Lithuania

[VENTING and WHINING]

m hoping to find a decent local coach in the next few weeks because for whatever reason i do not seem to have the ability to read and learn how to come up with my own training plan. All I do right now is just ride whenever I can and and sometimes just ride harder then other times. Ive attempted to read the friel and cts books but i space out with those things. The power book is much better for me but since its for incorporating power into existing plans it doesnt help me enough.

i dont know what my problem is.

Tonight, tomorrow and the next day for instance I have maybe 1.5 hours to ride the trainer each night after work. How do I best use that time? I have no clue! I guess I am going to try one of those 123454321 pyramid sessions tonight and see how that goes. What about the next days? When do I try one of those pryamid things again? etc...

On my off days (sunday - tuesday, every other wednesday) I pretty much have the entire day to myself.
Sundays are usually race day or group ride day so thats the easiest for me. The other week days I usually just get in about 50 - 70 miles each day of easy to moderate riding with about an hour of fastish group riding.

at this point i think its worth it to me to pay $150 a month or whatever to have someone to just tell me what to do.

[/VENTING and WHINING]

CastIron

Training for wussy (swissy?)!

platypus

riskus, you might want to take a look at trainingpeaks.com. They have a "virtual coach" feature that you can put in a whole bunch of parameters and it'll build you a training plan.

DrPete 

Riskus-- Take this for what it's worth, but this is how I've been training and my results/performances have gotten better.

Have you done your power profile testing? That might give you a good place to start.

For instance, my 5-minute power and FTP are OK, but my 5-sec and 1-minute powers are kind of low. So I try to get at least 2 interval workouts focusing on those things-- Low cadence hill repeats, 1-minute intervals at 150% of FTP, Sprintervals, etc. Recovery rides come after hard days. The rest is tempo or longer FTP intervals, maybe some VO2Max intervals. Group ride or race on Sunday. Mondays are pretty much always off.

Occasionally my legs just feel tired and I take a day off. Other days I'll just go for a ride and just ride how I feel, no power goals etc. For group rides and races the powertap is just a recording device.

I have to say I've gone away from the Virtual Coach. Mainly it's because now that I specifically know my weaknesses, etc and can follow my training load with the Performance Manager in CyclingPeaks. I mean, I'm no power guru, but I feel like I've been able to target my weaknesses and make better use of limited time.

Do you have "the good book?" There are some good workouts in there depending on what you want to target...

zimbo

Steve, send me a PM if you're interested in contacting my coach (Todd Roberts). He lives in VA, so he's not too far away. I know he has an opening or two. He's a great coach and really takes a personal interest not just in my wattage improvement but also my race results.

EDIT: one of the things I'll add is that having someone to write me a training plan is only a small part of why I like having a coach. It's great for accountability and motivation, it's great for talking tactics, etc.

--Steve

Lithuania

yeah i have the good book. my numbers all suck but my 1 min is the worst. ive only had the pt for like 10 rides including one book test but hell here is the profile



i dont really know where to find specific workouts and how to space them etc

Lithuania

Steve,

i will definitely be interested in that. i will send you a pm later. im out the door from work now and i need to rush home to hop on the trainer before bed.

Lithuania

well what do you know. i am an idiot once again. i havent done this test yet just the ftp test.

daytonian

Get off the trainer and go find some serious hills to ride up fast, when your done climbing them rinse and repeat. Coaching session complete.

DrPete 

None of this is relevant, though, because as CastIron already pointed out, training is for wussy.

All hail the Leader/CEO/Overlord/Grand Master/Messiah/Supreme Field Marshal R600 of DuraAce.

Lithuania

i dont have time to do anything else other then trainer stuff on my work days.

dirtyphotons

where do you work riskus? i'm in the city near foggy bottom and will be looking to do some zippy after-work rides to prepare for poolesville.

Lithuania

Sterling =(

dirtyphotons

hm, maybe mike at pedal shop in ashburn could help you out? dunno if you've met him but he's super nice and i'd go riding with those guys a lot if i lived out there. they're just up the trail a click.

edit: mike owns the shop, he's not a coach. but the shop's got a team, and i bet they'd let you tag along for some training rides if you ask.

YMCA

Go to the races, ride aggressive. Go to the groups, ride aggressive. Go to bed, sleep aggressive. Go for a spin when the sun is shining and the birds are chirping.

Forget the programs, learn to race. Fitness comes through anyway you train it, but tactics and technique take years to develop and can only be perfected through practice, so do yourself a favor and try it old-school, before ploppin' race funds on an interval coach.

botto 

i have to agree, because the simple truth is that i too have no training plan.

DrPete 

Perhaps you need to hear another sermon:

botto 

(maybe i can get away with posting this here, as opposed to road cycling)

DrPete 

Duke of Kent

I feel the same about this as well. Spend you money on race fees and gas money. Race twice a weekend, every weekend of the summer. That's my plan, and while I would like to say I have a structured training plan, I really don't. I have no coach, have no advisers. I read up on FTP/sprint/kilo training and try to apply it to my workouts, but I'm not placing too much emphasis on that stuff just yet. Going to buy a cheap track bike and race that till I puke one night a week this summer. I'm going to race the kilo even though I'll get hosed by the tall skinny kids, the sprints and keirin to get it handed to me by the big boys, and the madison and points race to take my sweet revenge. I want to be a 3 on the track by the end of the summer, and a 2 on the road.

Get strong on your own, don't look for any shortcuts, and really learn how to race are the three things I was told by a friend who has been dominating the masters scene for years.

No amount of coaching can make you a better racer. They can analyze your PT data, listen to you or watch your race, but there is no way they can be with you during the race and tell you if and when to make a move, go with the flow, or let a break go. They can't make your body produce 10w more going up that hill. It's on you.

Lithuania

this has been my plan up to this point but i feel like i need something else. I dunno, maybe next month when the weekday training crits start it will get easier to see results that way.

Lithuania

Im not looking for short cuts.

I am not looking for a coach to teach me how to race. Im looking for someone to help me be in proper race shape.

I like the race you way into shape plan and thats what ive been doing and most likely will continue to so but when it comes to training for specifics I get confused.

YMCA

You are not looking for a coach, you are looking for a "mentor". Just showing up week after week to the groups and races will give you all the knowledge you need. The mentor or advisor will be able to help you process it, but absolutely hold off on any kind of periodized program until you are ready to go pro and even then I'd be leary.

Lithuania

YMCA,

Ive heard you say that or similiar things many times. I do think there is a lot to be said for that line of thinking and personally i kind of like it but do you really think riders in the lower cats can not benefit from a structured plan?

Im not trying to argue or anything just want to hear you expound on it.

daytonian

For 30 buck a Spinervals DVD will let you know if your getting all you can from your training time, plus if your using your trainer it would make sense.