What's new

Race The Training Thread

This New Years I did 5 back to back days of snow shoes. Compared to cycling, for me it's the only thing that comes close.

We did Kashiwazaki's sacred 3 peaks on alternate days. In-between days I did a river / rindo loop straight out of my front door.

Lessons learnt from Rocky IV.

Some pictures and a Japanese write up below.

Cheers, Andy


I did a FB blog of this in English with a few different pics/vids too.

The next big snow storm arrives on Thursday!

Blog link and cut & paste text below.

Cheers, Andy



「5 days of snow shoes」

5 days of snowshoes this new year's vacation
as cross training
I think snowshoes are the best
strength training and endurance training combined

Nishihiro san and I started doing this nearly 10 years ago

the last few years I raced through the winter
this year with no races
and lots of snow
it's time to get back to basics!

1. new year's eve: mt. hachikoku

the ishikawa approach
our favorite course
a small mountain with a series of peaks
how far you can go depends on snow condition & leg condition!
on the first day of snow
we plough through it!

(7km, 600m, 2h30)

2. new year's day: ukawa river & kenno forest trail

my home course
put the snow shoes on at my front door
tempo on the river bank to get a sweat on
the forest trail climb pushes me harder
back on the river bank
squeeze it all out

(12km, 225m, 3h)

3. january 2nd: mt. kurohime

the least accessible of kashiwazaki's 3 peaks
today we try the isonobe approach
up the steep climb
it takes 20 minutes up to the trail head by bike in summer
12 minutes up to isonobe village
but the snow is so deep
2h 30 to isonobe village!

we try to make a loop
first following the kurohime river
then the isonobe forest trail
but it's too difficult
we think we'll never get off the bloody mountain!
5h30 or 12,000 steps!

(14.5km, 500m, 5h30)

4. january 3rd: ukawa river & kenno forest trail no.2

a repeat of the new year's day's home course
this time the snow is twice as deep
the training twice as hard!

(12km, 225m, 3h30)

5. january 4th: mt. yoneyama

when you think of kashiwazaki
mt. yoneyama dominates the skyline

the lower slopes are easy
but once the trail disappears
it's deep snow like mt. kurohime again
but this is much much steeper!

pulling our way up with branches
we stop at a clearing

drink some coffee
as if by magic
suddenly we enter native buna forest
the canopy opens
more space to move
the air is colder
the snow is deeper
but much lighter

upto the "711" peak
along the ridge
on top of the world!

the descent is great fun too!

(5.5km, 550m, 2h30)

5 days on the snow
total (52km, 2,100m, 17h)
Nishihiro san thank you!

 
2 weeks since I wrote a training log.

Caught up in New Years and the snow that followed.

As I warmed down on the trainer today, the announcement came on the town loud speaker system 「no school till thursday!」The cries of jubilation from the kids could have caused an avalanche!

The usual blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy.



「2 weeks training」

last two weeks' training blog
先週と先々週のトレーニングブログです
変な日本語すみません!

we had the new year's holidays
and two heavy snow storms
I forgot what day it was!
2 weeks' training log below
お正月休み
そして2つの大雪
何日だったか忘れてしまいました!
2週間のトレーニングログです

the basic training plan is the same
two zwift FTP workouts everyday
ベーシックのトレーニングプランは同じです
毎日2つのzwiftFTPワークアウトをやる

I did a 5 day block of snowshoes too
strength and endurance training
5日間のスノーシュートレーニングブロックも入れて良かった
筋力と持久力トレーニング

the second snowstorm brought so much snow
impossible to even snowshoe!
on the bright side, removing snow brings bonus training!
しかし2回目の吹雪で雪がいっぱいすぎて
スノーシューでもNG!
除雪はボーナストレーニングになるけど!

in winter, the most important thing is to keep active
冬に毎日アクティブな日になるとポイントですね

・monday 28: zwift workout x 2
・tuesday 29: kakuda CX
・wednesday 30: zwift workout x 2
・thursday 31: snowshoes 2h 30, zwift workout x 1
・friday 1: snowshoes 3h 30, zwift workout x 1
・saturday 2: snowshoes 5h 30
・sunday 3: snowshoes 3h30
・monday 4: snowshoes 3h30
・tuesday 5: zwift workout x 2
・wednesday 6: zwift workout x 2
・thursday 7: zwift workout x 2
・friday 8: snowshoes 5h
・saturday 9: zwift workout x 2
・sunday 10: zwift workout x 2

the training in winter is the foundation for the whole year
冬のトレーニングは一年間のベースですね

keep on keeping on!
がんばりましょう!
 
Did my 3rd FTP ramp test of the season today.

Happy to take it up a few notches.

Lots are said about the structure of Zwift workouts but I seem to be able to get them to work.

Ride on!

Andy

the only way is up, 375W FTP

 
Just put the English version on the FB blog.

Usual blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



raising the FTP

after breaking two ribs
and then after heavy snow
I've spent time on the trainer
and set about raising my FTP

☆test 1, the first ramp test was 345W FTP

then I did the zwift 12 week FTP plan in 3 weeks (two workouts a day, cut the easy endurance workouts)
then in the same way I did the 4 week FTP plan in two weeks
so 5 weeks build

☆test 2, the second test was 355W FTP

then I did the 4 week FTP plan again
interval targets are higher based on 355W FTP.
I also did snow shoes for endurance and strength

today I tested the FTP again

☆test 3, the third test was 375W

the ramp test starts at 100W
and increases by 20W every minute
I set 500W as the target
it's important to have a target

like luke trying to blow up the death star!

500W x 75% = 375W FTP

I will repeat the 4 week FTP plan
with intervals based on 375W FTP

how far can I raise it?

for effective training
consistency and progression are most important
ride on!
 
Damn, that's a lot.
What are you weighing these days?
I am the slimmest I have been in close to if not more than a decade, but just tested 40 watts lower than I was in the fall.
This was due to cutting back on carbs and hard training.
The first races in the region are scheduled for late March, so now might be the time to start reintroducing carbs and higher intensity.
Hope to be under 82-83 kg while fueled (four or five lighter than now) and back up to 300 watts by then..
 
Will be 75kg in spring! Never weigh myself in the winter as it is a time to put on some muscle and then drop the weight back.

Happy with the way things are going.

I did 300W x 20 mins today in Z2 120 to 130HR which is great. This is what I want for this year, speed in zones 2 and 3 for long events.

Keep the training up!

Andy
 
Will be 75kg in spring! Never weigh myself in the winter as it is a time to put on some muscle and then drop the weight back.

Happy with the way things are going.

I did 300W x 20 mins today in Z2 120 to 130HR which is great. This is what I want for this year, speed in zones 2 and 3 for long events.

Keep the training up!

Andy
Dang, I was expecting more than that. Hahaha.
 
I'm down from 78.8 kg to 71.8 kg myself, training on Zwift, since August. This is in stark contrast to the 20kg I dropped doing Bikram Yoga 5-7x week, 90 minutes per class, for 1 year. That put me at 67 kg when I had moved to Japan, and then I lost another 4 kg in diet after that, despite only continuing the yoga for 2-3x per week. Lot more muscle now but high 60s is my goal.
 
Ok whew - I was able to drop to 89kg after the holidays but am 6'2". Too much naan in the diet but I can't resist.
 
I wrote a blog about analyzing your zwift workouts today while drinking beer in the bath!

Blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



one thing I like about zwift is checking the graphs after each workout
you can learn a lot about yourself as a cyclist by looking at the graphs

this is yesterday's first workout:

<1>

the red line is heart rate
the blue ine is cadence
the white line is power

<2>

first there are 4 pipe openers
power and cadence is high
652W / 117rpm

the heart response is quick
but the intervals are short so it doesn't rise to high

it is important to look at the peaks and troughs
for the 4 high power efforts
the peak heart rate declines

this is the body getting used to the hard effort

perhaps more importantly
the 4 troughs are deeper each time
so the recovery heart rate is lower

these pipe openeres prepare the cardiovascular system for the work ahead
they are also good training!

<3>

next it's time to get the legs ready
this is a 5 minute interval at 330W / 95HR
riding at 95rpm really gets the legs ready

the heart rate response is also relatively high due to the high cadence

<4>

last is the main part of the workout
300W x 5mins 1RI (1min rest interval) x 4

I felt good so I cut the RI and did
300W x 20mins

the legs were ready
so I can push a heavier gear
I keep the cadence low (around 80rpm)
and focus on smooth pedaling

the cardiovascular system was also ready
I keep the breathing deep
and focusing on exhalation and keeping below 130HR

I am happy to do 300W for 20 mins in HR Z2

this shows that the FTP training workouts are effective

the training is also specific
Z2 and Z3 are very important for long endurance rides like Tokyo~Itoigawa or Gran Fondo Myoko

winter training is the foundation for the year
ride on!
 
Feel like I'm clogging this thread a bit, but here is the weekly training blog link and cut and paste.

Not long till spring!

Andy



「onwards & upwards」

last week's training blog
先週のトレーニングブログです
変な日本語すみません!

last week was a good training week
I raised the FTP to 375W
and I climbed mt. yoneyama in the sun

先週は良いトレーニング週間でした
FTPを375Wまで上げました
そして青空の下に
米山さん登りました

the basic training plan is the same
two zwift FTP workouts everyday
ベーシックのトレーニングプランは同じです
毎日2つのzwiftFTPワークアウトをやる

with some days of snowshoes
for strength and endurance training
スノーシュートレーニングも入れて
筋力と持久力トレーニングのために

・monday: zwift workout x 2
・tuesday: zwift workout x 2, snowshoes 3h
・wednesday: FTP ramp test, snowshoes 2h
・thursday: zwift workout x 2
・friday: snowshoes 3h
・saturday: zwift workout x 2
・sunday: snowshoes 3h(plan)

the training in winter is the foundation for the whole year
冬のトレーニングは一年間のベースですね

keep on keeping on!
がんばりましょう!
 
Back
Top Bottom