Tempting Fate – Confessions and Training Notes

I just love this picture ! I look FAST !!


I guess I should come right out and say it. I want to get faster. I love riding bikes. I don’t have to go fast all the time. I really don’t mind at all going slow with a group or friend. Still, there are times when I want to go fast. In the past, when these times came along I was able to pick it up and hammer with the best. The last couple of years I felt like I have worked harder only to get slower. I was really much more comfortable being one of the guys at the top of the climb waiting for the slow guys to catch up than being one of those slow guys.

February was a very pivotal month for me, training-wise. I got my chocolate chip cookie stained fingers on a copy of Joe Friel’s Training Bible. I put in two rides of over 50 miles (or 80 kilometers for my European readers). Hottie wowed me with a set of rollers for Valentine’s Day. I’m committed to the Davis Double Century. I also touched base with the members of my coaching cooperative.

Some revelations:
I sure did it wrong in 2009. I did next to no strength work, and I allowed myself no recovery. I logged all the wrong miles. I had a poor base going into the CX season. I was a slave to the Sunday team rides. I didn’t recover from the cross season until after ground hog day.

Some ideas:
Joe (Friel) says us old guys should NEVER compromise recovery and we should do weights all year long. In 2009 I was 0 for 2 on those items. For 2010 I’m going to get religious about weight work. I used to have the strength to ride up walls and that ability has left my body. I am hoping weights will bring it back. Joe says to build a base and beware of the group rides that often turn into mini races. I missed the long rides around Lake Washington with Hottie in 2009 and so I’ll look forward to her certain return to the bike and do some long ones in the meantime. I used to train for one or more macho rides (RAMROD, Tour de Blast, High Pass Challenge, STP in a day, etc) and I haven’t in the last couple years so I’m adding the DDC for 2010 to help me build some miles.

I was tracking too many of the wrong things, so I’m trying to adopt a smarter way for 2010. Number of workouts is a bad metric. Time in training zones looks to be a better barometer. In my total OCD way I’ve built a training plan and we will see if the focused structure pays off. I should point out that in the past when I have undertaken improvement via a structured plan; I have usually met with disaster. Coincidentally, on a recent ride, Kevin confided that he did a similar thing in 2009 with a plan, a coach and amazing structure. He related that he had his worst year ever. For 2010 he is focusing on time off the bike and seems to be on a totally opposite path than I am. We are both looking forward to our collective results. Maybe I should just not worry about it and increase my intake of Bacon !