So here we are, August.  It’s hot.  Super hot.  Record hot.  My race schedule in July was almost exclusively criteriums – and I raced a bunch of them including an awesomely awesome bunch of fun in Chicago for Superweek and had a total blast with a really great bunch of people and made loads of new friends.  Bike racing is great for that.  Total strangers offering you a place to sleep. So fun.  But, as I mentioned in a previous post, my last remaining goal of the season is Masters Road Nations.   Time to adjust.

With that last, end of season road race looming large and my entry fee paid I’ve got to switch gears and after a month of short, fast and flat, I suddenly find myself faced with the need to be able to race longer distances and uphill.

Up to now, I’ve been working on accelerations, sprints, ability to go hard and fast quickly.  Lots of sprint workouts.  Now it’s all hills, all the time. Eeek!  The course in Bend is not super steep but it’s a course that is going to require power to the pedals the whole time while going uphill and downhill.  This is a wholly different skill set from crit racing. My short two hour weekend rides on non-racing days have crept back up to 3 and 4 hours.  My weekday workouts have changed too.  This week:  one day of repeated long climbs in the saddle at a low cadence to build up climbing leg strength; the next day – short hard efforts 60 seconds seated, 30 seconds standing and accelerating to build some explosiveness on the hills (or in my case, hopefully improve my ability to to go with attacks when they come); then another day of long climbs above threshold with a higher cadence just to improve my overall climbing.    Did I mention lots of climbing?

A funny aside:  I’ve been riding with my friend Tracy Tolson (she of multiple national championship titles) we cheer ourselves up the hills on those bazillion degree, low cadence, leg strengthening days by telling ourselves that it’s making us stronger as we’ve sweltered uphill.  Tracy said, “it’s so you can drop the hammer when you need to…”  I said, “I don’t think I have a hammer, it’s more like a carpet mallet…”  So watch out, I’m gonna drop the mallet on you one of these days….

My eating has changed too.  All summer long I’ve been content to roll with 2-3 extra pounds because, in all honestly, at my ability level it’s not going to make as much as a difference to my racing as smart training. And a cold beer on a hot day is awesome!  But now I want to tighten things up just a little – if for no other reason than in my head I will climb better!  I’ve added more protein to my diet – those longer, strengthening days tear down the muscles more and I need to rebuild.  TVP is great source of non-meaty goodness for that and Bob’s Red Mill TVP burgers are great and tasty especially in the heat when heavy foods really are not so fun.  I’ve upped the fresh fruit and vegetable content even more and well, those delicious oatmeal cookies I love so much will have to wait until September.  With the longer rides back on the schedule I am eating more but I want to make sure it’s all quality, nutrient rich calories that make me feel fit and speedy not heavy and needing a nap. My friends gardens are bursting and I am the lucky beneficiary – fresh squashes, tomatoes, peppers especially – and I’ve been making some awesome whole wheat pastas with sauteed fresh vegetables too.  I love this time of year!

Onward and upward (and upward and downward and upward…..)

Mark provides a guide for best practices when shaving your legs and explains why that is desirable for male racers.

Meredith gives us a short recap of her busy July and some good insight into what the life of a pro-racer is like.

Interesting topic this one as there are as many ways to be a good partner while training as there are relationships I suppose.  Some people were athletes in training when they met their significant other and the workouts and races and training regimen were a known quantity when the relationship began.  Some relationships are formed by two athletes each with their own schedule and challenges.  Other relationships have had training and racing brought into the equation long after the relationship was formed and the non-athlete partner may look upon the new schedule and lifestyle as a threat to the relationship equal to an affair.

I guess in the end, every relationship works for different reasons.  My wife and I often tell others that our relationship wouldn’t work for any people we know, but it works wonderfully for us.  We are both very committed to our careers and to our passions.  With her, it’s a career that requires travel, her music; she skates and is now taking up hockey.  She’s taken private pilot lessons, gone to nursing school and throws some mean pottery.  Me, I have a less demanding career that I’ve designed to allow me to live the lifestyle I want, I ride my bike – never really considered it “training” – and that takes time away on the weekends for races.  We get each other and we have figured out how we can be “us” without either of us feeling resentful or threatened by the other’s “me”.

When my wife and I met, I was already an athlete in training.  I was traveling on the national racing circuit and riding 15-20 hours a week in addition to building my financial services practice.  We lived in different cities about 2.5 hours apart but somehow we were able to begin and grow a relationship that would take us from there to here.  Kathy knew what to expect I guess.  She knew she loved me and that cycling was a very large part of my life.  How can a person fall in love with another person then ask the object of affection to stop being the person that was fallen in love with?  Make sense?  She felt that asking me to stop or slow down or change would be the equal of me asking her to quit her job, stop playing music, stop making pottery, or stop reading books because “it takes too much time away from ‘us’.” I guess the first key to success in relationships is to realize that a healthy “us” takes two healthy individuals who choose to be together without asking the other to sacrifice who they are.  Isn’t that true of all healthy relationships?  This stuff isn’t just for athletes in training.

On the flip side, I know that it is very, very easy for athletes to become myopic about their training, their racing and to assume everyone around you is as consumed as you are.  Get over yourself J.  The athlete needs to be a well rounded person.  You can only re-tell a story about getting third in the field sprint at your race last weekend so many times before even the people who love you the most will stop caring.  Ask your partner, your friends and your family about their lives and well being once in a while.  How’s work?  How’s your sister?  How’s school?  What did you do today?  Some times the best answer you can give to the question “How was your ride?” is “Great, how was your day, want to go to a movie later?”  Remember, most adults look at riding a bike as something they had to do to deliver newspapers or as last resort transportation prior to obtaining a license to drive an automobile.  Knowing this will come in handy next time you’re invited to your partner’s company Holiday party.  Don’t enter into a conversation with your partner’s boss by opening with “I’m a bike racer.”

If you’ve taken up bike racing the way some guys go into midlife crisis and buy a Corvette behind which to hide the tattered libido, realize you’re introducing a new dynamic into what may be a long established and “settled into” relationship.  There are routines that are being disrupted.  Suddenly, you’re coming home from work and rather than sitting on the back deck talking with your partner over a glass of wine about the events of the day, you’re rushing to change into your lycra twit kit and barging out the door with your expensive new carbon fiber girlfriend – who is very high maintenance by the way – to meet your new friends (whom your partner has never met) for the bike shop ride.  You get home just before dark, your partner has already eaten – alone – and all you can do is talk about how fast the pace line was going (a term that means nothing to your partner) just before the town line sprint (another term that means nothing).  Then after you shower, you’re so tapped out from the ride you can’t make decent conversation and you fall asleep on the sofa while your partner is craving some interaction other than what flavor of Muscle Milk you prefer. Your partner needs more from their relationship with an athlete than single digit body fat and well toned legs.  Work at being interesting as hard as you do at being fit.

Some times it’s okay to break your routine.  God knows we ask our partners to put up with a lot of disruptions to their routine.  Several years ago, I had been racing a lot – stage races, single day races you name it from late February through July, nearly non stop.  Kathy was missing me.  She wasn’t complaining, but I tuned in enough to know.  I called my team manager and told him I was out for the next weekend; scratch me from the Super Week schedule.  Kathy and I went to the beach.  She even said I could bring my bike if I wanted to ride (that’s the way she is) but I declined.  Hey, 4 days off the bike watching the love of my life sleep happily on the beach with her feet dug into the sand, watching the sunsets over the water together and doing wine tastings at the local vineyards was pure magic and much needed.  The break gave me some much needed rest and I raced better after I returned.  More importantly though it reaffirmed to me that there are plenty of things more important than racing a bike.

When I speak with someone who’s interested in getting faster, I always ask them if their workouts include Heart Rate Training (HRT). The answer is typically “No”, “A little…” or “Well, I have a heart rate monitor…but I’m not really sure how to use it properly.” All too often, a training buddy might have suggested they need a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) or they see someone else wearing one, and they go about trying to figure out how to use it and see if they can improve. Other reasons include having GPS functions so they can see their distance and pacing more accurately. But if you’re not using it to train specific to the cardiovascular system, it’s kind of like installing a GPS system in your vehicle, not turning it on, then wondering why you can’t get to those unknown destinations faster.

Training with a HRM is specific to the cardiovascular system (your engine), while actually using a HRM can provide feedback of your performance in all areas of physical activity. So just what does that mean? It means that if you train correctly with a HRM, you can actually see performance gains in the muscular system as well as the Rate of Perceived Exertion or RPE in different tasks such as swimming, cycling or running. What you’re achieving is a strengthening of the your engine through adaptation, and by doing so you can perform at a higher level with less effort, both physical and perceived. As a result, your efforts get easier, while pace and endurance improves. And really, that’s the basis of getting faster. Think of it as your engine becoming more fuel efficient, and being able to work at a higher speed at less of a fuel cost. That’s a goal we should all strive to hit.

All HRT is accomplished based on specific zones, established through an Anaerobic Threshold (AT) test, also known as a VO2 Max test. This test might also be called Aerobic Threshold (AeT)  or Lactate Threshold (LT) testing. Your body will burn glucose as fuel, two ways, aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobically (without oxygen). In the case of an all out effort, requiring high power output, the body uses the anaerobic system. Energy is rapidly available, but the anaerobic pathways are not very efficient for producing long-term energy. In turn, the energy stores deplete, lactic acid builds up in the muscles, and the effort must cease. In contrast, distance events requiring steady output and pacing over extended periods, use the aerobic system. The aerobic pathways can’t generate near the power of the anaerobic system, but they are more efficient and will sustain higher endurance type efforts. Distance and effort will actually see both of these systems contributing in different proportions. So by definition, your AT, which you test for, is the point where lactate (lactic acid) begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. Higher levels of effort mean higher accumulations of lactate, to a point where the body cannot keep it within a range that allows it to be easily cleared from the bloodstream. When this occurs, effort will drop, as will performance. Your threshold is an important point or value to know, as all training will be based on the value found through testing. Working below your threshold point works your anaerobic system, while working above it works the anaerobic system. When you work at or around your threshold point, you are working at an intensity that can teach your body how to handle the accumulation of lactate, and learn how to flush it more efficiently. By doing this, you can actually raise your AT. This won’t necessarily raise your maximum heart rate, but there’s little can be done to raise this genetically determined marker.

Typically, anywhere from five to six zones are used in establishing your aerobic and anaerobic intensity levels, with Zone 1 or Z1 being the lowest intensity. The number of zones is usually based on the method you choose to test with. For illustration purposes, Z1 would be a slow jog or maybe a moderately brisk walk. Effort is low and most of the fuel energy is derived from stored fats. The highest zones are at intensities high enough that you’d only be able to maintain them for several seconds at most. At this level you are consuming pure glycogen (sugars) energy without the benefit of oxygen. Most folks would assume that the faster (harder) they train, the faster they will become. This thinking is flawed, in that efforts at high intensity do little to build the aerobic engine. The heart is a muscle that, like other muscles, responds to training adaptations through stressing and recovery. The strong foundation needs to be in place to support those efforts, before one can build on them.

Let’s touch on equipment for a moment. There are tons of options for HRMs out there. I have owned several in my time, and I now believe the product I currently own is the perfect all-round HRM for the multisport athlete. The following features are what I consider to be basic necessity, and you should not settle for a model with less than these features.

Chest Strap with Removable Transmitter. Why a removable transmitter? They are easier to clean, you can change the battery yourself, and because it’s detachable, females have the option of using them in sports bras that feature a built in sensor material. Snaps are built in to the lower front of the sports bra, which allows the transmitter to attach sans strap. One less item to worry about, and most women report less chaffing as a result.

Programmable Workouts. This feature allows your to input workout profiles for such things as intervals, tempo runs and speed workouts. Be cautioned though, as there are Pros and Cons between the two leaders in HRMs. Polar requires the workout to be developed on a computer (PC) and transferred to the wristwatch as an exercise file, whereas Garmin allows you to build the workout on the watch just before starting the actual workout. This comes in very handy when you’ve forgotten to download the workout of the day.

Downloadable Capability. This function allows for downloading and analyzing your data on a PC, Mac or any of the online services such as Garmin Connect or Training Peaks. Graphical analysis and storage of your data is invaluable for comparison purposes. Also, if you’re working with a coach, most will require your data in the form of a file, or file upload to a designated site for analyzing. Handwritten data that’s been plucked off the watch each time you use it is near worthless.

Distance Foot Pod or GPS Tracking. This may seem like a luxury, be really, how many times will you want to plan your route to the extent that you have to know every single mileage marker along the way, so you can hit the lap button and figure out your pace? The value of being able to head out on a run or ride, without having to worry about remembering every mileage mark, becomes priceless. If you want to get 8 miles in, run out 4 miles and run back 4 miles, no matter what direction or route you choose to go.

Long Battery Life. Polar has an advantage here, in that it has a replaceable battery and can run for hours, days or weeks. Battery life with regular use has lasted me for a good two years. Garmin requires disciplined recharging. The latest Garmin multisport model touts battery life up to 20 hours on a recharge. Although I’ve never pushed mine that far, I have used it for 14+ hours without it showing signs of an impending DNF. Shop around and shop wisely.

For lack of space, I will say that there are many publications and training plans for using HRT. Certified coaches are a good source for developing training plans to target your heart rate improvements. The plans I design for HRT will vary throughout the month and weeks of a training cycle phase, thereby targeting specific zones to challenge, adapt and improve. You can usually find AT testing in your area through local health clubs, triathlon clubs, cycling clubs or through your doctor’s office. Just remember, if you want to get faster, sometimes you just have to slow down a bit. You heart will respond favorably.

FYI: I use the Garmin 310XT. It has a lot of features, most of which I actually use, and it’s rated Swim Capable which bodes well for triathletes. I was very pleased to see a lot of the pro field at Rev3 using this model too. With its ANT+ capability, it pairs nicely with the Power Tap hub system.

Mark shares one of his favorite recipes- Chana Dal Hummus- with you.

Mark gives us a rundown of his team sponsors and shows us what it looks like to be on a pro team. A little “getting to know you” if you will.

Joan shows us how to make Quinoa Blueberry Pancakes- her preferred race day breakfast.

Racing for 13 years means one thing—I have logged countless training hours on my bike. Racing as a professional for the last 9 years means that many of those hours have been structured and demanding as I have very specific goals that are important to my own performance and to the success of my team. If you are like me, I train to race. I don’t race to train. Don’t get me wrong—I love to ride my bike, but sometimes training can become mundane. Over the years I have learned to incorporate key elements in my training to keep it fresh and exciting and to help me continually improve even when I think I might have hit my peak.

KEEP IT FUN

Always keep it fun. Sure, there are days when it feels like a chore to ride my bike, especially on days when I’m alone pushing through intervals in the freezing cold, feeling like a slave to my power meter, but then there are days when I would not want to do anything else but ride my bike. Those are the days when I leave my power meter and heart rate monitor at home, meet friends for a casual coffee shop ride, and breathe in the fresh air while my legs feel like they could pedal forever.

Social group rides are naturally fun, but hard group rides can also be fun in a painful sort of way. Instead of staring at a power meter during a hard interval session, you can use a group ride to raise the bar. They’re an opportunity for you to forget the numbers and let the excitement of the group motivate and push you harder and longer than you can go on your own.

QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY

My philosophy for my own training and for those that I coach is quality versus quantity. I am lucky because I have all day to ride my bike, but I don’t spend unnecessary hours training just because I can. Years ago I had to spend six monotonous, frustrating weeks on a trainer due to an injury. It was mentally challenging to say the least, but because my training was totally dialed for 60-90 minutes each day I was relatively prepared for my first race back—a World Cup nonetheless—immediately after getting off the trainer. This same sort of structure can be taken to the road—make every minute and hour count for something. I’m not saying to never give yourself the freedom to ride as long as you want and enjoy the scenery now and then, but don’t feel as if limited training time means success is out of reach.

REST IS TRAINING

Equally important, if not even more important than quality versus quantity, is getting enough rest. Many people feel that if they take a rest day they are going to lose fitness or they’ve missed an opportunity to train, when in fact it’s quite the opposite. Rest IS training. Not getting enough rest can be detrimental to performance. During a hard workout, we impose a lot of stress on our bodies. In order for our bodies to adapt to that stress, rest is essential. Without the proper rest not only will our bodies not adapt to the stress imposed on them but we won’t be able to continually push our bodies to the same extent time and time again. If training intensity can’t be increased, performance gains will hit a plateau if not even take a step back. Rest doesn’t only mean riding super duper easy (I am talking about 100W and barely above resting heart rate), but taking naps if possible, eating well, staying hydrated, doing yoga, stretching, getting a massage … doing all the things you wouldn’t normally have time to do on a big training day.

TRAINING CYCLES

There are many different ways to prioritize a training program, but the most basic is usually based around several “build” weeks followed by a rest week. Build weeks can be organized to focus on endurance, speed, power, etc., but typically there should be one major focus for that training block. As mentioned before, finishing the block with a rest week is important for the body to adapt to the stress of the previous strenuous weeks of training before moving on to the next block. With a well-rounded and thought out training program, your body should be ready for whatever is thrown its way and performance will continue to improve.

KEEP IT REAL

Cycling is hard—but don’t let it become a chore. Get the most out of your training. It’s not always how much you do but WHAT you do that counts the most. Give your body the rest it needs when it needs it. Listen to your body, not always your head. Train your weaknesses, build your strengths with a plan that focuses on all the different physiological systems. And above all always remember to keep it real—cycling is supposed to be fun, right?

Any one who is or has been a cyclist for any appreciable amount of time has run into “THAT guy”, or “that F—-IN’ guy” once or twice.  He shows up on group rides, races and sometimes he’s spotted riding solo.  I’ve run into him at bars before and after races and I’ve also spotted him in bike shops.  You know the guy…

I was on a group ride that was supposed to be a “no drop” friendly ride to acclimate beginning riders to pack riding.  Shortly after we left the parking lot of the coffee shop THAT guy went to the front of the ride and began to treat it like a race, proving to the world despite his lack of results in years of Cat 3 races that he really was one of the strongest riders in the state.  As the pace got faster and faster, the beginner riders for whom the ride was formed were being shelled off the back while THAT guy was attacking the “no drop” ride through a stop sign!

I saw THAT guy in the bike shop a couple of days later and he was badgering the mechanic about getting a wheel trued like “RIGHT NOW” despite the line up of work the mechanic had been working through.  THAT guy needed the wheel worked on immediately because he had to have it ready for the epic Thursday night “world championships” group ride.  When he saw me; he left the mechanic alone long enough to recount for me how he had “destroyed” the no drop ride on Tuesday.  He was quite impressed with himself that he was able to ride away from a bunch of new bike club members, some of whom were 40 something ladies on hybrids and gentlemen on their first group ride ever.  So full of himself he was that he didn’t realize I was on the ride as well and didn’t need the pedal stroke by pedal stroke replay as I saw him up the road blasting around cars and through stop signs in order to “drop” any riders foolish enough to follow him.

Last year my team mates and I were eating out before a race.  We were waiting for a team mate to show up and I was talking with his girlfriend at the restaurant bar.  THAT guy walked up and said “Hi” to me then turned his back and started trying to mack on my team mate’s girlfriend.  She’s a pretty sharp lady, so she gave THAT guy a bit of rope with which he would eventually hang himself.  Conversation was something like this:

THAT guy:  “Hi, my name is THAT guy.  I’m a bike racer” (THAT guy’s standard salutation in social settings)

Girl friend:  “Hi, I’m Steph”

TG:  “You a bike racer too?”

GF:  “No, I’m just here to watch”

TG:  “Cool, you know much about bike racing?” 

GF:  A little.  You know- Tour de France and stuff like that…

TG: (interrupting) I hope some day to compete in the Tour de France.  Like I said I’m pretty good.  Since you don’t know that much about bike racing it may not mean much to you but I’m a CAT 3” He said it quite loftily.

GF:  “Yeah?  My boyfriend is a pro. You may recognize him, he won the NRC race last weekend and used to race in Europe.  Ever heard of him?” 

THAT guy realizing he’d just been hung grabbed his beer and slunk away. It was classic stuff.

I saw THAT guy last summer riding alone wearing a pro team kit he bought off the internet.  He wasn’t wearing a helmet.  I saw him stop at a stop light (a rare thing for him) and rather than unclipping and putting a foot down to wait for the light he was doing a track stand.  As he struggled to maintain balance he was inching into the intersection.  The driver of a car that had the right of way came to a stop because she didn’t know if THAT guy was actually stopped or was preparing to run through the light.  She honked her horn at him and he went off on the poor lady, screaming at her that she shouldn’t be driving if she couldn’t drive with bikes on the roads and that he was a “pro” bike racer and he knew what he was doing.

Geez…THAT guy…

Once on a group ride – again with newer riders – THAT guy and I were riding at the back of the pack.  I to make sure no one was dropped off the back and he to fill my ears with a stroke by stroke recounting of why he didn’t win the race last weekend even though he could have if he wanted.  No one would work with him in the break and the other racers and especially the guy that won were just lucky that his coach told him not to make the race an “A Priority” race; otherwise he would have crushed them all.

Anyway, he got done with his story and decided that it was time to move forward.  So, he went around the group on the left, crossed the yellow line into on coming traffic.  When a car in the on coming lane had to slam on the brakes, THAT guy swerved back into the group ride and cause about 10 riders to crash.  Instead of stopping to help the downed riders and see if everyone was okay, THAT guy started yelling at the riders he’d just knocked down about “not knowing how to handle their bikes and they should go back to riding tricycles and stay away from group rides until they’re not a risk to others.”  Then, he rode off and never looked back.

Don’t be THAT guy…