 712W; 1:30 cooldown
  • 2-min hill; 1-min cool down
    2-min hill; 1:43 cool down

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Union City Mayor's Circuit Race and Road Race Recap

This weekend, Anna, Shelly, Todd, and I all traveled southeast to Union City, Georgia, for a weekend of racing. Although there was a time trial on Saturday morning, we went for only the Circuit Race (CR) (2pm Saturday) and the Road Race (RR) (9:10am Sunday).

Circuit Race Podium

Twelve Cat 1/2/3/4 women were in the CR, which started like an RR and ended like a crit. We were to race only 30 minutes and started out pretty slow. Eventually Shelly and Anna started trying to pick up the pace a little, and Anna ended up off the front for at least 3 of our 9 laps. A couple of the other women had to do some hard work to bring her back, but they eventually did with 2 laps to go, so she had a couple laps to recover before the finish. That was good for me, because our plan had been for a team win and for her and Shelly to lead me out. Anna had an amazing lead out, nearly the entire last lap, until the little hill before the last turn where I knew I'd have to get in front of her before anyone from behind us came around me. So I made my move and won the race.

Circuit Race Finishing Sprint
There were a few others from Nashville there, and Tim from NashvilleCyclist.com took this picture.

According to the referee, the difference between a circuit race and a crit is that in a circuit, you ride for distance and don't have mechanical help, whereas in a crit you ride for time and have a wheel pit/free lap. Also, usually, circuits are longer than crits. This course was 0.98 miles around, all right-hand turns, and fun course. It should have also been fast, but we started very slow.

Stats: 24:37, 8.83 miles (9 laps), 21.5 mph (33.7 max), 174 bpm (197 max). Course profile:



The RR setup was quite different than the CR: The race director allowed the women to start with whatever category of men they wanted; we did not have our own race. Anna and I started with the 62 Cat 4 men and raced 55 miles (we could have also started with the 64 Cat 3 men and raced 73 miles) with 3 other women (5 total in our group, and 5 more who raced with the 67 Cat 5 men). We knew that this race was going to start out fast, and it did. But it didn't just start out fast—it continued and ended fast as well. There were lots of times when we would brake, but there were also lots of times when we were completely on the gas with no breaks. My main goal during this race was to stay with the pack and make sure Anna could see me the entire time. I knew that if she could see me, she'd stay with the pack as well, and I knew that if I thought she was looking for me, I'd stay with the pack because I'd think someone was counting on me. It's all about the mental game at that point—your body is physically well-prepared, so now you have to put your mind to work. And work for me it did.

The entire race, I'd focused on staying about 20–30 bikes back from the front; a few times I'd get closer, a few times I'd get farther back, but I'd always get back up to the middle position. If I was still with all the other women and with the pack, at 5 miles to go, I'd make my way up to the front and sprint it out or lead Anna out. However, by that point Anna had flatted (twice) and wasn't with us any more (I am so thankful for the guy who rode up to tell me, because otherwise I'd have been continually looking for her and wondering what happened). I knew that the other women were, so I was plotting my move and my finish. The most significant climb (the rest of the route had been rolling hills) came with about 6 or 8 miles to go (I remember looking at my watch at 44 minutes and 1:33 and not any other time during the race, so these are just estimates), and by that time I knew Anna was off and I had only 3 other women to think about. I had just seen Julia and knew where she was, I had noticed that BettyJean was toward the back, and I could see Kim next to me. During that climb I told myself that if I could stay with the guys I was with up and over that climb, I would be good. Plus I could see that Kim was starting to fall off, and that was even more motivation for me to keep moving with them.

There were one or two times where I thought maybe I couldn't do it, but I kept pedaling and telling myself to let that group pull me up and to not do too much work. Just before the top, I noticed Kim was off but I will still with the group. I still looked around during those last 5 miles to make sure I hadn't missed another woman, but I pretty much knew I was home free—as long as I was in the group I was in, I would win the race. I'm sure I had the biggest smile on my fast that entire 5 miles.

Road Race Podium

Stats: 2:22:46, 55.47 miles, 23.3mph (41.7 max), 163 bpm (199 max). Course profile:

This shows only 1 of our 2 laps (on the pop of the lollipop)

Friday, March 16, 2012

"Is There a Doctor in the House?"

Farmington...Farkases' neighborhood

Today I got to go to Lauren's Grassland Middle School play, where they performed "Is There a Doctor in the House?" Lauren was one of the candy stripers and had lines in every scene. She did well, as did everyone in the cast, and it was entertaining.

Lauren and Katie, the candy stripers

I got in a good workout on the stepmill, 1:15, and an easy 1:15 ride. I love that it is so beautiful outside. I also made a quick stop at Publix (2 dozen eggs, 5 20-oz sodas, almond milk, 3 Larabars, Luna Bar, 2 Clif Bar boxes, and 6 Smart Start veggies). It should've been about $42, but thanks to sales and coupons, it cost me $14 (76% savings). And the Clif bars, Larabars, and Luna bar, which will last me a while, by themselves would have cost $15.


Thursday, March 15, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power VI

The day started with a beautiful sunrise and ended with an even more beautiful rainbow: God's promise that He will never again flood the earth like He did in Noah's day.



Today in Todd's class, I changed thing up just a little bit. After a warmup and 10 minutes of tempo, I did one set of the 2-3-5-3-2 hills and then 30 minuets of tempo, adding in the final 4-minute high-cadence effort and the sprint (to 641) at the end.


2-28-12. 3-01-12. 3-13-12. 3-15-12.

  • Total ride: 1:40:00, 156 bpm (185 max)
    Total ride: 1:42:00
    Total ride: 1:49:00, 163 bpm (187 max)
    Total ride: 1:37:00, 158 bpm (188 max)
  • Warm up on trainer: 9:00, 122 bpm
    Warm up on trainer: 10:00
    Warm up on trainer: 17:34, 125 bpm
    Warm up on trainer: 5:45, 78 bpm
  • 10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest: 161 bpm; 157 bpm
    10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest
    10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest: 159 bpm; 175 bpm; 167 bpm
    10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest: 153 bpm, 172 bpm, 161 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 2-min rest; 167 bpm; 167 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
    2-min hill + 2-min rest; 175 bpm, 173 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest; 174 bpm, 170 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest; 170 bpm; 164 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 175 bpm, 170 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 174 bpm, 164 bpm
  • 5-min hill + 4-min rest; 170 bpm; 158 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest
    5-min hill + 4-min rest; 178 bpm, 168 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest; 175 bpm, 161 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 168 bpm; 165 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 176 bpm, 169 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 173 bpm, 165 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 5-min rest: 166 bpm; 157 bpm
    2-min hill + 5-min rest
    2-min hill + 5-min rest; 172 bpm, 166 bpm
    2-min hill; 170 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 2-min rest: 163 bpm; 167 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
    2-min hill + 2-min rest; 172 bpm, 173 bpm
    3-15: 33 minutes tempo: 161 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 168 bpm; 160 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 176 bpm, 168 bpm
  • 5-min hill + 4-min rest: 169 bpm; 158 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest
    5-min hill + 4-min rest; 178 bpm, 169 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 163 bpm; 147 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 176 bpm, 169 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 1-min rest: 163 bpm; 173 bpm
    2-min hill + 1-min rest
    2-min hill + 1-min rest; 173 bpm, 182 bpm
  • 4-min tempo at 105 RPM; 147 bpm
    4-min tempo at 105 RPM
    4-min tempo at 105 RPM; 178 bpm
    4-min tempo at 105 RPM; 170 bpm
  • 3-min cooldown + sprint: 117 bpm, 671W
    4-min cooldown + sprint: 666 watts
    4-min cooldown + sprint: 166 bpm, 651 watts
    3:15 cooldown + sprint: 156 bpm, 641W

Beautiful Sunrise




Getting up early is so rewarding.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Rest Day Focus

Psalm 42, NKJV

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

I ended up meeting Anna at Percy Warner Park after work to hike the 4.5-mile loop, and it was so much fun. This is a good challenging hike, and the 1.5 hours it takes us gives us lots of time to talk. Then, as I was leaving the park, I noticed these deer.

They're way back there, but they're there!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power V

Today was significantly more difficult, and thus quite a bit more rewarding than, both last week's classes and the previous week's. Last week's were sprints, and the week's before were hills. Today we went back to hills, the same as on February 28 and March 1. But for some reason (maybe the 6-mile run outside yesterday), today felt harder than that week. But I made it through, with a lot of coaxing from Todd and encouragement from Anna and Parri, so success! My HRM was also working today, so I have more data than last time and was definitely working harder than on Feb 28!

After 10 minutes of tempo, we did 2-3-5-3-2 — 2-3-5-3-2 minutes of low-cadence (70 or 75 RPM), strong-effort intervals. Basically, we had to get up and over a lot of hills.

This was crazy hard!
2-28-12. 3-01-12. 3-13-12.

  • Total ride: 1:40:00, 156 bpm (185 max)
    Total ride: 1:42:00
    Total ride: 1:49:00, 163 bpm (187 max)
  • Warm up on trainer: 9:00, 122 bpm
    Warm up on trainer: 10:00
    Warm up on trainer: 17:34, 125 bpm
  • 10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest: 161 bpm; 157 bpm
    10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest
    10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest : 159 bpm; 175 bpm; 167 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 2-min rest; 167 bpm; 167 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
    2-min hill + 2-min rest; 175 bpm, 173 bpm 
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest; 170 bpm; 164 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 175 bpm, 170 bpm
  • 5-min hill + 4-min rest; 170 bpm; 158 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest
    5-min hill + 4-min rest; 178 bpm, 168 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 168 bpm; 165 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 176 bpm, 169 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 5-min rest: 166 bpm; 157 bpm
    2-min hill + 5-min rest
    2-min hill + 5-min rest; 172 bpm, 166 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 2-min rest: 163 bpm; 167 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
    2-min hill + 2-min rest; 172 bpm, 173 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 168 bpm; 160 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 176 bpm, 168 bpm
  • 5-min hill + 4-min rest: 169 bpm; 158 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest
    5-min hill + 4-min rest; 178 bpm, 169 bpm
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 163 bpm; 147 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
    3-min hill + 3-min rest; 176 bpm, 169 bpm
  • 2-min hill + 1-min rest: 163 bpm; 173 bpm
    2-min hill + 1-min rest
    2-min hill + 1-min rest; 173 bpm, 182 bpm
  • 4-min tempo at 105 RPM; 147 bpm
    4-min tempo at 105 RPM
    4-min tempo at 105 RPM; 178 bpm
  • 3-min cooldown + sprint: 117 bpm, 671W
    4-min cooldown + sprint: 666 watts
    4-min cooldown + sprint: 166 bpm, 651 watts 

I think part of what made today so much more challenging than last time is I really focused on getting over the hill, not just getting to the top of it. So even though we'd crested the hill, I kept working hard for an additional minute every time except the final 5-3-2 intervals (it was all I could do to keep my cadence above 60 on those). That will pay off, I know, because in a race, it's not just getting up the hill with the group (though that is key), it's also being able to stay with the group once you're at and over the top.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Outside Run

I had to run outside today--it was absolutely gorgeous. I might regret it tomorrow, but it felt so good to get outside today! I ran from the MFY and did the 6-mile loop in 47:18. Considering I last ran outside on February 27 (5 mi, 40 min) and all my other runs have been on the step mill, I am very happy with the 7:53 pace today (179 bpm, 6:40 best)! I figure the step mill pushes me hard and challenges me, but the pace there is probably about 9- or 10-minute miles, so I really never know what the runs are going to look like. I try to not look at my watch while I run, I just run as fast as I think I can for the amount of time I'll be out (and then try to push myself a little harder if possible). So going sub-8 makes me happy.




Mile 1: 7:47 (169 bpm)
Mile 2: 7:38 (173 bpm)
Mile 3: 7:59 (181 bpm)
Mile 4: 7:54 (181 bpm)
Mile 5: 8:03 (184 bpm)
Mile 6: 7:54 (188 bpm)

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Tom King Half Marathon Bike Support

As much as I enjoy the step mill (and I do; it is a great workout and challenge), I am not going to like not being able to run outside when it is so nice out. Friday would have been perfect for running outside, but alas, I was stuck inside for an hour on the step mill. Then, it was not quite as nice later and it was getting late by the time I got home, so I had to do my 1:30 ride on the trainer. It was still a good ride, and I was out on my back porch riding, so I at least felt like I was outside.

Drew and Donovan, part of the Swiftwick crew

Saturday was freezing in the morning, but I had to get up and ride my bike; there was no avoiding the ride this morning, because I was headed downtown to help support the Tom King/Gupton Jeep 5K and Half Marathon. I had as much on as I thought necessary to keep me warm, but it wasn’t enough. About half an hour into the race, my fingers and toes were frozen and I think I couldn’t have shifted if I’d have had to. I was with the lead woman, so when she finished, I got off my bike and went inside, found someone to help me unclip my helmet because I seriously couldn’t feel my fingers, asked someone on the wait staff for a cup of hot water, held that for a little while, ate some warm food, and then went back outside once I was finally warm enough to shift (nearly 40 minutes later). By then it had warmed up slightly, so I didn’t totally freeze again as I rode to the end of the race and then back to the start, just making sure that everyone who was still out on the course was OK. I ended up riding 2:06:40 and 23.41 miles, averaging 11.1 mph (pretty slow for a ride but fast for a run). I’ll count it as saddle time but not necessarily work miles.

No HR data, but this shows the speed and flatness of the ride

Race support was ending at 11, so Valerie met me at the stadium for a route Cali and mapped for us. We didn’t know the areas we were riding in and took a few wrong turns or missed turns or something, but we made it home so we were alright. There were quite a few decent climbs and what felt like a headwind the entire time, but we weren’t cold, there’s wasn’t much traffic, and we both felt great. It turned out to be a beautiful day for a ride. We rode 2:34:00, 41.87 miles, 16.3 mph (40.4 max), and we climbed 3,113 feet and descended 3,116 feet.

Great route, lots of climbing; the descent after Grays Point
seemed to take forever to come--and now I see we were on
a ridge for about 6 miles, which explains it.

No HR data again, just speed and elevation here

Sunday I got up a little earlier than I had to so I could get in another run—this time 40 minutes on the step mill (it should have been 1 hour, but I got caught on the phone just before I was heading in). Then it was off to the most eventful team ride we’ve had in quite a while. We met at Todd’s studio and headed out to Metro Center, similar to a couple weeks ago, so we could do some team work and sprint. Sadly, during our second sprint, Valerie, Catherine, and Parri all hit each other and Val and Catherine went down. Val ended up being very shaken up and not sure if she was seriously injured or not, so we called an ambulance and sent her to the hospital. Thankfully, she was not seriously injured, but she will be quite sore tomorrow I’m sure! That kind of put a damper on the rest of the plan and the ride, so we just rode at a very easy, conversational pace back to the start. They crashed about 35 minutes in, and our total ride was 1:05, average pace 13.8 mph (30.3 max, which is good considering there are no hills outside of downtown Nashville on that route (climbed 1,400 feet and descended 1,300); that means we got that fast on that or the previous sprint).

HR data here, and you can tell by the speed and
HR where our sprints were!

I was ahead of the crash and didn’t see it happen. All I heard was what sounded like someone’s chain breaking, as if they’d put too much torque on it. I didn’t hear anyone scream or shout until someone not involved said “Crash!” or “Someone’s down!” or something like that. I was so focused on the sprint that I didn’t realize what was going on behind me. I guess that’s a good thing for a race, but not such a good thing when it’s one of my teammates who has just gone down.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power IV

Great seats at the Preds game, right behind the goal where
we could see pretty much everything that was happening!

I've been doing something a little different at work this week, and it enabled me to complete 7 minutes of work, curl/lunge, during the day. That meant I could swim at lunch: 3×125, 2×175, 3×125; average for 125: 1:59 (best: 1:54, first one; worst: 2:04, third one); average for 175: 2:54 (both were the same).

Then it was off to Todd's for this ride. Also, I hit a milestone/got over a wall today by achieving 700 watts on a sprint. It was the last of 9 sprints and I was really pushing for it to be the best one. Thankfully it was, and now I am closer to my goal of 850W :-) The graphic below is slightly off—the first block should be 15 minutes rather than 20 and there should be an additional sprint in the first half:


3-06-12. 3-08-12.

  • 1:40 total ride
    1:37 total ride, 149 bpm (184 max)
  • 10-min warm up for the trainer
    8:37 warm up for the trainer, 74 bpm
  • 10-min warm up + 5-min tempo; 3-min rest
    10-min warm up + 5-min tempo, 152 bpm; 3-min rest
  • 10-min tempo; sprint to 580W; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo , 168 bpm; sprint to 586W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 62xW; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 648W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 641W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 65xW; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 665W; 4min rest
  • Sprint to 664W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to less than 665; 5-min rest
  • 1-min hill; 1-min rest
    1-min hill; 1-min rest
  • 2-min hill; 1-min rest
    2-min hill; 1-min rest
  • 1-min hill; 5-min rest
    1-min hill; 5-min rest
  • 10-min tempo; sprint to less than 664; 4-min rest
    10-min tempo, 166 bpm; sprint to less than 665; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 665W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 675W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 666W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 678W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 686W; 4-min rest
    Sprint to 700W; 4-min rest
  • 2-min hill; 1-min cool down
    2-min hill; 1:43 cool down

Then, one of the guys in my class offered me tickets to tonight Predators game. So instead of going to a BEAT kit meeting/happy hour and Inversion, I gladly accepted them, called Anna, and headed downtown. We ended up staying for only a period and a half, but they were great seats and I'm glad she could join me for the good game!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power III

As part of the second week of the force and power series, today called for something completely different than last week: sprints today vs. hills last week.


No HR data today. I charged my Garmin Sunday until it said BATTERY CHARGING COMPLETE, I turned it on today, and the battery died. I did record the times on my watch, so at least today and Thursday will line up.

3-06-12

  • 1:40 total ride
  • 10-minute warm up for the trainer
  • 10-minute warm up
  • 10-minute tempo; 3-min rest
  • 10-minute tempo; sprint to 580W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 62xW; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 641W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 664W; 5-min rest
  • 1-min hill; 2-min rest
  • 2-min hill; 2-min rest
  • 1-min hill; 7-min rest
  • 10-minute tempo; sprint to 6xxW (less than 664); 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 665W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 666W; 4-min rest
  • Sprint to 686W; 4-min rest
  • 2-min hill; 1-min cool down

Except for the 5th sprint, I increased my watts for each one (and I'm guessing I was close if not to 664 on that 5th one). I am getting closer to 700 and maybe will hit it on Thursday!

During work, I did 10x30sec curl and front delt, then I took a nice walk at lunch, exploring the newly paved sidewalk and mulched (well, chipped) path across the street.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Making it Work

Playing with my food (dessert) at work

Although I wrote down my workouts for the day and looked at the list to make sure I was getting everything done, I wouldn't necessarily say I accomplished everything on the list. Oh, I did the work, I just did it my way. See, here's what I was supposed to do and what I actually did:

Requirement
Accomplishment
Swim 12×200@20sec rest
with warm up and cool down
Swam 4×200@20sec and cooled
down with 200 back/kick
3×30sec heavy/weightsBody Pump at MFY
Run 1 hour1 hour on the step mill—two
30-minute sets on "random play"

So I did swim, but my only option right now is to swim at lunch. It's not that pools aren't open at other times or there aren't other pools besides the DHY, it's that I'd prefer to swim with only a few other people in the pool rather than 30 kids on a swim team and 14 other people in my lane. Therefore, I swim at lunch in the time I have, and I usually can't get in more than 1,500 depending on the workout and whether I wear flippers.

And I did weights, it just wasn't the isometric workout where I lift/hold as much as I can for 30 seconds; instead, it was body pump which still challenges me but is with a group of people and thus more motivating. Definitely still wish sometimes that Will was here to train me.

I pretty much am not running so that I can be a better cyclist, so I've been spending a lot of my required run time on the step mill. And I realized last week that if I break it up into 30-minute segments, the workout is much more random and challenging. I did get a "warm up" twice, but I didn't do the cool down on either 30-minute segment, and I definitely worked hard the entire time.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

First Races: Training Crits

There was the threat of some pretty severe storms on Friday, and although we didn’t get anything too bad in Williamson County, other TN counties weren’t so fortunate and saw some very strong winds and massive hail. They were predicting the storms for sometime Friday afternoon, and I was supposed to go for an hour on the step mill and I’d been hoping to ride outside. In fact, I really wanted to ride outside—it was 80° outside and I wanted to enjoy it! However, I didn’t want to be caught in hail or a tornado, so I opted for a fast 30-minute walk outside and 30 hard minutes on the step mill. Then I did 10-6-3 EDI and felt great. And, instead of riding outside, I sat on my back porch watching the skies and listening for the tornado sirens. They went off only once, and that was thankfully pretty much the worst of what I saw.



Weather is a strange thing—there is no way we can know what exactly is going to happen, and we definitely can’t control it. I am glad God is in complete control, but that doesn’t help me understand how it is how it is outside. Friday was up to 80°, and when I woke up on Saturday morning, it was 35°! Brrrrrr. Therefore, this morning’s ride was on the trainer. It was a great ride, but not as much challenge as I would have faced had I done the GSD ride this morning. Then again, I would’ve frozen out there, so I was glad I was inside. I got a bunch of stuff done after my early ride and then went to pick up Lauren for lunch at Pei Wei and a short hike at Radnor Lake. The day did warm up some, so it was pleasant at the park and I’d have stayed out longer. Lauren, on the other hand, was all worried about a quiz she’d started earlier and thought was going to time out before we got back. So we opted for the Lake Trail and made it back with 16 minutes to spare.

Then she wanted to do some extra credit for her science class. I don’t remember thinking school on the weekends as much as she does. But I decided to help her with her project even though I’m many years removed from 7th grade. She had to fiddle for worms. Basically, we cut down a honeysuckle tree in their backyard and she sawed down on the little stump we’d left; she wanted to create vibrations in the ground similar to those moles would’ve caused. Then, because of the vibrations and the threat of a predator, worms were supposed to surface. Much to my surprise and Lauren’s pleasure, a few worms did come up! We saw two at the first stump and eight at the second stump. Lauren then took those worms and fed them to her chickens. What a treat.

We also went to see The Lorax (sound alert!) later that night. Lauren wanted to see it (a rarity for her, as she generally doesn’t enjoy watching movies) and invited a friend to join her, Aunt Renee, and me. The movie, based on a Dr. Seuss book, was very well-animated—lots of bright colors and creativity. The story was OK but definitely didn’t remind me of any Dr. Seuss book I’d read. Maybe my grandparents didn’t have that in their collection, and I’m pretty sure we didn’t have many at our house. All the kids in the theater (and it was full) seemed to enjoy it, so maybe you have to be 14 or under to really appreciate Dr. Seuss.

Sunday morning started with church and a trip to Kroger (a good trip, too, because I had quite a few free-product Qs and found Hershey’s Kisses on sale (and had Qs to match). That chocolate will make some of my coworkers very happy. I then headed to downtown Nashville for some bike races! The season’s races officially began today with a 40-minute women’s crit at 12:45 and a 40-minute men’s IV race at 2:25. I have raced two crits in one day before, and I’m sure it was as exhausting as today, but I’d definitely forgotten the feeling. The second race was much harder than the first given the fact that my legs were pretty tired from the first race.

Catherine in the Men's V race

Fourteen of us lined up for the women’s race; Team Belladium had 7 riders, Treehouse Racing had 5, SVMIC had 1, and unattached had 1. We definitely had the advantage in this race, and we used it. Even though it was a long race, we started attacking pretty early. Eventually we ended up with 4 of us away (Parri, Lee, Anna, and me. We worked very well together, stayed away, and lapped nearly all of the other 10 riders. Although we tried to organize for a leadout train and solid team finish, it somehow fell apart and I ended up winning with the other 3 far enough behind me that I wasn’t really sprinting against them. Overall, I’m thrilled with the win and happy that I ended up in that break; Anna and Parri had been off the front, and Lee and I had to work pretty hard to bridge the gap to them without bringing anyone else with us. Then, once we were with them, we had to work to stay with them and stay together, and I never let down. Hooray for pressing on!

Valerie and Shelly in the Men's V race

Stats: 6-minute warm up (for real; the rest of the time I was sitting in my car trying to keep from freezing in the 50°, cloudy, windy weather). 38:43 race; 13.26 miles; 20.5 mph (29.4 max), 175 bpm (192 max). It looks like we rode 22 laps, and the break happened between laps 4 and 5. My HR was very consistent between laps 5 and 21, so I was working pretty hard and we never really let off the gas. Here’s the data:


53:06, 16.3, 18.4 mph totals for this race.

The second race was the men’s cat IV race and Anna, Parri, and I joined for the experience. My goal was to stay with the group for as long as I could and ride smart while I was with them. I definitely rode smart—I knew where I had to be to stay out of the wind, and I knew I couldn’t be at the front or the back of the group. I lasted with them for 7 minutes, and then I just couldn’t hang on any more. It all went downhill from there and I ended up getting lapped 3 times. It’s pretty amazing the difference between being protected from the wind and being in the wind by yourself. Overall, I’m really glad I did this race. I thought I finished dead last, but it turns out I am listed as 17/21 in the final results. During this race, I rode smart while I was in the group and did my best. Plus I got to ride with more than I normally do in women’s races.

Stats: 10-minute warm up. 40:38 race; 13.33 miles, 19.7 mph (29.3 max), 171 bpm (185 max). It looks like we did 22 laps in this race as well. However, my HR and speed are not nearly as consistent from this race. I stayed with the group for 4 or 5 laps, and we took the corners significantly faster than we had with the women. I got back with the group after they lapped me the first time and stayed with them for 3 more laps (9–11). After that, I really could not hang on to anyone when they caught me (until the finish, that is). Here’s the data:



54:23, 16.46, 18.2 mph totals for this race.

Now it’s pretty much time for a nap. Or maybe sleep.

Also, totally random fact but my Garmin decided to sync so I have this data, two times around the park at Percy Warner (on the bike) is almost 4200 feet of climbing and approximately 22 miles.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

CompuTrainer Class: Force and Power II

Today's workout was exactly the same as Tuesday's (that's what happens when you go to the same class twice per week), but it felt slightly different. I felt stronger, but I also felt slower. At the last 10 seconds of each 3-minute interval, we had to spin up from 70 RPM (which we were holding for all the intervals) to 120 RPM as fast as possible. My power output for those spin-ups was higher today than Tuesday, but it felt like it took me the entire 10 seconds to spin up, whereas on Tuesday it only took me a second or two.

Parri isn't in this class either, so I didn't have the immediate motivation she provided on Tuesday. Instead, I had to imagine her pulling me up a hill, and I basically just concentrated on staying on her wheel for every interval.

After 10 minutes of tempo, we did 2-3-5-3-2 — 2-3-5-3-2 minutes of low-cadence (70 RPM), strong-effort intervals. Basically, we had to get up and over a hill.

This was crazy hard!
I have no heart rate date from today because either the transmitter wasn't transmitting or the receiver wasn't receiving correctly; through the first 20 minutes, according to my Garmin, my HR never got above 84. Definitely not correct!

2-28-12. 3-01-12.

  • Total ride: 1:40:00, 156 bpm (185 max)
    Total ride: 1:42:00
  • Warm up on trainer: 9:00, 122 bpm
    Warm up on trainer: 10:00
  • 10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest: 161 bpm; 157 bpm
    10-min warm up + 10-min tempo + 4-min rest
  • 2-min hill + 2-min rest: 167 bpm; 167 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 170 bpm; 164 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
  • 5-min hill + 4-min rest: 170 bpm; 158 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 168 bpm; 165 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
  • 2-min hill + 5-min rest: 166 bpm; 157 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
  • 2-min hill + 2-min rest: 163 bpm; 167 bpm
    2-min hill + 2-min rest
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 168 bpm; 160 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
  • 5-min hill + 4-min rest: 169 bpm; 158 bpm
    5-min hill + 4-min rest
  • 3-min hill + 3-min rest: 163 bpm; 147 bpm
    3-min hill + 3-min rest
  • 2-min hill + 1-min rest: 163 bpm; 173 bpm
    2-min hill + 1-min rest
  • 4-min tempo at 105 RPM: 147 bpm
    4-min tempo at 105 RPM
  • 3-min cooldown + sprint: 117 bpm, 671W
    4-min cooldown + sprint: 666 watts

I managed to accomplish 10-10-10 EDI lunge, push up, and pull up, and I also swam 500 during lunch. It was the worst swim all year, I think, and I felt like a brick in the pool. It was better with a pull buoy, but it was still rough and short. I couldn't take the sinking any longer than 500, which is a pretty short swim.