• Hard, but @PaintnIFs and I did recognize each other w/o our superhero costumes on the t today. Good seeing you! -Shane #

status: fat but fit. Big BUILD week. Hardest week yet. If I come through it, I will earn 2 recovery days. If I wuss out, only 1 day should be needed.

Weather came around and I should be fresh enough to put myself into a big hole. Hoping to see my CTL hit 85 for the first time this season. here’s this weeks plan:

m: recovery commute 25′ @ z0
tu: AM: explosive upperbody lifting.
PM: VO2max hills @ 114-116%. 4′ x 6rep x 4′RIs 30′ of z2 to start and finish the session. 2 hours total.

w: AM: Core work
PM: 3 hours z2, a few z3 intervals if the legs feel nice.

th: AM: Core work
PM: Recovery commute @ z0

fr: LTP “push” workout. Dont know exactly the WO, but it should be pretty tough. I’m thinking that I’m going to get zoned in @ 90-94% by feel and go until my pedal stroke feels choppy. Hopefully a 45-75′ SST interval. These workouts are fun, as I’m flirting with LTP for the entirety of the interval and I get very familiar with what riding on the rivet feels like. Great breakaway training.
2 hours total.

Sat: 2 hour GR with z2 to warm up/cool down. 3-4 hours by feel.

Sun: hopefully 2-4 hours strict z2 as my legs should be toast. May turn into a nice 90′ JRA session with my GF.

Planned hours: 14-15.5
Planned TSS: 800-900
Planned KJs: 10,000 – 11,500

IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN!

no excuses, now.

• Great seeing the back bay bikes crew finishing their ride as we were starting ours Yeah for sleeping in! #
• Late night in central sq at lab = treating myself to a 4 burgers cheeseburger- Shane #
• Only February and Contador's finger bangs are already annoying #

So you train for bike racing as most of us do. By this time of year you have your Friel inspired periodized plan mapped out up to your first fitness peak or beyond.  But in the coming months simply checking off the boxes each day as you complete your multi hour endurance ride will transition to hitting targeted interval lengths or power records.

Hypothetical: you look at your training plan for the upcoming week.  a 40′ SST interval is planned for the day following a long endurance ride.  “No problem” you say, “two weeks ago I did 30 minutes at sweet spot intensity and I nailed it”.  Maybe so, but at some point reaching a new critical power record or increasing volume of a particular workout by increasing duration or intensity will prove very difficult.  In order to stay on your plan you may need to employ focus, determination or visualization, or all three.  (Too many of these tough workout experiences should warrant a review of the plan or a rest week).

A sweet spot interval is a great example of where focus and determination may be required to successfully complete a workout.  Lets suppose at minute 20 your legs start to get tired or your heart rate jumps a few beats or you perspire more despite the two fans on high.  You say “there is no way I can make it another 20′…that’s another 100% of my workout remaining”.  Relax and focus.  Focus on your pedal stroke.  I bet you can get another 5 watts just by putting your mind to the fluid circle of your feet without raising perceived effort.  Concentrate on breathing…stare down that crack in the wall and breath deep and steady and watch your heart rate settle back into the appropriate zone.  Hey, now you are 30′.  But again it’s getting tough.  You may need some determination to get to minute 40.  Visualization!

Last year I had a bad trainer room, no tv, just me and my mp3 player repeating 90’s rock and gangster rap.  But one day I turned off the lights and blindfolded myself so that I could visualize racing and other fun activities that amp me up.  Technical crits with sprints get me going.  mandatory drops over cornices onto 50 degree slopes also buys me a few minutes during a grueling interval.

These are just some things to think about the next time you are suffering in the basement and are no where near the end of your prescribed interval or set.

• Slow ride on my fixed gear makes for a nice force wo. Kind of glad I never bought the bigger cog I had been planning on getting.-s #

A recent conversation between your own Matt Miller and myself (Leo Desforges).  We thought it might be helpful, so here it is!!

MATT’s MESSAGE:

Hey dude!

I can’t get together for a training talk tonight (I have to work late, then get on the trainer, duh!) but I had a question:

I’m mapping out my week and was wondering what your theory is for sequencing WO’s within a week.  The workouts I want to focus on are: Force (big gear, low cadence reps), Muscular Endurance (aka tempo), Power (15″ all out sprints) and Anaerobic WO’s.

My question is what is the optimal order for these workouts.  Would it be better to do an Anaerobic WO Monday before a Force WO on Tues so that your legs are stretched out?  Or is it better to do a ME (tempo) workout the day before an anaerobic WO?  (these are just examples).  Any thoughts would be appreciated!!!!!!!!

-m “training-tard” m

MY RESPONSE:

Great questions.

Ultimately, you have to try it out and see what sequence works optimally for you.  Ideally, you will order your workouts so that you get the most high quality workouts in the least amount of training days.

So, to answer your question more directly, I would do this:

1.  determine which of these workouts is most important to really nail down at this time of year.  What means more in late January: a monster tempo session or a solid set of 1 minute intervals?

I might also ask:  which of these workouts (and the corresponding weakness it is addressing) needs the most work?  prioritize the workout that addresses this.

Last, I’d ask:  which workouts are toughest for me to complete on dead legs?  mentally, as much as physically… i do the workouts I dread most when I feel the most fresh/motivated.

OK  to be MOST direct, I would go from shortest “interval” on day 1 when you are freshest.  So coming off a rest day or two, I’d do this:

Day 1:  sprint/neuromuscular work (always do sprints when fresh!)

Day 2:  Force/low cadence work.

day3: tempo (if you can do this at low tempo zones, legs should come around for tomorrow)

day 4: anerobic drills (this early in the season I would not be prioritizing this type of work at all, personally.)

Just for a personal example, I like this block as of the past 2 weeks:

wed: recovery

th: low cadence hill repeats on summit ave.

friday: 2 hours tempo

saturday: hard long ride (use teammates to help motivate dead legs!)

sunday:  try and get the legs to open up, if they do: sub LT interval (great TT practice).

i’d love to talk more verbally on the subject, but let me know if this helps.

-L

The team is proud to introduce our new members for the 2010 season:

Dan B.
Racing Age: 32
Category – Road: 5
Occupation: Cancer Research
Dan comes to Threshold completely new to the world of bicycle racing. He became friends with many of the team members through group rides and local cycling events. Dan hopes to develop his skills and upgrade to Cat 4 with the hopes of leading his teammates to a podium finish.

Jeff B.
Racing Age: 29
Category – Road: 4 Cyclocross: 3
Occupation: Driving a truck full of bikes
Jeff is entering his fourth year of competitive cycling. Though his primary focus is on cyclocross, he is passionate about the hardman races of the early season. He looks forward to riding with and for teammates.

Nick L.
Racing Age:40
Category – Road: 5
Occupation: Telecoms
Nick is returning to racing after a few years away and is looking forward to coming back and enjoying the sport again.  He  used to specialize in climbing but is now more of a rouleur. Nick’s goals for 2010 are to enjoy some great racing with the team and to upgrade to Cat 4 during the course of the season.

Zach L.
Racing Age: 24
Category – Road: 4 Cyclocross: 4
Occupation: Graduate Student / Scientist
Zach has competed in collegiate cycling in road, track, cyclocross and mountain biking over the last several years. He is excited about racing for Threshold in 2010. For the upcoming season, he would like to earn his upgrade to Cat. 3, and settle a score with the “App Gap” at the Green Mountain Stage Race.

Matthew M.
Racing Age: 27
Category – Road: 4 Cyclocross: 3
Occupation: Boston Public School administrator
MM is entering his fourth year of road racing and third year of racing cyclocross. He is happy to train, race, and hang out with people who are his friends as well as teammates. Goals for 2010: help teammates dominate races in the northeast, stick to a budget for cycling-related expenses, and train smarter, not just harder.

Gert R.
Racing Age: 41
Category – Road: 4
Occupation: Management Consultant
Gert was born in Belgium, the same country as the Greatest Cyclist of All Time. Sadly, Gert’s parents did not get the hint and never bought him a race bike. Gert started racing last year, upgraded to Cat. 4 and, as a new team member, will try to make himself useful to his teammates in various races in the area.

Travis R.
Racing Age: 23
Category – Road: 4
Occupation: EFL Teacher
Travis enters his fourth season of racing after three years with the Skidmore Thoroughbreds Cycling Team. Having a strong work ethic and strengths as a sprinter that can get through the climbs, Travis looks forward to working hard for the team to get results. 2010 goal: upgrade to Cat. 3.

Brad S.
Racing Age: 27
Category – Road: 5
Brad Comes to Threshold by way of Miami, FL where he raced for the Toshiba/Aerospace Engineering Group U23 development team. After a break from racing during much of college and grad school, Brad joined Threshold to get back into competitive cycling where he is hoping to further develop as a team rider.

Drew S.
Racing Age: 28
Category – Road: 4
Drew joins Threshold for his second year of racing, driven to support his teammates for a successful season. He  found his athletic talent at an early age kayaking off of waterfalls and paddling rivers in and around his hometown of Watertown, NY. Off the bike, Drew works in the financial services industry, enjoys cooking, and can be found spending time with his fiancé.

• Hey Internets, as of late, use of embro has been leaving my legs red and itchy. What am I doing wrong? #
• Thanks Internets for the embro advice. I'm going to take a break, at least until my legs heal a bit. Rode today, my ligaments didn't snap. #
• Giant ice booger spotted on mill st http://yfrog.com/4foembj #

• I posted 8 photos on Facebook in the album "Threshold Cycling" http://bit.ly/7Q7Kya #

January is coming to a close and there has been some great outdoor riding this winter. This past weekend contained a great mix of road and mtb riding. On Saturday we had enough teammates come out to split into two groups — one fast paced, the other out for a longer endurance ride. Those in the “B” group (about 10 of us) did 4 hours out in the usual Dover environs. Great ride with the thermometer tickling 30 on a sunny Saturday.

Yesterday, Cory and I headed south to Foxboro to meet up with Devin and his friend Jared at Borderlands State Park. It was time for the master of the MTB to teach the “grasshoppers.” Unfortunately I was too busy endo’ing on the rocky icy downhills to take many pics during the ride, but here are some before and after shots. Thanks to Devin and Jared for showing us the ropes and for entertaining us with some sick tricks.

The Master illustrating the finer points of headwear

A roadie ready for the 2nd MTB ride of his life - note the snow and ice

One of us could really use a new bike

The Master says "F off MTB'ing is cool"