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Old 10-04-10 | 02:06 PM
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Carbonfiberboy
just another gosling
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Everett, WA

Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004

Well, 100% all the time is not the right thing to do. In fact it's the commonest mistake new riders make. You're riding 80 miles/week. That's low if you are really training, i.e. trying to improve your performance. OTOH, if you're just riding along it doesn't make any difference. But that's not what it sounds like, what with recording your average to 2 decimal places.

So. Experienced riders say there are only two paces at which to train: slower than you'd think and faster than you'd think. You've been riding 16 miles in about 53 minutes. I will bet you a nickel that if you were to have your blood lactate tested, you'd not be riding at lactate threshold (LT). IOW, you're riding in zone 3. Trainers call those junk miles. Sorry, I know that sounds harsh. It's supposed to.

So here comes the positive part. This is easier with a heart rate monitor (HRM) but it's not necessary. Most days, throttle back to zone 2. That'll be when your are breaking a sweat in normal weather and breathing deeply but slowly. Easy to have a conversation with a fellow rider. You'll do more mileage. Shoot for 150/week total. The days you're not riding zone 2, you'll do intervals. You're already doing zone 3 intevals, which one might do in winter or very early season, so don't do those. You can start with some 20 minute zone 4 (LT) intervals. You should be breathing very hard, just short of panting, and your legs should be burning. Don't let your speed drop off. If you finish and aren't totally wasted, your could have gone harder. Start with one until you get it down, then try two with 15 minutes between them. Then you can do speed intervals and all sorts of "fun" things. Google for more info on intervals.

Intervals will waste you plenty, hence the need to recover with those zone 2 rides. But intervals and more distance will make a major difference in your riding. It'll also burn more calories, which will lose you weight if you can avoid eating them back.

Going to the club is fine. It won't improve your cycling, but many find it a nice change from riding. Think about trying to get up to say, 10 hours/week total, or about a 7000 calorie burn. Most folks lose pretty good in that range. I know, 150 miles, 10 hours, 7000 calories may not all be equal, but that's a range to look at.
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