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| Gran Fondo Leavenworth - 87 miles (45 gravel) and 9,300 ft of climbing |
Training - Go'n good. Each week, the core of my training has been a V02 Max workout on rollers and a long, generally hard ride. My other riding sessions have been 25 mile commutes (there and back) or other rides at relatively low intensity, sometimes with some hard efforts. In addition, one or two times a week I've been riding for 50 min. in the morning, without eating, with a heart rate around 120 ppm. I gather that such workouts are particularly good a training the body to burn fat rather than glycogen.
My basic goal has been to make the V02 Max workout really hard - well, I suppose, that's the definition of V02 Max workouts. These workouts remind me of the old days, 35 years ago, when I would do 5 x 1 miles interval sessions, running 78-80 sec. laps. I still remember the sensations when going around the last two bends, trying to stay controlled and smooth.
I make the long ride hard (zone 4 and 3) and I try to make all the other rides easy (zone 2 and 3). I have a hard time being disciplined and riding easy when I'm supposed to be riding easy, so that's one thing that I've been working on.
Time on the bike. Time in hours on the bike (weeks with a 3+ and 5+ hour ride in green and red). I generally take one or two days off/week. I'm pretty sure that two off days is MUCH better for me.
Total
Week 1-4 : 3.25 - 12.00 - 6.00 - 9.50 = 30.75
5-8 : 11.00 - 8.75 - 5.00 - 7.50 = 31.25
9-12: 7.50 - 7.75 - 8.50 - 13.75 = 37.25
13-16: 10.50 - 14.75 - 14.00 - 9.75 = 49.00
Interval workouts. For VO2 Max workouts, I've worked my way from 3-5 x (3 min. hard + 2 min easy) to 3-6 x (5 min. hard + 5 min. easy), to 3-5 x (8 min. hard + 4 min. easy). I think my maximum heart rate is about 167, that is, 220-53 (my age) = 167. Over the last 16 weeks, while I've hit 167 on several occasions I've not seen it go beyond 167. So, I think the rule of thumb 220-age is a good approximation in my case.
On the 8 min. interval, it takes about 1- 2 min to get my heart rate to 150 bpm and over the next 6-7 min it rises slowly but surely to 162-167. I've been doing a 30 min. warmup, with 2-3 hard 30 second efforts after I've done 20 min., and a 10-20 min. warm down. I tend to ride at about 105 rpm, sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower and most recently I've been riding in 52x14 (16 weeks ago a 52x18 was plenty hard).
I assume that 105 rpm or so will transfer okay to a climbing cadence of 65-80 rpm or so on the long threshold-type climbs but I do wonder about that because the butt and hip muscles become particularly important when climbing. Perhaps, I should experiment with a slower cadence and a bigger gear but that does't seem like a good idea for the knees. Maybe better to do some climbing intervals on Norway Hill or the killer Tolt Pipeline Trail. Not sure.
On the 8 min. interval, it takes about 1- 2 min to get my heart rate to 150 bpm and over the next 6-7 min it rises slowly but surely to 162-167. I've been doing a 30 min. warmup, with 2-3 hard 30 second efforts after I've done 20 min., and a 10-20 min. warm down. I tend to ride at about 105 rpm, sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower and most recently I've been riding in 52x14 (16 weeks ago a 52x18 was plenty hard).
I assume that 105 rpm or so will transfer okay to a climbing cadence of 65-80 rpm or so on the long threshold-type climbs but I do wonder about that because the butt and hip muscles become particularly important when climbing. Perhaps, I should experiment with a slower cadence and a bigger gear but that does't seem like a good idea for the knees. Maybe better to do some climbing intervals on Norway Hill or the killer Tolt Pipeline Trail. Not sure.
Eight minutes is a long time - hell 5 min. is long time - but I figure a long interval has its benefits for the Gran Fondos, which, putting aside fast downhill gravel bike-handling skills, largely test aerobic capacity.
Each of the intervals is challenging but in different ways. The first one is really hard because I'm somehow not ready for it. The second one is easier, maybe my favorite, but then I have three or four more to do. The third one is often the best, but sometimes, I feel that I'm struggling. The fourth one is almost always a struggle, but satisfying and then, by some miracle I'm ready for one more. And, on the fifth one, I'm barely holding on, but sometimes I seem ready for one more. Crazy, crazy.
I enjoy these. I'm trying to develop the physical and mental capacity to hit a harder effort sooner, perhaps 155 bpm within 30-60 seconds, and hold on to it, and then really work that last 60-90 sec. It's a challenge.
There's a certain self-centeredness and even a kind of narcissism when I focus on the sensations and mental challenges related to this training. The idea that I actually look forward to almost 2 hours on the rollers in a highly controlled setting - alone, in the garage, listening to NPR - is kind of scary. I can easily recall times years ago, and more recently, when doing a mere 20 min. on rollers at a steady 90 rpm was physically and mentally hard.
Each of the intervals is challenging but in different ways. The first one is really hard because I'm somehow not ready for it. The second one is easier, maybe my favorite, but then I have three or four more to do. The third one is often the best, but sometimes, I feel that I'm struggling. The fourth one is almost always a struggle, but satisfying and then, by some miracle I'm ready for one more. And, on the fifth one, I'm barely holding on, but sometimes I seem ready for one more. Crazy, crazy.
I enjoy these. I'm trying to develop the physical and mental capacity to hit a harder effort sooner, perhaps 155 bpm within 30-60 seconds, and hold on to it, and then really work that last 60-90 sec. It's a challenge.
There's a certain self-centeredness and even a kind of narcissism when I focus on the sensations and mental challenges related to this training. The idea that I actually look forward to almost 2 hours on the rollers in a highly controlled setting - alone, in the garage, listening to NPR - is kind of scary. I can easily recall times years ago, and more recently, when doing a mere 20 min. on rollers at a steady 90 rpm was physically and mentally hard.
Weight. My weight has gone down, from about 160 pounds to about 150 pounds. I would like to get it down to 148 or a little less. I don't think going too much lower will be all that healthy for me. The downside to losing weight is that now I have every reason to get a lighter frame for the Gran Fondos, since I don't think I can improve too much more by losing weight. Ha.
Still, I have some more work to do on the weight. I take my weight, most days that I ride, after I get home. Here's the sequence of measurements, not showing missing measurements.
Still, I have some more work to do on the weight. I take my weight, most days that I ride, after I get home. Here's the sequence of measurements, not showing missing measurements.
158.4 - 161.2 - 158.2 - 160.4 - 158.6 - 158.6
161.7 - 158.6
- 162.9 - 159.0 - 161.7 - 159.8
160.0 - 160.0 - 159.5 - 162.4 - 160.3
- 159.3
157.7 - 158.3 - 156.9 - 159.6 - 157.9 - 158.2
158.5 - 156.9
- 154.7 - 157.4 - 157.7 - 155.7
155.5 - 156.0 - 154.0 - 154.7 - 154.8
- 155.4
152.8 - 156.4 - 157.2 - 152.3 - 152.9 - 155.3
150.7 - 153.8
- 155.5 - 153.1 - 152.2 - 152.2
152.9 - 155.5 - 153.2 - 153.3 - 151.2
- 151.8
150.4 - 148.6
So, almost a check on goal #6 (some structured training) and almost a check on goal #9 (getting weight down to 150 or so).
What's next? I hope to continue with the VO2 Max workout and explore its sensations and potentials and stay at 4 - 6 x (8 min. hard + 4 min. easy) for the next 8 weeks, and try to get my heart rate above 155 in the first 30 -60 sec. and hold and let it raise slowly until the end. I'll keep doing the long ride and move towards 6 hours or a bit longer and keep the easy base riding. Ideally, I'd like to get a little more variation in the "hard" and "easy" weeks to better absorb the training load but that's hard with my schedule and weather and so on.
At present, the V02 Max workout and the long ride are extremely testing and I'm not sure that I can add more intensity per week. I've tried a couple of times but then I feel like crap (and my knee and back started to tweak out). Perhaps, I should stay within Zone 2 or low Zone 3 on the long ride and then I would have the capacity to absorb an additional threshold workout each week, say two 20-minute threshold efforts with easy before and have riding. Or, perhaps I will adapt to be able to more easily recover from the V02 Max work now that I've got to a level that seems good. Not sure what's best, but my intuition is that the V02 Max workout is gold and surely the long, hard ride builds strength and aerobic capacity.
I'll plan on a tapering phase in the two weeks preceding the Gran Fondo. That will be an interesting process.
What's important? Touch wood - no accidents, and my body seems to be absorbing the training load and rhythm fairly well.
I am also grateful to be alive; there's no doubt that we are vulnerable. I know only too well that in a split second things can go bad, from all is well to BANG on the ground. On 61st Ave. NE in Kenmore, on my way home, I frequently pass a ghost bike, where a young man, age 18, from my neighborhood, was killed, and near the Kenmore cement plant I frequently pass a ghost bike (unfortunately, no longer there) on the Burke Gilman Trail where an old man, age 70, was killed, and in the U-District I frequently pass a ghost bike on University Way and NE Campus Parkway, and occasionally I pass the ghost bike in Ravenna.
Ghost bikes are sad. They always reorient me to thoughts of my family and how lucky I am. They remind me that riding is a gift, not to be taken for granted.
Nine weeks to go.
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