Thoughts and numbers

Still training... My maximum heart rate is still 192 beats per minute (bpm), but my lactate threshold has moved up from 170 to 172 bpm while my resting heart rate is moving down from 52 bpm to 50 or 49... that one seems to be moving around a bit. So far I've covered over 1,000 miles in preparation. I feel good and I'm strong, but now it's the elevation that worries me. It's funny, but my training so far has been guided by the little things that people say. I asked Justin about his training program and he emphasized intensity. At that time most of my rides were moderate so I added a couple intense rides then did the Breakaway Ride and that was definitely intense! Now I'm going to incorporate a couple of mountain bikes races into my program because you just can't simulate racing intensity on a training ride. The Downieville Classic and the Elings Park Bike Festival are now on my calendar. I've always wanted to do Downieville and Elings would be cool because it's in Santa Barbara... I could ride to a race then ride home! Although according to Patsy the event permits are still pending. Bummer. Big Bear would be a perfect race, but due to the late snow season, it's been postponed and not it'll likely be too late for me.

Then the other day Win asked if I've ridden 100 miles on my mountain bike yet. Seems like an obvious thing to try before Leadville, but I hadn't thought of it... So now that is on my plate. And I ran a cross an ad for Alison Dunlap Coaching. Alison was a pro mountain biker and former world champion and now she's parlayed that into coaching... as is everyone. What's different is 1) her program is cheaper, about $60 per month and 2) its more like a training regimen than a coaching program. Each month you get a new 28-Day training block, you do it and then you get the next block. No performance review, etc. They have samples of their programs available for trial so I'm trying the block for +8 hour Endurance events. I'm on the first week and the intervals are killer. Killer painful, not killer good. Well, maybe good, but my legs hurt. There's some weight training involved too so I went to the gym yesterday for the first time in over a year. Developing some upper body strength and endurance will help.

The Restwise is a cool program. Now that I'm more than a month into it the algorithm is more stable and it seems to pick up my harder training days as well as my rest days.The results look like this:

The colors on the graph are different components of the evaluation. The reassurance that I haven't overdone it helps me emotionally, at least. Also the daily assessment of how I'm feeling is a good way to force some self evaluation. So, I like the program.

I've realized why people use Win as a mechanic so much. Yes he's good and you get you bike back quickly, but between working, training and trying to be home for dinner, I have no time to work on my bike. It's filthy which is rare for my bikes, but the other morning I got up early to work on it before work... And I'm not talking about new gadgets or toys, I'm talking about basic maintenance: a new chain, tire and brake pads. Cleaning? No way! If Win were local I would have happily paid him to do it. Alright - back to it.

-PW