Training Log Archive: Dangerman

Event: Catholic Agricultural College
 

Hills ride today with a south perth group. We started at Coode street and rolled away easily at 7am - great start time for me, no getting up before 6am.
I had thought that I would decide which group I would go with when we split on Welshpool rd. Obviously I didn't think that one through. On the steepest part of Welshpool rd the group split, fast going on Lesmurdie Rd, the others continuing straight on. At that stage, asking me whether I wanted 4 more nasty climbs would have received a terse response. I regretted it when I got to the top of Welshpool though. I was there first and once my legs had recovered, I wanted more!

Oh well, couldn't do much about it now and it was Mother's Day and I had M'Day duties so I was all :-D about an earlier finish. Got KOM up Mundaring Weir into Kalamanda. Not the most noble win, tailing the leader for the most part but I didn't know his ability so I kept him close so that I could use my sprinting advantage.

Halfway up, he put in a sprint himself to shake the 3 followers. He gapped us, we bridged it but it was hard work. I therefore thought he was just toying with us in the later part of the climb. It wasn't to be as he had nothing to give at the sprint.

I managed to get 8:29 up that climb average 26km/h. The record for the group's star climber is 7:20 at a whisker over 30km/h! Well, that's only a minute and a bit.......

Then the ride home with 3 others - we bailed on the cafe idea with similar M'Day duties in mind. If I lost out on a work out by going with the slow group, I certainly made up for it here. I was behind the Steam Train for the ride home. 80 down Welshpool. Just under 50 to the lights. Usually over 40 everywhere else.

We rolled through a few times and I put in a measured and solid effort to keep the pace but all I could do was around 37. The Steam Train, well, at one stage I saw 45 on the speedo and his legs lazily rolling over. I then see him select a faster gear and with his cadence close to 2 now, power away to 49 8-0 Christ, I was struggling to stay on with my legs buzzing away quicker than my sewing machines engine up a hill.

Got back to the car, shagged, happy and ready for a well earned rest week.

C • Funny enough 20

Event: Nav Dash - ECU Joondalup
 

I felt good last night so decided to stick to the plan and go with the B group today. Interestingly, so did the A group riders citing a race tomorrow and saying something about "saving our legs". The initial pace was manageable and, as usual, I was comfortable on the hills.

The pace picked up as we turned onto Pinjar road and I had a bad feeling that I would be getting a turn up the front. We were two abreast and the first two would do a turn and then peel off - nowhere to hide for poor old Danger!

And it came. I told the guy next to me (stupidly as I later found out) that I was new to the ride and could he set the pace. I'd match him if I could. Turned out I could as it was 2km/h slower than the previous leader. Don't get me wrong, I still had to work hard, but I could see he couldn't go any faster.

He peels off with great timing as my legs are starting to fry. As I peel of I sense a smirk from the two leaders and see them surge past. The pace has just been turned up 3 notches. The group elongates and I start up on the pedals to try to get some speed so that I can tag on the back.

No dice. I get unceremoniously spat out the back of the group, although in the good company of 5 others. This with 40km to go too. We form a decent working group that was mildly organised and manage to salvage a decent speed for the remainder of the ride.

I'll be a bit more attentive next time I think. I'll also be a bit quieter as well, certainly not mentioning that I'm fresh meat for the group!

Heavy legs :-( but of course, no surprise.
Silver lining is that my heart was more than capable of keeping pace with my running. Weird feeling not being puffed when running.

Wow, 12 months ago, I could barely run a Golf Course TT at under 6min/km!

Really enjoyed this event. I think it was a combination of great course setting, friendly rivalry and maybe even some familiarity with the area.

I was luck at 1, seeing some people punch it which obviated the need to search on the upper story and try to figure it all out.

Wrong side of the wall to 2 but I had noticed it, just got the approach wrong. Minor map orientation error while almost on top of 3 cost some more time. Almost a flat out sprint to 4 as I knew exactly where it was from the map.

Went to 5 via 6 and back again. Spot on with 7, 8, 9 & 10. Sighted Dolf on the way out of 10 and had a big grin, happy that I managed to hold him out until almost half way. Then I proceeded to miss-orientate the map, running to 9 and 5. Noticed my error before 5 but that stage it was too late so I went through the car park, down the road and back on track to 11.

Shouldn't known it was behind the wall, Juffy! I spiked the location but didn't read the description. No sign of the Dolf train here so obviously my error out of 10 caused me to miss the train.

A little vague to 12, map miss-orientated again to 13, spot on to 14, 15, 16. Straight to 17 but vague on exact location. Legs were feeling the warm up and the warm 2.0 by this stage. However, this was intentional as I wanted to get in a longer run today - I think it's time to slowly increase volume from the 10km mark.

18 through to finish were clean and I ran into the finish a little surprised to see 25minutes on the clock. Oh well, other than the time, I was really happy with my run. I kept contact with the map a lot more and thought ahead when I had the chance. On occasions I even looked at the finer detail so I knew which tree to look under :-)

Long Course - Splits

Weirdest experience at the doctors today.
I'm in the waiting room and I see a mother with her child walk out of the doctor's room and start talking with reception. Yep, that's pretty standard behaviour I hear you say and I would agree.

There was something about her voice that got my heart racing and increased my stress level by several notches though. After a few more words, I figured it out. The ex! Enter mild panic attack :-( I thought that after .... 6 years I think, I wouldn't react like this.

Just as she left, it was my turn to see the doctor to have my blood pressure and RHR taken. I warned him it might still be up by a bit but amazingly it was measured at 43. 43! I guess my reaction was superficial and without foundation? Much like the relationship.

p.s. another rest day today. I'm still undecided whether to do the group ride tomorrow.

C • Family reunion 4

Figured out a way to get my piping hot lunch containers to my desk without burning my hands today. It goes like this:
1. arrive 30 seconds prior
2. take gel pack from freezer and hold it, firmly, in both hands
3. wait
4. ...beep beep beep...
5. replace gel pack into freezer.
6. pick up lunch container and walk calmly to your desk.

Presto!

C • forgot one 10

Weak!
The snoozed button seduced me this morning and the Mr Motivation made a quick exit on the commute to work. What happened to my plans for a group ride this morning?

This must be a sign of over training - low energy levels, low motivation. Oh well, I guess the rest week can start early.

p.s. funnily enough, my training load graph is telling me I'm at a fatigue level just a few points below my maximum level - around Karri Cup time. I'm beginning to get some confidence from this particular tool. It seems to predict things reasonably accurately.

C • weak? 6

amazingly I found my mojo on The way back home. without Raising a sweAt, i powered home. It felt magic, almost effortless and very green. i even maNaged to hold a conversation with several people.

In other words, I took the train home.

I am so stuffed after yesterday's big day. Shoulders, back and legs are all aching a bit although it the nice ache of adaptation :-)
No training for me today!
Plan now is to do another hard group ride tomorrow, short intervals on Friday and another hard group ride Saturday or Sunday. Then - rest, ahhhhhhh.

Yay! All the furniture is now in place and assembled.
My place actually looks like a normal home now. Ahhhh, normal, that's nice.

Group ride with the Floreat group. This might work well with my schedule. I drove to Floreat this morning with my ski on the car ready for this afternoon. Means a shorter ride before ski training so hopefully more energy.

Energy is something I didn't have much of today. This group rides significantly faster than what I am used to and I had to use a fair bit of gas just to stay with the group. Got dropped once at Leighton right near the lights. The cross wind was robbing me of protection and I cracked.

Managed well up the climbs as expected and didn't manage well on the straights. Physics means that losing weight isn't of any help on the flat.

Kinda got dropped again near UWA when I waited for a car. Couldn't catch the group back up until the lights. Just no staying power in the legs.

I hope that this feeling is just hard training rather than over-training. This is supposed to be my hardest week from 3 so it makes sense that I should be hurting a bit. I will try to maintain the effort until Sunday. Then an easy rest week will hopefully fix everything and we start again!

Ouch!
Hammy cramping at work. I've never stood up and straightened my leg so quickly.

15!x(1min@50%+2min@80%)

I really liked this session. It took a few reps to figure out a pace but once I did, I kept to it and kept pushing, on occassions leading the B group and sometimes managing to stay on the wash of the A's. I did feel some fatigue approaching on 14 and 15 but managed to deal with it.

Great night for paddling with the marina water being so calm it was glassy in places. This, for some reason, reminded me to keep an eye on technique. I concentrated on twisting the torse and using my abs. I did keep forgetting about leg drive though. probably more to do with the boat that anything as I have trouble driving with the legs without pressing the pedals.

I also tried a new sitting position, with my arse more forward in the seat closer to the bottom of the seat itself rather than on the back of the seat (the sloping bit). It felt ok and I had enough strength in my back to keep myself upright. I used the further back position to help me keep an arch in my back but I can now do that myself, I think the new more forward position is the better option. Time will tell.