Sharing my data - Using sound strategy...

I've done each of the Lancaster road races this spring. Previously, I did many Cat 1/2/3 races where I could get crushed by much younger and fitter guys. When the big guns showed up, it could be a struggle to outlast their attacks and finish among them at the end. A new category in the Lancaster series, 40+ Cat 3/4 Men, allows me to go in with some new confidence. I'm younger and more experienced than the majority of my competition.

The races have been so-so. Not much team representation. Mostly solo guys racing for themselves. That can make things boring as no one is willing to go too far beyond their comfort zone or take risks. Instead of working together, racers look at each other and say, "Screw you, I'm not going to exert myself in a way that others may benefit from." What often develops is what I refer to as "Negative Racing". Instead of racing aggressive to win, racers are trying to avoid losing.

As I was previously using these for training, I often showed up with tired legs. That caused me to race more conservatively than I would like. I also don't know anyone in the races as these are far from home. In my Salisbury Road Race, a team of two riders successfully dictated the entire race. A solo breakaway with a good blocker among the rest of the field. Basically, one strong guy and one smart guy. While frustrated, I was very impressed. I took note of who they were, the team they were on, and how others responded and behaved.

Last weekend, I showed up at the Farmerstown Road Race. Same series and race category but a course I was not familiar with. We began the 42-mile race in a stiff wind. Enough wind to dampen the enthusiasm of many racers. In the first third of the race, a solo rider attacked and got a gap ahead of the group. It was a rider on the same team that dictated the previous race but I did not recognize the rider. I noticed him earlier in the race and wasn't too impressed. The winner of the previous race was playing the role of "blocker". That got my full attention. I'm not going to get caught sleeping again.

At about the half-way point, the solo rider was hovering with a 30-40 second lead. Impressive but not beyond the reach of others. In this situation, I'm looking to "bridge" up to that leader while leaving everyone else behind. I was anxious to do something before allowing that rider to slowly increase his lead. Still a long way to go to the finish so I had some reservations.

I noticed a farm vehicle on the road ahead of us. There was a right turn ahead and I thought we would hit that turn at the same time as that vehicle. I hit the gas. Getting a small gap on everyone else and passing that vehicle before the turn. Actually, I cut him off as motorists often do to us on our road training rides. I don't know that vehicle impacted everyone else but I got the gap I wanted and my race got much more interesting.

Now, I can share my race data to help you to understand what was going on. I do not look at my data while racing and do not recommend it. It usually tells you you are suffering badly (of course) and becomes a distraction. I do my analysis after races to see how the data compared to what I was "feeling".

After leaving the field behind, it took exactly 8 minutes to catch the leader. A short max sprint and Zone 5-VO2 Max effort. Then I settled into the high end of Zone 4-Threshold and hoped to make progress. It was difficult enough that I didn't know if I'd make it to the leader. I did make it up to him eventually. After the race, I created a lap in the data called "Bridge". You can click on it to highlight that portion of the map and graph.

I pulled up next to him and immediately introduced myself, asked his name, and told him he had an awesome teammate blocking in the field. I showed I was friendly and provided encouragement to keep digging deep. We now needed to work together to remain ahead.

We did that for the next 45 minutes. Exchanging pulls and trying to compliment one another. As one slowed, the other came around to keep the pace high. The wind kicked our butts at times. Bringing us down to jogging speed. I'd look back as we went around turns to gauge where the rest of the racers were. At times, they were out of sight. That was encouraging.

We started the bell lap with about a 20-second advantage. Not very good, as road races tend to get faster towards the end. Others are willing to take greater risks with their energy as they know the end of the race is approaching. If caught, I wouldn't have the legs to contest a field sprint. No choice than to remain committed to what I started.

The gap got slowly smaller. The undulating terrain made it hard to tell but they were slowly getting closer. I was getting fatigued. Confident that I could beat my companion at the end but needed his help to get there ahead of others. We were caught with 3/4 of a mile left in the race. As the field swallowed us, we exchanged a sincere thanks and good luck.

Immediately, the blocking teammate and another strong rider counter-attacked and they finished ahead of the field. The blocker finished second. A strong showing for a guy who likely put in some big efforts to support his teammate in the breakaway. The winner got the golden opportunity and capitalized.

I reintegrated into the field with tired legs. As they ramped up towards the finish, I could only watch while in their draft. Not enough left in the tank to stand and sprint. 38 riders started. Many were dropped and abandoned due to the wind. I finished 14th of the 21 who finished. The winner put in a two minute effort, at the perfect moment, and won. I put in a 52 minute effort and got zilch.

That is road racing. Chess on wheels with lots of sweat and a little bit of NASCAR. I drove home imagining what I could have done differently to change the result. I also drove home feeling as if I had raced aggressively, dictated the race to others and left it all out on the road. For me, that is a success and keeps me going back for more.

I appreciate your attention. Now go make an impact in your next event or leave it all out there trying.

Sharing my data - "Form = Fitness + Freshness"

Thanks for the well-wishes ahead of Battenkill. Many of you have asked how it went. Some of you were there. Unfortunately, I came away disappointed in my performance. I had numerous distractions in the month ahead of the race. I did my best to stay on target but fell short of my expectations.

The end result reminded me of a common quote, "Form = Fitness + Freshness". Good form is what you want to have when you toe the line of your big event. It is a complex combination of many things. We gain fitness as we pile on the miles, intervals, and sporadic races or big rides. We increase our endurance, our VO2 Max, maybe drop some weight, improve fundamentals and hone our form. Although we gain significant fitness, we can suffer from the accumulation of training demands.

As we approach our big day (or cluster of events), we incorporate additional rest. Workouts are shorter while maintaining the high intensity or our racing edge. We allow for more recovery. We spend the extra time to finalize our equipment choices, tuning bikes, putting on fresh tires, and generally get ready for battle. In general, we are resting, recovering and gaining freshness.

The end result is great form. We have done the work needed to improve fitness. We allowed for recovery and reached a state of confident calm for the big event(s). Our engine is tuned, cleaned, fueled, and waiting for the green light. We are fit and fresh.

In the month prior, I was forced to do some scrambling. The legs were good and fit but I was dodging obstacles. As I need to taper and gain freshness, I was feeling flat. Legs sore on most days. They did not respond to recovery days. Too late to change much. I reduced the volume and did the intervals and races that my legs would allow. The body continued to feel bad.

The Rhonde Van Mullica two weeks ago compounded the issue. It was the first race this year that my mind could not overcome my legs. "Shut up Legs!" was not good enough and I just rolled through that race. The next week didn't include many hard efforts. It was intended to top off my freshness. The flat legs, fatigue, and soreness continued.

I warmed up for Battenkill with a strange numbness. Too excited to feel what my legs were telling me. At the first big climb of the race...it became clear. This was not going to be a good day. It was arguably the first of four decisive points in the race. I made it through with the contenders but it was obvious to me that my time there would be limited.

I didn't back off and continued to race. At the next significant climb, I put myself in a good position at the front. Hoping that I would still be within the group at the top. That didn't happen. I finished the race playing leapfrog with a few people in my race. Even some from earlier races that were less fortunate than myself.

So I'll share my race data. Ignore the early spikes of heart rate. My Garmin sometimes does that in the early portions of workouts. I'm too lazy to edit the raw data this time. You can see the erratic power while I'm riding within the group. Alternating between pedaling and coasting. We hit that climb near the middle and all that changed. The rest was just me telling my legs to shut up.

I had the good fortune of being with friends and clients for the entire weekend. After racing, I was in the feed zones handing out bottles to others. Battenkill provides a very rare celebration of bike racing. I came home with souvenirs and good memories.

I have felt slightly better this week. I had a very good race out in Lancaster, PA today. Just short of a win. I'll have to settle for just a great day of racing instead. That's not bad. I'll share that experience and data in the next couple days.

As the days get longer and warmer, I'm out riding with all of you more often. I put my own race ambitions aside in order to provide a better coaching service to you. I'll continue to race as my schedule allows. I have a habit of pinning a number on while out there providing race support for all of you. (wink)

Thanks for reading.

Sharing my data - More race video

On March 31st, I made a return to the Salisbury Road Race. It was a race I did last year for the first time. I enjoyed the race last year, had a strong finish, and it is a good tune-up race leading up to Battenkill.

I hampered my chances slightly by dealing with a couple "distractions" and doing a hard workout just two days before. We always want to race well but we often have to sacrifice in order to remain focused on bigger goals. Nonetheless, I would line up hoping to do well.

Again, I was recording the race on video. You never know when you may capture something to share. I witnessed a couple incidents I'd like to share. Most road races in our area utilize what is called the "Yellow Line Rule".

Due to numerous factors in our geographic area, the roads need to remain open for travel while we race. The race only uses the right ride of the road. Allowing traffic to travel normally on the other side of the road in the other direction. Racers are not to cross the yellow line for any reason. Penalties for those that violate the rule can vary but may include disqualification.

There should not be any gray area here but there are many situations where riders cross the yellow line. Some get crowded and feel forced across the line. Maybe they are bumped or are forced to swerve around a hazard or crash. This can be extremely dangerous as there may be an oncoming vehicle.

These violations are often overlooked as they appear unavoidable. As long as the racer returns to his position within the group quickly, most will turn a blind eye. In some cases, racers will cross the line in order to pass riders that are obstructing them. That is when you will hear lots of grumbling from your competition and catch the attention of the officials.

During my race at Salisbury, this happened a couple times and the moto-ref was quick and assertive with his response. This race video shows a rider passing numerous other racers in order to launch an attack. The referee didn't hesitate to accelerate up next to that racer and tell him to sit up and return to the field. Big thanks to that ref for enforcing the rules.

The last segment of the video is the finish of the race. With about 1 mile to go, I was sitting in a good spot towards the front. As we approach the last turn, that changed quickly. In previous laps, I had set up a plan if I were involved in a field sprint.

We had a tailwind so there was less reason to hide in the draft of others. The entire width of the road could be used going up the hill towards the finish line. The referee pulled up along the racers in order to discourage them from crossing the yellow line too soon. Once he pulled back, we were free to use the entire road. I planned to set up along the yellow line and be prepared to finish the race on the left side of the road. Hoping to pass as many as possible before reaching the line.

There were two guys that had gotten away in a breakaway earlier in the race. Those of us in the field were racing for 3rd. In the last two minutes, I went from good, to bad, to good again. I finished 9th out of the 40 or so guys in the race. Not an awesome result but one I can be happy with.

Thanks for reading!

Sharing my data - Bad weather racing.

We invest a great deal of time in our training. We prepare ourselves for what we expect to encounter during our events. We will spend months focusing on endurance, climbing, sprinting, MTB skills, running, etc. We may research a course route and profile. We can go ride the course ahead of time. We may have done the event many times before.

When we wake up on race-day, Mother Nature can turn our world upside-down. When that occurs, there is nothing we can do. It is only a matter of time before this happens to each of us. It could be cold, dumping rain, gusty winds, or 110 degrees. Those factors can have a significant impact on our results. We need to prepare for them. We can't allow months of training be washed away by rain.

Rain is the most obvious obstacle. Summer events could be unbearably hot and humid. If you want to do well during that time of year, you should mix in some workouts during the hottest time of the day. If training for a 24-hour race, you had better be doing some workouts at night. If your road race is on long open roads, you better learn to deal with the wind. It is no different than training in the hills for a hilly race. You are preparing yourself for the event. Prepare for weather challenges too.

In order to overcome the weather, we have to acclimate to various weather conditions. That means training outdoors when some may not want to go outside at all. Consider expanding your limits in training. It takes time to accumulate clothing, knowledge, and experience to deal with adverse conditions. Be patient but take appropriate steps allowing you to train in more varied weather conditions.

We all love to brag about how we overcame a bad weather day. “The greatest motivation to train, is knowing that your competition is on the couch!” The intent is not to be the heartiest or bravest rider among your friends. The benefit is being able to show up for an event in miserable conditions and remain focused on what you came to achieve. Remaining focused on your goals.

Last weekend, I showed up for the Strasburg Road Race in Lancaster, PA. It was 36F with a wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow. These were the worst road racing conditions that I have ever raced in. Adding to it was the dirt/mud on the road from farms, slick tar pavement, and a few challenging portions of the course.

Instead of sharing data, I’ll provide video. I edited the video to include only a few segments. Segment one give you a good idea of the road conditions. Clumps of mud and manure are on portions of the course. At the end of the race, I looked more like a MTB racer than a roadie.

The next two segments show a corner where racers were having trouble. In the first instance, a rider takes a poor inside line and waits too long to brake. He had no chance. Traction was so bad he appeared to not even try to turn. Unfortunately, someone was on his outside and forced to go straight too. The next segment is a later lap. The lead rider isn’t able to slow down and ends up riding through a farmer’s field.

The last segment is the finish. One rider had gotten away much earlier and won. I finished among a pack of 6 racers just ahead of the remaining field. Interestingly, no one stood up to sprint for the line. I know my hands were too cold to feel my handlebars. I finished 6th.

There were some areas of the course that were dangerous in those conditions. I’m sure that many racers were just happy to finish and go home. Because I spend considerable time training in atrocious weather, I had chosen the correct equipment and clothing. That allowed me to focus on racing rather than just finishing.

Thanks for reading.

Sharing my data - Make training really hard.

"Make you training really hard and your race days will seem easy." Well, maybe not easy. If you go really hard on those training days that call for it, you will be better prepared for what may be required on race day.

As my goals approach, I'm cranking up the difficulty to prepare myself for battle. I have my sights set on Battenkill. I have raced it twice and know the demands. Each week, I include one ride that is equal to the demands of the race. I may hit the dirt roads around Hunterdon County, the hills of the Sourlands, or show up for a fast group ride and do battle with others.

Remember those FTP Builders and Microbursts that I shared earlier this week? Last Saturday, I combined them into one monster workout. These intervals are difficult to mange in mountainous or congested areas. For this ride, I did a straight line across the state. Flat or slightly rolling farmland, little traffic, and few interruptions.

The ride data provides a pretty good view of what I was doing. After warming up I did 4x10 at 100-105%. Each was slightly harder than the previous until the last one. I lost it in that interval as I encountered a couple stop signs and traffic.

I decided to stop at Allaire State Park where I knew there would be a bathroom. I answered a text or two then started the return leg. I rode at Tempo for 60 minutes. After FTP Builders, an extended time at Tempo feels much more like a Threshold effort.

I made a quick stop at a store for fluids and then began the last portion of the ride. Now, I mixed in the MicroBursts. 5 Minute blocks of 30sec On, 30sec Off. The On segment consisted of a Form Sprint for 10-15 seconds. Then I would sit and grind the rest out until the Off segment began.

I rode up my driveway and had trouble getting off my bike. Back and neck in pain. Just standing up straight took a moment. Legs tingled the rest of the day. I downloaded the data later and found that the demands of this ride were actually harder than each of my Battenkill races. The efforts may be different but the post-ride discomfort certain feels the same.

I often say, "Make the Hard Days Hard!!!". Every once in a while, throw in a monster workout. Overreach and bust through to the next level. This past week, my 90 minute workouts felt much easier.

Sharing my data - Microbursts

I often prescribe a workout to my criterium and cyclocross racers called Microburst Intervals. A Microburst interval consists of short repeated efforts with short recoveries. An example would be a 10 minute block made up of 15 second On and Off intervals. Basically, go as hard as you can for 15 seconds, pedal easy for 15 seconds, and repeat for 10 minutes. It starts off feeling moderate and manageable. By the time you are 8 and 9 minutes in, you are feeling the repeated efforts.

A typical prescribed intensity for the On interval is 150% FTP. When these are done while remaining in the saddle, 150% FTP is a max effort. Conversely, the Off period is 50% FTP or equal to Zone 1-Active recovery.

Obviously, the On interval is going to be the hard part. That is where you train the body to handle the exertion of repeated quick acceleration. The Off period is equally important as you are trying to teach the body to recovery quickly. These types of effort would be seen towards the end of a criterium as racers are jockeying for position and then getting in a good draft. Also the CX racers have to punch it out of corners but then settle down behind someone as the prepare for the next corner.

Here is an example of the 15 sec Microbursts. Short Microbursts In this workout, I did two blocks of 10 min Microbursts. Then I followed up with 10 minutes at 100% FTP. For such short microburst intervals, I create a Garmin Workout that beeps to indicated when to begin each interval. It is a very cool feature of the Garmin devices but a pain to create or program. I would find this workout of such short intervals to be difficult without an audible beep to tell me when to begin. When/If Microbursts appear on your calendar, let me know if you'd like some help using your Garmin.

I also prescribe a second Microburst workout. In this one, you do blocks of 30 seconds On and 30 seconds Off. For these, you get out of the saddle at the beginning of each On interval. Put in a 10-12 second Form Sprint. Then sit in the saddle and continue pushing as hard as you can. These are noticeably harder as the On interval consists of a sprint and is longer. A block of 30 sec Microburst is often just 5 minutes but could be longer for more advanced athletes.

Here is a workout I did with 30 second Microburst intervals. Long Microbursts Yeah, I'm on the towpath again. This was during a storm of mixed precip. The roads were not safe and the towpath was my only option to get this workout in. When doing these longer intervals I do not program the Garmin to beep. I just hit the Lap button and begin a new interval every 30 seconds. You can see the spike in power as I jump out of the saddle at the beginning of each On interval. Then I sit and push through the remaining time. Trying not to let my speed drop. Ouch!!! During the Off segment, I will coast for 5-10 seconds, allowing myself to return to a normal speed, then pedal easy to recover and keep the legs moving.

Microburst prepare you to respond to race situations quickly. Allowing you to react with instincts as the race unfolds. See that racer go by and want to jump on his wheel and follow? The guy you need to watch just launched an attack? Need to make a quick pass in the CX race as the next turn approaches? These little bursts are crucial. Because of the rapid nature of the intervals, people often mess these up the first couple times. They miss the start of an interval or lose track of how much time is left in the block. Be patient and keep at it. Reach out to me for help beforehand if you have questions.

Thanks for reading.

Sharing my data - FTP Builders

Why do we train? To improve weaknesses and become a better all-around cyclist/racer/athlete. An old quote explains a lot. "Train your weaknesses...Race your strengths!"

Train aspects of your fitness where you will see the biggest rate of return. On race day, look for opportunities to crush your competition by using your strengths. I don't expect big personal results in a flat criterium. I have a weak sprint even after years of training to improve it. With my body type, I will never be a great sprinter. I have improved this weakness significantly. It still won't get me across the line ahead of the big powerful guys.

I have always been strong at longer events. As others fade, I seem to be able to continue pushing myself. That brought me success on the MTB and ultra-endurance events. For road racing, I target longer events.

I am continuously looking to improve weaknesses. They are prioritized. I spend time on each. One area where I still see a huge rate of return is building my FTP. Make a bigger engine! I have spent months including Sweet Spot intervals. Creating a resistance to fatigue during long sustained efforts. 3x12min, 15min, 18min, 20min, etc.

I am ready to move on. What is the next step? We reset the repetitions and duration of the intervals but increase the intensity and repeat. While Sweet-Spot is below Threshold, these "FTP Builders" are just above. 100-105% FTP. These are the intervals that push you to the next level.

This time I will share my data when doing FTP Builders. This workout shows how quickly you can inflict some serious discomfort. I started this from home on limited time. This was my second ride of the day after riding with a client earlier. I could get away with a lesser warm-up, doing just a few short sprints to ensure the muscles could handle what I was about to throw at them.

One huge factor on this day was the wind. I wanted it to be tough. I wanted some resistance. I pointed myself into the wind as much as possible for each interval. I returned to the same spot to begin again. When looking at the data, you can click on the interval name and the segment will highlight in the map and graph. The stats will also update to display the data of that interval.

In an interval workout, I try to make each interval harder than the previous one. Push yourself through increasing discomfort. Did you ever do a race that got easier as it continued? Not likely. I mimic my race experience in my training workouts. My prescribed power range for the intervals was 280-296 Watts. My interval numbers were 289, 293, and 298 Watts. I buried myself in the last interval going above the target. Ouch!!!

This is the type of effort that breaks down barriers. This is the effort that most people are not willing to do. Too hard, too many excuses. I previously mentioned how important is is to go easy on those easy days. Conversely, we have to go really hard on the hard days. This is one of those workouts. This is what improves weaknesses!