Orcas Training Camp

I just returned from spending the long Turkey Day weekend on Orcas Island. Orcas provided the perfect backdrop for some long training rides, good food, and family time.

Day 0 (Travel Day):
Both SLR and I had to work on Wednesday, so we didn't hit the road until about 4:30 or so. The drive north to Anacortes took forever. We didn't exceed 15mph all the way north to Marysville. The exhaust fumes were actually nauseating with the windows UP! We sat in traffic for two hours before the gridlock eased. We were starting to worry that we were going to miss the 8:25 ferry we were trying to catch and was the last of the day. We made it with not much time to spare. Once on the ferry, all the stresses of life, work, and driving melt away. I slept the entire way to Orcas.

Day 1 (Turkey Day):
The biggest training day of the weekend. 4 hours on the schedule had me doing some rough calculations of how many paved miles of road are on the island. According to H's contact, there are 59 point something miles, which was plenty to get the job done. The riding was the stuff that bike tours are made of. I saw nearly every corner of the island and the roads were empty. I may have passed 10 cars the entire afternoon. While over near Olga and Obstruction pass, I watched as the shroud of clouds that blanket the Olympics this time of year parted for a brief moment to reveal the snowy mountain treasures hidden underneath. The Olympics were a sight to behold especially when backlit by the waning sun. At one point near the end of my ride, a bald eagle and I glided along at the same pace along a desolate stretch of road that tracked the water's edge. The only sound was the ticking of my freewheel and a slight wind that pushed us both along to our future destinations. Invigorated by the Island's beauty, I hardly noticed that my scheduled riding time was almost up. I circled back to the house to finish the day.

Recovery is easy when you can consume enough protein (the Bird), carbs (mash and stuffin'), and fat (in just about everything on the table) in one sitting. Upon my return, I pitched in to finish up the preparations by mashing some taters and prepping the bread putting for desert. The Chef's creations could have graced Martha Stewart's Living. I tore into a heaping plate and enjoyed with much thanks for family, bikes, and the beauty of Orcas. I'm sure I downed enough Kcals to replace what I burned over the course of the ride.

Day 2 (Rainy Day):
The rain was falling fast with big drops for almost the whole day. In other words, it was really wet and not the best riding weather. Good thing I have a coach that can make it rain when I have a gym day scheduled. 1 hour of max strength time at the Orcas Athletic Club. Max strength phase requires moving lots of weight until your legs feel like they are going to fold over backwards. Mission accomplished. Tossed in a few treys on the court to make sure I still have the j working.

Day 3 (Dirty Roads Day):
Having exhausted all the paved roads on Thanksgiving, I decided to hit some dirt roads on Saturday. 3 hours of chamois time on tap. I made it my mission to explore the nooks and crannies that most visitors of Orcas pass by on route to their respective destinations. I headed down seldom traveled dirt roads, most of which were plastered with "Private Road" signs. I think I ended up in places like Spring Point, Killebrew Lake, and Victorian Valley, but one can never be sure because I was winging it. Another solid training day in the books.

Day 4 (Last Day):
3 more hours. I took the Killebrew/Dolphin Bay Road route into town. Both are open dirt roads that pass by beautiful lakes and wetlands. The trees and moss form a tunnel hiding the sun making it rather cold riding. I decided to retrace my steps out to Olga to see if the Olympics would make an appearance today. No such luck. I headed back via Crow Valley Road with a brief jaunt towards Deer Harbor on the way. The water of Massacre Bay was green and still giving off the appearance that it was solid jade and not really H2o. One last slog up the hill on Orcas Road that leads to Orcas landing and I called it a weekend. That hill is a grind, even more so because at the crest there is a road sign laughing at you, "Uff da Hill Rd." Before I knew it, back on the ferry for the journey home; revitalized with some solid base miles in the legs.

Total Ride Time: 10 hours
Gym Time: 1 hour
Orcas beauty and Thanksgiving with Family: Priceless.

Blue Star

Life's Ingredients:

slr.

rest.

eat (preferably sushi).

coffee.

work.

train.

race.

No additives.

VO2 Max Test

A week or so ago, I had some physiological testing done at Swedish Hospital. I was given the chance to do the testing for free so the doctors could test some new equipment. I worked with two great doctors Dr. Carey and Dr. Noonan and a number of other techs and nurses. Dr. Carey is the cardiologist and sports physician for the Seattle Superonics and Seattle Storm basketball teams.

VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen that can be removed from circulating blood and used by the working tissues during a exercise. In other words, the bigger the V02 max, the better the endurance athlete. An athlete's Vo2 max number can fluctuate between 5-15% with training (more for untrained individuals). Intense workouts at or near the current max number can train the body's ability to use oxygen during high intensity efforts thereby raising the VO2 max number until the genetic ceiling has been reached. Professional cyclists typically test in the low to mid 70's (ml/kg/min). Lance Armstrong is reputed to have a maximum around 85 ml/kg/min.

My max result was 64 ml/kg/min. This number is very encouraging because, as Dr. Carey wrote in his report, that number is "the highest range of cardiorespitory fitness for age. " It is also encouraging because it's off season. I have not been doing any intense efforts and in October I didn't really do much cycling at all. Accordingly, I'm probably at the bottom of my trained Vo2 spectrum and could expect to have a number near what a pro cyclist generates during the season.

So, there you have it. I have got the engine under the hood.

Blue Star

MST & Base Miles

Not much to report. Yesterday, was the first day of max strength phase in the gym. Movin' some big weights on the leg sled. I wasn't that sore today so I'll be increasing weights next week. Tonight, it was 2 hours in the saddle. It wasn't raining so I strapped on the light system and all my reflective gear and hit the road and the Birk Gilman trail. I think I saw two other cyclists out there. I have made a pact with myself that whenever it's not raining, no matter how cold it is, I will stay off the indoor trainer to maintain my sanity.

That's it for now.

Blue Star

Burning Some Kcals...

Here's some stats from yesterday's four-hour training ride:
Distance: 64 miles
Kcals: 2165
Power Average: 150 watts
HR Average: 151 bpm

I burned enough calories yesterday to eat whatever I want. It's hard to stuff in enough food to account for the day's expenditure. The stomach is only so big and it doesn't like too much at any one time. The picture is the power file from my ride. Purple = Power, Red = HR, Blue = Speed, Green = Cadence.

2.5 hours on tap for today. The weather is looking ominous. Hopefully, the heavy rains hold off. A little mist/drizzle already. Then I've got to work. No rest for the weary.

Blue Star

A Training Update...

Lately, I have been posting on everything but my training so I figured I'd give you an update on my recent workouts and the plan for this off season. I'm just finishing up "Preparation Phase," which is just a lot of running, lifting, and riding all mixed together during the week. Aerobic intensity is relatively low, it's really just a period of time to get mentally and physically ready to start base and max strength weight training. Tomorrow, I start my "Base 1" period. Base 1 focuses on laying the aerobic foundation that I will build upon for the rest of the season. The key to base is lots of miles at low intensity.

My theory is that riding a bike fast is a combination of four elements: (1) strength, (2) speed, (3) stamina, (4) bike handling skills. In other words, I can go faster by either applying more force to the pedals, spinning the pedals at a higher cadence, maintaining speed over longer periods, or being a Jedi master in the singletrack so that I never touch the brakes. One other element is body weight but I'll avoid that one since most think I'm skinny enough.

For strength, I've really been focusing on building strong legs and core in the gym. I'm hoping that more leg strength will translate to some more watts on the bike. I'm doing squats, leg press, leg extensions and curls, calf raises, and a variety of core exercises. The weight workouts cook my legs. No pain, no gain. Since October, I have increased weights on the various leg exercises up to 20%.

I already have good leg speed. So, in the coming months, I will focus on maintaining high cadence riding as I attempt to increase leg strength. I will throw in some pedaling drills occasionally including spin ups and high rev cruise intervals. I don't have a scooter, so I'm not doing any motorpacing like the pros. Plus, I can't really see SLR riding around on the cold, rain on a scooter.

Stamina is built during base. Long, slow endurance building rides for the next two months. Tomorrow, it's 4 hours in the saddle. In December and early January I will build up to several 250+ miles weeks and 15 hours on the bike (good thing Holidays are slow around the office).

Lastly, bike handling. I think I'm a good bike handler. However, this year I decided to do some local cross races to further enhance my skills. I'm hoping riding off road in sloppy conditions on skinny knobbies will improve my feel for the bike. I'll also throw in track stands and other slow speed stuff whenever I can.

Add all that up and maybe, just maybe, next year I'm able to dominate the early season expert races and make the move to semi-pro. We shall see.

Until next time,

Blue Star

Tifosi Optics

More good news. Tifosi Optics will be my eyewear sponsor for 2006. Tifosi makes some sweet glasses. Interchangeable lenses with a variety of tints to suit light conditions, adjustable noses pieces, Variable Tint Technology (called V.I.T. for short) that darkens or lightens the lenses depending on UV exposure, and lots of frame colors to chose from are just some of the things that make Tifosi a great eyewear company. All this at half the price of the competition.

Visit Tifosi's site at www.tifosioptics.com

EL TRAMPOSO?

I should have suspected something was amiss when a 130lb climber takes second in a grand tour long time trial. Dopers suck! Although until the B test comes back I will hold off on becoming too disgruntled. http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9142.0.html

First Endurance Sponsorship

Good news, First Endurance has stepped up to support me for the 2006 race season. I am excited to serve as an ambassador for First Endurance because I am confident they make the most advanced and effective nutritional supplements for endurance athletes. It is easy to promote a company's products that you believe in. Plus, it's is pretty cool to be affiliated with a company that also supports Levi Leipheimer, Fred Rodriquez, and the T-Mobile women's team. Good company to be in.

Check 'em out at http://www.firstendurance.com