qcpmsame 

Not sure Billydonn, I have gotten some P.M.s today and answered some, too. I just received and answered your test P.M. a few minutes ago.

Bill

billydonn

This is a video I made last Sunday... most of the talk is during recovery between intervals. so sorry for the panting. FYI, I hold all of the over 60 horsepower records in the VG.
.be

billydonn

Preliminary report March 7 Thursday

There was noteworthy suffering last night.... more later.
Strava Link Click Here

TiHabanero

Really enjoy you all letting us in on your workouts! Gives me hope that my body can be salvaged! Bravissimo!

billydonn

Grazie tanto! We are into the last month of indoor training and the Thursday intervals are getting shorter now. Been looking forward to this, but I should be careful what I wish for.



As you can see above, last night's menu was seven two-minute intervals... pretty much as hard as you can go.



I had hoped to run maybe 240-250 watts for these, but only managed that for the first interval and stayed about 220 for the last six. It was painful but felt so good when it was over. I discovered that my MaxHR is not 160 because I ran HR up to 163 several times in the sequence and did not drop dead. Did I mention that it was painful? I sure hope this helps my muscles learn to flush those hydrogen ions! Please note the accumulation of 67 Strava Suffer Points in just 50 minutes of pedaling... 32 minutes in HR zone 4 or 5.



The fellowship hour went on for a good long time after the ride and we're starting to anticipate some outdoor riding fairly soon.



Ages of VG members for those who might wonder:
Dusty and Megan- mid 30s
Griff- 48
John- 49
Jeff- 58
Me- 65

Stapfam,
I saw your questions a couple posts back and will answer soon.

kg4fxg

Thanks for the motivation, I ride mostly inside as well. I ordered that little projector table for $40 and fits perfect over front wheel. Great for laptop and water bottles.

qcpmsame 

Worshipful Bovine*, its Andy Schleck, what are you doing slumming here at 50+?

* Holy cow in deep south latin

Bill

billydonn

Beginning to answer some of Stap's good questions, here's some data from three sessions that were similar in length (just under one hour) but the intervals weren't necessarily identical. First is December of 2011, last is from last week i.e. March 2013. Middle data points are from early December of 2012, a session when the cycling gods really smiled on me. Discuss? Questions?

stapfam

Looks like extra Spinning sessions are to be booked for me now

Thanks for the comparisons and although I only class myself as a recreational rider that does a few challenging rides I am not doing as bad as I thought. Only a year behind you at present so you have shown me what I can do if I put the effort in


The machines at the gym do not measure as much as your power meter does but Watts-Cadence and calories and I can relate to. They are something that has improved at every session and Heart rate I take the Garmin in occasionally. Average heart rate for me is the only stat that is dropping so I must be doing something right

So keep the postings going as I am certain there must be others that are following your postings to gauge how unfit they are aswell.

billydonn

Bill,
Glad you are enjoying. I rode in your area during July a couple years ago and can see why you might use a trainer a lot... especially in summer. That Silver Comet Trail is nice! Feel free to post more pics and things of your indoor sessions!

Just a clarification: I would hate for the day to come when I ride mostly inside... no I'm not promoting that idea. But, seasonally, it can be both productive and even fun. And we really have not got much choice here.... especially the last couple winters. If I could fit in a couple outdoor rides a week in the winter I would surely do it.

It is clear that the pros are lurking about to pick up training tips here! I have suspected it for some time now.

billydonn

Hey Stap,

I'm a recreational rider too... no racing for me. But being 65, well if I'm ever going to have any skills at this I've got to get to work fairly soon. (My ordinary rides are generally not hugely intense affairs and I'm closer to Denver's "smell the roses" philosophy than you might think.) The numbers you mentioned in your PM make me think you're doing just fine. Watts is what makes the bike go forward... at least watts per kilogram of body weight.

You asked in a previous post if I am seeing improvement. Definitely yes, but that is easier to see over the long run than from short-term comparisons. Comparing this year's numbers to last year's, I'm confident I can sustain 20 to 30 watts more over time without spiking my HR. Last year I definitely noticed better power when I finally rode outside and started riding up familiar hills more easily and faster.

Glad you enjoy the thread and thanks for the encouragement... "intensity causes adaptation" is my coach's motto. But don't forget to rest and recover too!

billydonn

Sunday March 10th

Due to DST startup, it's dark again this morning when I start my trip to the VG. Worse yet, an aggressive sleet is coming down with my car door nearly frozen shut.... ugh... this is not what I signed up for! With careful piloting, my AWD vehicle got me across town reasonably safely.


Today's plan was nearly the same as last week, but with the shorter intervals (3 x 8 minutes) first, and then the longer ones (3 x 10 minutes). Everyone made it to the ride except mom-to-be Megan, who was marked excused.




The scheduled RPE was 90 percent, but really I took it down a little lower than that today. Nonetheless, the power production was good.... nearly the same as last week in fact. It was not without pain but somehow not as hard as last week's session 24. My Strava Suffer Score was lower than last week, with nearly the same power output... which is good. CLICK HERE


And power was pretty much in the ballpark with my all time best.


After scones and espresso, the drive home in a driving snow was actually not as bad as the drive over.


It is still snowing eight hours later and news channels are reporting that many interstates in the area are shut down. Rumors of the demise of ole man winter are , I fear, greatly exaggerated.

kg4fxg

I will try the Silver Comet Trail. Have heard lots about it.
Thanks

billydonn

Start somewhere east of the Smyrna trailhead and you will avoid crowds... Especially on the weekend. Holy moly! Forecast is for 67 degrees and sunny here Friday!

qcpmsame 

kg4fxg,
From what my daughter has told me the Silver Comet Trail is a great ride. She and a few friend, that live in Atlanta, love to ride it on the rare weekends when she can wrangle a day off. RonH, a moderator here, used to live in Atlanta and he knows a great deal more about the SCT, maybe he will see this and chip in his thoughts.

Don, to answer your question above, there is only one shoe in the picture. Missing one for the VG workout that day? That's my guess.

Bill

kg4fxg

Look forward to the Silver Comet.

I mostly ride the trainer but need to get out more and weekends would be great for a ride. I don't like bike paths at parks, OK for slow ride with my daughter but not the place to be a little aggressive on my Road Bike.

I really don't like to ride with cars, don't mind crossing streets or country roads. Maybe it is just here but they really drive crazy and fast. Major interstates are 75+ really. And some forget that and drive that way on all roads.

They don't offer drivers ed anymore here. At least it is not taught in school. Private places have them but I think many learn by the seat of their pants.

kg4fxg

BTW

The snow pictures are beautiful. I grew up in Rockford, Illinois. Miss the snow. No seasons here. Used to enjoy riding in college in Baltimore and Southern Indiana as well.

jppe

Love the pics but I'm loving riding in this 60/70 degree weather with DST even more. Not sure how long I'd last if I had winters like you!!!

TiHabanero

Are you all going to keep posting to this thread once the outdoor season begins? One other question: Earlier in the thread an indoor temp of the training space was given, but I am having difficulty finding it. What is the temp of your training space before you all start and heat it up?

billydonn

Noteworthy suffering tonight...



Temps in the 50s..... snow melting.... an outdoor ride tomorrow!!!!

Strava Link, Click Here

billydonn

Yea... I've been there and ATL is weirdly dangerous, no question. I would rather drive in LA than Atlanta. At least in LA the volume of traffic keeps most of that crazy speed down. Of course, we are more civilized and law abiding folk here in the heartland.

Sometimes we can ride quite a bit in the winter here... but lately, not so much. The winter hasn't been especially cold, there just haven't been breaks in the weather that provide a window. It's a good opportunity for high-intensity low-volume training though.

It's unlikely this will go on for more than another couple weeks. Our group kind of fragments (mostly) during the summer months. The youngsters like to ride at 7 AM and I seldom do that when it isn't necessary. I will be reporting, I hope regularly, from Europe (Italy) during the month of July however. That should be fun. The VG is typically about 55 to 60F for the start of our sessions and we usually have to open windows. On super cold nights we might have it at 50 deg or even lower... but it heats up quickly. I have a box fan that is nearly always turned on me when I ride.

And Bill of Pensacola: incorrect... my shoes are accounted for.

billydonn

Thursday March 14th

Just four of us were riding: Griff, John, Dusty, me. Jeff is teaching a spinning class and Megan is traveling. What will Coach Dusty have in store for us?



Ah Ha! After all these weeks, we're finally down to the sprints. One-minute intervals were on the menu. Ten of them,



And it is harder than you think. Intensity factor was 1.04... meaning I rode at about 104% of FTP.



This was during the warmup



Mavic was doing her Nap Intervals while the humans were suffering. She thinks we are strange.



I was hoping for some 300 watt intervals, but didn't quite make it. I promise you, this was all the gas that was in the tank. Dusty mentioned it and I think it is true... the first minute of recovery after the one-minute sprint is the most painful.



Fellowship hour was good, like always... I actually do enjoy these guys even though they are young and still have much to learn.



Strava details are in the post above in case you missed it. 73 suffer points in 56 minutes...

I rode about 25 miles outside today (Friday) and it was awesome.

billydonn

Sunday March 17th

To say that my mojo was not working today would be an epic understatement. Terrible session this morning! More pain and less horsepower than any session yet. I do believe I am up for the "Taylor Phinney Award".* The only mark of distinction today was that I did not quit and take the broom wagon. My dearly departed daddy could at least be proud of that I guess. My mates in the VG are joking that I may not have made the qualifying time to be allowed to continue in the next training session.



The disgraceful and ignoble data can be viewed at: https://app.strava.com/activities/44793758 It isn't a pretty sight.

* This refers to Phinney's well-publicized outcome in Stage 6 of the recent Tirreno-Adriatico race, for which he is being lauded for finishing last by 15 minutes but not quitting the race.

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...883339720.html

billydonn

Here are a few pics of today's "Black Sunday" ride. Everything looks perfectly normal doesn't it? Perhaps things did not go well because I did not wear green of St Paddy's Day.... or witches may still be a possibility I think. It wasn't excessive cavorting.

The program was 4 x 8 minutes plus 4 x 6 minutes at 90+%. I don't think anybody rode well for some reason.



He looks perfectly normal, but it isn't so.... well, maybe a little flushed don't you think?



Maybe it was dehydration....

I did actually feel a bit of a chill during the ride.... very unusual for me. I'm calling it a bug...

Or possibly pie deprivation....



At least the scones and espresso were good....



Let's never speak of this again.... it did not happen.

Dan Burkhart 

Yup. Gotta be pie deprivation. A trip across the river to Sapp Bros will fix ya right up.