A Tale Of Two Weeks

Take a look at these two charts from WKO+:

This first chart is a summary of my “time in zone” from the week ended October 26, 2008.

 This next one is from last week, ending on November 9th.

What is interesting about these two weeks is that I rode about the same amount of time but the results were much different in terms of time spent in the L4 (threshold).  The week of October 26th I rode just under 90 miles in the Livestrong Ride.  My total time at threshold was around 38 minutes.  I wasn’t just poking along on the ride either.  The route had a lot of roller type hills and the wind was blowing a bit.  I worked a bit to get through the ride in a decent time, just over 5 hours.  There was a stretch from mile 18 to mile 50 where I was pushing the pace in order to catch one of my buddies who was ahead of me.  Even with all of that I still only managed 38 minutes at threshold.

The opposite of that was last week where I rode indoors on the trainer for just under 2 hours and outside for the other three.  Even with my after effects from a cold I was still able to accumulate 64 minutes at threshold.  Most of that (45 minutes) came from the trainer, the rest from the outdoor rides.

The Moral Of The Story

What this shows is that indoor workouts on a trainer, if done with purpose, can be a very efficient use of your time and give you a lot of “training effect” for your money.  Granted, I would rather ride outside but outdoor rides, especially here in Atlanta with the rolling hills and traffic, don’t do much for building fitness through constant intervals.  Outdoor rides do serve a valuable purpose in the overall training program.  They are a great way to work within and learn to deal with the variability that racing or fast rides requires.  They are also much more enjoyable.  But, it is hard to beat trainer time for building fitness through specific workouts.

Do you feel that indoor training is beneficial for you?

Here is my activity review for the week ended Nov 9th, 2008.  If you notice, I am tracking a new stat, Time In Sweet Spot.  This is the time I spend in my “high aerobic” zone (85% to 105% of FTP).  For me this is around 230-285 watts.  I have the WKO+ software produce a chart that shows me ride by ride how much time I spend in each zone along with weekly totals. This will help me stay on track to build my FTP over the Winter.

• Time Spent Training-5:07
• Time In Sweet Spot- 1:06 (new stat I will be tracking)
  
• Miles Ridden-92
• TSS (training stress score)-368
  
• Weight-164
• TSS YTD-18155
• Total Miles YTD-4377
• Total Hours YTD-253:27

This was the first “full” Winter training week although I didn’t get a full workout in on Tuesday and Wednesday due to after effects from a cold. I was able to get in a decent workout Thursday on the trainer and the weekend allowed me to get in two rides outside.  I was still feeling some effects of the cold on the Sunday ride in the way my legs reacted to hills, etc.  They were just a little tired.  I think I am fully recovered by now so I hope to get a full week in this week barring any limiting “fit” issues (see below).

Potential Indoor Trainer Issues

In the last week of using the trainer in the basement an old and somewhat reoccuring “fit” issue has reared it’s head.  For lack of a better way of saying it, I have some soreness/tenderness in an area that is unique to the male anatomy.  It only really happens when I ride on the trainer and I think it is due to the fact that the bike is locked in one position, preventing it from shifting with me while pedaling.  I’ve seen the Dr. about it and he said that it isn’t anything to worry about unless it becomes very painful, which it hasn’t.  I have been able to mitigate it by adjusting the saddle and I think I’ve got it dialed in.  I’ll find out this week.  Hopefully “the boys” like what I’ve done to give them more freedom

If everything goes as planned I should get in 5-6 hours of training this week with close to 2 hours of that in the threshhold zone.

I don’t get sick very often but I’ve been fighting a cold for the last 4 days or so and I think it caught up with me tonight.  I wasn’t able to even get close to the power I needed in order to complete the intervals so I shut it down after a 10 minute warmup and 6 minutes into the first interval.  I’ll try again tomorrow and see if I’m back to “full power”.  It’s very interesting how much the cold affected my performance.  I didn’t feel real bad but obviously the cold is enough to make a big difference.

I guess I’ll see how I do tomorrow and Thursday.  If I’m still not able to produce the power I need I’ll move everything back a week and go from there.  I guess the moral of the story here is to not underestimate the ability of a relatively minor illness to undermine your training.

My goals for the next 4-5 months are focused on increasing my “sustainable” power.  Basically, this is the power (watts) I can deliver on a consistent basis over a one hour period.  This is often called FTP for functional threshold power.  A higher FTP usually translates to a better ability to hang with a fast group, climb quicker, and generally be able to ride better.  A good FTP is the base that everything else is built on.  My indoor workouts over the Winter need to contribute to a higher FTP if I want to do well in my key events in 2009.  My current FTP is 272 watts or 3.67 watts/kilogram.  I’d like to get that up to 300 watts which would give me a w/kg of 4.0 (based on a weight of 163 pounds).

In order to be successful I need to plan out my workouts.  I can’t just get on the trainer and pedal and expect results.  I am just about done and here is what a typical week will look like for the next 60 days or so:

1. Monday:off
2. Tuesday: 10 minute warm-up, 2×20minutes at 93-95% FTP with 5 minutes easy spin between sets, 10 minute cool-down
3. Wednesday: 10 minute warm-up, 1×40minutes at 88% FTP, 10 minute cool-down
4. Thursday: 10 minute warm-up, 2×20minutes at 93-95% FTP, 10 minute cool-down
5. Friday: off
6. Saturday: 60 minutes outdoor ride at moderate pace
7. Sunday: 120 minute outdoors at moderate pace

This “base” week will give me 5-6 hours a week of training with about 2 targeted hours in the “sweet spot” (85-95% FTP) along with some good tempo riding and a few hard efforts coming from the outdoor rides.  I will do this basic week until the end of the year.  I’ll then evaluate my fitness and make adjustments to keep me moving forward.  This could mean increasing the time by doing 3×20 minutes instead of 2 sets.  I will also be testing my progress every month.

I’ll finalize my workouts for the next couple of weeks this week and post them along with a weekly recap.  I’ll also post the results of my tests as I do them.  Hopefully all of this will give you some ideas about your own training.  I know it will help me by keeping me accountable as I go through each week. If you have any suggestions or ideas let me know.  I’m definitely open to all ideas on how to make this my best Winter of training yet!

What is your Winter training plan going to look like?

Here is my activity review for the week ended Nov 2nd, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-4:22
• Miles Ridden-74.55
• TSS (training stress score)- 295
  
• Weight-164
• TSS YTD-17787
• Total Miles YTD-4285
• Total Hours YTD-248:20

This week was my first week in my Winter training program although it was shorter than average due to travel back from the Livestrong ride in Texas.  I recovered fine from the ride (the last real long ride in a while) and felt good when I got on the trainer.

I did indoor workouts on Wednesday and Friday, and rode outdoors on the weekend.  My goal was really to just get used to riding the trainer again.  I did a couple of 30 minute intervals at a fairly high level.  Not super hard but enough to get me working.

The Week Ahead

This coming week will be the first full week of indoor training.  I will ride on the trainer Tuesday-Thursday and outside on the weekend.  I hope to get in 5-6 hours a week of riding in.  That will be the basic routine throughout the next 5 months.  As I progress I will adjust the workouts to hopefully put me in a good strong position come next Spring.  I am finalizing the first few weeks of worouts and will post those later this week.

My New Used PowerTap

Back in May of 2007 I took the leap into the world of power based training when I purchased a new PowerTap SL.  It was a lot of money but I have more than got my money’s worth over the 18 months I’ve had it.  But, once I discovered the “power” of the PowerTap I’ve wanted another one I could use on the trainer exclusively.  When I got my new bike in June of this year My desire for another PowerTap increased, but I was not ready to buy a new one.  So, I started my search on Ebay.

Let The Bidding Begin

Well, after 30 days or so I found a listing that seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.  It was for an older model PowerTap and computer on a Shimano compatible Mavic OpenPro wheel that had been recently serviced.  I put it on my watch list and waited.  When it got down to 20 hours or so left in the auction the highest bid was $108.  I knew from all of the research I had done that similar PowerTaps had sold for $250-$350 in the past.  I was willing to pay $300.  With 5 minutes left in the auction I placed my max bid of $300.  Well, that caused the price to go up to $300 but nobody else increased their bid and I won the auction.  I had my extra PowerTap!

Setting Up The New Toy

The PowerTap arrived yesterday and I spent an hour or so getting it setup on my old Specialized Allez.  I used an extra wiring harness I had purchased in July to mount the computer from my existing SL.  It works perfectly and will allow me to use my older 9-speed Specialized setup on the trainer and my 10-speed Cannondale outdoors without having to switch wheels, etc.  This will also give me the ability to convert my Specialized into a power meter equipped time trial bike by adding aero bars.

Make Ebay Work For You

For me, Ebay was the perfect solution, allowing me the opportunity to get my “spare” PowerTap for a good price.  I have been a member of Ebay for 10 years and feel very comfortable buying and selling there.  But, I follow several rules in order to make sure I don’t get ripped off by buying something from an unscrupulous seller:

1. I totally research what it is I’m looking to buy and don’t rely on Ebay exclusively to get an idea of what a particular item is worth.
2. I never buy anything of value from a seller who doesn’t have at least 5 transactions.
3. I always check the feedback on the seller and if anything looks suspicious I keep looking.
4. I check their past auctions to see what they have bought and sold to see what types of items they normally deal in.
5. I check to see if the shipping charge they will add to the price is fair and reasonable considering what the item is.  A high shipping charge raises a red flag very quickly.
6. I use Paypal with my credit card, not debit card.  That allows me to dispute the charge with MY credit card company if there is a problem.  If the seller doesn’t offer Paypal I move on.

Knock on wood, I haven’t had a single problem with Ebay by following these rules.  I have gotten some good deals by doing my research and paying attention.

Get Your Own PowerTap From Ebay

If you are looking to get a PowerTap, take a look at Ebay.  I have a link to the current PowerTap auctions on Ebay here (at the bottom of the page).  Take a look at what is available and check back from time to time because there are always new auctions starting up.  Just remember to do your research and also realize that in almost all cases, what you get from Ebay will not have a warranty.  Happy bidding!

Tonight was my first serious indoor workout in a while.  My goal was to just get used to sitting and spinning on the trainer.  I was a little pressed for time since I first had to assemble my bike that I took to Texas for the Livestrong ride.  That took longer than I planned because I am basically inept when it comes to even simple mechanical tasks :-)  When I got done it was already 6:30PM so I decided to do a short warmup and then do one 30 minute interval at 250 watts which is just about 92% of my FTP.  That is right at the high end of the “sweet spot” (approx 88-94% of FTP).  Here is the powertap file (click to enlarge):

PowerTap Training File

You will see that over the 30 minutes I averaged 251 watts and a heart rate of 150. That is right in “the zone” as far as sweet spot training goes. I was working fairly hard but not straining. I had a good constant effort that gave me a great workout considering I only had a little time. That is the beauty of using a power meter on an indoor trainer. I get a huge bang for my buck with this type of workout.

Today I will do a similar type of workout and then ride outside on the weekend. This mix of concentrated indoor efforts and more free form outdoor rides should allow me to keep my motivation up and keep training fun which is the most important part. I still need to flesh out the entire training program for the next few months. I should have that by next week and I will post it here for everyone to see.

What kind of Winter training plans and goals are you setting for yourself?

Here is my activity review for the week ended Oct 26th, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-5:51
• Miles Ridden-101.5
• TSS (training stress score)-361
• Weight-164
• TSS YTD-17550
• Total Miles YTD-4210
• Total Hours YTD-244

This week was all about the Livestrong ride on Sunday, the 26th.  I rode the 90 mile option in a little over 5 hours.  With the travel, etc., the only other day I rode was on Tuesday which was about 45 minutes and 12 miles at an easy pace.  We really enjoyed our time in Austin for the event.  We had a team of 8 of us that rode, 7 did the 90 mile ride, and my wife did the 45 mile ride which was her longest bike ride ever.  Well done, honey ! :-)  The ride was very well organized, as you would expect, and the weather was just about perfect.  There was a little wind but it wasn’t too bad, especially for Texas.  The roads were rough because they were mostly that chip seal stuff.  I was used to that stuff when I lived in Illinois but the last two years here on the smooth roads in Georgia have made me go soft My feet got a little numb at about mile 75 due to the rough roads but I survived.  Based on the file from my PowerTap I got in 309 TSS for the ride, which was about what I expected. I rode with most of our group for the first 15 miles and then spent the next 35 miles trying to catch one of team members who needed to finish quickly in order to catch a plane.  I really had to push it and finally caught up with him at mile 50.  We rode together for the remaining 40 miles.  It was a great workout.  We had fun riding with everyone in our group and eating/drinking after the ride.  All in all a great time.  If you have a chance to do one of the Livestrong rides, do it.  It is a class event and the cause is well worth it.

Looking Ahead

Now that I’m back home I am ready to start my Fall/Winter training.  I will put my bike together and get a short workout on the Kurt trainer tonight.  Tomorrow I will do a 45 minute tempo workout and then hopefully ride outside on the weekend.  I am finishing up my workout planning and should have it ready by next week.  I will post the plan when it is done so you can see how I will be structuring my workouts.

So far 2008 has been a great year training wise.  With 2 months left I will easily surpass my goals as far as time spent training and mileage.  I hope that in the next two months I can start building a more powerful base that will help me reach whatever goals I set for 2009.

Using heart rate to monitor the intensity of your exercise can help you reach your fitness goals faster and with less chance of injury or burnout. In part one of this series I discussed what maximum heart rate is and why it is important. In part two, I explained several ways for you to discover your own maximum heart rate depending on your level of experience with exercise. Now, in part three we can actually use maximum heart rate to build the “zones” we need to use in exercise. I will also give a couple of sample workouts to get started with.

Zone Refresher

If you remember from part one I listed the typical zones used for heart rate training. Here they are again:

1. 50% to 60% of maximum- This is commonly called the “Healthy Heart” or “Active Recovery” zone.
2. 60% to 70% of maximum- This is the “Fitness Zone” where you start to work a little harder.
3. 70% to 80% of maximum- This is the “Aerobic” zone, the sweet spot.
4. 80% to 90% of maximum- This is the “Anaerobic or Threshold” zone.
5. 90% to 100% of maximum- This is an extreme level of work. You will only be able to operate in this zone for a few minutes at most.

Building Your Zones

To build your zones take your maximum heart rate and multiply by the percentages for each zone. Using my 186 beats per minute as an example, my five zones would be:

1. 93 (186x.5)-112 (186x.6)beats/minute
2. 112-130 beats/minute
3. 130-148 beats/minute
4. 148-167 beats/minute
5. 167-186 beats/minute

To get your zones just substitute your maximum heart rate and calculate from there.

How To Use Your Zones

Ok, now that you have your zones figured, how do you use them in your workouts? The answer depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are looking to gain basic fitness and aerobic conditioning you will probably spend more time in zones 1-3. If you are looking to add strength and speed to your workouts, such as training for competition, you would need to mix in a fair amount of zone 4 and some zone 5 into your workouts. When it comes down to it, everyone will have a different mix. Once again, I’ll use me as an example to give you an idea of how I mix up my workouts. This is a typical week for me:

• Tuesday: 45-60 minutes primarily in high zone 3 to zone 4.
• Wednesday: 60 minutes in zone 3
• Thursday: 45-60 minutes total with 20 minutes in zone 4, the rest in zone 3
• Saturday: 60 minutes zone 3 (I sometimes do a couple of short sprints in zone 5)
• Sunday: 120 minutes+, mostly in zone 2-3 with a few short periods (5-10 minutes) in zone 4

Total time is 5-6 hours a week. I ride a bike as my primary exercise so the length of workouts can be a little longer than if I was running.

Sample Workout

Here is a sample workout for someone who is starting out and has a couple of hours a week to exercise. You can use this for just about all aerobic exercise, especially when starting out. Just remember to start out slow by warming up before each session.

• Monday: 30 minutes zone 2
• Wednesday: 30-45 minutes zone 3
• Friday: 30 minutes zone 3
• Saturday or Sunday: 45 minutes mostly zone 3 with a couple of short intervals (2-4 minutes each) in zone 4. Make sure to allow time to recover between zone 4 intervals.

As you build your fitness you can increase the amount of time for each workout but to be safe don’t increase by more than 10-15% each week. You can vary your workouts any number of ways but always try to alternate hard and easy days to reduce the risk of injury.

Between the three parts of this series you should have a good start to designing your own heart rate based training program. Here are the other two parts:

Using heart rate to exercise properly- part 1- why training with heart rate is important

Using heart rate to exercise properly- part 2- determining your max heart rate

I’d be very interested to hear from some of you as to how your heart rate training is going. If you want some help designing your own program let me know at mark@roadbikesource.com and I will be happy to help you as much as I can.

Books You May Want To Read

There are a lot of good books out there that can help you develop a training program based on heart rate. Here are a few that I suggest you check out:

In part one of this series I discussed what maximum heart rate is and how it relates to developing a zone based training program. Now that we have an idea of how training using your heart rate can help us achieve our fitness goals we need to find out what our specific “zones” are. We do this by performing some basic tests to give us an idea what our maximum heart rate is. We then use this maximum to construct the training zones that we can use in our exercise program. Once again I must emphasize:

Please Remember: You should always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

OK, now that I have gotten through that disclaimer again we can proceed

In order to accurately determine our maximum heart rate we need to actually do some physical activity. Depending on your exercise experience there are a couple of different ways to do the test.

The exception, and this is important, is if you have been inactive for an extended period or have never exercised. If that describes you then you can get an estimate by:

Subtracting your age from 220.

(For example, I am 44, so my max HR using this formula is 177 (220-44=176). This will get you started. Once you have been working out for a while you can use one of the other methods to verify your number)

Sub-Max Testing

If you have some, but not extensive, experience exercising use this method:

This first method is a good place to start if you are new to exercise (within the first 6 months or so). If you are more experienced you may want to skip down to the “Full-Max” section. Depending on your level of fitness you will adjust your results by adding a different number to your results to get your maximum heart rate. Here are the three levels of fitness (aerobic, not muscular) to use:

1. Low- if you do not exercise at all, or if you have not exercised recently (last 8 weeks). Remember, you can be thin, have no weight-loss goals, and still be in poor shape.
2. Medium- you walk a mile 3 times a week, or participate in any aerobic activity 3 times a week for 20 minutes.
3. High- you regularly have training sessions that total more than 1 hour a week, or you walk or run at least 5 miles a week.

Ok, here is the “Sub-Max” test:

Use an 8″ step (almost any step in your home or in a club will do) and perform a 3-minute step test. After your warm-up, step up and down in a four-count sequence as follows: right foot up, left up, right down, left down. Each time you move a foot up or down, it counts as one step.

Count “up, up, down, down” for one set, with 20 sets to the minute. It is very important that you don’t speed up the pace–keep it regular. After 2 minutes, monitor your heart rate for the last minute. Add to your last minute’s heart rate average one of the following numbers:

1. Low: +55 bpm
2. Medium: +65 bpm
3. High: +75 bpm

The result should be pretty close to your maximum heart rate.

Full-Max Testing

If you are an experienced exerciser (over 6 months) and you really want to determine your max heart rate you can do one of these “Fun” tests:

Another disclaimer is in order here. These tests are extreme in nature and should not be attempted unless you are in very good shape. Even if you are in good shape you should still verify everything is OK with your doctor before trying these tests.

If your primary form of exercise is running then you can do the “run up a hill ’til you can’t run any more test”. This is pretty basic, all you need is a moderate hill of 400-500 yards long.

1. Warm up for 10-15 minutes at a medium pace.
2. After the warm up slowly build your speed for a couple more minutes until you reach the bottom of the hill.
3. When you reach the bottom of the hill continue to build speed and run up the hall as hard as you can.
4. Fall down when appropriate (when your body tells you it can’t go any more)
5. Take your heart rate or look at your heart rate monitor before you pass out to see the number.
6. If you don’t have a hill you can substitute a treadmill with an incline feature or just go to your local high school track and sprint a lap as hard as you can after building speed over the previous lap or two.

If you do this test properly you will get a pretty accurate number.

If, like me, cycling is your primary exercise, the test is pretty much the same as the running, just substitute a bike for Nike shoes. Here’s how I have done this test outside:

1. Warm up for 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace
2. Do a couple of hard 15-30 second sprints, then recover for a minute or two
3. Find your favorite hill (at least 1/2 mile long) and start riding up it as hard as you can go without sprinting staying seated.
4. When you feel you can’t go any harder sprint with all your effort for 15 seconds, standing is OK.
5. Stop, get off or fall off and check your heart rate.
6. You can do this on your indoor trainer by following the same basic steps, just increase the tension and then stand up and sprint the last 15 seconds.

As “research” for this article I performed this test last Wednesday on my indoor trainer and I made it to 186.

Ok, once you have recovered from the testing you can build your zones based on your max heart rate. We will cover that in part three as well as give you a couple of sample workout programs (for cycling primarily but also running/walking).

Books You May Want To Read

There are a lot of good books out there that can help you develop a training program based on heart rate. Here are a few that I suggest you check out:

Image via Wikipedia

This is part one of a series on using your heart rate to train effectively.  I wanted to do this series because I know that most people who ride a bike for fitness or competition don’t have a power meter (yet).  That doesn’t mean you can’t do effective training.  In fact, heart rate based training can be very effective, it just has to be used properly.  So, without further ado, here is part one.

Get In The Zone

If you are exercising on a regular basis, either to lose weight and/or get more fit, you need to make sure you are in the right “zone” when it comes to your training.  In the absence of a power meter, using your heart rate to monitor your training is important and doing it the right way will speed up your progress, helping you reach your goals faster while reducing the risk of injury or burnout. Prior to my use of a Power Tap I used heart rate based training for 24 years in both running and cycling and I know it helped me maximize my exercise program.  If you don’t have the capability of training with power then heart rate based training is the next best thing.  This is part 1 of a 3 part series on using your heart rate to exercise properly.

In order to get the most from your training you want to know how to determine intensity of exercise and how it relates to heart rate.  I will attempt to answer that questions here in part 1 and give you some tools and tests to help you determine your specific training zones in part 2. In part three I will help you get started by giving a couple of basic workout programs using your newly established training zones.

Please Remember: You should always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Now, that the disclaimer is over with we can continue

Taking It To The Max

Everybody has probably heard something about “maximum heart rate” as it relates to exercise. What is it and how does it affect your exercise program? Your maximum heart rate is a specific number, the maximum number of beats per minute that your heart can make. Here are some interesting facts I found about maximum heart rate:

1. It is genetically determined; you’re born with it.
2. It is your own individual number.
3. It does not reflect your level of fitness.
4. It is sensitive to certain variables such as altitude, drugs, and medication.
5. It is a fixed number, unless you become unfit.
6. It cannot be increased by training.
7. It does not decline with age except in sedentary people.
8. It tends to be higher in women than men.
9. A high maximum heart rate does not predict better athletic performance, nor does a low number predict worse performance.
10. It has great variability among people of the same age.
11. It will be higher for more “impact” activities like running than lower impact activities like cycling or swimming.
12. A child’s maximum heart rate can frequently be over 200 bpm.
13. It cannot be accurately predicted by a mathematic formula.
14. Testing it requires the person to be fully rested.

The key point is this: maximum heart right is the anchor point for setting your training zones. Accurately determining your own maximum heart rate is key to getting the most from your exercise program. If you do more than one type of activity (running and cycling for example) you will have two max heart rates (see #11).

Once you have determined your max heart rate, which will be discussed in part 2, you can develop your unique “training zones” to use for your workouts. There are a few definitions of these zones but here is a common breakdown:

1. 50% to 60% of maximum- This is commonly called the “Healthy Heart” or “Active Recovery” zone. This is a low intensity area that can be used to recover from a harder workout or build a base if you are brand new to working out.
2. 60% to 70% of maximum- This is the “Fitness Zone” where you start to work a little harder. This zone can be used to build some basic endurance but is kind of a “no mans land” in terms of increasing endurance effectively.
3. 70% to 80% of maximum- This is the “Aerobic” zone, the sweet spot. You will want to do workouts in this zone to increase your overall endurance, heart and lung capacity, and circulatory system. This is the zone most people think of when they think of “aerobics”.
4. 80% to 90% of maximum- This is the “Anaerobic or Threshold” zone. You will be working very hard here and the major benefits are increasing your ability to consume oxygen (VO2 max). This is the area you want to work in if you want to get faster. Workouts in this zone are usually 10-20 minutes in length, with breaks between each interval for longer workout periods.
5. 90% to 100% of maximum- This is an extreme level of work. You will only be able to operate in this zone for a few minutes at most. Unless you just like the pain and suffering, you will not need to do much in this zone unless you are, or want to, compete in your chosen sport.

Now that you have an idea of what maximum heart rate is, and isn’t, and how you can use your heart rate to exercise and train effectively, the next step is to determine your own maximum heart rate through testing. Part two will cover several ways to accurately estimate your maximum heart rate which you can use to create your unique “zones”.

Books You May Want To Read

There are a lot of good books out there that can help you develop a training program based on heart rate.  Here are a few that I suggest you check out:

Here is my activity review for the week ended Oct 19th, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-3:45
• Miles Ridden-65.3
• TSS (training stress score)-271
• Weight-163
• TSS YTD-17189
• Total Miles YTD-4109
• Total Hours YTD-238:02

This was a very light week.  I was busy at work and with the decreasing light in the evening riding outside after work is getting tougher and tougher.  I spent Tuesday catching up on work and Wednesday packing up my bike to ship to Texas for the Livestrong ride.  I rode a little on Wednesday and Thursday as well as an hour on Saturday.  I got in a 25 mile ride on Sunday afternoon to finish the week.

This Week

On Sunday the 26th we will participate in the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s Livestrong ride in Austin, TX.  I will either ride 45 or 90 miles depending if my wife wants me to ride with her.  If she is sick of seeing me by Sunday AM (fairly likely) I will ride the 90 mile ride which should be a decent workout.  I plan on riding today and Wednesday at least a little as well.  I will end up the week with either 65 or 110 miles depending how far I ride on Sunday.  That will pretty much be the end of my “working break” from cycling and I plan on getting back into focused training by November 1st.

Well, I pulled up my WKO+ software and did some analysis of my rides year to date.  What I found was about what I expected, I’ve done a lot of riding with only a relatively small portion (about 35%) in the “sweet spot” zones as far as aerobic capacity building goes.  Here is my power distribution by “Zone”(click on the image to enlarge):

In terms of power, the Sweet Spot is typically 88-94% of your FTP.  Lots of research has shown that training in this area can increse your aerobic capacity without totally wearing you down.  It allows you to get nearly all of the benefit of training at 100% of FTP without the big toll on your body that 100% efforts can do.  In terms of the different “zones” it covers the high end of “Tempo” and the low end of “Threshold”.  As you can see from the chart, I had a decent amount of time in those two zones, about 78 hours out of the 237 total hours I’ve ridden so far this year.  The biggest amount of time is in the “active recovery” zone, about 75 hours.  This makes sense because I did a huge percentage of rides outside this year and that number includes all of the coasting, descending, etc. that I’ve done.  My guess is that if I lived in a less hilly area that the hours in that zone would be much less.  As I head into Winter and the forced time on the trainer my percentage of time in the sweet spot will increase dramatically which will allow me to be much more efficient in my workouts.

Now that I have an idea of where I have spent my riding time by zone I want to see how much time I really spent in the “target area”, which for me is about 240-255 watts.  Here is my total time in each 10 watt range of power.

This shows that I have spent about 13% of my training time year to date in the sweet spot.  I will need to increase that percentage dramatically if I hope to build my sustainable power.  That’s what the trainer sessions will do for me.  As I get into the Winter training mode I would expect my time in the sweet spot to approach 50% most weeks.

Now that I know how much time I’ve spent training my FTP (not enough) I need to make sure my FTP is accurate.  I’ve only done one official FTP test this year and that was in March.  I got a number of 272 which is what I will stick with until I test again.  I feel that 272 is pretty accurate because I have done several 40-60 minute sections at 260-270 this year on a couple of my training rides.  I will test a few times between November and May with November 15th or so being the first test.  I will adjust the numbers based on that test.

Because I’ve been recording nearly every ride in the last 18 months using my Power Tap I have a lot of great training data.  Now that I’ve taken some time to analyze that information I now have the information I need to develop a “plan of attack” heading into the next six months.  I should be able to target the area I need to improve in such a way that I get real benefits come May, 2009 when I plan on testing myself in the Iron Horse Classic ride/race in Durango, CO.

The trainer is the perfect, although potentially very boring, way to build sustainable power since I can control the amount of work that I do. It’s almost impossible to find a section of road here in the Atlanta metro area that is either flat or a constant enough grade, to get in the 20 to 40 minute efforts needed to increase aerobic capacity.

My choice in trainers is the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer
.  I have had one for 4 years now and it is one of the best training investments I have made.  It’s durable and quiet.  it comes very close to the feeling you get when riding outside.  The resistance is progressive, meaning the faster you pedal the harder it gets.  The power curve is very accurate and the resistance is delivered in a buttery smooth manner with no “glitches”. I can get my workouts done quickly and efficiently.

In order to increase my FTP I will need to devote at least 2 days a week to specific threshold workouts. These workouts consist of riding at, or very near (90-100%) my FTP for intervals of 15 to 20 minutes each. For me that means I need to be working at 250-270 watts. I am in the process of laying out these workouts, which I will start in early November. Throughout the process I will do a series of tests to see how I am progressing. I will lay out my training program here and give regular updates. My hope is that I can increase my watts/kg to at least 4 meaning I would need an FTP of 300+ watts. If I were to do that I would be a much stronger rider allowing me to perform better in almost any type of ride, especially the longer climbs that I enjoy so much. If I decide to do the Iron Horse race next May, the increased FTP will make a big difference, especially considering the race is at altitude.

Training inside can be tough to do but the benefits can be great. If you are looking to improve your fitness and performance on the bike, you might want to build some structure into your winter workouts in order to get the most from your training.

Here is my activity review for the week ended Oct 12th, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-5:51
• Miles Ridden-91.2
• TSS (training stress score)-387
• Weight-163
• TSS YTD-16918
• Total Miles YTD-4044
• Total Hours YTD-234:22

This week was easier than I had planned but I’m OK with that.  I’ve been feeling like I need to cut back a little bit and take a “semi” break from riding.  So, this past week was the start of that break.  I won’t stop completely but I will reduce the time, intensity, and distance here for the next few weeks.  I rode Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  Sunday was the long ride of the week at 55 miles.  The other days were 1 hour or less.  I did do a couple of harder efforts as part of the 55 mile ride to keep my legs crisp.

Looking Ahead

I’ve got the Livestrong ride in Austin, TX on the 26th of October which will be 90 miles or so.  Between now and the end of the month I plan on riding a couple of days each week plus at least one day on the weekend.  That should give me 60-75 miles this coming week, 100-125 the week of the Livestrong ride, and 100 or so miles the week after that.  I may do a century on Nov 1st if I feel like it and the weather is decent which would increase miles ridden a bit for that week.  Other than that I will just ride at a moderate pace for the next couple of weeks.  If I decide to do the Ironhorse Classic race next May I will need to train fairly hard over the winter in order to increase my FTP (Functional Threshold Power).  The best way to perform well in a longer road race type event, especially at altitude, will be to go into it with a higher FTP.  I order to do that I will need to structure my indoor workouts over the Winter.  I’ve started to think about how to structure the workouts and wil be putting a training plan together in the next few weeks.  I figure I will need 6 months or so of concerted effort to really make an impact.  That means I need to start in November.  Stay tuned for more details on “the plan”.

If any of you have some ideas for how to structure my training plan please tell me about it in the comments.

Have a good week of riding!

Here is my activity review for the week ended Oct 5th, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-6:28
• Miles Ridden-100.00
• TSS (training stress score)-328
• Weight-163
• TSS YTD-16531
• Total Miles YTD-3952.3
• Total Hours YTD-228:31

This week was one of recovery for me.  I cut back on the time spent training as well as the intensity of the riding.  I didn’t ride until Wednesday and then rode fairly easily until Sunday where I finished the week with a 51 mile ride.  I did the last 15 miles of that ride at a quick pace getting my heart rate well up into the 150’s.  My legs were back to normal at the end of the week and I am ready to resume a “normal” training schedule.

Looking Ahead

I am winding down the season as far as rides goes.  I will do the Livestrong ride in Austin, TX at the end of October but I don’t really need to do anything special training-wise for that ride.  Until then I will ride a couple of days during the week and on the weekends.  It’s getting harder to get in a longer ride after work with the reduction of daylight.  Most of my evening rides will be 45 minutes or so for the next month and then they will have to be inside once daylight savings goes away.  The weekends will be my long ride days.

Planning For Next Year

As I was eating lunch with my wife on Sunday we began discussing our travel plans for the next year.   We have good friends that live in Durango, CO that we visit about once a year.  Well, the Iron Horse Classic is held each Memorial Day weekend in Durango.  I’ve been thinking of doing the race for a couple of years and 2009 might be the year.  I will need to research things a bit more but that would be a great “challenge ride”.  If I decide to do the race my Winter training regimen will be a lot different than in the past.

Here is my activity review for the week ended Sept 28th, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-8:39
• Miles Ridden-138.8
• TSS (training stress score)-552
• Weight-160
• TSS YTD-16203
• Total Miles YTD-3852
• Total Hours YTD-222:04

This was a great week for me.  Primarily because I rode the Six Gap Century on Sunday, the 28th.  It was my “premier event” of the year.  I have been training for it most of the Summer and I wanted to do well in it.  As a result I did not ride much the week before the century.  I rode 10 miles on Tuesday, 15 miles on Thursday and a very easy 9 miles on Saturday.  I wanted to be as fresh as possible for the 104 miles of hills on Sunday.  When Sunday came I felt pretty good and had a great ride.  I will do a more detailed review of the ride later this week.  Needless to say, the century accounted for nearly all of my training for the week, 430 out of the 552 TSS.  I was a little stiff and sore yesterday but I feel basically fine today.  We’ll see how I feel when I ride.

The Week Ahead

My goal for the coming week is to give my body time to recover properly by riding at no more than a moderate pace and keeping the cadence high which will help the muscles recover.  I will ride Tuesday-Thursday and on the weekend, as usual, and hope to get in 100 miles or so total.  I won’t push things too much but rather just focus on getting some steady aerobic work.

Looking Ahead

My final “ride” of the year will be the Livestrong ride in Austin, TX on the 26th of October.  This will be done with a team of riders from the area and will be either 45 or 90 miles.  The pace won’t be real intense so it will really be just another long training ride.  After that I will probably take some time off the bike and then start into the “Indoor Training Season” by mid November.  My goal over the Winter will be to maintain fitness and get in some good 45-60 minute sessions on the trainer plus a long ride on the weekend outside.

Stay tuned for a full Six gap recap in the next couple of days.

The Riding

I have really cut back on the riding this week in order to be rested for the ride.  I rode a moderate 10 miles on Tuesday and another fairly easy 16 miles tonight.  I plan on taking a very easy ride on Saturday to just get my legs moving, maybe a total of 10 miles.  I will do a couple of “spinups” on the ride in which I will go at a high cadence (110-130) for a minute or so just to get the blood moving and the heart rate up a little.

The Resting

I have tried to get to bed on time this week and get at least 8 hours of sleep.  I’ve got two more opportunities to do that before Saturday night when I will get 6-7 due to a very early wake up call.

The Fueling

I have tried to eat as normally as possible this week and concentrate on getting a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat.  For me that works out to 60% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat.  My typical daily calorie intake will be 2500-3000 based on light riding.  I will burn 4000-5000 calories during the century so I will make sure to have my ziploc bag of Hammer Perpetuem and Heed to fill my water bottles at rest stops.  I will also carry a flask of Hammer Gel (6oz or 600 calories) as well as a few Clif Bars.  My goal is to consume 350-500 calories/hour while riding.  If I do that  I should be OK energy wise.

The Equipment

I will go over the bike tomorrow and lube the drivetrain, check all of the connection points (seat, handlebars, stem, etc) for secure connections, and doublecheck the tires for wear and replace if needed.

I feel ready to go and am looking forward to the challenge that this ride will provide.  It looks like the weather will cooperate with temps in the 50’s at the start going up to the mid 70’s.  As long as I pace myself and fuel properly I should be fine and be able to enjoy the experience as much as possible.

Here is my activity review for the week ended Sept 21st, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-3:53
• Miles Ridden-65.00
• TSS (training stress score)-403
• Weight-162
• TSS YTD-15651
• Total Miles YTD-3713
• Total Hours YTD-213:24

This week was considerably less in terms of training time or intensity, and it was planned that way.  I rode easy Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday.  On Thursday I got in a little more intense 20 mile ride.  My goal is to be as prepared as possible for the Six Gap Century this coming week.  I have spent lots of time the past few months doing fairly intense rides.  I can’t improve my fitness any more in the week or two before the ride but I can make sure I am as rested as possible and ready to go.  I feel pretty good coming into the final few days.

The Coming Week

I have 5 days until the century.  My plan is to ride easy this week, concentrate on getting enough rest and eating well.  I will also be seeing the massage therapist to have my ankle and legs worked on.  This should help make sure that I don’t suffer any effects from my on again/off again ankle tendinitis.  I haven’t been to the CMT in a few weeks so I am looking forward to it.  I rode an easy 10 miles tonight and will ride a decent paced 16-20 miles on Thursday.  On Saturday I will “take my bike for a walk” by doing an easy spin around the neighborhood with my wife.  That will be just enough to keep the legs loose.  On Sunday I will take the first few miles a little easy i order to get warmed up properly then, if I feel good and the weather is cooperative, I plan on setting a decent pace for the rest of the century.  Hopefully everything goes as planned.

Here is my activity review for the week ended Sept 7th, 2008.

• Time Spent Training-7:49
• Miles Ridden-135.4
• TSS (training stress score)-576
• Weight-162
• TSS YTD-15,248
• Total Miles YTD-3,648
• Total Hours YTD-209:41

This ended up being a very good week.  I was a little bummed on Friday because I hadn’t felt good on a couple of the rides and I wanted to finish the week strong.  Well, the weekend saved my butt. I got in a good 19 mile ride Saturday morning and felt pretty good.  I decided then that I would do at least 50 miles on Sunday and hopefully more.  Sunday came and I felt good.  The tiredness I had the previous few days was gone.  Our group did a nice 56 mile loop at a decent pace.  When we got to the parking lot at the end I decided I would go out for another hour or so.  In the end I got 75.5 miles in which was my longest ride in a couple of months.  It wasn’t real hard but I still had a TSS of 300+ for the 4 hours and 20 minutes I rode.

The Week Ahead

I am feeling back to normal and looking forward to the Six Gap ride in a couple of weeks.  My plan is to do a normal 100-110 miles this week with the longest ride being 40-50 miles.  Then next week I plan on riding easy and making sure I am rested for the 104 miles of hills I’ll be riding.