I was doing a cooldown last night on Tempus using my (virtual only) TT bike. I was thinking about burnthesheep and the argument he was getting in with that recumbent dude on the 41 because my cooldown on FF reverse had me putting out about the same power as I do when I ride with the huge pack surrounding Coco Cadence but my segment time was about a minute slower. Sure Coco's giant pack is a lot different than 5 guys doing a TTT but it made me wonder about the aero modelling they use.

First week back training after COVID, and man, am I exhausted. I haven't even done a full hard workout yet, but I am sore and tired. On Wednesday, I got through my third interval (five were in the plan) and was absolutely done.

The good news is that my HR doesn't seem to be struggling to return to normal after efforts and my lungs mostly feel OK so far - haven't really pushed things too hard yet, so not sure how that will go. There were a few times during my bout of COVID that I took a puff or two of the rescue inhaler to help ease my breathing.

I'll do structured indoors on TT bike, but never really lots of Z2 or something. My tv isn't in a good spot for viewing from a TT position, but is for road. So I'll do tempo/Z2 outdoors on it. Indoors I usually target 40min of time in zone of Z4 with some mix of under/overs. Usually 4 sets, in two set chunks. Warmup and do first two sets, break in between, second two sets. Usually one set has higher over and lower under. Then other set has a closer wattage.

And for now it's in ERG as I use the track bike to not put gallons of sweat into the fancy TT bike.

But not in summer. Well, yet. I plan to modify an air mover I have to have a duct off the end of it. Prior owners of house extended the roof off part of back of house for our 3-season room setup. The master bath has a small useless window that looks over that room. I plan to open that window and run the duct through it pre-workout in summer to cool it off with house air. The room is pretty well sealed, so not really too concerned about whatever air exchange happens there for just a workout.

This week is pretty heavy on VO2max and anaerobic work. Seems like every workout has been 115%+ or coasting.

Two weeks ago I took a rest week. Last weekend, I set a 40min flat ground PR @ 4.8. Pretty stoked. I was pacing for 1hr via RPE but my lower back started aching, so I pulled the plug at a nice round number.

Then, I slammed my stem - and I am now unexpectedly comfier and producing more power. My hypothesis is that the lower position and slightly extended reach has my back straight instead of rolled, which is letting me engage muscles more effectively. Or maybe it's post-rest week freshness. ¿Porque no los dos?

After changing my position, two days ago I rode a 17min climb and wound up at 5.2w/kg, with the last 10 minutes at 5.35 and last 5 at 5.5...and it was comfortable?! If anything I was bummed to have run out of road because I felt like I could continue ramping up. My all time 20min best was 5.2 in November of 2016 and I very much recall wanting to pass out and throw up at the end, and it took me a few minutes to regain enough composure to start riding afterwards. Granted my effort a couple of days ago was not 20 minutes, but I think it is safe to say I am stronger now. I also snagged a KOM I had been targeting off and on for a few years now, which was an unexpected bonus.

TBD what i'm doing with racing the rest of the year. The power is there, but mentality-wise I am not sure. I know I'm going to race, just not sure how much.

Did my annual solo century today. After setting a PR last year with 4:56 and doing 227/230 I was hoping to get closer to 4:45 with that power. Wasn’t in the cards though, weekday traffic made it tougher to cheat on lights, but even without lights I wasn’t fast enough, but at least the power was the same. Still finished sub 5 but basically same as last time. Any day on the bike is a good one!

Performance beats indicators always. I just never understand the in house liar, the bathroom scale.

It says year-on from 2021 I am 4 pounds heavier. Nothing in terms of an all out test of 20 or an hour has been done recently. If anything I failed my TT test in the 40k making 7w less than last year on an admitedly hotter day.

But, in general, am otherwise setting PR's on things I track in Strava and ride all the time.

Also, about two weeks ago, on a hilly gravel segment in Umstead on the group workout ride set an all-time outdoor 5min power. I also got into the top 20 both ways on some of the premier segments in there that the true "big boys" are leaders on.

I don't get it. The power isn't up that much from 2022 despite my efforts and my weight is up. I have had a lot more run volume this year. After winning the du didn't want to give all that up. And can absolutely fly compared to last year doing that. And run pace and weight is very very linear.

Shrug.

Mostly EZ hour on the MTB today, just getting some more sun. Nice out. Yesterday, I rode from my parents house to do my old club's ride out of Escondido (Ranchos cycling). It was a glorious route including Lilac road in Bonsall, Miller Road loop in Valley Center, Lake Wolford, and back in. It was good for 5 hours in the saddle. And hot - over 90F in Valley Center (yikes). I was a bit fried after that, but nothing that an early anniversary dinner and movie in an AC chilled theater didn't fix. Everything, Everywhere All at Once - great film btw. Funny and moving.

Great weekend all around!

Went up to the lake and got in a couple of nice long MTB rides. I need to do this more often, just ride and stop focusing on my garmin and instead focus on not crashing into a tree.

Back from Spain, so with a few races that fit the strengths I planned on a 20-hour week.....and my wife has COVID, which means I may have it and shouldn't do more than easy rides...

furiousferret I am sending you a no covid vibe. How was your Spain trip?

At Velo Sports Center last night for structured training. Warmup, accelerating kilo then 5x flying solo 500 meter sprints 10’ RBI. Fast legs.

I feel like I have returned to pre covid fitness and motivation conditions.

I have removed the GMR from my race schedule. If I race it, I have to add too much, IMO, hill climbing to my weekly work and my speed and max power are going to suffer. I really like that race and climb. Oh well. Of course, I can just show up “as is” and race it, suffer a lot and suck.

Hope you don't have it. My wife and daughter both had it in winter but my son and I managed to avoid it. My mom had it a few weeks ago, and my dad managed not too. So it's no guarantee that spouses/family members are automatically going to get it.

So far so good. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm positive because I have a very minor sore throat but its nothing I'd think twice about if my wife wasn't sick. I take vitamin C, Spirulina, and a few other supplements in addition to walking in the sun to prevent this. Our big concern is our FIL, who has cancer and is basically in his last months. He was exposed a few days ago.

Spain was great, we did not like Madrid as much, but the art was great. Cadaques was beautiful, then we went to Sant Felieu (where we want to buy property) and then Barcelona. This time we had a car and driving around the country gives you more of a real world vibe. We got to see a lot more of the country and how people live. For Costa Brava standards, Sant Feliu de Guixols isn't the prettiest town but its near one of the most beautiful climbs in the world, (Sant Grau) is on the start of a 200-mile cycling loop through the Pyrenees, Catalunya, and France and is right next to all Girona's great rides.

The wife and I had big conflicts on the food, I wanted to eat at great restaurants all the time, she just wanted to eat when she's hungry. For me, I'm on such a diet restriction its a big deal, but she gets taken to dinner at great restaurants travelling for work, so it's just another Tuesday. Tapas are great, though, and surprisingly I only gained 2 pounds. That's not to say we didn't eat at great places, just not the premiere ones where you'd have to wait an extra hour or 2.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...819ec74d8a.png
Cadaques


I might have to remove GMR as well, and maybe next month's races. While I have no symptoms the heart issues scare me to death, our friend had a heart attack after being at just 48 yo, and one of our local racers is on a pacemaker now. Both seem to be related to it. I've been hyper obsessed about winning a single race, but my health is more important, and I'm starting to finally learn that I'm not going to get the acceptance I'm looking for if that happens (growing up I got made fun of for being bad at sports, so I always thought winning would change that).

hope you get out of the woods relatively unscathed, I got lucky and didn't get it when my wife and son had it last month, I also lived in the basement and wore a mask around the house lol

we're gonna be out in your general vicinity, going to joshua tree area over the weekend, then up to sequoia and then disney. not super excited to not ride bikes on a vacation, afterall having a hobby should mean being able to do it even more on vacation lol but we'll try and make the best of it

i'm cramming in 10hrs into 4 days this week, did 2hrs 3x30 sweet spot tues, 3hrs z2 wed, 2x45 sweet spot today, another 3hrs z2 tomorrow, so I'll be at 88/89 ctl and then dropping to the 60's by the time we get back. plan is to ride z2 the week I get back, and then start vo2 block to prep for CX

Man that's stressful, we dealt with the same stuff while my MIL was going through cancer treatment. I hope your FIL doesn't catch it! (and you too, I guess haha)

So far so good with the COVID. My FIL has checked out on life since his wife died so we're in that waiting game period unfortunately.

I'm about 70 miles from JTree, be careful and take water. People die out there all the time. I know what you mean about going on vacation without a bike.

Just came back from a bit over a week on vacation (mainly camping) without the bike and am a bit afraid to step on the scales.

Training plan called for a short ride and cadence work after lifting. Usually I will change into bibs after working out, but it's not always easy to do, given how hot and sweaty I am after lifting in the garage.

Last night, I finally just said screw it, and decided to just do my ride in my boxer briefs. I've been debating doing this for a long time. They're made of similar fabric and designed to work similarly, just without a chamois.

Well, I can tell you definitively that boxer briefs are NOT a suitable substitute for real bibs.

The leg bands weren't long enough, so I could feel my skin rubbing against the seatpost - I've never noticed this with bibs. And while the two are designed to do the same thing, boxer briefs are not nearly as good as bibs in keeping things in place while riding.

I ended up catching COVID and I´m still out with it. My season is unfortunately done. 2nd year in a row something like this has happened, getting sick just before my A race.

I didn't really get it bad, it was 102 to 103 for 3 days and then the past few days I have this fatigue where it feels like I drank Nyquil. I think going for a 2-mile walk the day after it broke messed me up worse.

My wife's whole family got it, ironically we were the ones that were super careful during the pandemic. I've gotten it the worst, which is makes sense because I'm the healthiest one by a long shot.

I hope this was on a trainer.

Rollers.

But in other training updates, COVID continues to wreak havoc on my training. I am continually battling major bouts of fatigue. I'll be fine for a couple days, then I'll wake up and barely be able to get out of bed. It's incredibly frustrating.

bummer, hope you get over those residual symptoms soon Topflight.

I'm in off season mode and starting to bounce back from some big volume culminating from the weekend of the 4th. During the week I am doing more jogging and strength work, and on the weekends shorter rides and some hiking, in preparation for my backpack trip in late Aug,

should have some nice power and form for a month or so, which should make weekly track racing fun. Except this week, I have a lot of things to do around the house, so I think I'll do a Zwift race after work and then get to it, This morning, an hour of spinning on Zwift while multitasking. Power ended up mid/high z2 (fresh trainer cal) and legs feel great.

Smashed the (small) Z race yesterday, only 6 starters in the A's, 1 minute ahead of a much larger B field on the 17 mile Watopia Waistband course. Our group turned to 3 real quick and we stayed away, avg around 4.2 w/kg. Steady at 4.0 and a few surges where we tried to drop each other. I got smoked in the sprint and got 3rd.

Afterwards I spun my legs out for ~15 min then romped the FF reverse segment, love that one. I rode it at ~4.5 w/kg for the 10 min, except I was on my road bike in real life and TT bike in Zwift (sorry burnthesheep). I had put up two faster times on this segment in the last month, but still was pretty proud of it after a hard race.

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got em

This past week was the first time since getting COVID that I completed all of my planned workouts.

They weren't all great, but I was at least able to do all of them. So, that is nice.

we got back from our CA vacation on Tuesday night so this past week I've just been doing z2 to ease back into things. Here's my HR trend for the exact same 2hr z2 workout done in erg mode: 142, 135, 129, 127 lol So hopefully I'm "back" because I start a vo2 block tomorrow in preparation for CX season.