Ygduf

gsteinb

that actually looks a bit like you

jsutkeepspining

hahahaha. This is why i stick around

rkwaki

I find that pear shape very sexy...

furiousferret

We have a few talented local coaches, I interviewed 4 and went with one who is local but has online clients. They all had successful clients and it went down to meshing well with the coach. I wanted to hire someone local because its easier for me to read the person and make sure it is a good investment. For me its important whoever you work with someone they have a passion and desire about the job and that is difficult to decipher over a phone.

TexMac

Is he/she UCI certified? I always wonder how much 'weight' has on someone's career.
Good points and thanks for sharing. Might be looking for one next season. I was approached by a coach but she does spin classes and is rarely on an actual bicycle. Asked her for her success stories and din't hear from her again.

caloso

6x(3'+3') with a couple of WRIs thrown in for funzies. 85tss.

shovelhd

You are a very sick man.

revchuck 

I'm not sure whether there's a UCI coaching certification, but information on USAC certification is here.

jsutkeepspining

i did some shovel intervals, or as my coach calls them, MGcrits. a hair over 5 w/kg for an hour, and about 95 tss for that one hour interval. I'm in pain to say the least.

jmikami

I will take your 18 watt variation and raise it ... to 31 watts ... and in just one day. I did my 4x8min interval day and the results were ...

334 watts average @ 175 HR ave
309w @ 171
340w @ 180
327w @ 176

I tried my best on each one and did have a limited rest between one and two by design because I normally don't go hard enough on my first one and my second is usually the best of the day. Today, it was the worst of the day ... who can predict? My goal interval one was to take it steady, my goal interval two was to just go hard, same with three. By Interval 4 I was blown, but still able to beat out the second one. This is a pretty typical variation for me, although I do try to keep them closer together, really I just try to go as hard as I can and see what I get.

Bottom line, as many have already said, don't worry about single variations in your rides, and especially don't expect PRs all the time.

What sucks the most is that these are only numbers I can do in training. Once I hit a race the constant pace zaps me and I never come close to hitting a PR for anything. So on race day I assume my watts/kg will be much less than my PRs during practice. This is also why I now train more than race, I can put more specific stress on my legs while training, although I still need the races to put that constant pressure on. Between the two I am happy with the results.

rkwaki

I would challenge you to look at your training plan as I would suspect that you are focussing on slightly longer duration intervals and not the short ones that are zapping you...

jsutkeepspining

do 20 minutes of tabatas or dirty 30s, 8x3x3s, 1 hour at 90-95% with sprints every 5 minutes. You will be ready to race. (this was my winning formula the year i actually was good at bike racing)

furiousferret

Honestly, I'm not sure. For me there's nothing wrong with having one but the interview and research process was much more important. It seems like around here half the coaches have them, half of them don't.

jmikami

I am in no mood for dirty 30s at this point. Maybe in another month, I need more fitness to handle those. 3min intervals and sprints I do often, those are my favorite.

Most of my intervals are actually short if that is what you are implying, my most common interval is 3min, and when I get in better shape I do the 30 seconds that keepspining mentioned. Today was improve my threshold day, so go out higher than my current threshold and hold it as long as possible, then if there is anything left lift the pace at the end of 8 minutes and repeat. I do that once a week this block, but it will only be once a block once racing is underway next month.

Hill climb race this weekend ... so not looking forward to that type of race, my near 30 bmi does not go uphill well. But it will make for a good progress report on my fitness, can't hide on a climb.


My main point was that intervals are hard not always consistent, I don't think you should focus on just wattage and speed, go hard within reason and see what happens. And that for me at least the numbers I put out in training are numbers that I do while rested, and hence I know I will never be able to replicate the same number in a race because the other people in the race are not going to let me rest at 150 watts between efforts. I don't recall ever hitting a PR during a race for anything but average watts 20 minutes and more. Which is an interval length that I do not do.

aaronmcd

When I was doing 5' intervals I would go all out on most of them. Naturally the first was 20 watts higher than the rest, and the last was usually down near threshold. It just seems like a single, rested, 20' effort should be a bit more consistent.

-----

Also (to others), I'm not a dummy, and I know no one goes out and gets PRs every time they try indefinitely. It's just not physically possible.
Actually, I was pretty darn chill. It's annoying, and I stated that. I didn't get home and start throwing chairs, as you seem to have imagined.
Absolutely agree, results are more important. And yeah, I'm well aware that my power numbers (especially 5'+) are more than enough to win most races, which is why the low power effort was really nothing more than an annoyance. Results are not up to par, but at least I can look back and see what I could have done differently. Similarly, it would be beneficial for future reference to know what causes sub-par training performances as well.
I may not have been recovered, as you suggested. I may have been TOO recovered as was also suggested. That's the problem. Hard to tell. Too bad I can't afford coaching! Btw, I don't let it fester... but it seems it sparked quite a response anyway lol.
Ugh. "Drop the cross training". You mean the 2 hours per week of swimming that you seem to hate so much? Honestly I'm not about to go pro any time in this life, so why not swim a little?
"Forget about the Ewang. You're not impressing anyone with your numbers"
For goodness sake, what is it with you and your vendetta against "ewang"? No **** I'm not impressing anyone with my numbers. First, we all know results are where it counts. If I ever start winning maybe I'll try to impress you lol. Second, if I wanted to impress anyone with my numbers I'd actually need really good numbers. Not just good enough for cat 4 numbers.
Lol

aaronmcd

The only PR I hit during a race was 5" (and maybe 30'+, but I haven't kept track of those)
1' is always FAR lower during races.

Ygduf

winning?

jsutkeepspining

occasionally, and a heck of a lot of podiums. wanna move to ohio so i can have a teammate to help me?

shovelhd

Like I said, you can choose to listen, or you can choose to ignore those who have won more races than you have entered. It's up to you. Believe it or not, we are trying to help you succeed.

I have nothing against swimming. I used to race as a kid. You totally missed the point. That two hours/wk of swimming is TSS that could be better spent on your bike. This assumes that you care enough to improve.

I have no vendetta against ewang. I train with power, remember? Just take a close look at the guys here that are at the elite categories, and how often you see them post numbers in public.

Winning impresses me, but commitment impresses me a lot more, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

shovelhd

Pretty much every PR I have hit has been in a race. It's not a right or wrong thing, but you don't win anything by hitting a PR in training.

gsteinb

...

you can do whatever you want. none of us really care. the whole thing about judgmental upper cat riders is bunk. you have a question. when the question is something along the lines of why didn't I hit a number the answer is likely somewhere in fatigue. everything in life adds fatigue. we do what we can to manage it…if you want to focus on cycling, if it matters to you to do so. there is no rule. I'm not going pro anytime soon, but I'm very mindful of what adds to my fatigue and I seek to avoid those things.

That said, most of my PRs are in training (my best sprint related numbers happen in races). My training is much harder than most races I've done.

jmikami

First, I agree we all respond differently and different things for different folks, but I do disagree that you don't win anything by hitting PRs in training. I certainly understand that it is the results that matter, but the best way to get those results is by training your ass off and for most cyclists I know, not forgetting to rest enough either. So every PR I get in training tends to net me a win or two on the road/track. Plus by understanding how I got that PR in training I can then apply that process to my races to ensure I learn how to better peak for races and when in a race I might be stronger than the rest of my competition.

The best thing I have gained from having a power meter is that I now know how training affects me and what is more likely to lead me to a PR in training. That same process also leads me to PRs in races and race wins, but for me I am never rested up enough during a race to put out that same level of effort as training. A full out effort to make a break or win a pack sprint will often happen at the hardest times in races when I am spent, but everyone else is spent more. So while my effort will be better than the rest, it will be no where near any PR ... with the exception of average power over 20 minutes. I have not yet been able to figure out the mental aspect of making myself hurt for that long in training, nor do I really care to as I use races for that type of effort.

At least that is what works for me.

Ygduf

The problem with racing is that people want to race for long periods of time. All my all-time PRs happen when I'm doing a hillclimb or targeting some Strava segment for kicks.

shovelhd

I get what you're saying. I train pretty friggin' hard. I'm just someone who can find that extra 1% going for a win that I will never find in training since the adrenaline-fueled motivation isn't there.