Sunday, August 21, 2011

8/20/11- Another attempt at "The Great White Buffalo" route

A few weeks ago, a friend/teammate/training partner and I came up with a route that looked and sounded like a good ride. We took a ride that he has done in the past, that is very scenic, and winds through some of the nicest back roads in the county, then we added a loop that I ride sometimes, through some of the back roads in the southern end of our county. The total course is just over 60 miles. In theory, it's a great ride. I say that because, in 3 attempts, we still haven't been able to complete the route in it's entirety! During our attempts, we've amassed 2 flats, 1 crash (with a broken derailleur hanger), and 1 "bonk. Yesterday, I figured I'd give it another try...solo this time. I ended up running out of fluids around mile 47, and had to shorten the ride and head for home. So it still hasn't been finished!

Since I got my power meter, nearly a month ago, I've been collecting and evaluating as much data as I can. Slowly, I'm learning some of the more technical things, such as TSS, ATL, CTL, Intensity Factor, etc. Here's a few things that I found interesting from yesterday's ride (and my fitness).

Using PowerAgent software (which I LOVE and is FREE, downloaded from CycleOps website), I'm able to "segment" any part of my ride and save it as a new interval. I compared my last attempt (with a total group of 3 riders to share the work load), with my solo ride yesterday until the same spot where the crash occurred. Here is a chart with the interesting facts:
So, basically, in order to do the same work alone, my HR was nearly 20bpm higher, I had to maintain a higher average power (although I had some more powerful bursts with the group, as evidenced by my normalized power...which is what I think drove up my TSS and Intensity Factor). Just goes to show how much working as a group and drafting really does save energy. With a group of 3, my HR was 11% lower, and my Norm. Power was 4% higher. So, in short, I did more work with less energy.

I love seeing this raw data, because the numbers always tell the truth. I can't tell you how much material I've read about riding, racing, and training, but it's nice to see the numbers for myself...from rides that I personally did. I'm not sure when The Great White Buffalo will finally get slayed, but it's already proven to be a useful route.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Training with my Cycleops Power Meter and using PowerAgent software

Since starting my adventure into competitive cycling, I have read just about every bit of material in regards to training that I could get my hands (or eyes) on. I've also had many conversations with "elite" or "experienced" racers, and I've bought quite a few books. I even participated in a performance-cycling based study on caffeine, that took place in a performance lab, complete with blood draws and VO2 max testing. I knew, early on, that the ultimate method of training was with a power meter. According to many of the online forums and local cycling communities, you're simply not training efficiently, or to your maximum potential...unless you have a power meter. I think I made the common progression during my training, going from riding a lot, then adding a heart rate monitor, then GPS, then cadence, and finally power. What I didn't know, was how much of a difference it would actually make in my training, and how fun it would be to evaluate the data. 

When I first got my power meter (Cycleops Elite+ hub in a DT450 wheel), I linked it with my Garmin Edge500 (which was easy enough...just find the Garmin owner's manual online and follow the instructions) and got to work. My wife bought me the book "Training and Racing with a Power Meter" by Allen and Cogan, and although some of the material is quite scientific, I've managed to decipher a good bit of it. I immediately performed my FTP test (Functional Threshold Power), which basically tells you how much power you should be able to maintain over the course of an hour. It's an interesting number, but it doesn't tell the entire story. From that number, you can determine your power "zones" for training...you can also draw from it your LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate).  (I should mention here that I think it's important to train throughout the year using periodization, so that you have some meaning to your training, that is...a method to your madness). After that, it's necessary to determine your "power profile". This is interesting, because it's where you learn your average power outputs for various increments (15 sec., 1 min., 5 min., etc.). THEN, you need to go one step further and learn your power to weight ratio. First, convert your body weight into kg's (divide your weight in lbs. by 2.2), and then divide the average power numbers by your weight in kg. After doing this, I made a chart in excel. It looks like this:
This way, when I retest each month, I can see where I've made my gains. Knowing the numbers in your power profile is crucial, in my opinion, because I know where my strengths are, and which type of rider I am (all-rounder, sprinter, climber, TT specialist, etc.). In my case, this is a classic presentation for an all-rounder. You can see that my numbers aren't amazingly spectacular, but I've finished as high as 6th at the local Cat 4 races, which means that I've at least learned some tactics along the way. At any rate, knowing these numbers allows me to either exploit my strengths (for me, this would be my 5 min. effort), or work on my weaknesses (my sprint and 1 minute efforts). Working with power has also taught me to better push power all the way around my pedal stroke, and I'm looking forward to my next test. 

The next thing I'd like to mention is training software. I've tried quite a few. I have a Garmin, so I actually do like Garmin Training Center (which came with my device), and there's always Garmin Connect which is free online. It allows you to see the basics like average and maximums for power, heart rate, cadence, speed, elevation, etc. It also shows the map and distance for your ride, which I like. I've tried Strava, which I can't get the hang of, and doesn't seem to have the amount of displayable data that it's Garmin counterparts have. I've also toyed with mapmyride and ridewithgps, which I think are great for ride-mapping and route-finding, but little else. I had a trainingpeaks account for a while (the premium version) which was great, but it's tough to justify another monthly payment to use it. The free version of trainingpeaks works well, but there's limited features. A software that I have really begun to enjoy is PowerAgent, which is downloadable for free on the Cycleops website. What I've been doing for the past few weeks is downloading my training file into both Garmin Training Center (for the mapping, etc), and then into PowerAgent for the detailed analysis of my intervals, etc. What's GREAT about PowerAgent, is that I can look at a number that's called "Normalized Power". Average power is ok, but it's not completely honest. Sure, if you perform 500w (watts) for 30 seconds, then 1000w for 30 seconds, you average would be 750w. HOWEVER, because of the amount of work that you did to maintain the 1000w, you body may have done the same amount of work that it would take to maintain, say, 800w for that minute. Confusing? Think of it in terms of a car: if you drive your car around the city, there are many points of acceleration, cruising, braking, whatever. You may average 25mpg over the course of that tank of gas, but there were times when your car did more work and probably only averaged 20mpg, and then times when it cruised and did less work, maybe maintaining 28mpg. In the end, although you averaged 25mpg, you placed additional "wear and tear" on your car when you accelerated or stomped it through the city. So, "Normalized Power" is more valuable than average power, especially since it's impossible to maintain a perfectly steady output of power throughout your ride. Also, something that I recently discovered with PowerAgent, is the ability to "segment" or isolate a portion of your ride. If you click and drag on any portion of the detailed graph, the software will figure out your numbers for that section that you chose. Pretty awesome. This means that if I wanted to see my averages, etc, for a certain part of my interval, I can get it...even if I didn't hit the "Lap" button on my Garmin.  PowerAgent has far more data than I'll probably ever use, but it's nice that if I decide to learn it, it's there. And for free.

I can't wait to continue learning...and training. 

Monday, August 8, 2011

I increased my training, and all I got was this stupid saddle sore.

With the World Police and Fire Games just around the corner (8/26-9/5), to say that I've stepped up my training would be an understatement. After taking a 6th place Cat 4 finish at my last crit, I decided that my training has been working, and my confidence was starting to solidify. Following that race, I was left with a 6 week "build" period to get me ready for the games. I've added roughly 50 miles per week to my training, and I've structured my weeks much more than previously this year. My typical week, now, looks like this: Sunday- 3hr. Tempo ride, Monday- Anaerobic (superthreshold) intervals, Tuesday- Recovery Ride, Wednesday- Group Ride or Race Pace Ride, Thursday- Threshold Intervals, Friday- Juniors Practice, Saturday- Long Ride or Rest. 

The extra time in the saddle has been great for my legs, but unfortunately, not so good for my "nether" region. I've developed a small "saddle sore" that I think has the potential to be rather bothersome. Luckily, it seems like they are very easily treated. Basically, keep it clean, dry, and rub some Oxy10 on it. Maybe some chamois lube for the ride to reduce friction...and the best part of all...sleep in the nude!!! 

I've learned several secrets so far along the way during my cycling endeavors, and it looks like I'm going to have more soon.