Outside Trainer Rides From Here On Out

Yesterday was a tough day. The plan called for 3 sets of 4 @ 3 on 1 off with 4 minutes rest between sets. I attempted these late in the day which was a mistake and my plan was to do these inside on my trainer. I turned the A/C on low and added a second fan but even with these additions/changes, I barely made it through the first set. The temperature was so high in my office that I bagged the trainer and headed outdoors. Even though the temp outside was 78F, it was significantly cooler and I was able to finish the remaining sets.

Today, I set the trainer up on my back covered porch and turned on the ceiling fans as well as my Vornado fan. The outside temp was ideal - 50F and what a difference it made. I was able to complete the workout - 2 sets of 10 @ 1 on 30 secs off without any heat related problems. From here on out, I plan to do my trainer workouts in the morning and on the back porch.

Not Enough Carbs

As I mentioned previously, my weight has increased by 2 lbs since switching coaches/training philosophies as my time on the bike has been cut in half. After I realized I gained 2lbs, I stopped weighing myself daily and made a conscious effort to cut back on my food intake.

Today, after an AR ride, I decided to get on the scale and I was surprised by what it said. Not only did I lose the 2lbs that I gained but I also lost an additional 2lbs. My energy level as of late and my performance on Saturday can now be traced back to me limiting my food intake. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

At my weight - 152lbs, I should be consuming between 6 to 10 grams of carbs per kilo of body weight per day or around 415g - 691g. In addition, I should include the following supplementation:

• 5g of carbs per kilo of body weight 3-4 hours before competitive events or long training rides.
• 40 to 60 grams of carbs (20 to 30 ounces) per hour during exercise
• 1.25g per kilo of body weight immediately following and 1g per kilo of body weight every 2 hours for 6 hours after exercising for an hour or more (meals are included in this amount).

I can tell you as of late, that I've only been consuming around 400g per day even when working out and this is obviously not enough to keep the engine fueled.

Better start loading up now as I have 3 days of hard intervals starting on Wednesday.

Another round of MSP intervals

Today was absolutely beautiful - 73F and I decided to head outside for a set of MSP intervals. I decided to do these on Lockhart Rd which is pretty flat with a slight incline and in hindsight, I wish I would've done these on the hill again. Lockhart is a pretty open road and you usually have a headwind going out. The headwind today was a little more than I bargained for and it made it tough to maintain the wattage without going too hard.

The plan called for 3 @ 8 on 4 off with a target wattage of 300W. First interval was at 302W, the second at 294W (I reversed directions at the 4 minute mark), and the third was at 301W.

Remax Town & Country Road Race - New London, NC

I decided late Friday afternoon that I would race in the annual Out Like A Lion Road Race in New London, NC after checking Accuweather.com, as earlier in the week they were predicting torrential downpours for Saturday but they were now predicting some afternoon rain only. I left the house at around 5:00AM and drove the 2 hours to New London for a race that started at 8:05AM. I packed a half gallon of water, a recovery drink, a bottle for the race and some food to eat on the way up. As I approached Monroe, NC, the fog was pretty thick and it made the 2 lane country roads difficult to navigate.

I made it to staging area at 7:00AM and started setting up the trainer, etc before heading over to registration. By the time I got back to the car, I had about 25 minutes to warm-up. 10 minutes into my warm-up, Rick from Giordana-Clif Bar stopped and said the first race would be delayed at least 30 minutes due to the heavy fog. 30 minutes turned into over 2 hours. Not anticipating the delay, I ran out of food and water and didn't pack any gels or bars. Shortly after 10:15AM we assembled for the race of which was shortened by 1 lap due to the delay.

Last season, I played catch-up for half the race due to a poor starting position and vowed that I would start every race this year on the front row. So far so good as I've managed front row positions in my first 2 races. With the race being shortened by 1 lap, the pace was pretty high from the beginning. Me and 4 others set the tempo from the start and 5 minutes in, I knew that I would pretty much be a non-factor in the race today. My legs were heavy and I felt slow and uncomfortable on the bike. Maybe it was the less than optimal pre-race dinner or the 4 hours of sleep combined with a 2 hour drive and then 2 hours of waiting.

On one of the hills, the lead pack accelerated and the guy in front jumped out of his saddle and his rear end went crazy. I was seated and accelerating with the pack and my front tire got a little ahead of the guy's rear and our wheels touched. My handlebars went right and the end jammed into the left side of my right knee cap, tearing a hole in my knee warmers. I knew I was going down but managed to stay up and went off the right side of the road into the grass and came back on only losing 6 positions. My knee was throbbing but I was able to pedal without any problem. I decided that I would stay hidden for the second lap and hopefully, stay out of any further trouble.

We started the race with 36 riders and at some point, we split the pack into two groups - 20 and 16. The wind was going from right to left so everyone was jockeying for position on the left side. I managed to get in a line just to the right of the centerline and managed to stay in the position with 2.5 miles to go. As soon as we rounded the last turn, the pack starting breaking up due to the acceleration and I found myself picking off riders and making my way up the middle and was in position 8 when a hole on the right side opened up and Rick started saying - Go Scott Go! I decided to jump and me and 2 others got separation but after 30 seconds, I was on the verge of popping and I decided to sit-up and wait. At this point I was done. I could see the finish line tent and all I wanted to do was hang on. We topped the hill and everyone took off. People started flying by me and I couldn't do anything about it and I managed to hold on for 15th place. The result is better than I expected especially after several attacks (one right at the end), the handlebar jamming into my knee cap, and almost wrecking.

In reading the Time Factory Development Team blog, the Pro 1,2 race was shortened from 10 laps to 2 and they raced in a downpour with quarter sized hail. Glad I got it over with earlier and only had to contend with a little drizzle.

MSP Intervals

I've been looking forward to this phase of my training plan as I enjoy the longer (8-20 minute) efforts at threshold or max sustainable power over the shorter 1-4 minute intervals. My volume should increase in the phase as well and as I previously mentioned, I hope the increased volume will regulate my weight once again.

Today the plan called for 3 x 8 minutes on 4 minutes off at a target wattage of around 300W. I decided to do these on a 2.5 mile climb and it worked out well as I was able to keep the wattage up and the cadence at around 95rpm+. The elevation change over the 2.5 miles is approximately 210'. For the first interval I averaged 305W with an average speed of 18.8mph, 304W at 18.8mph for interval 2 and 300W at 18mph for interval 3.

My last ride on the road was 3/1 so I decided to get in another hour at tempo in order to get some more miles in my legs. 3 straight weeks of 1-6 minute intervals can make your body forget what it's like to be in the saddle for 5 to 6 hours at a time.