Base I Recap (Weeks 1-4)

PHOTO OF THE MONTH: I'M ON THE BIKE
AND THE WEATHER IS BEAUTIFUL.

What I did: Four weeks of level 1 and 2 rides, commonly going between 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day and riding six days a week. 


Total miles: 866


Total hours: 55.5


Weight: 135.2 (61.5 kilos)


FTP: 218 watts


FTP/weight: 3.54


CP6: 268 watts


CTL: 57.5


Turtles rescued from the roadway: 1


Thoughts from the saddle: I've been riding the past week in Asheville, a true cycling mecca. I'll have a post on that experience soon. ... I've never ridden as far as slowly as I did the past month. Throughout, I was concerned I might be wasting my time and wouldn't see much benefit. I was wrong. I increased my FTP 6.3 percent from last month and my CP6 8 percent. Because I didn't do any group rides or tempo work, I was pleasantly surprised. There might be something to this developing your aerobic system fully before addressing intensity. ... Girl Scout cookies, I curse thee. Super Bowl Sunday? I damn thee. And Fat Tuesday? Fat chance I wouldn't gain weight. Anyone know a painless way to sew my mouth shut with monofilament? ... A favor to ask: While I'm trying to rack up all these low-intensity miles and you're approaching from behind as part of a group, pass either on the left or right, but not on both sides. ... I've been listening to the new Van Halen album, A Different Kind of Truth, while on the bike. After being initially critical after hearing the first single, Tattoo (which is like audio Krazy Glue after hearing it a couple times), I have to say Ed and the boys delivered a vintage VH album straight from the '78-'81 glory years. Michael Anthony's backing vocals are definitely missed, but this album rocks, even if it is late-70s demos. Check out tracks She's the Woman, Big River, Honeybabysweetiedoll, and Stay Frosty. ... Continued riding once a week off-road at Markham Park. Recently included a couple additional technical trails, and I was able to ride them without going anaerobic. That was another sign my fitness is improving. ... I see ORAMM sold out. Man, that was quick. I'm all in, though.

Prep Recap

PHOTO OF THE MONTH: THE LONG ROAD AHEAD.

What I did: Two and half weeks of levels I and II endurance rides to reacquaint myself with cycling, ending this past weekend with a weigh-in and FTP and CP6 tests.


Total miles: 412


Total hours: 26


Weight: 138 pounds (62.7 kilos)


Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 205 watts


FTP/Weight: 3.27 watts per kilo


CP6: 248 watts


Chronic Training Load (CTL): 39.2


Thoughts from the saddle: I felt like I hadn't ridden in six weeks after that first ride on Jan. 14 because, well, I hadn't. That was my longest break ever. ... After about the first 200 miles, heartrate and RPE went down and power increased (110-115 watts), letting me know the training effect was taking place. ... I was holding back a lot after those initial miles, telling myself I have a long way to go and a long time to get there. Don't race. It's a hard habit to break. ... I rode once a week off-road, skipping some of the toughest, technical trails at Markham Park so I could keep a steady pace and get in a low-key 17-mile ride. ... I was really happy to get in that first three-hour solo road ride on Jan. 21. (The three-quarters-into-the-ride stop at Starbucks for a dopio was the carrot.) I was able to go two hours the next day, so I knew I didn't overdo it; I was comfortably tired. ... My FTP and CP6 tests were sobering. I paced both well and felt powerful -- until I looked at the average watts. Need to keep reminding myself I have a long way to go and a long time to get there. Maybe that should be my Base theme? ... Because I'm starting training much earlier than in the past, it's been really nice to ride in comfortable South Florida weather in the morning. I'm normally fighting high humidity in late May when I traditionally begin. This has been less taxing. So far.

Insane in the brain

Einstein said doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is insanity. If that's true, I've been insane for the past five years.


After enjoying my best cross-country racing season in 2006, when I finished fourth in the state in the 40+ Expert class, I got lazy and cut back on my volume. Who needs all of those "junk miles''? Instead of patiently rebuilding my base endurance in the spring of '07 -- like I had done the previous three years -- I felt so good I began riding harder at the expense of long steady distance. I thought I had reached a level of fitness that no longer needed a lot of LSD. Consequently, a season that began with such hope and confidence ended in supreme disappointment. I didn't even finish enough state races to qualify for a top-five finish.


For the next four years, partly because of work and partly because of laziness, I continued shortchanging my base training. Fewer hours in the saddle, more time hammering. When I wasn't getting the results, I continually tweaked the intensity, thinking that was the answer. And guess what? I managed to get slower each year. With the exception of a nice finish at ORAMM in 2010, my race results were terrible.


After feeling sorry for myself and suffering a severe lack of motivation all things training and cycling in the latter part of 2010, I'm back to end the insanity and do something to make me feel good about my sport again. I'm beginning an ambitious base building plan that if I succeed will be the foundation of rebuilding my fitness to my '06 level and hopefully beyond. This coming after studying Arthur Lydiard's training principles, which has been like finding the key to unlock my potential. He seems to think building a giant aerobic engine with lots of LSD is a pretty good thing before even thinking about sharpening your high-end. I'm going to put this to the test.


After annually only allowing 10 weeks of base, I'm planning for 24 this year. Eight weeks of lower level endurance miles with a small amount of speed-play, then adding some tempo and force intervals in the next eight followed by adding a final eight weeks of mid-level threshold intervals. Then I'll focus on sharpening with anaerobic capacity and Vo2max intervals and selected fast group rides that will in effect be C-priority races.


Add it up and I'm hoping to get 12+ hours and 180-225 miles a week. Of course, my work schedule could kill the best laid plans. I'm planning on racing ORAMM in July, giving me a not-too-distant target to shoot for, leading into the Florida State Championship Series in September.


I will update my progress monthly so come along for the ride to see if I can reclaim my race fitness.


Or go mad trying.

FSCS 4: Perspective

Alafia River State Park is my off-road riding home away from home. I'm a Tampa native, so coming back to race is a highlight of this series.


Racing and riding at Alafia always brings back memories when signage, a paved parking lot and a bike wash station didn't exist.


The first time out here I encountered a gopher tortoise nearly the size of a treasure chest and a pack of wild boars carving some singletrack. I also remember getting lost and barely finding my way back to my truck before sundown.


I've never raced particularly well here. This is a difficult course with your heart rate at 130 beats per minute, let alone at 160. And every year the course is changed to keep you on your toes, which if you're not careful, will have you on your back. (More on this later.)


Anyway, I didn't have a great race Sunday. I was the last rider in my class to finish, but I did have a better start and overall raced better than in Gainesville. I still feel like I'm in way over my head and have to fight the mental battle not to quit. I had several riders from other classes pass me and that really gets me down.


Until I saw something else that left an impression.


Coming out of a very tricky section known as Rabbit Ears and feeling awful, I noticed a man in a wheelchair watching the race. Soon after, I stopped thinking about my pain and mentally took my butt out of the saddle and put it in that wheelchair.


Perspective.


Here I am upset at how slow I'm riding and I'm forgetting something more important.


How lucky I am.


I'm free to ride. To push the limits. To have full use of my body. To do the things some people can only dream of. Yeah, even to finish last. It's not that I felt sorry for the guy; he's out here on a wonderful day, surely being entertained by some crazies tear-assin' through the woods.


It's just ... damn, be thankful for what you have and can do.


"You better take a fool's advice, take care of your own. One day they're here; the next day they're gone. ...'' -- New York Minute, Don Henley.


Feeling better about my predicament on the final lap of three, all that good feeling came to an end with an endo and landing on my back. I keep a multi-tool in my middle jersey pocket and I landed on that denting me good at the waistline. Took me a few minutes to recover -- and another rider passed me -- but I managed to finish the race.


Perspective. At least I'm able to ride. At least I'm able to roll up to the starting line. At least I'm able to experience the good, bad and the painful.

FSCS 3: Blank!

It's October and the weather's slowly getting less oppressive, which means it's great to be on the bike. On Sunday, the weather was glorious for the third race of the Florida State Championship Series in Gainesville.


Then my 40-plus Expert race began and thoughts quickly went from glorious to gory.


Here's what went right:


















Here's what went wrong: Let's see, should said list be done alphabetically or order of importance? Never mind. I won't bore you.


If I was a horse, I'd been shot. I quit after three laps, completely broken by the demanding Hailes Trails. My poor effort has made me realize whatever I'm doing in training isn't adequately preparing me for the stresses of these races. I'm not sure if my volume and/or intensity is too low. Am I in such poor race shape that I need to give this more time to come around? I know I'm not overtrained. I go into all my breakthrough workouts fresh and ready to ride hard. This has been a problem in the past; on non-racing weeks, I ride four days a week, averaging 10 1/2 hours/160-175 miles.


But when the races begin, the pace feels over my head, incendiary. I have to cut my effort to avoid blowing up.


I've trained consistently since April, never missing a single workout because of sickness. My Functional Threshold Power is at an all-time high (245 watts). I'm lean (134 pounds).


But when I get on my mountain bike, I turn into Jelly. I'm likely not riding enough off-road (violating the specificity training principal) but that wouldn't completely explain my inability to compete to stay out of last place.


It's time to reflect and re-evaluate. At least the weather's turning and it's pleasant to be on the bike. Even if that bike isn't going very fast.


Addendum: On Friday, Joe Friel tweeted a line that I and others should remember when things aren't going as planned:


"Good or bad, you are not your last race. Let it go.''

FSCS 2: Forward momentum

If progress can be measured in meeting little goals along the path to a quest, then you can say I'm finally on the right course.


I finished 14th out of 16 in the 28-mile second race of the Florida State Championship Series in Fernandina Beach on Sunday. While that pedestrian placing would make only a mother proud, I did accomplish a few things:


Nobody from classes starting behind me caught me.


I passed a few riders from other classes, including one from mine. Break out the champagne, hookers and call Moe Greene. The party's startin'.


My splits improved slightly from the last race: 31:46, 33:09, 33:33, 34:93--132.81.


The last time I raced at Fort Clinch Park about a year ago, I DNF'd (actually, quit) after two miserable laps and everyone from my class leaving me for dead in the woods. This year, with super dry trail conditions looking more suited for beach volleyball or a large litter-box expo, I rode a lot more like a racer. I had more of a high gear and pushed through the pain easier, especially on the final two laps.


I still have a long way to go, but a long time to get there.


Next up is Gainesville this weekend, and a trail that, mile for mile, might be the toughest in the state. I only hope I can continue to improve and have a good time along the way.

FSCS 1: Starting over

When the main goal heading into a cross-country race is to simply finish, you know you have low expectations.


I had low expectations Sunday in Tallahassee at Tom Brown Park in the opening of the Florida State Championship Series.


Rising to the "challenge,'' I finished my four laps in the 40+ Expert Class. It was the first Expert race I've finished in nearly two years. That's a lot of DNFs and frustration.

Let's be serious. With the training I've done since April, I had other goals.


Compete.


Don't embarrass myself.


Didn't and did.


I finished 16th out of 21, a staggering 23-plus minutes behind the winner who could've in that time, according to one website:


Cleaned the oven.


Walked the dog.


Did a "quickie'' cleaning job on the bathroom.


Found a new recipe to try.


Another website proclaimed: How to Discover Your Life Purpose in About 20 Minutes.


Quickie cleaning job on the bathroom aside, finding your life's purpose would seem to be a worthwhile way to spend that time.


I was passed by so many riders from other classes that started two, four, six and eight minutes after mine that I felt like a hemorrhaging swimmer dog-paddling in a shark tank. With each pass and attempt to catch the wheel, a bit of ego was ripped away, leaving me red with embarrassment.


I heard "on your left'' so many times I thought I was picking up MSNBC on my heart-rate monitor. It was one of those races where you know very early you don't have the legs. I was constantly trying to find the right gear to get into rhythm. By the middle of the first lap, my legs felt like glass. My lap times point out someone who's not in race shape: 31:73, 33:67, 37:00, 37:17--139.57. Nearly 2 1/2 hours to ride 27.2 miles? Let's see, in 2 1/2 hours you could've ...


At least I'm finished. I mean, I finished.


There was a time in 2006 when I did compete in this class and never embarrassed myself. Then, because of training mistakes and lack of focus, I went from racer to recreation cyclist. I put in too many junk road miles at the expense of intensity needed to compete. And before I knew it, I went from shark to bait fish.


I think my training plan for this year is solid. I am getting in more intensity. I am allowing for more recovery. I'm less of a slave to mileage and hours. But, if this latest race proved anything, besides the fact I'm in way over my head right now, it's that I'm starting over. And unless the subject is history, nobody wants to go back to the beginning.


I'm hoping with much-needed race time in the next month, I can regain what's been lost. If not, maybe I'll take some time to try a new recipe.