The original entry was published on September 1, 2012.  Since then, Strava has made it possible for Premium members to change their heart rate zones.  I have updated this post accordingly.

One of the features of a premium account on Strava is the so called Suffer Score that it will compute for you after each run or ride.  It will only be able to calculate this if you are recording your heart rate because it uses the heart rate compared with your heart rate zones to calculate the suffer score.  For a detailed analysis of what goes into this see Strava Suffer Score decoded, a post written by a friend Dan Connelley.

Heart Rate Zones

Strava now allows Premium members the ability to edit your heart rate zones.  If you accept the defaults that Strava offers, your Suffer Factor might be misleading.  I have done a lot of research on how different coaches recommend setting heart rate zones but no one would put an anaerobic zone starting at 169+ for a maximum heart rate of 175.  Besides, I know that is not the case for me.  Instead of changed the heart rate zones so Zone 5 now starts at 163 not 169.  See my article that compares several methods.  Note once you change your zones in Strava, it will use on a going forward basis and will not change your prior suffer scores.

High Suffer Score Could Mean Poor Condition

I suppose that there there is a correlation between suffer score on Strava and how much you suffered on a ride.  But that does not mean a higher suffer score correlates with better performance in terms of speed/distance.  This was apparent on today’s ride, which had a suffer score of 360.  I sorted my activities in Strava over the past 3 years by suffer score and looked at all of them over 400.

I think the ride where I suffered the most was the on on 7/7/10, but it has the lowest suffer score on this chart.  But then that was done before I was able to change my heart rate zones.  For the two recent double centuries, the one on Knoxville cause me far more suffering that the one for Solvang, but the suffer scores are not that much different.

The suffer score seems to be heavily weighted toward long duration but for some individuals a long ride does not mean suffering, especially if done at a moderate pace.  I therefore consider suffer score just a fun thing to look at and probably a motivator for many people so overall I think it is a good thing.  Strava might consider to look at some other measurement score that could help us with our training, but that might require a power meter which most users do not have.

For those who have a power meter, Strava now offers several new tools to look at, including Training Load and a Fitness and Freshness page.  Once you start to accumulate data from a power meter you will be able to better understand your rides, far more than the Suffer Score will provide.

Categories: Training Program
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I have been doing intervals on the bike periodically.  I usually a a series of 4 repeats of 7 minutes followed by about a 3.5 minute cool-down.  Before I acquired a power meter it was difficult to see if I was really improving.  With running you can pretty much see your improvement with your pace for each interval, on a bike there are a lot of things that affect your speed besides what you are putting out.  So I picked a relatively flat course that included a couple miles of warm-up from our house and then a straight shot, with no need for stop signs or traffic lights during each of the 7 minute intervals. The blue sections on the map are the intervals done at speed and the red sections the recovery portions.  By using a circular course I tried to average out the affect of wind.

I have data from 15 workouts, the first in March 2008 and the 15th today but this workout was the first one using a Power Meter and it reveals some information I did not realize before.  I have been plotting out my average speed for the intervals, along with my average heart rate and maximum heart rate.  With the new information I have added Normalized Power average for the lap.  Since I only have power for this one workout, I used the Strava estimated power for the past couple of interval workouts so I can kind of see how things are changing.  Since Strava estimates are not that good, once I do more interval workouts with a power meter I can remove those Strava estimates.

When you look at overall averages of all 4 intervals, there is a relatively good correlation between speed and heart rate, except in the period 2010-2011 when I was on a beta blocker.  Power also seems to somewhat follow the same pattern.  What I did learn, however, was that there much less correlation between the individual intervals of a workout.  Typically the 4th segment is done at the fastest speed, but that has more to do with the prevailing winds and topography than with my actual effort.  Today for that 4th interval segment I averaged my best speed of 22 mph, but my normalized power dropped from 219 watts for the first interval to only 142 watts.

I also learned that I can not put out the same type of power level when I am riding flat compared with climbing, even though my heart rate is high.  When I am with a fast group on the flats I have a hard time keeping  up until we hit the hill where I can go ahead.  I just thought that was because I was a light weight guy, but now I realize that I am not generating as many watts while riding flat, for the same perceived effort, as when climbing.  Last week I was able to average 235 watts for 20 minutes while climbing Henry Coe.  But today my best interval of 7 minutes was only 219 watts and the rest of the intervals were below 200 watts.  This is not a matter of aerodynamics because I am looking a power, not just speed.  It has to do with my riding style and not putting as much power to the pedal on the flats as I do while climbing, where I often stand a lot.

It is clear that training with a Power Meter is a great aid and it has helped me to see some things I did not realize before when I was just looking at speed and heart rate.

Categories: Speed Workout
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I purchase the GoPro Hero 2 camera over a year agot.  Although I used it a lot initially, putting it on my helmet to take photos and video while riding,  both when using my road bike and mountain bike, I found it difficult to use because I had no way to know if it was pointed in the right direction and I had to reach up to the camera to press the shutter or turn the camera on and off.  I was never quite sure if the shutter press or power button worked because I had to rely on a series of beeps and I can’t always hear those if there is a lot of background noise.  When I made the purchase, GoPro was promising a WiFi back and a remote, with the ability to use an iPhone to control the camera and preview what it was taking a photo or view of.

It seemed like a good way to go but it took a long time for GoPro to fulfill their promised device.  About the time they did, they released a new model, Hero 3, with WiFi built in.  I didn’t want to buy a new camera.  I was reading some mixed reviews of the WiFi back on the GoPro Hero 2 so I waited awhile, figuring they would work out the bugs.  I finally bought the WiFi Back and Remote combo pack and was able to get it for $100 at a local bike shop, which I thought was a good deal since it was priced higher on Amazon.com.

I opened up the box and in the usual GoPro fashion they make it hard to get to the contents and seem to put more thought into making it look fancy on the shelf.  They should take a lesson from how Apple packages things, but they probably think they have done that, but they have not.  Inside are all the things you need.  Besides the WiFi back and the remote, you get two new backs for the case, one water proof, since the current back would not fit with the WiFi back being thicker.  You also get a standard USB cable plus a special one for charging the remote.

Both the WiFi back and the remote needed to be charged first.  Both charge from a USB port, but as mentioned, the remote has a special USB cable that you don’t want to lose.  Once charged, I then downloaded the CineForm software from GoPro and updated the Hero 2 camera, WiFi Back and Remote with the latest firmware.  Initially I had a problem for CineForm to see the Hero 2 camera, but when I swapped out the 64 Gb SD card for another card, then it worked fine.  Part of the update process includes the need to register the WiFi Back and selected a password that will be used later for the WiFi conection.  That was a good thing because you would not want some stranger using their smart phone with your camera.

When you buy the combo pack the WiFi Back and  the remote are already paired on the WiFi.  For the iPhone I downloaded the GoPro app and then in settings I found the Go Pro camera, selected that, and entered the password I had created early.  I have read numerous reports in the web of people having a hard time to get the devices to pair, but I had no issue at all.

Some items to note before you go this route:

• The remote is a handy device with a small LCD screen that essentially shows what mode the Hero 2 is in by having the screen be a duplicate of what you would see in the Hero 2.  That means you have the same lame menu system that the Hero 2 uses so you have to go through all the button presses to change things, but at least if they camera is mounted on your helmet you can do that with the remote.  It does larger buttons that are much easier to press than those on the camera itself.
• The iPhone app allows easier controls than the remote plus a live preview so you can see what the camera is pointed at and recording.  Note that there is a 5 second delay in the live preview but that is much better than shooting blind and not knowing what you get until you download to a computer.
• The biggest issue I have is that you can only connect the WiFi back to either the remote or the iPhone, not both of them at the same time.  I would like it if I could use the iPhone for preview and still use the remote as a shutter release, but that is not supported.  I am not sure if that is a limitation of the iPhone or GoPro’s issue, but to switch between the two you have to access the camera itself, not a great design feature for a camera that might be on your helmet.  You can use the iPhone to make the switch to the remote so if you want to use the iPhone to get things positioned and select the right options on the camera itself, you can then use the iPhone to switch to the remote, but to switch back to the iPhone you would need to do that on the camera itself (or using the remote to wade through the menu system).
• The WiFi back has it’s own battery, otherwise you camera battery would drain too quickly.  If the WiFi Back battery get’s low, it will draw power from the camera.
• There is a distance limit to use the remote or the iPhone and they are not the same.  I have no issue when either are within a few feet of the Hero 2, but for really remote applications, check it out before you go this route.
• You can use the iPhone to turn the camera off and on, but the WiFi back stays on so make sure you turn it off when you are finished.

I guess I would give GoPro only a C grade on this.  First they took a long time to release a product that they promised upon which many people bought the Hero 2 expecting this ability.  It would be nice to have a Hero 3 with WiFi built in, but they they charge you $79 just for the remote, so the combo pack and a Hero 2 is an okay deal.  If I could use both the remote and the iPhone at the same time, I would raise my score to a B.  Although I think the Hero 2 is a great camera, the form factor and the lame menu system bothers me, but right now GoPro has the video and image quality and all the accessories one could ever want.

Categories: Cycling Equipment
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Threshold – What is it?

The term “threshold” is used in many ways in terms of sports and endurance, such as anaerobic threshold (AT), lactate threshold (LT), maximal lactate steady state (MLSS), onset of blood lactate (OBLA).  Exercise physiologists have known for a long time that as you increase the intensity of exercise you reach a point where lactate begins to accumulate in a person’s blood, and this their LT.  It is an indicator of the athlete’s endurance ability.  Lactate is a good thing since it is a fuel for the body during exercise, but when you create more than you can use, it builds up in your muscles and will limit what you can do.

For cyclists who use a Power Meter, this same threshold concept is called FTP, or Functional Threshold Power.   Just as you might see what heart rate you can hold for 1 hour to determine your LT, FTP can be determined by seeing what power you can average for a one hour time trial.  Knowing your FTP can allow you to set power zones for training, similar to heart rate zones.

In the book “Training and Racing with a Power Meter”  by Hunter Allen, and Andy Coggan, a test protocol is provided to determine your FTP.  Not many want to do a one hour time trail periodically just to get this number so their test involves a series of steps, leading up to a 20 minute section where you try to go close to your threshold.  From this test, you can determine your FTP.  The first time I did this test last year, I wrote it out on a piece of paper and taped it to my handlebars, trying to read the next step while I was in the middle of an intense setp.  The Workout Feature of the Garmin Edge products makes this so much better.

Garmin Connect Workout

The first step is to log into Garmin Connect and set up a new workout.  Using the test protocol, I added 11 steps.  This way I can use the Garmin Edge 800/810 to guide me through each step.  Note for each step I selected the time and what to measure.  During the warmup I wanted to keep my heart rate in the range of 110 to 115 bpm, so that was the first step.  The test protocol includes some one minute segments at high cadence, so I selected cadence between 95 and 105 for one minute for those steps, and so forth.  For some steps I could either set a target for Power or Heart Rate but I decided to use Heart Rate since I am more familiar with my threshold for that.

Getting Ready for the Test

Once you have the workout setup in Garmin Connect, you connect your Garmin Edge 810 to your computer and send the workout to it.

Next pick the route to do the workout on.  Ideally it will be one where you can ride without stopping.  For me, I prefer to do the two segments where I need to get my heart rate up high to be on a hill climb.  The only negative is that I need to do a recovery 10 minutes while climbing, but that worked out okay for me.  I decided to do the test riding from home, and then climbing Squaw Peak in Utah.  This allowed me to do the warmup steps on the way the the climb.  You could decide to do all of the steps on a bike trainer, but that would not be very interesting to me.

Actual Workout

Now you are ready to run the test protocol, letting the Garmin guide you through each step.  The workout screen includes a count down time, and the parameters you are trying to achieve, in this case I was on step 10, trying to hold my heart rate just below threshold for 20 minutes.  If I am in the desired zone, a message will show at the bottom, then disappear.  If I am outside the desired range for that step I will get a similar message.

These messages at the bottom auto clear.  The main screen shows your current step at the top, the prior step and your next step below.  When I reach the end of one step, a message at the bottom appears briefly with details of the new step, telling me to speed up or slow down to get into the desired range.

Analysis

A simple approach when you finished is to see the average power you generated during the 20 minute test.  Your FTP will be about 5% below that since the FTP is for a full hour. Since I ended up with 206 watts for 20 minutes, that means a FTP at my current condition of 206 – (206 x .05) = 196 watts.  Remember that watts is not as important as watts per kg, and since I am a lightweight small guy, 196 watts is much better than it would be for a large cyclists, who needs to put out more watts to go as fast, especially on a hill climb.

Strava

If you are a STRAVA user, you can get these type of plots.  Here the current ride, or this test is plotted against my best power vs. time over the last six weeks.  The test was successful because the average power for 20 minutes was just as high as my best for the last 6 weeks.  The test protocol is not to see how much power you can put out for 5 minutes or 5 seconds, but to determine your FTP, or threshold by using a 20 minute segment.

Golden Cheetah

Another good program (free) is Golden Cheetah.  Load the ride into this program and you get all types of analytical tools.  From the plot below you can see that my 20 minute critical power is below what I did last year.  It is a clear indication that I am not in the same condition as my best condition last year where you FTP was at least 20 watts higher.

Summary

Hunter recommends that you run this test protocol a few times a year to determine your current condition.  Using the workout feature in Garmin Connect and the Garmin Edge 810, you can easily do this and the test is set so it is not as exhausting as trying to do a one hour time trail.  Just using a heart rate alone makes it difficult to determine fitness since your heart rate is not a direct measurement of your power output, being affected by things such as fatigue and other physiological aspects. That is what the Power Meter is becoming so popular with cyclists.

Categories: Cycling Equipment, Training Log
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One of the great places to ride when visiting Atlanta is what is often referred to as “The Gaps”.  It is a series of mountain passes about 60 miles from Atlanta.  I am not sure how many there are but I know one century ride does 6 gaps.  On Saturday our son John, took me out to do 4 of the gaps, actually 5 gaps since the first one we did in reverse to get back to the start.  We were joined by 3 of John’s friends.  I had ridden a couple of the gaps before but for me, I had only ridden one of the five we did.

It was over an hour drive to the start location, near Turner’s corner cafe.  We had planned to start around 8:30 am but got a later start since it was difficult for some of the riders to find the start.  That was okay with me since it was still rather cool, and the extra half hour let things warm up.

Within a mile of the start we started climbing up Neils.  It is not steep but it was 8 miles from the start by the time we reached the summit.  I was glad that everyone agreed to wait at the summits for all the riders. I took quite a bit longer than some of the riders.  Still I finished Neels much better than the last time I did it in a few years ago when I was on a beta blocker medication.

I descended slower than the younger riders but they waited at all the intersections where we changed course.  As usual I had to keep my heart rate up high while on the flats trying to stay connected, which meant I did not get the time to recover as much as others.  Nevertheless it was a honor to be riding with much younger riders who were great cyclists.

The next two gaps were easier, but then we reached Hogpen, which was some climb.  It was about a 2,000 foot climb, but what made it hard was the steeper grade that seemed to go on an on without the typical short break you get on most climbs.  I really enjoyed the climb but was glad to reach the summit to see John, who had waited almost 15 minutes for me to make it up.

After descending down the other side of Hogpen we biked for awhile and made a stop at a country store before the final climb.  Then it was up the backside of Neels, which was not nearly as difficult as the front side.  I grabbed a photo of the other riders at the top.

There was some kind of store at that summit and I saw a rather interesting tree.  It had hundreds of shoes tied in the branches.  I guess that people hiking the Appalachian trail would put their worn out shoes into the branches.

The rest of the ride was mostly down hill for 8 miles back to the car.  What a great day in the saddle.  We all went out together for lunch and I really enjoyed the burrito after the hard ride.  When I got home I see that I really had suffered once again, trying to keep up with John and his friends.  I spent more than half of the ride in zone 4, and over 10% in zone 5.   Yes, it was truly an Epic Ride.

Categories: Cycling Group Rides
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One of the many near features of the new Garmin Edge 810 or 510 is the ability to upload your ride via an iPhone or Android phone to Garmin Connect. This particularly useful when doing a ride away from home, such as a multi day tour, without a computer. However there is currently no support from Strava for such uploads. Here is a work around.

1. You need some method to save a file to your smartphone. For the iPhone I installed the program “File App”.

2. After your ride is uploaded open Garmin Connect and select the ride.

3. Select to export the ride as a TCX file (GPX will also work but won’t include heart rate data).

4. Select to open the TCX file in the File application (or which app you use).

5. Using the Files application, email the TCX file, as an attachment, to upload@strava.com. Strava will match up your email address to your account and post your ride. All done!

Categories: Cycling Equipment
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Early this year I realized that the Solvang Double Century would be a great way to celebrate turning 65 by biking 3 times my age in miles.  With our traveling to Japan in February, I only had 4 weeks of training going in, so I knew I was not going to be as fast as prior times.

It turned out to be another cold start for the Solvang Double.  It was 39 degrees so it was hard to know how to dress for it because you don’t want to carry too many clothes as the day warms up.  I settled on a base-layer, vest, knee warmers, double arm warmers and a skull cap.  I lined up at the start area just before 7 am, looking to get with a group.

No group seemed to be forming so I decided to go with a tandem with two male riders.

That might not have been such a good idea because they were stronger than I expected, even on the short climb up to Solvang.  Nevertheless I was able to stay connected.  We passed several other riders who had started early, picking up two other riders, David and Marc.  The three of us drafted behind the tandem, and I even went out to take a short pull.  About 15 miles into the ride, there was a short downhill with a sharp turn that the tandem ripped through much faster than we could and a gap formed.  We wasted too much energy trying to close the gap and finally we mutually decided to give up the chase and the three of us rode together much of the rest of the course.

I knew my training for Solvang was not as complete as prior years and there was no way I could keep up with the fastest riders, which is why I started at 7 am instead of 7:30 am with the fastest group. Still I was feeling in pretty good shape and would go ahead of Mark and David on the climbs up Foxon Canyon and they then would pass me on the descent side.  When we were approaching the first rest stop at mile 41, I passed Art Cruz, which was a surprise because I thought he started 2 hours earlier than me.  I usually skipped the first rest stop but David wanted to get water so I thought it would be good to stop.  The temperature had dropped as low as 34 degrees so I was not drinking that much, but on the other hand I was glad I had now worn a jacket because I was feeling fine and even took off the glove liners at the first stop.

At that rest stop, Art Cruz arrived before we left and he told me he started at 5 am, but had missed a turn and had already ridden an extra 22 miles.  What a bummer.  While we were at the rest stop the 7:30 fast group came zipping by.  I had thought at one time of jumping on their wheel after Foxon Canyon when it was more flat and easier for me to stay connected but in hind sight that would not have been a good idea.  Once we started riding another group came by with a couple of tandems and I told my new riding partners, lets get on the train.  The headwinds were getting rather strong.  With no wind I would probably have been okay to stay with the paceline but the strong winds raised havoc because I could not get the full benefit of drafting.  I started to get worried about burning out so I told David and Marc I was dropping off, and they did also.  I was glad they dropped back because I drafted behind them as we kept moving through the head and cross winds.   Even with their help the winds were so brutal to me while they did not seem to affect the bigger guys as much.  Around mile 75 I was wondering if I would ever be able to finish this ride.

Knowing the rest stop was around mile 80, I just kept plugging away, often dropping off for awhile, then working my way back up.  The rest stop was not until mile 85 and I needed some time there to recover.  I knew that this was not going to be a sub 12 hour ride like in the past and I would need to take more time at the rest stops.

I was glad when we reached the northern part of the ride around mile 100 when the winds would be either a cross wind or tail wind.  By now my legs were feeling over stressed and I was afraid I was going to cramp.  I was taking a lot of electrolytes and drinking a lot but you can also cramp from fatigue.  Somehow I made it to the lunch stop at mile 113.  I saw Deb Hoag there, and she was getting ready to leave when we arrived.  I ask Marc and David to not slow down again for me and if I dropped off the back to just go ahead and that I had decided to ride a slower pace.  I took advantage of the stop to plug my Garmin Edge 810 into the external battery supply so it would start to recharge since I knew it would not last the entire ride.

After eating a subway sandwich I started off with David and Marc but within 5 miles I made the decision to drop the pace a bit and make sure I did not cramp.  Soon it started to cool off from the high 70′s it had been at the lunch stop, because we were near the coast.  That would be a good thing since I usually don’t cramp when it is cooler.

At the next rest stop, mile 141, I arrived before David and Marc left but told them I was going to ride solo.  I was there for some time, again recovering. I decided to swap the external charger to my iPhone but then I realized the  LiveTrack feature of the Garmin 810 was not working.  I saw a text from Anne that LiveTrack was not working since the beginning and she had been worried.  I sent her a text to let her know where I was and tried to get LiveTrack to work again.

The combination of the cooler weather and more resting worked, and I was feeling much faster after that and even thought I was riding by myself, I was moving along very quickly.  I arrived at the last rest stop once again to find Marc and David.  I told them I would ride with them again since I was no longer on the verge of cramping.  Marc was now the one who had the issue and was dropping back.  David wanted to move on because he wanted to finish before 7:30, so I said I would wait for Mark.  That gave me a chance to work on the LiveTrack from the Garmin to my iPhone and get it working fully.

Marc had a bit of a hard time on the hills but would catch me on the descents, then he seemed to get his second wind.  He wanted to finish before 8 pm and I promised him that I would ride with him to get him to the finish well before 8 pm.   About 15 miles from the end we passed Lonni, who had started at 5 am.  She said she was having a tough last 30 miles, but since I had promised Marc to help him finish early, we plowed on.  A few other riders had latched on to us.

It was just getting dark as we were going down through Foxon Canyon.  I was glad I had some light, the period between sunset and civil twilight, as we were descending because I had only taken a smaller light.  We finally made it down to the highway and I knew that it would be a short couple of miles to finish.  We finished at 7:38 pm.

I probably looked a bit ragged but I was feeling fine, much better than I was at mile 75.

It was great to finish.  It was the first time that it took me over 12 hours on this particular double century, but in 2011 they changed the course so it was 5 miles longer and another 2,000 feet of climbing.

My biking time was only 50 minutes longer than the Solvang Double in 2009.  That was rather good since I was clearly not in the same condition and we had those strong winds, plus the extra 5 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing.  My stopping time was quite a bit longer, but I was not trying to win any race and that stopping time helped me from cramping like I did on the Knoxville Double last fall.  This is how it looks compared with the other double centuries I have done.

Categories: Solvang Double
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The training is over so whatever condition I am now in, is what will have to do for the Solvang Double.  This time I skipped the Metcalf Mauler ride on Thursday because that is fast paced and last time before the Knoxville Double I was only going to ride it easy, but got caught up in the chase.

We got ready and drove down to Solvang, leaving around 10 am.  That allowed us plenty of time to check into the hotel and go on a nice ride.

We biked through Solvang and then did the out and back that we have ridden in the past.  On the way back through Solvang we were scouting out a place for a group dinner we had setup for tonight with 6 other folks.  We decided on eating at the Bit ‘o Denmark and made a reservation.

Before heading back to the hotel we went a few miles up the road where I will be ending the double tomorrow.  It was a nice route and one we will want to bike further along next time.  After getting back to the room we had plenty of time to get ready and head down to check in at 6 pm for the double century.  We saw David and Deb Hoag, Art and Sue Cruz and Lonni Goldmen there and gave them the details for dinner.  It was a great place to eat.

Tomorrow, the day of the Double Century, will be a bit cooler but should still be nice.  It is going to be cold at the start, however.  I am thinking to start around 7 am.

Here is the route for tomorrow’s double century.

Categories: Solvang Double
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After a couple of years of not doing any ultra distance events, last year got back into them but first racing the Hoodoo 500 as part of a four person relay team, then later riding the Knoxville Double.  So I decided, with the encouragement of Anne, to do the Solvang Double in March of 2013.  It will be the 5th time I have done this particular double, but this time it will be right on my birthday, the day I turn 65 years old.  I thought what better way to celebrate such a milestone birthday.

Well it all seemed like a good idea early this year but then we decided to make our trip to Japan in February.  It seemed difficult getting back into training after that trip and I feel I have to cram in a lot of riding in the last month.  I keep a detailed training log and when I am training for a big event I plot my miles and feet of climbing as I progress, and compare it against prior years and events.  This time I didn’t really do that but decided to do it now to see if I might be ready.

Although getting off to a good start the first 5 weeks of the year the effect of the travel to Japan is obvious.  The 2008 and 2009 lines are comparable because those were also for Solvang.  As expected the 2012 line is much higher because that included racing the Hoodoo 500 around week 9, then doing the Knoxville Double on week 13 and later in the year at peak training season.  It seems that I am the lest prepared of any double I have done in the past several years.  So I decided to look at only the last four full weeks of training and only for the Solvang Double, which occurs early in the year.  I figure the last four weeks of training are the most critical.

Now I am feeling better, but not completely.  In 2009 this four weeks was after finishing the Death Valley Double, a month earlier than Solvang.  I figure training is an accumulated thing so how well we can bike at any given time is based on the past, with the most recent past having a larger influence.

Besides miles, I also track feet of climbing.

2012 is a bit of abnormality as I mentioned before.  This was the training for and racing the Hoodoo 500, then coming off of that for four more weeks of training before doing Knoxville, which is a much more difficult double than Solvang.  Looking again at only the last four weeks of full training and only for Solvang it looks like this.

The distance of the longest weekly ride is the last chart I do.  You can see in 2009, the Death Valley Double in Week 9.  The last 3 weeks, week 10-12, I am close enough to prior years, especially if you consider the past becomes decreasingly less important the further you go back.  Of course that principle does not mean you should be training hard right to the event because you do need to taper, and my last full week of training was about 50 miles less than the prior week.  This week I plan to do short rides and one interval training, more in alignment with tapering.  This will certainly not be my fastest Solvang Double but I feel I can complete it and not DNF.

Looking at the above charts I can see that in 2008 I did my best training for Solvang and that was the year when I finished the ride in under 10 hours.  I have no aspiration of a fast time this year.

Categories: Solvang Double, Training Log
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It was an interesting year in sports.  I started out the year doing about as much running as I did last year, although not quite up to the level of the years when I ran a marathon.  Then toward the middle of the year my running dropped off considerably as I ramped up my biking to train for the Hoodoo 500.  I ended up the year with two personal annual cycling records, the most miles bike and the most feet climbed.  It was the first time in my life when I biked 12,000 miles in a year, which means I averaged 1,000 a month.  I had hoped to reach 800,000 feet of climbing, but did not quite make it, but did exceed my prior best year.

Categories: Cycling, Running, Training Log
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