Training & Nutrition - Help for more structured training/diet in 2010

I started road riding in July of this year and my training approach has been to ride whenever I can and rest when I'm really sore. I have not really changed my poor diet except I usually have a glass of choc. milk after my rides (I've heard this is a good recovery drink and I like it). Also, I'm not really 'training' for any event, just want to get better on the bike.

I've made good progress with my unstructured approach, dropping about 30 pounds (210 down to 180) and I've gotten a lot stronger/faster on the bike. I've riden about 3000 miles since July and do a lot of climbing now.

However, my improvement has slowed the last couple months (as expected) and I'd like to get more serious about my cycling in 2010. My goal is to get strong enough in 2010 to ride with some of the groups that I see blowing by me on the weekends. I'd also like to get down to about 172-175 lbs.

My wife (she's awesome) got me new computer for x-mas and let me buy a Powertap wheel (should be in next week). I've used a powertap before and I think it will be helpful to train smarter and track my progress.

I'm 41 years old and live in TX, so can pretty much ride year around. I can usually do 1-2 long rides on the weekends and 2-3 shorter rides during the week.

Sorry for the long background, but what I'm really looking for are some structured training programs that fit my background and goals. Can anyone point me to a good book or web site that would help me put together a training program? I also need some guidance on nutrition (not really for weight loss at this point, but to help my performance and recovery).

A couple books:

Joe Friel's training bible.
Coggan and Allen's Training and Racing with a power meter. That's mandatory if you have a PM. You will also need software- either WKO+ or GoldenCheetah open source (new release coming soon, it'll be much closer to WKO+ in functionality).

Ask around at the LBS about group rides and try the ones they recommend. Go for it now, don't wait. You'll probably get dropped no matter how ready you think you are. Don't worry, it happens to everyone.

A couple books:

Joe Friel's training bible.
Coggan and Allen's Training and Racing with a power meter. That's mandatory if you have a PM. You will also need software- either WKO+ or GoldenCheetah open source (new release coming soon, it'll be much closer to WKO+ in functionality).

Ask around at the LBS about group rides and try the ones they recommend. Go for it now, don't wait. You'll probably get dropped no matter how ready you think you are. Don't worry, it happens to everyone.

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check out those books. I tried playing with the GoldenCheetah software, but it keep crashing (I think I might be trying to dump too much data into it).

I was just thinking about posting a simular question about a training plan/site/software/tracking type info.

I'm 40 and have lost 30-40 lbs this year (down to a steady 170) while logging 7k miles this (mostly since may) and I rode a couple of centuries also. I don't own a car, work at a lbs and ride nearly every day, atleast 12 miles on my commute. I've never been into keeping a log or worrying about a training schedule, until now, and I'm also looking for thoughts and recomendations.

So let me just say that I don't want to hijack this thread, however, if there is another person out there with questions like mine there are others, so let's share.

A little more detailed and brief background on what I've done this past year.

I've made a career change that allows me access to nice stuff and time to ride it. My concentration has been on keeping up on the group rides with the cat 4+ racers and I've increased my average speed to 20+ mph at an 80-100 rpm cadence, which has been recorded with my cateye V2c computer.

I've been attempting to input this info into a spreadsheet to track my progress and create a training plan, however I don't understand how to use the info I've input (ie. tracking with graphs etc.). Of course, the powertaps have come up time and again, but they are $o ex$pen$ive, and so are the garmins. At the same time, a 705 can be had for less than a PT hub and would allow the connection of place with data (and it's also ANT+ compatible).

So, I guess that I would like to add to this thread the thought that some of us can't afford some of the nicer tools out there and we'd like to know what has worked for others before they had those extra bells and whistles?

You will also need software- either WKO+ or GoldenCheetah open source (new release coming soon, it'll be much closer to WKO+ in functionality).

SportTracks GPS-enabled exercise logbook software (http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/) is worth consideration as well. It works directly with many cycling computers. Additional plugins extend its functionality. It is supported by a significant user base. And it is free to download and use, without restriction or nagging, though donations are accepted.

www.fitday.com

Another vote for Joe Friel's book. If you want something a bit more detailed (although less cycling specific) to read you can also pick up Periodization by Tudor Bompa. Much of Joe's book is derived from it.

What are your goals and I might be able to reccomend a book since I own pretty much every cycling book sold by Amazon.

I find that there's nothing to motivate me to train for group rides like doing a group ride. I once got dropped 0.2 miles into a ride. Groups A-C my ...

Good luck and best wishes for your continuing success in 2010. I can tell from your post that you are set to make 2010 one of the best years of your life.

As you mentioned, you may have to remember patience during your training. All the "easy" improvement have been coming with your weight loss and the exhilaration of being able to move so much more easily.

Soon, you will have to discover the concept of "focus" and start setting specific targets on some of your rides.

Plans are good, but for some one who is still in the process of weight loss - I advise "big picture" riding style.

For you, this means - remembering that every workout can't be a back breaker. You should use a "hard/easy" day approach. If you want to continue to improve, you should measure or "log" all your training - and increase your "all out" efforts in increments.

Another vote for Joe Friel's book. If you want something a bit more detailed (although less cycling specific) to read you can also pick up Periodization by Tudor Bompa. Much of Joe's book is derived from it.

What are your goals and I might be able to reccomend a book since I own pretty much every cycling book sold by Amazon.

I find that there's nothing to motivate me to train for group rides like doing a group ride. I once got dropped 0.2 miles into a ride. Groups A-C my ...

My primary goal for 2010 is to pick up my speed to be able to hang better on group rides. I've done a few small group rides (3-5 people) and did my first big group ride on Jan 1 with a huge group (over 50 riders). In general, I can hang OK until the road turns up. I can do hilly 50+ mile solo rides at 17-18 mph average, but I struggle to keep up in a group if I climb at my solo pace. My first ride with a power meter, I averaged 243 watts for about 1.5 hours (which was better than I expected), but I don't have much endurance once my power output goes much beyond that level (which I need to get my butt up the hills). I've got the 'training with power' book on its way and I'll probably pick up the training bible one also.


Good luck and best wishes for your continuing success in 2010. I can tell from your post that you are set to make 2010 one of the best years of your life.

As you mentioned, you may have to remember patience during your training. All the "easy" improvement have been coming with your weight loss and the exhilaration of being able to move so much more easily.

Soon, you will have to discover the concept of "focus" and start setting specific targets on some of your rides.

Plans are good, but for some one who is still in the process of weight loss - I advise "big picture" riding style.

For you, this means - remembering that every workout can't be a back breaker. You should use a "hard/easy" day approach. If you want to continue to improve, you should measure or "log" all your training - and increase your "all out" efforts in increments.

Thanks for the guidance. I hadn't really been focused on the weight loss/diet side of the equation too much, It's really been a nice byproduct of trying to ride hard and just putting in the miles. I'm hoping that an improved diet in 2010 will help my performance on the bike and the last 5-7 pounds will take care of itself over time. I'm definitely giving more thought to hard days vs. easy/rest days. It's actually a little easier to take a day off right now since the weather hasn't been great.