Archive for the ‘training’ Category
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
Ooh check out Garmin Connect’s new embedding feature! Disappointing isn’t it. Naturally, what I want to do is display my heart rate graph – if my Forerunner 50 had the functionality, I’d want to embed a map. Not just the stats, basically. At any rate you’ll just have to click through for now.
Stock Hill – a suburban street in Biggin Hill – is a tough session. It’s tougher than Swain’s Lane, because it’s longer – 2 min repeats on shorter recovery – even though it’s possibly not quite as steep as the steepest ramp of Swain’s Lane. The best thing is, the gradient is constant, and the road is smooth. You start out at around 130bpm, move over 80% at 30 secs, then spend the final 30 secs in the red at around 170bpm (my max today was 177). I hit the first couple of reps pretty hard, and descended straight away, allowing myself only about 30 secs recovery. I was really suffering on rep 3 though, so I backed it off a half and extended the recovery period.
I did 8 reps, alternating 4 seated and 4 standing, pushing about a 34-20 gear (3,4 & 5 down on the cassette).
Tags: garmin, stockhill
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Monday, March 29th, 2010
Rode this yesterday, in reverse of the direction mapped. It’s a nice route, although I’ve no idea why it’s called Pilgrim’s Way. Went fine until overshooting a cross-roads at Longfield, then bonking. Missed out the small loop to the west via Oxted, and returned from Chevening to Hawley Corner and through Biggin Hill. Stopped off for a massive slice of lemon cake to get my sugar levels back up, then nearly puked.
Which is worse – puking or the bonk? Time for a new poll?
In the process of getting lost near Biggin Hill on the way out I discovered a monster climb 50 mins from my house. Stock Hill. We will meet again.
Tags: bonk, cake, downs, hill, puke, route, solo
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Saturday, March 27th, 2010
Having completed an arduous 10 weeks of winter training, I treated myself to a light week straight after the Puncheur – literally 2 commute days out of 7. It seems to have paid off: something has clicked, and I now feel like I have some Springtime legs.
A week fortnight ago I tentatively began a fresh month-long ‘block’ of training. Roughly, the plan is to put in long rides every weekend, culminating in the Downland Cycles 100-miler on 11 April. Mid-week, I’ll be alternating 3hr hilly rides with faster-paced tempo riding and intervals.
- Last Weds I did 2hr 30 out to Toy’s Hill and back.
- Saturday was 5hrs in the constant drizzle.
- Thurs this week was Richmond Park – 10 mins race pace x 4, on 2 min intervals. Felt good, it rained again.
- Tomorrow is… another long, wet one by the look of it.
After Thursday’s session I recorded a new low weight of 10st 8.6. The good thing is I’ve started to feel the fluidity and turn of speed I started to feel around this time last year, when I rode the Burgess Hill Classic.
During this block I’m also going to ensure that I allow myself enough recovery after hard sessions, and slightly reduce the amount of commuting I do.
Tags: block, March, rain
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Monday, March 8th, 2010
Looped figures are relevant splits.
These are my splits from last Thursday’s Richmond Park workout. Lap 1 was clockwise (the ‘hill’ route), Lap 2 counter-clockwise, with a 3-minute recovery in between. If it hadn’t been so cold I would have recovered for longer!
The laps were tough, and not made any easier by a chilly head-wind. I also didn’t feel that great either. Because of the way my HRM occasionally malfunctions, I don’t know whether the highs of 184 and 193 are accurate – but I think they are, since they happened on both laps. I had a feeling of being half-strangulated from the effort and the cold air.
I have Jonny’s 3-lap record of 56 mins to beat…
Tags: 3-lap challenge, richmondpark
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Sunday, February 21st, 2010
I think I can call last Wednesday’s 3-hour hilly loop the ride of this year so far. After thorough drenchings on both legs of my commute on Tuesday – a day when it literally did not stop raining – Wednesday dawned clear, with blue skies. The sun’s appearance, and perceptible warmth on my face, was little short of a miracle after so much bitter cold.
Riding last Sunday’s loop – which I can see becoming a mid-week staple – in reverse took me over Toy’s Hill the same way I rode it in the Reigate sportive last year. From bottom to top it’s a 10-12 minute climb, but a Box Hill-style gradual ascent unlike the harsh gradient on the southern side. I prefer it this way round, because there are at least 2 other chevron spikes on this route (including this little baby in the hills west of Biggin Hill) so there’s no shortage of opportunities to get out of the saddle.
After a weekend off (wedding) I’m planning another mid-weeker this Wednesday, followed by a longer one on Sunday, and possibly a bit of speed-work on Richmond Park the following Weds to tune me up for the Puncheur.
Tags: Box Hill, Toys Hill
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Monday, February 15th, 2010
The best thing about February is that it’s no longer January. That said, it’s still cold, and wet, and muddy. In fact the only thing that saves February is that my birthday is on the 7th – which potentially means new kit.
Having achieved my January goal (I rode about 29 hours / 17 days, compared to Jan 09, when I rode 25 hours / 15 days), I’m starting to feel a return of the legs. Yesterday I did 3 hours, mainly brisk, on a hilly circuit that took in Toys Hill and a handful of other spikes. My heart rate graph for the ride revealed an average of 144 bpm, and a max of 169 bpm, very similar to what I recorded on Jan 17, although I felt like I was riding smoother and stronger over tougher terrain. I’m considering doing the same route in reverse on Wednesday, but just pushing it a fraction harder.
But man, the conditions sucked. 1 hour of drizzle, followed by freezing fog and visibility down to 70 metres, and a layer of slush that turned to mud on sheltered roads. Roll on Spring time.
Tags: hills, HRM, Toys Hill
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Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Allow me to point out that West Norwood rocks, for a number of reasons – not least because I can ride this hilly 4-5 hr route from my door:
View West Norwood foray in a larger map
Rode it last Sunday with Millsy, who has been bending my ear on recovery smoothies and base amino supplements among other matters. Actually felt pretty good.
The route takes in Toy’s Hill along with plenty of other rolling sections, and has plenty of room for expansion for longer rides.
Tags: route, westnorwood
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Sunday, January 17th, 2010
With the snow and ice washed away by rain and milder weather, I’ve spent the weekend pulling January’s shoddy training schedule back into line.
Despite waking up on Saturday morning vowing to spend two days at my laptop, I braved the drizzle for an hour on Regent’s Park. As ever, the hardest part about going for a ride in bad weather was pulling on the lycra in the first place. I rode the hack, and got soaked.
Today I rode the Finchley – Knebworth ‘cheat the week’ route – for one last time before the move south. To be honest, it’s not one of the classic routes (no hills to speak of, plenty of A-road) but from North London, without taking a train, it’s about as good as it gets. I’ve never Google mapped it before, so here it is for posterity:
View Cheat the Week in a larger map
It was 3hr 30 – the majority in the small front chainring. Conserving le jus at this stage. Joe once told me one of his club mates didn’t go into the big ring before March – excessive or the best way to build an early-season base?
Tags: cheattheweek, joe, london, regentspark
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Saturday, January 9th, 2010
My goal this January is to ride for more days / hours than last January.
In Jan 09 I had 15 days or 21 hours of some on-bike activity, 10 hours of which were commute days, and the others being regular winter training rides on the road. So far, I’ve already racked up 4 days and 7 hours, so hopefully, weather permitting, this should be an easily achievable goal. However, the weather isn’t exactly permitting – it’s the coldest winter for 30 years.
Hey - nice!
Another comparison with last year is that I’m starting it lighter. In Jan 09 I was a stocky 11st 12 – this year I’m probably around 11st 5-6 (lighter than I was in March last year). True, my form is fairly rubbish, but one thing about starting a third year of serious riding is a certain mental confidence. I’m more in tune with my own fitness levels after several seasons of waxing and waning form. I know what’s required of me come July, and I know that my body will respond to the training in due course – better, even, than in years past, because your legs do remember.
In addition to the riding, I’m building in plenty of core work now. I realised too late last year that my core muscles (abs, back and hip flexors) needed to be stronger to avoid fatigue on long, hard rides. I would go into the exercises in detail but Millsy’s already done it for me.
Tags: january, weather, weight
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Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
The current conditions just north of Potters Bar.
Yesterday was my first ride out of the new decade. Following a period of 2 months out of the saddle (a trip to Nepal was partly to blame), which itself included a 2 week drinking marathon (the party season) and a 1 week eating marathon (the Mucklow family Christmas), it wasn’t surprising that my form stank.
My leg strength deserted me; my heart rate pootled along in zone 2; my blood sugar levels bonked as my stomach craved cake and turkey trimmings. Compare this graph from yesterday (peak HR 157):
Heart rate graph 2-1-10
with this one from 18 July last year (peak HR 177).
Heart rate graph 18-7-09
I remember this ride. I never blogged about it because I was just back from La Marmotte and I couldn’t be bothered. But it was the ride of the year. I was out with Millsy on a 4hr+ circuit from Sevenoaks (possibly the Hell of the Ashdown route). I was rested from my trip to France, but still held the form from months of training. I was hitting the hills hard, and just kept feeling stronger. Then came a truly epic half-hour stretch in the closing stages of the ride, on a gradual climb up to Sevenoaks Weald. My heart rate climbed from 160 into the 170s, and I recall looking down at my wrist to check the effort and seeing 177. There was an almost other-worldly absence of pressure.
But back to yesterday. In a nutshell, I followed Millsy all the way up to Woolmer Green, whereupon he binned it on the ice, and I followed his bloodied carcass all the way back to London. My flabby core is so out of shape that it’s all achey today, and I’m saddle-sore into the bargain.
Looks like more snow’s on the way for Wednesday’s ride – sweet!
Tags: crash, fitness, ice, millsy, snow
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