This was a relatively easy week, topped off with my first real race of the season at Cherry Pie.
Monday 1/31
Prescribed: Rest day
Actual: Rest day
Tuesday 2/1
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Long Sprints (30 second)
Actual: WO1: Did "complex" lifting today - combination of power clean, hang squat cleans, and push jerks. WO2: Good sprints workout. Also 50min easy commute home.
Wednesday 2/2
Prescribed: WO1: 2 hour ride with 10min tempo efforts, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did 90min with several tempo efforts on way to work, then 50min easy home after work. WO2: Stretched
Thursday 2/3
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Active Recovery with HC progressions
Actual: WO1: Hard workout at Crossfit, did a whole bunch of different exercises (including pullups, pushups, squats, thrusters, box jumps, etc). WO2: 2x50min easy commute with some HC progressions.
Friday 2/4
Prescribed: WO1: Noon ride, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Worked through the Noon ride, didn't have time to ride later :-( WO2: Stretched
Saturday 2/5
Prescribed: WO1: 2 hour pre-race ride with various intervals, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Had a nice 2 hour ride with Andi, WO2: Stretched
Sunday 2/6
Prescribed: WO1: Race at Cherry Pie, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Had a great race at Cherry Pie - got 6th out of about 30 in the Women's 1/2/3. It was a good race! If you want to read my full race report, I'll be posting one soon. WO2: Stretched
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 13:20
Actual: 13:12
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Looking Forward and Back
It's been a while since I've written a proper post (not just a training log), so I thought I'd reflect a little about how my season went last year and what I'm looking forward to this season. When I started racing last year, I didn't really have any goals, since I knew next to nothing about bike racing. I think my first goal was to race at least 25 times in my first year. Well, I didn't count too closely, but I think I raced at least 40 times last year, a number of those being stage races or track omniums that I counted as one race. So I think that was a success. As my season progressed, I made more goals for myself. First, it was to upgrade to Cat 3 - that ended up happening fairly quickly. My next goal was to make Cat 2, which I achieved in time to race in the Elite/U23 road race and crit at Elite Road Nationals, as well at the time trial. Having done that, I wasn't really sure what to do next, but then I decided I needed a coach to help bring order to my training (which was haphazard and inadequate) and set realistic goals. Dan Smith of SportVelo became my coach, and once again I had some goals: I wanted to compete at Track Nationals in the Individual Pursuit. I don't really remember how I figured that out as a goal, since I'd never done a pursuit before, but I guess it just sounded really cool - a short time trial on a fixed gear bike on a velodrome. Well, it turns out that I really really like the pursuit, and I had great races at both the NCNCA District Track Championships and at Elite Track Nationals. Overall, I'm really happy with the way my first year of bike racing turned out. There were a number of races where I probably could have done better, but they just helped identify my weaknesses so that I could work on them for this year.
I am very excited for the 2011 racing season. I'm racing with the Webcor/Alto Velo Bridge Team, and I think that all of our riders and staff are absolutely amazing. We've also got some great sponsors, with Webcor, Kaenon sunglasses, Patagonia, SportVelo, and Voler.
My goals for this year are a little bit vague, but I've got better ones at the start of this season that I did last year. Strangely enough, my number one goal for the year is the furthest in the future - I want to podium in the Individual Pursuit at Track Nationals (since I got 6th last year). More specifically, I'd like to break 3:50, since I only managed a PR of 4:01.3 last year. But Track Nationals is at the end of September, so in the meantime I've got some other goals: I want to upgrade to Cat 1 on the road. Although it's an important goal to me, I'm also a bit flexible on it - my real goal is to become a really good bike racer. If that means that I'm not the one finishing top 5 because I just gave my teammate a leadout to win the race, then I'll settle for that too. I'm still a bit new to the whole racing as a team thing, but I'm also really excited to race with and for my team. I'd also like to race more on the track, though I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to devote to it. Lastly, I want to PR at the Sattley time trial (and hopefully win in the U23 category).
Part of the reason I'm so excited for this season is that I feel like I'm so much more prepared than I was last year. My fitness is significantly better, and my bike handling skills and tactics are much improved. I'm looking forward to further improving my skills and tactics, as well as pushing the boundaries of my fitness. There are a couple of races that I'd really like to do well at, but really I'm looking forward to all of the racing this season.
I am very excited for the 2011 racing season. I'm racing with the Webcor/Alto Velo Bridge Team, and I think that all of our riders and staff are absolutely amazing. We've also got some great sponsors, with Webcor, Kaenon sunglasses, Patagonia, SportVelo, and Voler.
My goals for this year are a little bit vague, but I've got better ones at the start of this season that I did last year. Strangely enough, my number one goal for the year is the furthest in the future - I want to podium in the Individual Pursuit at Track Nationals (since I got 6th last year). More specifically, I'd like to break 3:50, since I only managed a PR of 4:01.3 last year. But Track Nationals is at the end of September, so in the meantime I've got some other goals: I want to upgrade to Cat 1 on the road. Although it's an important goal to me, I'm also a bit flexible on it - my real goal is to become a really good bike racer. If that means that I'm not the one finishing top 5 because I just gave my teammate a leadout to win the race, then I'll settle for that too. I'm still a bit new to the whole racing as a team thing, but I'm also really excited to race with and for my team. I'd also like to race more on the track, though I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to devote to it. Lastly, I want to PR at the Sattley time trial (and hopefully win in the U23 category).
Part of the reason I'm so excited for this season is that I feel like I'm so much more prepared than I was last year. My fitness is significantly better, and my bike handling skills and tactics are much improved. I'm looking forward to further improving my skills and tactics, as well as pushing the boundaries of my fitness. There are a couple of races that I'd really like to do well at, but really I'm looking forward to all of the racing this season.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
JEP Coaching Scholarship Report: Week 10
This was a hard week with a lot of good training. Good weightlifting, sprints, and then some great riding with the Bridge Team for our team camp. I was pretty tired by the end of the week, but got some really good rides in.
Monday 1/24
Prescribed: Rest day
Actual: Rest day
Tuesday 1/25
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Power sprints
Actual: WO1: Another good day of lifting - new one rep max of 235lbs on deadlift, then a bunch of push press and box jumps. WO2: Did some good power sprints, though my legs were a bit tired after lifting. WO3: Easy commute home (50min)
Wednesday 1/26
Prescribed: WO1: Threshold in aerobars, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: I was extremely tired, probably from Crossfit and then not sleeping well, so I skipped the efforts and just rode in aerobars for 90min. WO2: Stretched
Thursday 1/27
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Pedal in Drops
Actual: WO1: Tired at Crossfit, no new max for front squat. Then a timed set involving way too many kb swings, lunges, and clapping pushups. WO2: Rode to work and back in the drops.
Friday 1/28
Prescribed: WO1: The Noon Ride, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Went on the Noon Ride for the first time, had a good ride. Managed to not get dropped despite somewhat tired legs. WO2: Stretched
Saturday 1/29
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride at Bridge Team Camp, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Great ride with the team, riders and staff. Ride was just over 2.5 hours because we rode so fast! WO2: Back on the bike for an hour for some skills practices. WO3: Stretched
Sunday 1/30
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride at Bridge Team Camp, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: It was raining, so we settled for 2:15, but we still had a good ride as a team. WO2: Stretched
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 15:30
Actual: 15:59
Thanks for reading!
Monday 1/24
Prescribed: Rest day
Actual: Rest day
Tuesday 1/25
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Power sprints
Actual: WO1: Another good day of lifting - new one rep max of 235lbs on deadlift, then a bunch of push press and box jumps. WO2: Did some good power sprints, though my legs were a bit tired after lifting. WO3: Easy commute home (50min)
Wednesday 1/26
Prescribed: WO1: Threshold in aerobars, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: I was extremely tired, probably from Crossfit and then not sleeping well, so I skipped the efforts and just rode in aerobars for 90min. WO2: Stretched
Thursday 1/27
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Pedal in Drops
Actual: WO1: Tired at Crossfit, no new max for front squat. Then a timed set involving way too many kb swings, lunges, and clapping pushups. WO2: Rode to work and back in the drops.
Friday 1/28
Prescribed: WO1: The Noon Ride, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Went on the Noon Ride for the first time, had a good ride. Managed to not get dropped despite somewhat tired legs. WO2: Stretched
Saturday 1/29
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride at Bridge Team Camp, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Great ride with the team, riders and staff. Ride was just over 2.5 hours because we rode so fast! WO2: Back on the bike for an hour for some skills practices. WO3: Stretched
Sunday 1/30
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride at Bridge Team Camp, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: It was raining, so we settled for 2:15, but we still had a good ride as a team. WO2: Stretched
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 15:30
Actual: 15:59
Thanks for reading!
JEP Coaching Scholarship Report: Week 9
Another good week on the bike. I got some good time in on my TT bike, some sprints, and another Early Bird Crit. It ended up being a long week, but I felt pretty good.
Monday 1/17
Prescribed: Rest Day
Actual: Rested
Tuesday 1/18
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 90min in aerobars
Actual: WO1: Slightly lighter lifting at Crossfit, but then did a timed set that involved a total of 36 deadlifts at bodyweight (which is 70% of my max weight for deadlifts), as well as some box jumps. WO2: Did a total of 95min on my TT bike riding to and from work.
Wednesday 1/19
Prescribed: WO1: 4x10 z4 in aerobars, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did four decent efforts, felt awful but pushed through it as much as I could. WO2: Stretched, WO3: 55min ride home from work, easy, some in aerobars
Thursday 1/20
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 60min active recovery
Actual: WO1: Started with front squats at Crossfit, followed by a crazy workout known as "Fight gone bad", involving five sets of one-minute rounds of wall balls, sumo deadlift highpulls, box jumps, push press, rowing, and rest. WO2: Nice easy commute to work, appreciated the recovery time after the crazy crossfit workout. Also rode home for an extra 50min.
Friday 1/21
Prescribed: WO1: Sprints, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did 9 high-speed sprints. I practiced my form sprinting standing up, which is getting better (something about my body shape and geometry on the bike makes it feel a bit odd for me to stand on the bike, so I didn't use to do it much). WO2: Rode home easy, 50min. WO3: Stretched
Saturday 1/22
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride with as much tempo as possible, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Rode 3 hours with Andi, Haley, and Ethan. Climbed OLH, then looped around and climbed West OLH, for some good climbing efforts. WO2: Stretched
Sunday 1/23
Prescribed: WO1: Early Bird Training Crit (ride there, race, ride back), WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Rode to the Early Bird crit, then raced, then rode back. I felt even better and more comfortable this week than the past two at the Early Birds, but unfortunately there was a crash in the 1/2/3 field leading to the pack being neutralized for half the race. Still, it was good practice for me, and I think I'll be ready for the Cherry Pie crit coming up soon.
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 15:00
Actual: 17:01
Thanks for reading!
Monday 1/17
Prescribed: Rest Day
Actual: Rested
Tuesday 1/18
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 90min in aerobars
Actual: WO1: Slightly lighter lifting at Crossfit, but then did a timed set that involved a total of 36 deadlifts at bodyweight (which is 70% of my max weight for deadlifts), as well as some box jumps. WO2: Did a total of 95min on my TT bike riding to and from work.
Wednesday 1/19
Prescribed: WO1: 4x10 z4 in aerobars, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did four decent efforts, felt awful but pushed through it as much as I could. WO2: Stretched, WO3: 55min ride home from work, easy, some in aerobars
Thursday 1/20
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 60min active recovery
Actual: WO1: Started with front squats at Crossfit, followed by a crazy workout known as "Fight gone bad", involving five sets of one-minute rounds of wall balls, sumo deadlift highpulls, box jumps, push press, rowing, and rest. WO2: Nice easy commute to work, appreciated the recovery time after the crazy crossfit workout. Also rode home for an extra 50min.
Friday 1/21
Prescribed: WO1: Sprints, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did 9 high-speed sprints. I practiced my form sprinting standing up, which is getting better (something about my body shape and geometry on the bike makes it feel a bit odd for me to stand on the bike, so I didn't use to do it much). WO2: Rode home easy, 50min. WO3: Stretched
Saturday 1/22
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride with as much tempo as possible, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Rode 3 hours with Andi, Haley, and Ethan. Climbed OLH, then looped around and climbed West OLH, for some good climbing efforts. WO2: Stretched
Sunday 1/23
Prescribed: WO1: Early Bird Training Crit (ride there, race, ride back), WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Rode to the Early Bird crit, then raced, then rode back. I felt even better and more comfortable this week than the past two at the Early Birds, but unfortunately there was a crash in the 1/2/3 field leading to the pack being neutralized for half the race. Still, it was good practice for me, and I think I'll be ready for the Cherry Pie crit coming up soon.
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 15:00
Actual: 17:01
Thanks for reading!
JEP Coaching Scholarship Report: Week 8
This week was a little light for me because I was sick for most of it. It was really just a cold, but it made me pretty miserable, so I skipped a couple of rides - riding outside in the cold and fog is really not pleasant when you also have a cold. I felt better by the weekend though, and did a nice long ride on Saturday, then rode over to the Early Bird crit on Sunday.
Monday 1/10
Prescribed: WO1: Rest day or optional 30-60min on rollers
Actual: WO1: Took the day off, starting to feel sick
Tuesday 1/11
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit WO2: Seated Sprints
Actual: WO1: Went to Crossfit, did lifting, then a lot of situps, kettlebell swings, and wall balls. WO2: Felt tired and sick after crossfit, didn't bike.
Wednesday 1/12
Prescribed: WO1: VO2 Max in Aerbobars WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Still feeling sick, didn't ride :-( WO2: Did stretch.
Thursday 1/13
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 90min in aerobars
Actual: WO1: No main lifting set, just a hard timed set involving hang squat cleans, kb swings, and running. WO2: Still sick :-(
Friday 1/14
Prescribed: WO1: Active recovery WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Felt somewhat better today, rode for an hour. WO2: Stretched.
Saturday 1/15
Prescribed: WO1: Spectrum Ride then climb Kings. WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Slept in a bit, so skipped Spectrum ride. Climbed Kings hard, then finished out 3 hours. WO2: Stretched.
Sunday 1/16
Prescribed: WO1: Ride to Early Bird, race, ride back.
Actual: WO1: Rode to Early Bird (10 miles), then had a good training race. I was much more comfortable in the pack this week than I was last week. Felt pretty good in the race, then rode home.
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 14:50
Actual: 8:52
Thanks for reading!
Monday 1/10
Prescribed: WO1: Rest day or optional 30-60min on rollers
Actual: WO1: Took the day off, starting to feel sick
Tuesday 1/11
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit WO2: Seated Sprints
Actual: WO1: Went to Crossfit, did lifting, then a lot of situps, kettlebell swings, and wall balls. WO2: Felt tired and sick after crossfit, didn't bike.
Wednesday 1/12
Prescribed: WO1: VO2 Max in Aerbobars WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Still feeling sick, didn't ride :-( WO2: Did stretch.
Thursday 1/13
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 90min in aerobars
Actual: WO1: No main lifting set, just a hard timed set involving hang squat cleans, kb swings, and running. WO2: Still sick :-(
Friday 1/14
Prescribed: WO1: Active recovery WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Felt somewhat better today, rode for an hour. WO2: Stretched.
Saturday 1/15
Prescribed: WO1: Spectrum Ride then climb Kings. WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Slept in a bit, so skipped Spectrum ride. Climbed Kings hard, then finished out 3 hours. WO2: Stretched.
Sunday 1/16
Prescribed: WO1: Ride to Early Bird, race, ride back.
Actual: WO1: Rode to Early Bird (10 miles), then had a good training race. I was much more comfortable in the pack this week than I was last week. Felt pretty good in the race, then rode home.
Weekly Totals:
Prescribed: 14:50
Actual: 8:52
Thanks for reading!
JEP Coaching Scholarship Report: Week 7
This week was a bit of a rest week, after all the riding I did over the holidays. Spent a fair amount of time in the aerobars, did some sprints, a long ride, and an Early Bird crit. Unfortunately did a lot of riding in really cold weather, which I'm not sure is any better than the rain we had before.
Monday 1/3
Prescribed: Rest day
Actual: Rest day - enjoyed a quiet day, even had the day off work.
Tuesday 1/4
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 60min active recovery with high cadence progressions
Actual: WO1: Good lifting at crossfit. Hang power cleans felt heavy because my one rep max increased. WO2: 51min easy (but cold) ride to work, then 51min easy ride home, with some high cadence
Wednesday 1/5
Prescribed: WO1: 90min with 3-4x10min z4 in aerobars, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Well, I was on my bike for about 90min, and I did try to go hard for three 10min intervals, but my legs felt awful. When I started it was barely above freezing outside, and Canada was so foggy I could barely see anything, so I'm sure that didn't help. WO2: Stretched. WO3: Rode home from work, 50min easy
Thursday 1/6
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Endurance in aerobars for 90min
Actual: WO1: Good lifting, push press and front squat. Also did a total of 100 lunges holding 30lbs and 50 box jump burpees. WO2: Split time in aerobars into my commute for 2 50min chunks.
Friday 1/7
Prescribed: WO1: Seated Sprints 2x4-5 of 10sec z7 WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Misread workout, did 2x5 of 20sec z7 sprints. WO2: Stretched
Saturday 1/8
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride with tempo, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did just under 3 hours with Dan, MaryAnn, and Haley. WO2: Stretched
Sunday 1/9
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride with tempo OR Early Bird Training Crit, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Rode across the bridge to the Early Bird training crit. I did the P1/2/3 race in the afternoon (no clinic), which was good practice for me for riding in a pack. Pack skills are one of my biggest weaknesses, so I'll probably be back for most of the Early Birds to get a feel for it, even if I do have to ride with the fast men to practice. I haven't done a crit since last August, and I'm still feeling a bit uncomfortable following wheels closely after my crash on the track in August. WO2: Stretched.
Weekly Totals
Prescribed: 15:20
Actual: 15:28
Thanks for reading!
Monday 1/3
Prescribed: Rest day
Actual: Rest day - enjoyed a quiet day, even had the day off work.
Tuesday 1/4
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: 60min active recovery with high cadence progressions
Actual: WO1: Good lifting at crossfit. Hang power cleans felt heavy because my one rep max increased. WO2: 51min easy (but cold) ride to work, then 51min easy ride home, with some high cadence
Wednesday 1/5
Prescribed: WO1: 90min with 3-4x10min z4 in aerobars, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Well, I was on my bike for about 90min, and I did try to go hard for three 10min intervals, but my legs felt awful. When I started it was barely above freezing outside, and Canada was so foggy I could barely see anything, so I'm sure that didn't help. WO2: Stretched. WO3: Rode home from work, 50min easy
Thursday 1/6
Prescribed: WO1: Defiance Crossfit, WO2: Endurance in aerobars for 90min
Actual: WO1: Good lifting, push press and front squat. Also did a total of 100 lunges holding 30lbs and 50 box jump burpees. WO2: Split time in aerobars into my commute for 2 50min chunks.
Friday 1/7
Prescribed: WO1: Seated Sprints 2x4-5 of 10sec z7 WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Misread workout, did 2x5 of 20sec z7 sprints. WO2: Stretched
Saturday 1/8
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride with tempo, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Did just under 3 hours with Dan, MaryAnn, and Haley. WO2: Stretched
Sunday 1/9
Prescribed: WO1: 3 hour ride with tempo OR Early Bird Training Crit, WO2: Stretching
Actual: WO1: Rode across the bridge to the Early Bird training crit. I did the P1/2/3 race in the afternoon (no clinic), which was good practice for me for riding in a pack. Pack skills are one of my biggest weaknesses, so I'll probably be back for most of the Early Birds to get a feel for it, even if I do have to ride with the fast men to practice. I haven't done a crit since last August, and I'm still feeling a bit uncomfortable following wheels closely after my crash on the track in August. WO2: Stretched.
Weekly Totals
Prescribed: 15:20
Actual: 15:28
Thanks for reading!
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