Sunday Training

Another good ride today in generally good weather with Dave and Barry in the photo above. Rode deliberately at a steady pace which resulted in an average HR well inside L2 @ 127bpm. This was a hilly endurance ride and just the sort of ride I had scheduled in for today. This completes this 4 day tempo/endurance block which has resulted in a 4 day block mileage of 227 miles, 12 hours 44 minutes of riding, and a TSS of 799.

Everything seems to be progressing according to plan at present and I'm particularly pleased with how I seem to be recovering at the moment. I put this down to three things, my recovery triad. Firstly I'm taking care with my post exercise nutrition and have now come up with a recovery nutrition scheme which seems to suit me well. Secondly I'm trying to get plenty of good quality sleep. Finally I am making religious use of some Skins compression clothing which I am finding is really helping me.

Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day, to be followed by a L3 session delivering about 70 TSS on Tuesday. After this I'll take 2 days off and have plenty of rest before setting off on the Tour du Nord on Friday. I expect my CTL after the final day of the Tour du Nord to be around 113+ with a TSB of about -52, now then it WILL be time for a rest!

Ride Time: 03:26 hh:mm
Work Done: 2353kJ
Training Stress Score: 180
Intensity Factor: 0.723
Normalised Power: 221W
Variability Index: 1.16
Ride Distance: 58.23 miles
Cumulative Distance: n/a miles
Elevation Gain: 3716 feet
Maximum Power: 667W
Average Power: 190W
Average Heart Rate: 127bpm
Average Speed: 17.8mph
Acute Training Load: 130.4
Chronic Training Load: 98.6
Training Stress Balance: -27.5

Sunday Training

Endurance building continues with a decent length road ride today to round off the week's training. The weather was bright and cool and the plan was to be out for about 4 hours which I was, I ended up covering about 67 miles and generated a TSS of 213 which was rather more than I had planned, probably due to the wind and the fact that this was a pretty hilly route.

This has been a good solid week of training which has resulted in a weekly TSS of 714 with a total of 8711kJ of work performed. As you can see from the graph below I have been building things up for a few weeks now and I'm due to take my foot of the gas in the forthcoming week to slow my CTL build a little and ovoid tipping myself into a fatigued state.

After today's ride my TSB will be down at about -25 which is a bit lower than I want it to be, just another indicator that it's time to step back a little before things get at all out of hand. My plan is to take tomorrow as a rest day and just get a few things done, there is just no point in pushing too hard at this stage and risking unnecessary problems.

To review the session data: click here.

ATL: 100.3 CTL: 75.5 TSB: -13.8

Saturday Training

Time to get out on the road again particularly as the weather forecast was set to deteriorate. Continuing with my steady CTL build and my March road adaptation which is going nicely. Took a lumpy route up from home Northwards towards Scotland and got as far as Lowick before turning towards the East coast to head down the coast towards home.

Ended up covering about 60 miles and generating a TSS of about 200 which was more than I had anticipated but hell, who's complaining! Felt fine throughout the ride, my winter indoor schedule has done what was required of it and produced a solid foundation to build on, but I'm not going to rush things, plenty of time before July.

To review the ride information: click here.

Monday Training

No stopping me now! Having made the required prior arrangements I commuted on the bike today covering over 42 miles by the time I returned to base. Very cold again and for the return journey there was the added thrill of a freezing mist as it got dark, terrific.

No matter, I arrived home safely and feel surprisingly fresh, I'm pleased with how my return to the road is going so far and I still have a couple of weeks before spring arrives so all is going according to plan. Particularly during my return journey this evening I was starting to feel very much more at home and I felt comfortable on a series of harder surges to just see how things were going.

The conditions and the roads kept my average speed down to 17-18mph and I wasn't pushing hard at this stage, my HR for both trips recorded an average which was within my L2 HR zone.

Need to keep a careful eye on my CTL build as it's gathering pace and I don't want it to rise too quickly, my TSB today has now dropped to -16.6 and that's about as low as I want it to go at the present time so it's time for a couple of easier training days to slow the build down and allow my TSB to recover.

So, generally very happy with how things are going, it looks as if my indoor winter training has delivered the goods, I've just got to build my endurance from here on and hopefully all will be well, I just wish it was a lot warmer!

ATL: 89.8 CTL: 68.5 TSB: -16.6

Sunday Training

Hi

PowerTap

This was the first test ride using my new Garmin Edge 705 GPS unit which I have managed to get working very nicely with my PowerTap 2.4 SL after having upgraded the hub to ANT+

Had a bit of an issue as riding 2 laps of a circuit seemed to cause problems with the time and distance to go readings but I think that's to do with my using a downloaded .gpx file from GPSies. I plan to switch to a .tcx file download and try that and I suspect that this will solve the problem.

Generally very pleased with this development, it will be great to be navigating again without my bulky walking GPS on the bars and to have all the power, HR, cadence etc. data plus navigation all in one box on the bars will be just great, until the next thing I guess... ;-)

The ride generally went well and gave me a decent little CTL boost coming in with a TSS of 115. It still amazes me how you can be out for a bit under 2 hours a record a TSS of 115 and yet score a TSS of 87 indoors doing a 2x20@76-90% in 70 minutes on the VeloTron including a long warm-up and a 5 minute cool-down. I still maintain that indoor training is VERY efficient as long as it is balanced with some outdoor work such as today.

So, all tootling along quite nicely now, TSB finally coming down to a more sensible level as a result of this week's much more solid training effort which I feel better for. One more week to go and then my Winter training plan starts properly, it will be interesting to see how it goes.

ATL: 67 CTL: 71.5 TSB: 9.4

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

This was an excellent ride on a beautiful day which took in some superb scenery through hilly country. We rode at a pace which was neither slacking or flat out, exactly the sort of ride I think we need to be doing at this time of year.

We covered around 63 miles at an average of a little over 17mph which was good considering where we were riding and that we weren't caning it, much of the ride was spent at a chatting intensity.

So, another week has passed and my training seems to be going well. I'm sure I'm getting a benefit from my microintervals sessions on a Monday and Tuesday and I'll be continuing with those for the foreseeable future. One of my mates told me that there is an article in Cycling Plus about this which sounds interesting, I've bought the magazine and will have a browse this evening.

ATL: 89.3 CTL: 88.5 TSB: +14.6

[Uploaded 04/10/2009 17:39:26]

C2C2C Stage 2

Hi

Power-Tap

Stage 2 of the coast to coast to coast ride from Silloth in Cumbria to Alnmouth in Northumberland and what a fantastic day it was. The weather was again kind though somehow we seemed to end up with a headwind in both directions, not ideal!

The ride along the Roman Wall was particularly memorable and it was lovely to arrive at the top of the final rise of the crossing to see the North Sea ahead of us with Alnmouth bathed in afternoon sunshine, the perfect ending.

This has been a fantastic 2 day ride which has rounded off the season superbly, it really couldn't have gone better. If you would like to browse the photographs I took during the trip click here.

ATL: 130.4 CTL: 96.9 TSB: -16.6

[Uploaded 15/09/2009 10:53:24]

C2C2C Stage 1

Hi

This weekend involves cycling from Alnmouth on the East coast of the UK over to a place called Silloth on the West coast, a coast-to-coast ride. Sunday involves a return coast-to-coast journey via a different route.

Today was, in a word, fantastic. I rode with Scott, a mate of mine and we covered the 126 miles comfortably in superb weather. Progress was rather slowed by a steady westerly headwind all the way but the name of the game was to enjoy the ride and not break records!

The climb over Hartside was brilliant and the scenery spectacular, certainly an experience that will live with me for as long as my memory continues to function.

We arrived in Silloth to be met by Lorena and Michelle, Michelle is making the return crossing with us tomorrow and I really hope the weather is kind and the wind favourable for us all.

Just a truly wonderful day on the bike, the training has been well worth it.

More data when I get home but today's TSS was just under 400, that's a lot of work!

ATL: 108.3 CTL: 91.8 TSB: +14.4

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

Just a real steady ride planned for today, intended to be nothing more than active recovery and that's how we rode which was great. I really enjoyed this ride, weather Ok, good company, and not working hard.

This ride brought home to me that if I stay well and keep training I can keep enjoying my cycling well into old age. I can't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to cycle into old age at a perfectly decent pace if I don't let things slip and keep plodding on.

We covered around 45 miles today at an average speed of around 16mph and my average HR was down at 105BPM. This suggests to me that as I age I should be able to keep on doing this as long as I don't give up as it would be so difficult in older age to pick things up again if I let them slide.

Anyway, very heartening, but for the moment this was a ride to enjoy and to use as recovery for the continuing work ahead. 66% of the ride time was spent with my HR in L1 and 29% in L2 :-)

ATL 97.4 CTL: 90.3 TSB: -5.8

[Uploaded 30/08/2009 14:35:53]

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

The weather was good when I set off this morning for a longer ride, I planned to be out for about 4 hours. I knew my legs would feel a bit tired after yesterday so the plan was to ride very much a L2 intensity and I did exactly that. As I saw the numbers rise on the PowerTap down the gears I went, just keeping the output down and the stress low.

The ride went well though I was faced with an unexpected headwind on the way back down the coast and I caught several squally showers though I think I missed the worst of them.

Happy with the TSS of 204 by the time I got home, and with a NP of 218W for the ride this was very comfortable indeed. My average speed for the 70 miles was still 16.7mph and with an average HR of 121 I was happy with how things went. In the end this was another calorie crunching ride en route to my long term objective of being a lot lighter by the time I hit the mountains of the 2010 TdF. All going according to plan so far, this was the sort of pace I plan to be riding next Summer :-)

Route below:



[Uploaded 09/08/2009 19:01:58]

Saturday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

This was a nice steady endurance ride of about 50 miles from Lesbury up to Bamburgh and back. The weather wasn't too kind but the company more than made up for it and we had a really good time.

Clocked up a respectable 153TSS which all adds to the tally but this ride wasn't about training, it was about enjoyment, and very enjoyable it was too.

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

Went up to the usual meeting place today to see who was about and hooked up with 3 of the local chaps. Weather was good, after the last couple of days on the tandem I didn't want to do a particularly long or hard ride and as it happened one of my mates wasn't feeling too hot after some hard riding the day before so we just trundled along happily.

Part way through the ride it became clear that my pal was really struggling so I chased after the other 2 and told them the situation and I rode back at a steady pace with my mate which we enjoyed, possibly I more than he. I even shared my flapjack with him, such generosity!

Anyhow, we arrived back having covered just under 50 miles which was still a decent little ride for us. My NP for the ride was 245W which was fine and I surprised myself by hitting a peak wattage of 848W by accident at some point, not sure where that came from!

Anyway, been a good week, the main thing was that the Vi-Ability ride went well and was enjoyed by the youngsters.

[Uploaded 27/04/2009 19:44:45]

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

Steady endurance ride today. Went up to the war memorial column in Alnwick to see who was about and 4 of the guys rolled up. They had a 5-6 hour ride planned which was further than I wanted to go today but decided to ride out with them to a suitable point and then turn for home which I did. Nice to be out with the chaps.

The ride was pretty lumpy but not bad at all and all seemed to go well. By the time I got home I'd covered just under 60 miles at an average of about 18mph which was fine for this sort of ride. Also bumped into another bloke I know from the LBS on the way back and rode with him for a little while.

My NP for this ride was 247W and I generated a TSS of just under 200. It's been a much better week this week and my CTL has taken another little nudge in the right direction. My TSS for the week is 756 and I've covered about 225 miles in about 12:42 hours of training, much better than recent weeks and I'm feeling a lot better than I have been. Feeling more optimistic about the Tour of Ireland.



[Uploaded 19/04/2009 13:50:27]

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

Trundled up the the usual meeting place today well past the time some of the blokes might have been meeting to find that they had not yet departed and were still undecided where to head for. My plan was to head North up to a place called Lowick, a lumpy ride but not a hill training session, riding at L2.

Eventually it was decided that they wanted to head inland over several of the larger local climbs so I decided to stick with my plan and head North. It was a good ride, not too hilly but far from flat and I was back home well before midday.

Covered just under 60 miles in windy but sunny conditions and generated a TSS of about 190 which was ideal. Rest day tomorrow and then on with the programme :-)

[Uploaded 05/04/2009 21:23:31]

Saturday Training

Hi

Today was the day of the tandem ride with the Vi-Ability group catering for blind and visually impaired youngsters and giving them the experience of cycling, which many of us take for granted.

We covered about 20 miles and I rode with a little lad called Lewis who was quite a character in his NYC baseball cap! The whole experience was great fun on what was a very windy day. The young people were good fun to be with and clearly really enjoy these outings and the other adults involved were a really nice bunch of people, great atmosphere.

We met up at a farm where the bikes are stored, loaded up and off we went with no great fuss, just really relaxed and enjoyable. Returned to our starting point and ate sandwiches in the van, perfect end to a really nice ride, I'll be doing this again!

[Uploaded 04/04/2009 15:17:17]

Tuesday Ride

Hi

Power-Tap

After the visit to the Dr today it was time to start to try to get back into my training and hope that all would be well. Decided to just ride as if nothing had happened and rode one of my hilly local circuits over to Alwinton, the route covers just over 50 miles.

All went well. I have, as expected, lost some of the little top end power I had but hopefully that will return. The ride was for the first half into a strong Westerly wind so I just plodded on and I was in the end quite surprised by my time around the circuit, particularly given the conditions, the fact that I wasn't rushing, and the events of the last 10 days.

A very satisfactory return to training, TSS 185, NP 242W, 3:09:05.

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

Just one of the other local riders turned up at the meeting place this morning and neither of us particularly wanted to flog ourselves so we went for a steady couple of hours up to Bamburgh and back down the coast.

Brisk wind picking up particularly later in the ride but it was a nice little outing though am feeling that it's time for some rest from the bike at the moment. Rest day tomorrow so will see how I feel after thyat before planning further.

Plan the training in response to how you feel I say, rather than plan the training and try to do it regardless of how you feel. NP for today's ride 205W, average HR 126.

[Uploaded 23/03/2009 15:19:37]

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

Nice ride today, certainly the best weather of the year so far though the wind got up again quite a bit quite early on in the ride. Covered just over 53 miles with a NP of 239W so after yesterday's exertions that was fine.

Felt happy with how I felt and things look promising for the Tour of Ireland as I seem now to be absorbing my training quite happily and so far, touch wood, I seem to be recoverng probably better than I have in the past.

Saw a local road race going through and a few guys I know were riding but it was difficult to confidently pick people out, not long after that one of our guys punctured with the usual delays caused by such things. Quite a bit happened on the ride, particularly serious was one of the guys going one a hell of a clatter on a shaded bend which was very slippery. Fortunately he doesn't seem to have any really serious injuries and was able to ride home but it will need new overshoes and gloves as a minimum. The crash happened at 09:42 at the following position: N 55.191 W 1.872, dangerous corner.

As predicted when a bit of half decent weather kicks in and I am able to get out on the road at the weekend my CTL starts to rise pleasingly. I'm glad I've pegged it at about 75-80 over the Winter and I'll now let it start to rise and just watch that my TSB doesn't get too low. After today's ride my CTL is up to 87.5 with a TSB now at -16.4 which is as low as I'm going to let it go during my routine training phases.

I've accumulated a TSS of 451 in the last 48 hours and with a few more weeks of training where I can get out properly at the weekends my CTL should rise to 90-95 which is about where I want it to be at this time of year.

Time for another protein and banana milk shake with added Greek yoghurt methinks :-)

[Uploaded 15/03/2009 14:54:20]

Ride route below,usual caveats re speed and distance data from the BlackBerry!

Sunday Training

Hi

Power-Tap

First time out on the road today for some time as the ice has finally gone though the day was still chilly and there was a stiff wind from the NE. Met up with a few friends and rode for about 44 miles in the lanes (filthy) of Northumberland which seem to be deteriorating at an alarming rate.

Quite an up and down route which included the climb from Belford over to Chatton which is quite a drag but the time on the VeloTron seems to have paid off and I had no problems at all with any of the route. There was of course the usual problem of road training with 20% of the time being spent with a cadence of zero, just free-wheeling, but there isn't much that can be done about that. I also spent 48% of the ride in my active recovery power zone (AR/Z1 below), effectively not training at all.


Today has confirmed for me that doing the majority of my training indoors over the Winter can result in a very satisfactory level of fitness at this time of year without all the miles done out in the cold, the wind, the rain and on slippery roads. I am 99% sure that in future years I will develop and refine my indoor Winter programme as I also find it much more time efficient than long outdoor rides.

So, a good little outing. I am confident that if I keep working away on my variable power sessions using the IRVCs on the VeloTron and increase my CTL as the weather warms up I'll be well set up for the season ahead.

Looking at my data I am also pleased to see that having adopted this approach even though my tested power is up over the full range my TSB is consistently higher, I am fitter and I'm less fatigued. So it's on with the consolidation period, I'll then be starting my CTL build looking to raise it by about 2-3 points per week over about 8 weeks to bring me up to a CTL of about 100 before tapering for the Tour of Ireland.

Rest day tomorrow :-)

[Uploaded 15/02/2009 17:54:52]

Sunday Training

Power-Tap

Hi

Went out to the column in Alnwick for 9:00 this morning but nobody was there so assume that either the meeting arrangements have changed or just nobody was out and about today. Never mind, went out on a solo L2 ride which went well particularly after the rigours of yesterday. Headed up North and then back down the coast to Warkworth before looping North again over Shilbottle and home. I use this route quite often as it's not too hilly and is a nice round 50 miles.

It was pretty windy today again and cold with a few light showers so all that served to keep me awake, no point in putting in mega miles in that kind of weather. I was happy to get back without a soaking and with an average HR well in L2 at 130 and never taken above 158 throughout the ride, summary figures above.

So, another week under my belt. I've covered 223 miles and generated a TSS of 663, I also have a new FTP to start the new week. I'm not going to see my CTL rising much at the moment but I'll just keep leaning on the FTP gate and hope it just slowly keeps opening, only one way to find out!

Cheers all.

[Uploaded 16/11/2008 21:37:57]