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TrainerRoad 8DC

wexford

Maximum Pace
Jul 3, 2012
1,318
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TrainerRoad are running a horrid little event called 8DC right now and it's keeping me indoors for 8 days of torture instead of being outside enjoying the warmth. It is setup like a stage road race where each workout represents 1 stage of 8. I just finished stage 3 today. Of 1877 people that signed up to do this silliness, 1067 didn't bother doing the first stage it seems. So only 810 riders left.

The stages are relatively long and quite hard. As with all rides on TrainerRoad, the workouts are based off your FTP so if you have a top notch FTP or a low FTP like mine, you'll be pushed just as hard within your intensity range. It works based on power, the workout is shown as a power graph of sorts and you have to match the power target as the ride progresses. As you progress through the workout, the TR app also pops up text descriptions of what's going on so you can mentally imagine things (kind of like an old text based adventure program). "Watch that move coming up the left." "follow them". "Attack!". "Don't you dare bail now!" etc. My imagination is so good and I'm so crap at hills that at one point I was all over the place on the bike trying to maintain power up this "hill" when I decided, holy crap - get a grip and just match the power smoothly. Things went much better then.

If you are wondering what all this looks like, here was today's effort.
https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/2038825-2015-8dc-stage-3

Anyone else out there doing this silliness?
 
I did this last year and it was a pretty fine plan so thought I would do it again this time, only my body rejected it.

The Wedding Cup took place on the first real day of the 8DC so I did that instead but thought the 50 hour window for each stage would leave me time to fit it in. Despite not murdering myself all the way around the route on Sunday the cumulation of my GW rides and being back at work after a relaxing break left my carcass brutalised and drained. My body failed to tell me this until I was on the bike 30 minutes into the first stage. My legs felt like someone else's and my HR wouldn't budge despite my efforts feeling like they were ripping me apart. I hit the power targets but it was so much work. I tried to battle on but thought better of it. I have heard and read so many times that we are meant to pay attention to what our bodies tell us and that we need rest as much as we need the hammer sessions so I stepped off. I don't think I have quit a TrainerRoad Workout before and I feel bad about it, I also feel bad because I mentioned to @wexford that I'd do stage 1 before dinner and stage 2 after, then flopped like an old man's todger:flip:.

God's speed to you @wexford finish it for those of us who couldn't manage to.
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Man down! Will you do the rest of the workouts just for shits and giggles anyway?
 
Btw. I had two technical problems so far while doing this.
1. Mouse battery went and I had to raid my kids toys as I'd no spares.
2. Rear came loose mid sprint about 40mins into the 1st stage and I had to hop off to re-tighten the quick release on my Lemond. That could have been nasty.
 
Part of
Me wants to do the stages anyway but that would go against what I decided.
Work and family will keep me off the bike this weekend and I will bounce back next week with early morning rides before work. <he says now>
 
Sweet... How the hell do you not sweat all over that carpet though? I have a fan infront of me too on full blast but the trainer mat has puddles at the end. Found stages 3 and 4 easier than I did the first 2. Feeling very positive about 4 more stages :) Only 669 folks have done at least 2 stages.
 
LOL. Needing to use repurposed monitors might be a sign that you need to step up your trading game.
 
Stage 6 was short happily enough. Body is starting to show signs of falling apart. Mild diarrhea this morning after a sleepless night for no real reason. Also seem to be getting a mouth ulcer probably due to stressing the body too much. Well shut up body. This is a race! Today's stage was a decent warm up followed by around 20 minutes at FTP for a supposed TT. Decided to ace this and try to see if my FTP had risen any so after riding the first 5 minutes at my FTP I left loose for the rest of it. Totally smashed it as far as I am concerned and there ain't nobody on the GC that can touch me now. Oh god, tomorrow does look hard though. Only 2 stages left to this madness.
 
You must be eating massive amounts of food to keep up the effort. If not, you should be. Five meals a day plus snacks.

Yeah. Am eating quite a bit but not 5 meals, lol. Bit of a pig really (snack wise at least). That said, weight has come down to 70kg (from 72) though and the weighing scales last night told me that I was 29 years old... When I first got that weighing scales a few years back it told me I was 43 and at the time I think I was about 35. Of course my girlfriends read 19 at the time so effectively I was a 43 year old dating a 19 year old according to my weighing scales. We are not checking her's these days and I'm holding onto that memory. haha.

Looking forward to a rest day on Monday after all this is done and dusted.
 
7 down and 1 to go! The 7th stage was quite a nasty one. 1 hour 40 minutes total. Must have been quite humid or something because at the end of it, the place was a sweaty mess. I'd been watching the puddles build off by elbows, wrists, nose and chin but somehow, there were also ones building just behind off my legs and that was enough to go off the mat and onto the carpet. Yikes. Shoes were also soaked more than usual. Glad I drank 2 x 750 and 1 x 500 by the end of it. Gotta work hard on the trainer! I think I'll turn on the aircon for the 8th and final stage though and see if that keeps me less wet. Legs feel strong tonight. Looking good for stage 8.

Have fun with 7 @Robert . Let me know if you break a sweat on this one :)
 
Feeling strong at the end? Madness!

You said before that you don't use fans, was that you? Madness!

Keep up the madness till you cross the line.

Many here wont know your suffering. I know your suffering:cry:
 
That ADDS to the suffering.

Anyway, STFU you mutant freak of nature! We can't all be blessed with enhanced genes and a love of pain.
 
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