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Race The Training Thread

I had a very good training week: I did my usual 5 workouts, amounting to almost 600 TSS, which I think is my highest yet. Despite that, I nailed all workouts, be it over-unders, VO2max or long sweetspot efforts, mentally I feel quite strong.

But I have to be careful not to overdo it. Next week will be a bit easier with about 520 again. Then I have a rest week scheduled. But so far scaling up the workload seems to work fine. The only difference is that my need for sleep has increased quite a bit. I slept 8 hours and it felt more like 7ish.
Yeah, those workouts looked ROUGH. Hahaha.
 
Snowboarding and/or riding/training almost every day for nine days straight seems to have taken a toll. I did one run down the mountain yesterday and my legs felt like jelly, so I went home and laid arou..... focused on recovery. I feel better now.

I have decided that I need to increase my volume, even at the cost of intensity and quality, in order to get slimmer (or at least not fat).
So I will see if I can handle TR's mid-volume plans and also start riding my MTB to work (I bought a rain suit and a new lock for that purpose!) once the weather is a bit more reasonable.
 
Wife's birthday and wedding anniversary today. A quick ramp test before the pizza arrives.

You can't always get what you want but another solid effort.

Blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



「ramp test 375W FTP」

I took 2 days off
and did an FTP ramp test today
2日間レストの後に
今日はFTPランプテストをやりました

last time I did a 500W 1 minute maximum
前回500Wの1分インターバルまでクリアしました
◇500W x 75% = 375W FTP

today I was aiming to do 1 more minute
今日はもう1分やりたいと思って、ターゲットは
◇520W x 75% = 390W FTP

but I was drowning at 500W!
so the FTP stays the same at 375W FTP
でも500Wで溺れていた!
FTPはそのまま375WFTPで

both legs locked up after finishing
the garage is too cold?
luckily I had a hot bath ready!
終了後に両足がロックされた
ガレージは寒するかな?
お風呂の準備ができた良かった!
 
This week was a rest week in preparation for the above FTP test and a local trail race tomorrow.

With free time on my hands, I enjoyed getting on the wife's nerves even more than normal!

The usual blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



「rest & the A game」

last week's training blog
last week was a rest week
to try and bring out some form
先週のトレーニングブログです
変な日本語すみません!
先週は久しぶりのレストウイークでした
少しでもフォームが出るように

・monday: FTP ramp test DNF
・tuesday: rest
・wednesday: rest
・thursday: FTP ramp test
・friday: kakuda CX
・saturday: rest
・sunday: race, rai rai cup

I've been training every day this winter
usually a daily TSS of 100 or 120 or so
I feel it's sustainable
I can ride every day
and make progress
冬に毎日トレーニングをしています
1日のTSSは100、120位
持続可能だと思います
毎日乗れる
進歩する

but you can never play your A game without rest
on a recent group ride
I could go the distance
but I was just following wheels
no spark
C+ or B-?
でもレストしないと自分のAゲームができない
この前のグループライドで
ついてに行くことができたけど
ただ車輪を追いかけていました
スパークなし
C +またはB-?

last week I wanted to play my A game twice
1. an FTP ramp test
2. a 50 to 60 minutes best effort at the rai rai cup on sunday
先週はAゲームを2回プレイしたかった
1.FTPランプテスト
2.日曜日のライライカップの50〜60分のベストエフォート

there is no substitute for rest!
time to test the legs tomorrow!

そのために!レストしかない!
明日は足をテストする時間だ!

#imezi #imezi167 #167grv #imezisealant #プロジェクト167
 
Was happy to pull off my first win on the trail today.

Fresh legs and following the top guys on Friday helped me to stay clear with x3 sub 17 min laps.

Blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



「2021 rai rai cup stage 2 race report」

today was stage 2 of the 2021 rai rai cup series

as always
trail maintenance from 8 o'clock

race time from 10 o'clock!

I start in the second group
with a 2 minute handicap
1. E san, 2. T san, 3. Andy

after finishing first of this 3 man group in january
I find myself 3rd position on the grid

in january snow was a big factor

today the trail condition is almost perfect!

as usual
3 laps of the super long course

☆ lap 1

3,2,1 GO!
it's fast from the gun

the two riders in front have much better technical ability than me
like slalom skiers!

thanks to following TNK san and NGT san on Friday
I can keep close
but not close enough

each climb I close the gap
but it's hard
3 laps like this will be torture!

on the only flat section
I ask them to let me through
they do
thank you!

on the front I can dictate the pace

put the hammer down where it suits
I open a gap

the three logs on the descent
the third is the easiest
but I'm going too fast
crotch on the crossbar!

OUCH!!!

recover quickly but the two rebridge

☆lap 2

into the second lap
the front of 3 riders
to the sakurazaka climb
the peak is difficult today as we set down fresh gravel at the top

behind me
「Ahhhhhh!」
T san makes a mistake?

it's not cricket but
time to press on!
today we take a new route to the right after the sakurazaka climb
not yet trodden in
it's like riding in treacle!
but I open the gap

☆lap 3

into the 3rd lap
I can feel T san closing in
I just have to keep putting in time where I can

the flat section
a chance!
but I take the corner too fast
on the crossbar again!

DOUBLE OUCH!!!

a big dig to open it up again

but
on the middle steep climb
I'm in the wrong gear
going backwards!

he bridges through the hairpins
a great effort from him!
me on the front
I take the chance to rest

the only place to pass me now is at the split in the trail near the start of the trail proper

I do a big effort before the split
full gas

hold pole position

now just push for the goal!

really happy to finish first
thanks to T san's pressure we could both do 3 fast laps

leading the series now
looking forward to stage 3 in march!

thank you everyone!

#imezi #imezi167 #167grv #imezisealant #プロジェクト167
 
Ticked of the Tire-Bouchon badge on Zwift today. 67.7 km / 591 m. I was surprised about several things:

  • Even after 1.5 hours I could maintain my comfortable push/pressure of 2.2-2.5 w/kg.
  • Whoever planned this put a lead in of 3 km with an extra 130 m or so.
  • They also put a 100m climb in the last 2 km. Not. Fun.
 
I had a good last week, although it felt a little too easy. (I had copied and pasted from an earlier training phase.) Yesterday, I went to the bike shop to pick the color for my new bike's frame. Yay! Who knew there were so many yellows. I went over the main points again (please put the brakes the right way around), and everything seems set. If everything goes according to schedule, I should have my new bike in a month, woot! I was pretty motivated and spend roughly one hour doing a training-wise unwise ride, just because the weather was great and I felt like pushing the pedals. I have a rest week coming up anyway, a little too much intensity won't matter.
 
Another cold front, motivated to ride the trainer.

Today I jumped on the rollers, like driving a Ferrari after all winter behind the wheel of a Volvo!

Highly recommended!

A short blog post link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



recently I think my form has got sloppy after spending lots of time on a fixed trainer
today I did rollers
how many years since I did rollers!?

the benefits of rollers are
☆leg speed
☆pedal efficiency
☆balance
☆cardio focus

two great workouts today:

1. crisscross
8 gear pyramid @100rpm, 170~410 W x 5

(50mins, 275W, 39.3kph, 100rpm, 134/168 HR)

2. spiked tempo
310~330W x 45mins with 400W x 1min x 8

(50mins, 310W, 39.4kph, 90rpm, 145/166 HR)

I forgot how fun rollers are
they are also a great way to turn strength and power gains into pure speed
roll on spring!
 
I just did a snow MTB race. It was awful. I spent the vast majority of the time walking and running. Hahaha. I was probably close to last place, but I am glad I did it...

During the race I lost my computer (found), bottle (found), and my phone (found, but I shouldn't have even left it in my pocket).

Edit: I was 23rd of 38 who actually started (including women and children).
 
Last edited:
I just did a snow MTB race. It was awful. I spent the vast majority of the time walking and running. Hahaha. I was probably close to last place, but I am glad I did it...

During the race I lost my computer (found), bottle (found), and my phone (found, but I shouldn't have even left it in my pocket).
Sounds like quite an adventure, well worth it!
 
I just did a snow MTB race. It was awful. I spent the vast majority of the time walking and running. Hahaha. I was probably close to last place, but I am glad I did it...

During the race I lost my computer (found), bottle (found), and my phone (found, but I shouldn't have even left it in my pocket).

Edit: I was 23rd of 38 who actually started (including women and children).
Well done, all things considered. And double points for being able to take a crack at yourself and not get too serious.
 
It would have been a lot more fun if I could have spent more of the race on the bike. Haha.
 
Hit level 27 on Zwift today on the short (7 km) Grand Central Circuit route in New York, which I wanted to tick off. Its a nice 100m+ climb at the start, and with just a 1km in, I pushed it to 2.5-3 w/kg. Happy with that. What I'm not happy with was my next route choice, the High Line. Supposed to be a ~10km ride. Ok, np. Started it, with about 30 minutes to spare before dinner and a meeting tonight. Searched for the route details and apparently its a 10km lead-in???!!! No way I could complete that in 30 minutes. I probably shouldn't get so worried about it but calling a segment as long as the route itself, a "lead-in", bothers something deeply logical in me.
 
Crossed off two more Zwift routes today on New York: Knickerbocker Reverse and Lady Liberty. First one felt awesome, second one, not so much, especially with the big incline right at the end during my cooldown...yeesh. Fugitaboutit.

Also,d o I really have to shave my legs? https://intheknowcycling.com/how-to-ride-faster-on-your-bike-10-better-ways-part-2/

View attachment 29676
I wish I had taken the time to shave my legs before I crashed... even though I was wearing winter tights, which would have rendered any aerodynamic benefit moot.
 
Yep shaved legs are much easier to treat after a crash. Easier to massage after a hard session. And cooler as the sweat just ripples off...

Andy
 
A few blogs recently. This is the weekly training blog link and cut and paste.

Cheers, Andy



「rollers and road」

last week's training blog
3 day of rollers last week
followed by 2 big rides on the road
先週のトレーニングブログです
変な日本語すみません!
先週に3日間の3本ローラーをしたら
2日間のロードをしました

・monday: rest
・tuesday: rollers
・wednesday: rollers
・thursday: rollers
・friday: road volume 120km
・saturday: rest
・sunday: road race pace 150km (plan)

on the rollers I design my own workouts
more challenging than zwift workouts
the sweat is like no other!
engaging the core and upper body too
the fatigue builds each ride
the icing on the cake of winter training!
ローラーで自分のトレーニングワークアウトを決めました
zwiftワークアウトよりつらい!
どんだけ汗をかくか?
コアとアッパーボディーも入って
良いトレーニングになる
どんどん疲れアップ!
冬のトレーニングのケーキの上のアイシングだ!

friday on the road is just about volume
I took another rest on saturday
in preparation for sunday's group ride!
金曜日のロードはただのボリュームライドでした
土曜日にまたレストをして
日曜日のグループライドのために!

here we go!
がんばります!

#imezi #imezi167 #167grv #imezisealant #プロジェクト167
 
This is a post on the Imezi blog about tubs, tape and sealant.


Cheers, Andy
 
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