revchuck 

Nope. I should have, and will. Lesson learned. 40 years ago it wouldn't have fazed me.

furiousferret

Seems to me that if you include trainer sessions (and can tolerate them) winter would be a good time to put in a base. The plan here is to do a bunch of trainer sessions on the weekdays (since I work during the day) and put in at least one 4-6 hour ride on the weekend. I used to do a bunch of 1 or 2 hour rides no matter how hard the intensity week in and out, but it did not work nearly as well until I added in that long z2 ride.

shovelhd

I like TSS right on the Garmin screen.

kensuf

My 705 doesn't do TSS. Actually, I think it's mostly broken right now, power and speed recordings are highly erratic.

Oh, 7 hours since Friday. It was nice not working this weekend and I got in a 2:45 length ride in on Saturday, I think I will be quitting my second job once the semester is over.

carpediemracing 

Did 3:00 then 3:20, both on the trainer, over the weekend (well Fri and Sat nights). Really fell apart on Saturday, weak, really fatigued.

Although a huge base may not seem necessary for, say, a Cat 4 or 3, I think it helps develop as a rider. Long hours, like at least 3 hours in a row, fatigue the body and force the rider to recruit the smaller, less used muscles. You develop some pedaling form that you really can't feel until all your major muscle groups are tired, force your body to adapt. Some of my long rides finish with a very high for me last hour - on one 6 hour ride I did 20 mph for the last hour and I normally ride 15-17 mph and a "hard" ride is 18 mph. This applies to outdoor riding mainly, although a 5 hour trainer ride will teach you new levels of discomfort.

Also as a 3 or 4 you may have the option to race 2 or 3 races. A solid base allows you to do the 4s (for example) then hang in the Masters or 3-4s. Or as a 3 the 3s, Masters, P123s. At Bethel I can and want to be able to do 80 laps racing on a 0.8 mile course (I can add another 30 laps if I do the Masters but that's way too many laps). The 4s can do about 50+ laps. Those are long distances in a March or April race.

I think that for me doing 100-150 hours training (meaning without significant time off) before the first week in March is ideal preparation (my normal season is 150 hours total, Jan-Sept). February I usually ride very little due to other commitments so most of my hours are in Nov-Jan, with maybe 20 hours max in February (Feb 2013 I rode 8 hours). Jan could be as much as 60 hours but I don't have access to my 2010 numbers (the best year recently) or some year where I did 33 hours in a week in Jan. This year I only managed 34 hours. Virtually all my winter hours in CT are on the trainer.

aaronmcd

I am also thinking of quitting my second job. I coach gymnastics after a full day of engineering. The engineering has got to go.

TMonk

lolz

aaronmcd

My legs have been stiff/sore lately. Idk why, I'm only riding barely over 100 miles per week, and this last week was fairly slow and easy. Cumulative hard riding effects lingering still?? Last week pretty easy, 50 miles Saturday w a 20 minute effort, a shorter climb effort, and a few shorter "races" near the end. Sunday off, 25 easy commute miles today.

kensuf

Sort of the same boat. Scuba after a full day of working as an IT manager. Two back to back 15 hour days in the middle of the week bring new meaning to the word Frieday.

rkwaki

As I have pointed out so many times, it is very likely diet and post ride nutrition.

rkwaki

AH nevermind....

ovoleg

walked up and down the stairs carrying some of myu stuff out for the move, way too much effort I was super tired. Then my dog kept chocking or something and kept coughing so I got super super nervous and couldn't sleep, drove my little doggie to the vet as soon as they opened...

I think I had like 3 hours of sleep.

Doggie will be okay doc says she just got poisoned with some grapes my gf had on the table.

Flatballer

Yikes. Yeah, dogs and grapes are a bad combo. One of the many foods you have to be careful about with them. I don't know what kind of dog you have, but our lab will put literally anything that she can fit in her mouth, and if it tastes good (or sometimes just to spite you) she'll probably swallow it. Wood, plastic, paper, pickles (she hates them but tries to get them anyway), olives (only dog in the world that loves them), rope (she eats the stringy bits), etc.

If she has something she's not supposed to have, and you tell her not to swallow it, she'll make a big dramatic gulp, then open her mouth and show you it's gone.

rkwaki

Ah nevermind, was to be a great post but I haven't broken you in with my insulting humor yet....

rkwaki

Oh my God...
Did you think before you wrote this knowing that I was online this morning?
I just don't know where to start................
Must put myself in a 10 minute time out so garbear doesn't do it for me....

Flatballer

Man, yeah, I didn't think that one through.

aaronmcd

What do you like post ride? After a longer, hilly weekend ride I can't stomach solid food for a good hour so I'll stop by the CVS and get 2 of those odwalla beverages to tide me over til next meal.

Weekdays are something like this: Breakfast is always cereal and milk and oj. Second breakfast on the days I swim is Starbucks sandwich and a parfait. First and second lunch are sandwiches (cold cuts, cheese) or leftover dinner. Snacks are nuts. Dinner is late (around 10 on coaching days), and consists of whatever my wife makes, usually. Often has rice, chicken, squash, salad, pasta.

rkwaki

As I crawl off the bike I have a protein shake (2 scoops of powder) and a sandwich. I then eat again within about 1.5 hours.
Scroll through the All About Nutrition thread as there is lots of info there but I am very against cereal for breakfast, when getting up you should be looking for a good source of protein and 'good' carbs. Most cereals are not. I would also watch cold cuts and look towards unprocessed meats. If it were me I would also throw in a protein shake once or twice a day. I also eat a pb&j and protein shake right before I go to sleep or I don't make it through the night.

Jandro 

I've started doing this on your recommendation. At least the pb&j. It's the best. Helps to get that before-race/early morning ride 'weight savings' out, too. I follow it up with a half-cup (measured uncooked) of steel cut oats (throw in a handful of dried fruit/nuts and some brown sugar), banana and, if it's going to be a long day, another pb&j in the morning.

kensuf

yeah, low hanging fruit and all.

mattm

Got in an hour of what I hoped to be z2 but was mostly z1 yesterday.. didn't ride this morning.. need to ride tonight!! Need to get lights.

TMonk

30min run followed by 20min core work, mainly planks

ovoleg

I feel like if I ate pb&j before bed I would balloon!

mattm

You probably would.

rkwaki

Ok here is the logic.
Your body recovers and gets stronger while it is at rest. In order to rebuild muscles that have been stressed (ie.workouts) there needs to be protein, amino acids, fuel. Once you go to sleep true recovery begins BUT your body will go into a stasis mode after a couple of hours with no food. If you want your body to fully recover give it the rebuilding fuel it needs then go to sleep you get better recovery while at rest.