May 31

Got in some more time on the trainer today. Did a relatively easy E2 workout, got a little over an hour in. I think I'll slowly be able to add more time on the trainer now that I'm able to stand occasionally, thanks to more stability in my bum shoulder. Who knows when I'll actually be able to get back outside and get on the road...we'll see I guess. Hopefully not too much longer.

Total time: 1:15
Normalized power: 167

May 30

OK, finally stopped being lazy today and got back on the trainer. Did a repeat of my workout from the other day, with a simulation of hill repeats. I went a little harder this time, and it felt pretty good. I kept my power a little bit higher during my recovery, and was also able to stand and sprint a bit better for the 15 second sprint, as the shoulder is definitely starting to get some range of motion back. Here are the details.

Total time: 1:00
Normalized power: 205
Average power during each interval: 307, 303, 308, 310, 312, 311, 313, 316

On a side note, this is my first post using my new laptop. It's one of the tiny little guys otherwise referred to as netbooks. It's pretty sweet, and Acer Aspire One. 10.1" screen and weights less than 3 pounds, and supposedly gets over 8 hours of battery life. Not a bad deal for a shade over $300.

May 28

Didn't get any time in on the trainer today, but I went out to the scene of last week's wreck to catch some racing action. All I can say is I hope to someday be as fast as those guys in the 1/2/3 race this week. The AustinBikes team came out en force this week, and each lap it seemed another one was off the front...Sol is a freakin' animal. Only fitting that AustinBikes' (and former UT racer) Jordan Smotherman ended up with the win, with a very impressive kick with a lap to go...also looked pretty baller rocking the long-sleeved skinsuit in 90 degree weather.

Hopefully I'll get some more trainer time in tomorrow.

May 27

Another day, another hour on the trainer. Not much fun, but the trainer's all my shoulder can handle, and about an hour is all my butt can handle...I'm sure I'll start to stretch it out a bit next week, but I just want to take it easy for now.

Total time: 1:00
Normalized power: 151

May 26

I was able to get some time in on the trainer yesterday, so decided to try my luck with some short intervals. I did my best to simulate workout A6 from the Friel book, Hill Reps. It's basically 1 minute in a range above lactate threshold going up a short 6-8% grade hill, followed by 15-30 hard seconds to sprint up and over the hill. This is followed by 4 minutes rest and repeated 4-8 times. After a short warm-up, I started hitting the intervals by shifting into a gear that I could spin about 60-70 rpm to simulate climbing, and went from there. I did 60 seconds targeting 280-300 watts, then just pushed it hard for 15 seconds, then shifted to an easy gear to rest for 3:45 to complete 5 minute sets. I ended up getting through all 8, which was good. I think next time I try this workout I'll push past a 15 second sprint to try to get to 30, or at least go harder in the 15 seconds.

Total time: 1:02
Normalized power: 198
Average power during each interval: 307, 306, 315, 310, 293, 300, 299, 316

Ah, the trainer

I couldn't handle being stuck with another day off, so I had to hit the trainer today. I still can't put any weight on my left arm and shoulder, so it was mostly just sitting up and spinning, a little down on the right-hand hood, but that was tough on the right arm...I didn't really have any specific training in mind, since I was just happy to get some time moving the legs in.

Total time: 1:08
Normalized power: 152

I think I'm going to try to do some sort of intervals tomorrow, but we'll see how the shoulder handles the motion.

My First Wreck

Well, it looks like there might not be much to report for a little bit...had a wreck at the Austin Driveway last night. 3rd degree shoulder separation, some nice road rash, but nothing terribly serious. The doc said I'll be able to ride pain free in about 5-6 weeks, but I can ride once I feel up to it. The legs are unscathed, so I'll probably be on the trainer soon, just can't get down on the handlebars. I'm also pleased to report the bike is safe. The only parts that need replacing are the bar tape and a water bottle cage.

Here's the story of the night:
This was the first time I was trying out the 3/4 race at the Driveway. I figured even if I got dropped, it would serve as a good warmup for the 4/5 race immediately after. I actually felt surprisingly good, and was hanging in the pack pretty easily, but, I knew I wouldn't end with a decent result, so I pulled out about 20 minutes in with my legs still relatively fresh.
And now on to the 4/5 race. It went pretty much as usual, with the typical sketchiness present, which I'm sure I'm not completely innocent of not adding to...nice double negative there, but it's my blog, so I don't care. Anywho, I was mid- to front-pack going into the last couple laps, so I was alright there. With 1 to go, I figured it was about time to start moving up, and I saw Mike Bowker, a solid rider from CCRCC cruising toward the front, so I started to mark him a bit. Everything was going as planned, and I came up the little uphill in about 10th. Going just fine down the little straightaway, coming up on the 180 and chicane leading to the finishing straight. I go outside and start to dive into the 180, when one of the guys directly in front of me slides out and takes the guy next to him out. So, my choice was to run into the guy on the left, or the guy on the right. I chose right, but not sure it was correct. I ended up over the handlebars, with my left shoulder taking most of the impact. Apparently my head hit fairly hard as well, as my helmet is trashed, but the doc found nothing wrong there...at least not more than usual.
I just kind of chilled there for a few minutes, gathering my bearings. People began coming over to check on me, got me over to the tent, and kept an eye on me until my buddy Ryan got his van to take me to the ER. A big thanks to Matt Moore of Team Wooly Mammoth/the Austin Fire Dept for keeping close tabs on me. After that, it was the usual shenanigans at the hospital, which ended up with me leaving in a sling.

That's the story for now, as I'm chicken-pecking this entire thing with one hand. I'll report back once I get back on the bike...

What's the deal?

I'm currently a Cat 4 road racer, occasional Cat 2 mountain bike racer in Austin, Texas. I'm going to use this blog to follow my racing and training as I attempt to move up to Cat 3 and hopefully beyond.

Basically, I'll use this to post up my daily training status, in order to keep me somewhat accountable, if anybody cares enough to follow it. I'll also post the occasional race report, or anything else that strikes me for the day.

Training:
I'm attempting to follow a training plan developed using "The Cyclist's Training Bible" by Joe Friel and "Training and Racing With a Power Meter" by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan, PhD. These books are great resources for those who like to plan their training analytically, which I do, since I'm a data dork. I'm currently in the Build 2 stage, with the plan to be peaking for the Washington County Stage Race on June 20-21.

Without further adieu, here's today's version of how a typical post will go...

Planned:
Workout: E1/E2 Recovery/endurance
Time: 2:00

Actual:
Went for a mountain bike ride for the first time in I don't know how long.
Time: 1:30...the trail I was at is a very short loop, and I could only take so many laps on the same 2.5 mile loop, so I cut it a bit short.