Today is Tuesday the 19
th.
The
Solvang Double Century, my first event of
the year, is Saturday the 23
rd.
Four days. Am I ready?
Did my training
work?
I guess I’ll just have to find out
in four days.
I made some changes in my training
regimen this year.
Last year, it was all
about miles.
Get in as many miles as
possible, and when I’m done, get in even more.
This time last year, I had 2,364 miles in, starting in late
November.
I had several centuries, but
not much climbing, and I spent a lot of time riding through pain and
soreness.
And weather.
This year I trained a bit
differently, the reasons for that below, but mainly what I read in
The Cyclists Training Bible.
I tried to get smarter
miles in, rather then lots of them.
I
worked more specifically on climbing, which is still my weak link, by a
bunch.
I’m 6’0” and 175 pounds.
Just not built to climb, so it needs
work.
And it will still get more.
This year’s to-date mileage:
1,595, starting in early/mid-December.
Far under last year, but I actually feel
better, stronger, and fresher.
The only
thing that worries me is that I don’t have as many long distance rides in.
But not this week.
This is taper week.
As I finish writing this, I will head out for
a 2.5 hour ride, mainly to test the work I just did on the rig, specifically to
check the chain I just bought and installed, the new cleats I just put on my
shoes, and to make sure everything else is in good working order, mechanically,
physically, and mentally.
Wednesday is an
off day, Thursday a 1 hour spin, and Friday a ½ hour neighborhood ride/stroll
before driving down to Solvang.
There are more specific changes I
made to this year’s training, and I’m looking forward to finding out which ones
work and which ones do not. Here they
are:
In September, I jumped in and bought a Garmin Edge 500,
replacing a then 14 year old cyclocomputer.
I loved that thing, it was one of the first units to show altimeter
readings for not a crazy amount of money.
The new Garmin gave me crazy data, which did take me a while
to figure out how to benefit from, but what I have noticed is the importance of
a proper cadence. Mine was inconsistent before,
since I relied on my musicians head to keep time as I pedaled. Innacurate.
Now I have a MUCH better grasp on cadence, and that has helped me greatly
both on the long flats and in climbing.
Not to mention cranking for days into a headwind.
Along with a new Garmin must come
Strava.
In the past, I had several Excel
files to track ride records, climb stats and records, and several other
things.
Strava does it all for me.
And with Segments, I can tell how I stack up
to other folks (which I don’t really care about) and how specific rides, and
climbs stack up against myself.
I’m
starting to see those records fall, just because I have a better way to record,
look at, and keep track of, my data.
LOVE IT!
Every cyclist serious about taking
their training to the next level for events and races should get this
book.
Granted, lots of it was over my
head.
I don’t train with a power meter,
and I don’t do regular races.
But, I did
learn a lot about training in general, and more specifically how to break down
my season to benefit the most from my training.
Which is the main reason why my mileage is down this year.
It’s smarter, not longer.
We’ll just have to wait and see how that
worked.
Last year’s
Davis Double Century
was one of the most painful events I have done.
My feet literally ripped me off my bike and forced me to sit in a kiddiepool at a rest stop for ½ hour to cool them down.
(Picture below) So, into the shop I went, asked all kinds of
questions, and came out with
Specialized Foot Beds and
Shim Kit.
I noticed a difference immediately, with much
less pain in every condition, and greatly reduced hot spots.
We’ll see how they work over 200 miles, but I’m
betting they will alleviate a lot of issues.
I’ll be honest, last year I still
didn’t have my Hammer Nutrition use dialed in.
I was drinking waaaay too much
Perpetuem, and not enough just water.
This year, I have the Perpetuem dialed back a
bit, and I’m going to carry a bottle of just water.
- New seatpost and handlebars
When I bought the rig, I was never
fully fitted to it, we just went through a rather quick one to get things like
saddle height, angle, and fore/aft, handlebar position, and stem angle.
But I didn’t change anything else.
I should have.
The handlebars I replaced right away, but
still wasn’t completely satisfied with what I put on.
So, after many long months of researching and
searching, I found what I was looking for, and it is perfect.
Same with the seatpost.
I really needed a zero-setback post, and now
I have one.
So, my bike is better fitted
to me now.
So, with all these changes, I
should, in theory, have a better, smarter season. We will just have to wait and see how it all
pans out. Stay tuned to find out
-E
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