Of Mice and Marathons

PM: 60' on the trainer. 135W. HR 100. 

Recovery ride even though I didn't really feel like it, but I was due. I was a little off all day. I think impending race week and scattered most likely.

AM: 2 hours 1'. 28 miles @ 13.8 MPH. 220W. HR 149. 

Final Iceman Simulation: 1-Hour @ Race Effort

I was really nervous for this workout for some reason. I am not sure why. It is hard, but all I had to do was keep roughly the same effort as I did last week for 2 hours but press a little bit beyond that. I ended up going to Orion Oaks rather than Bald Mountain South just to make sure I could concentrate on putting down power on the trails without a lot of descending and coasting. Effort was right on. Pace was quite slow relative to other years, but I think the course has gotten slower as I am about the same weight or lighter and am putting down more power. 

60' @ 258 watts @ 164 BPM (269 normalized) 14.7 MPH

Right on target for goal power. I think I can do this for about 2 hours and change. I need to stay relaxed and try to find the effort rather than forcing it. I paced the last two simulations rides extremely well. I'd like to mirror that.

AM: 7 miles on the treadmill. 10' pace. HR 124.

The issue with Zwift and the treadmill seems to have resolved. I unplugged my Kickr Bike to help eliminate Bluetooth interference. I forgot I usually shut my watch off too.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 212W. HR 129.

Checked out one of the new New York courses. Pretty neat.

AM: 5.3 miles, averaged 8:31. HR 133. 

PM: 85' on the trainer. 

Zwift Racing League Race #1 (Team Time Trial)

28' up with the group, 46' @ 259W @ 167 BPM, 11' down

Power wasn't great, but we had a hard start and I can't really push 4-4.5 watts/kg for very long, but I tried to go as hard as I could and stick as long as I could. 

One of the guys who coaches for FasCat got this group together last minute and we put together a team time trial. It was extremely hard. The pulls were way over FTP and I was able to hang for just under 30 minutes and then I got dropped on Box Hill and had had enough. It was way more intense than I should have done for race week, but I just wanted to get something short and intense in before this weekend and have a few very easy days of recovery; otherwise, I worry about getting stale. 

AM: 8.7 miles, averaged 8:37. HR 141.

Stridlek Workout (Introductory Version): 2 (6 x 35") 

Equal jog back and jog between sets. Started at just under 6' pace and worked my way down to low 5' pace. Jogs back were fairly slow, but I was just trying to get the legs reacquainted with some turnover given that I have done so much as a regular set of strides in forever. I will progress this out to 3 sets next week, and then move them to 40", then 45" and maybe 50" before adding a 1' interval after the third set's recovery jog, adding one minute each week to max out at 5'.

AM: 64' on the trainer. 206W. HR 127.

3 x 1' @ Vo2 w/ Full Recovery

Just a little leg tension to keep sharp for Saturday.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 215W. HR 133. 

Openers!

2 x 3' + 2 x 20-30". Feel pretty good and ready to go. Not too nervous yet, but getting a bit more nervous after getting off the trainer and everything I have to do to get ready for the trip to Traverse City and Iceman. The boys have a half day of school, which doesn't help.

AM: 3 hours total on the fat bike

Bell Iceman Challenge (Cross Country Mountain Bike Race) 5/32 Men's 40-49 Fat Bike; 636/3810

AM: 8.1 miles, averaged 9:18. HR 126.

Definitely needed more passing room yesterday to be able to put in the full race effort, but not much I could do. I would like to have been more tired and destroyed today, but I guess the upside is that my recovery time will be very short. Felt good to run even being cold and spitting wet snow in my face.

AM: 120' on the trainer. 217W. HR 124. 

Legs feel pretty good. Actually felt good to just keep it steady endurance on the trainer, so that is what I did. Chilly outside, so of course I changed plans from not riding at all this week and just running, to wimping out and riding inside. Just didn't quite feel like running on the treadmill. 

AM: 96' on the trainer. 216W. HR 126.

3 x 6' Muscle Tension Intervals 

This was my first time doing these. Essentially, they are controlled low-cadence repeats to build muscular strength and power. The trainer works very well if you don't have any long hill climbs in your area (we certainly do not).  Cadence 60, 58, 56. 

AM: 120' on the trainer. 218W. HR 124. 

2 x 15' Tempo

246W @ 136 BPM; 249W @ 138 BPM. Just a very light session to maintain some fitness. 

AM: 91' on the trainer. 215W. HR 120. 

AM: 12 miles, averaged 8:12. HR 139. 

MAF Test

Warmed up 3 miles and did 7 miles just to see if I could get my HR to drift. It stayed stable at 145 BPM, and the pace actually dropped. 8:02, 7:58, 7:57, 7:50, 7:46, 7:44, 7:51. Averaged 7:53.3. About 9-10 seconds faster than a month ago. I wouldn't mind keeping up this trend for another 8 weeks, but we shall see. Still moving in the right direction, which is good. I almost got on the trainer as I didn't feel like running, but the weather was quite good and I needed to run.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 213W. HR 126. 

PM: 3 hours 50'. 68 miles @ 17.8 MPH. 216W. HR 132. 

Decided to ride outside as it was around 60 degrees. Overcast and a chance of showers, but I rolled the dice and was rewarded with a very enjoyable ride. Roads were near perfect and ripping fast. I was around 19 MPH through 2 hours and then the wind picked up and chewed up my speed as I headed back west. 

AM/Lunch: 120' on the trainer. 213W. HR 123. 

3 x 10' Muscle Tension Intervals or Torquevals (as I now call them)

Kept the wattage aroudn 248-252 and cadence ended up being 57, 55, 54, so I was able to get it a bit lower than last week. Still working on form and pushing power smoothly. I do enjoy these.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 205W. HR 121. 

Decided to break down and hire a cycling coach. Change of plans #474762. I will make sure I still get a little running in, but I need to go all in on one or the other or I am never going to get where I want to be with either. I am pretty excited about it.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 212W. HR 123. 

Had a meeting in the evening with a few guys from FasCat Coaching and I will be working with Stephen Bassett, who was the 2024 National Crit Champion. He is a continental pro with a bunch of experience racing in Europe. The training gets dropped 4 weeks at a time and I am excited to bring some more focus to my riding. I have done okay on my own and learned a lot, but I definitely need some guideance and a more objective perspective. I am super excited/motivated/anxious to start. 

AM: 1 hour 36' on the trainer. 209W. HR 121. 

5 x 3' Muscle Tension Intervals w/ 2' Recoveries

My training dropped last night and I am even more excited. Looks like a good mix of longer rides, workouts, strength stuff (which I have been neglecting for too long) and some options to run here and there, which should be enough to keep me satisfied. It has scheduled days off, which I know I need. I also have the option to swap a run with a ride here and there, which I like in the winter because my mood and the weather tend to dictate my training a bit more. 

I found this workout a bit better than the longer muscle tension intervals I started with. I don't think my power and thus torque were high enough. This felt like I was really pushing my leg muscles and torquing the pedals. 

AM: 60' on the trainer. 140W. HR 91.

My resting heart rate has been very low the last 7-10 days. I am averaging about 37-38 BPM, and on Tuesday, my HR was too low (39) in the afternoon to donate plasma. I had the option for a rest day or easy ride, so I opted for an easy ride and kept it very light. I was suprised I was able to keep my HR at just above 90 BPM. Aerobic system is functioning extremely well and stress is relatively low. Sleep quality has been excellent. 

+ Foam rolling and light stretching 

It has been a few years since I have actually done an honest foam rolling session. I could definitely feel it even though my legs have felt fine.

AM: 2 hours 42'. 48.5 miles @ 16.9 MPH. 202W. HR 122.

2:30 endurance on the schedule. Went a little longer as it just worked out that way. Roads were great. Not sure why I haven't been getting out more. Before long I won't be able to.

PM: 2 hours 25'. 41.9 miles @ 17.3 MPH. 210W. HR 136.

3 x 10' Sweet Spot

Decided to get outside again. It was around 40 degrees or so, which is cooler for cycling than running, but still pretty comfortable if you dress properly. 278W. HR 156; 277W. HR 155. 275W HR 155. Recoveries were 6' around 160W or so, which I hit pretty much right on target. 

AM: 3 hours 22'. 54.7 miles @ 16.2 MPH. 198W. HR 119.

Disciplined zone 2 mostly. Kept it on the lower to middle end, while getting into the upper end here and there, but trying to not push the pedals much. Wind was bothersome here and there on the way back, but I am trying to learn to tuck into it rather than fight it. 

+ Strength session after (Russian twists, dead bugs, pushups, jump split squats)

A solid week of cycling. No runs, though I had the option to run on Friday, but didn't take it. I will do some very short easy running this week.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 141W. HR 90. 

Recovery ride. Felt pretty good.

+foam rolling and pullups after

Boys had school. I worked from home and put up a Zoom link for any students who wanted to chat about course stuff. 

AM: 90'+ on the trainer. 204W. HR 132. 

5 x 4' Muscle Tension Intervals (3')

I had a slight stomach bug last night, to the point where I couldn't eat dinner, so I was going to scrap this workout, but I figured I would start it and just ride endurance if I wasn't feeling great. I ended up feeling okay and other than my HR being a little elevated, it went fine and I felt pretty good. I think I am getting the form and torque right on the pedals, though I wish I had my headunit or something to display the actual torque values. I could figure it out with my power and cadence and a formula, I suppose. 

Felt okay throughout the day, but not 100%. Low on energy and stomach was just a touch sour. 

AM: 120' on the trainer. 205W. HR 119. 

Endurance ride, progressively building through zone 2. 5' in zone one on each end. I had the option for a short run, but just wasn't feeling it. Windy and moody outside. Tomorrow is a rest day, but I have the option for a short walk, which I will likely do. Need to take my rest days seriously and a short walk will be enough to keep me balanced. 

PM: 3-mile walk. HR 63. 

It was a scheduled off day, so I decided to take a walk. Windy and snowy, but I was dressed for it and it was nice to get some air and stretch the legs. I am fine taking days off as long as I can get a walk or something in.

PM: 120' on the trainer. 208W. HR 126.

+ foam rolling and pull-ups after

I was going to do a short run first, but I decided to save some time to be able to get some work done. Weight is coming down at a decent rate, thankfully and finally.

AM: 2 hours 15' on the trainer. 211W. HR 132. 

3 x 12' Sweet Spot

Signed up for the Michigan Gravel Race Series short course option. Going to try to see how high I can place and do a full season of racing this year. Solid workout. Got up early to get this in before going to a birthday party with the boys and Megan. 

276 watts (161 BPM), 278 watts (160 BPM), 280W (HR 164)

Recovery was pretty long at 8 minutes. Felt decent. Ended up doing a lifting session at the gym with a short warmup on the rower as prescribed by my cycling coach. 

AM: 3 hours on the trainer. 201W. HR 121. 

Solid endurance ride and the first three-hour trainer ride of the post-2025 season. Did a progression with about 50'+ at high zone 2 to low tempo. My legs were blasted from the lifting session, but they worked fine to pedal.