AJ, nothing about you nighttime dirt adventure is convincing me that riding in the dirt has any benefit for road or track racing. :D ;) Have fun on the track.

Ex, 1 hour of climbing in the dirt to gain 2,200 vertical feet sounds like a lot more than a TSS of 100. However, what do I really know? I haven't had a power meter for two years yet.

sarals, hope you aren't sick. I've heard that something is going around...

...speaking of something that is going around, almost two weeks ago Sunday (really Saturday night), I came down with some kind of flu or virus. Had a temperature of 100-101°F on Sunday which was in the middle of our late summer heat wave. At one point the thermometer in our bedroom read 90°F for several hours. Unfortunately the windows stayed shut because it was over 100°F outside. You might be saying to yourself, "Doesn't this Bozo have air conditioning in his house?"

My Bozo response is, "No."

Normally, SoCal houses that are within about a mile of the beach, as we are, don't have air conditioning. Our next house will definitely have AC.

After a few days of the flu and two days off of work, my illness transitioned into bronchitis. Fortunately it was a mild case and I didn't have to seek out antibiotics (which I generally avoid). Last Sunday I rode 100K solo and definitely felt fat and slow on the 25 miles back home into a head wind.

Some easy riding this week and tomorrow is an easy century with my cycling club. Somehow, despite my weakened state, I accepted the Ride Director's request to lead one of the groups.

You've heard of blocking from the back? I may be leading from the back tomorrow.

Cleave, yuck - I'm glad you're over that. Apparently I'm okay, just tired from all of the work I've been doing lately. Not even the poison oak I picked up at the CCCX race last weekend is very bad (fingers crossed).

My lousy ride on Wednesday can be attributed partially to a dragging rear brake, which I didn't catch until this morning. DOH.... The 1:20 at pace this morning felt pretty darned good, once I sorted that little problem out. I rode on farm roads I had never been on before, too. It was a beautiful morning!

Did anyone read the article on aging in this months Bicycling magazine? Pretty interesting.

Well this has been a pretty weird year, starting poorly and is now finishing up strongly.

January came and I was slowly getting back into form after a poor December. February was more building but slowly. Then I slammed my toe into a wall (accidentally), breaking a toe high up, near the foot. I was off the bike for 2-3 weeks, and then going slowly once back on.

March came and so did my annual winter cold, the one that goes from head to chest in about 2 weeks. Off the bike for a week--should have been longer but I was missing those days from February--and sluggish when back on.

April came with some good riding (finally, yay!). Then May when I started a new job driving, where I was sitting for 4-5 hours at a clip. Apparently I have poor circulation as my foot swelled up to the point of not being able to walk. Another week off. :( Spring was such a wash that I knew the whole year was pretty much lost. I knew I'd be just getting back up to speed throughout the Summer and only ready to race as we neared the end of the season. So I didn't even get this year's license.

Mid May, and I was finally able to get training again and this has gone unimpeded since.

This year I began using the training system my son has been on for ~2 years. The plan utilizes high-torque/big gears pretty regularly, improving the body's ability to go long periods at high output. It creates a weekly cycle that alters how the body handles the riding/racing load and how it meets its energy needs for these requirements. (I won't go further into details as the program--for some inexplicable reason--is controversial. No... not drugs. :rolleyes: )

Well, here we are now in late September. Throughout the training, I have had a general feeling of fatigue in the legs, as to be expected pushing bigger gears at lower cadences. In spite of that, my legs have consistently done what I've asked.

These past 2 weeks, however, I feel like I've broken through to another level, so to speak. The leg fatigue has noticeably lessened. More impressive to me, though, I am suddenly able to use a bigger gear with a (perceived) easier effort. Because of this, I find that my cruising speed has gone up 2-3mph and faster with just a little effort. It's been pretty amazing: I don't remember it ever feeling this easy at these speeds. On last Saturday's training ride, I remember as we repeatedly hit 32-33mph, and it was relatively easy for me to move around the field or close gaps at the pace. When I started the program, I would default to my 55x19 gear (I don't spin very well, so I compensate with a larger ring :D ). After improving, my default gear is my 16t while easily moving to the 15t and 14t after getting moving.

Well, enough rambling. But that's where my training is. :)

Thank you revchuck, IBOHUNT! Feeling better daily.

Hope you're fealing better Cleave!

mkadam68, every year is weird. Just when I think things are normal, they're not. Good luck in your training plan.

Hard group ride today - 115 miles, 6200' climbing, 300TSS. I'm tired. There were changing leaves, mountain views, and Elk hanging out in Estes Park. Of course, I didn't take a single picture. :)

Given the circumstances, that's understandable. Bet you'll sleep well tonight!

I think the pain in my legs might keep me awake.

One can take pics of elk, leaves and mountains any time.

Dr. Revchuck prescribes a wee touch of spirits to wash down a couple of ibuprofen. :D

Hour and a half hike with Ridley up Mt. Rose. Going to try to schedule in a couple of these a week as fat burner/aerobic base cross training; too many wilderness trails close to the new house not to take advantage.

45 degrees and an on/ off drizzle, with light snow on the mountain tops. Next week it's supposed to jump back into the 70's. Going to do some exploring on the MTB; they've been cutting a fair number of new trails and things should be nice and tacky from the rain.

Thought I was going to do another cross race this coming weekend, but the one I thought was scheduled up in San Jose is actually not until December. NCNCA calendar got it wrong. I will probably do either the Saturday Morning B Ride or do a longer ride with friends up in the Gilroy area. The Mount Diablo Challenge climb is out for me on Sunday, I waited too long to enter and the entry fee is too steep for me right now.

Work has me flat exhausted. I have refused extra shifts for next month. Only five days off in September have made Sara a cranky girl.

After four weeks of doing my own thing, a workout showed up in my inbox last night. My nose is once again lock-wired to the grindstone. :) Coach said my fitness has dropped ~25%, so it's time to get going again. The near-term goal is to get my CTL back up over 60.

Today was supposed to be 1:30 at Z2/3, with 20 minutes of that in the SST range at a cadence of 75-85 rpm. It ended up at 1:15 (the bed felt too good this morning) with the AP for the ride in Z3, and >30 minutes of it above SST. TSS 92, IF .86, 926 kj.

After 3 days off the bike to travel, chase alligators for a night and get back home I spent 1:40 on the bike.

IF 0.95
TSS 145

I wonder what she means by 25%. 25% of what?

That's a question I'll ask her today. According to the Performance Management Chart, my CTL had dropped ~25% from my peak, but I don't think that's what she meant.

For example, measured by RPE/power/HR, since I stopped racing in June, my top end is down at least 25%, my FTP less than that, my base not much at all. This is all normal and expected with the first meaningful races in April.

2nd hard day in a row
1:41 with 56% in Z4 or higher and 29% in Z3

IF 0.93
TSS 139
kJ - 1,562

Tomorrow I get to stay close to home and just do laps round the neighborhood

shovel - I asked her, and she was referring to my CTL. She also noted that it was just one data point and not an absolute measure of fitness.

Today's ride was messed up. The planned ride was 1:30 at endurance pace with 2x(3x30") one-legged drills bookended by two sets of 3x30" fast pedals. I rode from work, but about halfway on the drive to work I realized I had forgotten my work clothes and shower stuff, so I had to turn around and drive home to get them. :mad: I did the drills as scheduled, but only rode 40 minutes altogether. Bah.

You too?

Theory was I was going to ride today, after the flooring guys reinstalled the baseboards in the master bedroom that we've never been able to sleep in since we bought the place because we've been waiting on the floor (and also waiting to be able to move in there so they could then move our other furniture in the main part of the house and fix the floor finish they messed up, fix up another guest room that's holding part of the bedroom furniture, and clean up the garage that's holding the rest).

But, alas, it seems the floor was not acclimated for long enough. Every board is showing gaps. So...it's a complete resand, refill, and refinish.

By time all that was worked out it got late and cold.

I think the word here is disheartened.

Looking forward to weekend of no races, but a lot of fun. I was asked if I wanted to pick up any shifts this weekend, like Saturday, Sunday and Monday. My answer was short - "HA!!" 25 of the last 30 days pulling shifts at work was more than enough. Time to decompress.

Hi, I need an "affordable" coach since my cash flow will primarily be negative while we build a new house. Any suggestions?

I rode for the first time in five days yesterday. Still under orders to go easy, so I went up the front and back side of the local 6% hill in the 39/25. I am going to need lights soon.

How is the eye?