Airplane Legs

It's been a while since I've posted anything new.  Oh yeah, since I've ridden by damn bike also.  I was a city boy for the last 8 days.  I spent all of last week in Philly and then spent some time off with the fam in NYC.  Had some great times with the fam. 

I got home early enough to slip in a ride.  I was anxious to get out on the bike having not ridden one for a bit.  I headed up to a local ride named Betasso.  I knew, deep down, it was going to be a bit muddy with the warmer temps and the subsequent snow melt but I had high hopes nonetheless.  I threw logic out the door and jumped on the bike. 

Airplane legs were apparent about 10 minutes into the ride.  Mentally, I was all there - ready for some Betasso hot laps.  Physically - not even close.  Funny how that works some times. 

I was right: .  I spent two minutes going counter clockwise on the Betasso trail and decided to turn around due to mud and snow much too often.  The Link Trial was dry as a bone (and super tough I should add)Oh well!  Still managed 2 hours of riding with 3k of climbing - it was great!

Front Range Mountain Bike Series

I just saw this on the the ACA website.  It looks like Race Pace Promotions will be hosting 6 mountain bike events at a few locations around the front range.  They say the races will be short track and circuit length.  The first kicks off in Lakewood with a 3-mile circuit and, depending on your category, will run for 40-60 minutes.

There are five other races: 2 in Golden and 3 in Louisville (see schedule below). This is fantastic IMO. I look forward to getting a few extra races in and not having to travel 2 hours to and from.  Plus, they will be more spectator friendly, similar to CX races. 

I would like to see them expand to more than CX or Short Track lengths but, hey, this is a great start and I plan to participate as best as I can.

There should be more, in-town, MTB races.   Have you ever watched the world cup events in Houffalize, Belgium?  - In town, massive crowds, a cool mix of streets and trails.   I would love to see one in Boulder.

How Many Calories Do You Burn During a Day?

Check out the Calculator.  I built it on Google Docs for anyone to access.  Simply update the shaded boxes and find out many calories you burn during a normal day.  This formula factors your resting metabolic rate and your work lifestyle:  Are you a desk jockey or the star of The Deadliest Catch?

RMR Calculator

Friends Don't Let Friends Do Crits

I'll stick with the dirt!

More Power = Less Time: How much less?

Disclaimer: This is completely unscientific. The results compare some split times using my Garmin Edge 705 and Powertap. Undoubtedly the GPS distance is off by several feet in each of these. Regardless, it's fun to geek on the data.

I was doing some intervals up Lookout Mtn a few weeks ago and compared the Avg. Watts to Time it took to cover the same Distance. Below are the results:

You'll notice that it took me 8:02 minutes to travel 1.47m with an avg. power output of 294. The following two intervals I stepped up the pace slightly and demonstrated that I could cover the same distance in a shorter amount of time. Duh!

I then extrapolated the % faster data into a 2-hour ride to see what the impact would be, say, during a race:

So what? Just 3-Watts is meaningful over the course of an entire race. It may seem like a small improvement in performance but the results can be big!

The 8-Week Plan is Starting

Ok-here we go:  I'm starting the 8-week training block based on Chris Carmichael's, Time Crunched Cyclist.  The key principles of the program are as follows (in my own words - sorry Chris if I'm butchering this!)

1. Most of us have day jobs and families - cycling comes third 
2. You can be competitive on just 6-hours of training a week 
3. Intensity is the key - it's what makes this program work 
4. Rest is key- it's what makes this program work

Over the last few years I've managed, on average, 5-8 hours of cycling per week.  I simply cannot ride anymore without negatively affecting the rest of my life.  I've also found that I can have fun and be fit with this amount of riding.  No, I'm not winning every race but I'm competitive, having fun, and every once in a while can get a top 5 or even a podium.  

The first week will look like this:

Mon:  Easy Effort or 45-60min
Tue:   60-90 min with 3x10min Steady State (86-90% of FTP) Intervals with 5 min BI
Wed:  Easy Effort or Off
Thu:  60-90 min with 3x10min Steady State Intervals with 5 min BI
Fri:    Off
Sat:  60-90 min with 3x10min Steady State Intervals with 5 min BI or Group Ride for 90-120 min
Sun: 90-120 min Easy Effort

SS efforts are just below or at lactate threshold - something that should be able to held for a long time.  Over the ensuing weeks however,  the intensity will increase but the rest will be consistent with 3-days a week off.   

My workout today felt great if not too easy.  I need to be patient because soon the intensity will pick up and with the goal of peaking for the race in 8-weeks.

Battle at the Bear Registration is Open

It's a fun, early season race.  You can register HERE.