Setbacks

Got hit with the cold from hell two weeks ago. Isn’t that how life works! Feeling good, working hard, then BAM! Two weeks of lots of coughing, vitamins, sleeping, watching the Tour of California live internet coverage, and no riding. I was finally feeling well enough to venture out on a ride yesterday, and was surprised that I had retained a good deal of the fitness from before I got sick. Not 100%, but I didn’t ride as poorly as I thought I would!

My plan is to repeat my last week of training workouts--maybe reduce the FTP a tad if needed, and do another FTP Test in a week to see where I stand. I then have about 2 weeks to hit it hard, and then taper a little before the Solvang Century in March.

As upsetting as setbacks are, Coach Wharton nicely reminded me that most of us are not professionals and don’t get paid for riding--so don’t let these little things get you down and just focus on having fun. I can do that.

Ken

Another Threshold Test

Last night I performed the ErgVideo Threshold Test for the second time. The test goes like this:

• A 10 minute CT calibration at 150 watts.
• A 25 minute warm-up, building in intensity to several intervals at 100% and above threshold power.
• Either a 60 minute or 20 minute time trial effort. At the end of the time-trial, the software calculates your functional threshold power and saves this as an html file which is displayed via your web browser.

My first test on January 1st came in at an FTP of 189 watts. This time I tested at 192 watts. I haven’t discussed the results with coach Wharton yet, but I’ll take any improvement I can get as a sign that I’m moving in the right direction.

Hats off to ErgVideo for a really slick piece of software--it is great knowing that I am able to track my progress in an objective manner and get an accurate picture of where I am at each month.

One note--I had not updated my ErgVideo player software, and as fate would have it the TT file will not convert (a bug that has been addressed in the latest version). My bad for not paying attention!

Hope everyone is enjoying the Tour Down Under, and looking forward to the Tour of California!

Finally, tickets to France have been purchased, and I can’t wait for Mont Ventoux in July!

Solvang Confirmed

This week I received confirmation of my Solvang Century registration. It was a little kick in the butt, as I have been a bit of a slacker after the holidays. Got on the CT last night for a great round of 4 x 9 minute threshold repeats, and back on again tonight for 2 x 20s. I am looking forward to the next 4-week block of workouts from Coach Wharton.

I continue to feel that the CompuTrainer, and ErgVideo combination delivers the most performance increase per minute of training available on any indoor system I know. That said, it is not without areas in need of improvement. There are a few notable areas where the CT could stand to rejoin the 21st Century:

1: Ride files. To get a ride file into WKO+ (perhaps the most common serious training log/analysis software available) requires multiple steps. You have to import the ride file into the Coaching Software and export it out again, then load WKO+ to open the new txt file. I’m not sure why RacerMate can’t just allow the user to set up a preference to automatically save the ride file in whatever format(s) the user wants, in one step, from whichever program you are running (ie, 3D, Coaching, ERG or Multi-Rider).

2: Program Usage: Speaking of multiple RacerMate programs--why does there need to be multiple programs? Just give us one program and let us decide what mode to run it in. Integration please! Only Multi-Rider requires a separate purchase, and I’m sure they could allow its functionality within the larger program to be enabled via a registration code once the additional fee has been paid.

3: Design: I know the main point of workout software is functionality, but RacerMate really needs a good graphic designer. The layouts are pretty hard on the eyes. They feel like software titles designed by engineers, for engineers. As an end-user I actually do care about how things look.

4: Mac Please. Okay, I know I’m in the vast minority, but with most Macs now Intel native, porting over software to the Mac is easier than it has ever been. We are seeing lots of PC game titles being quickly ported to Intel Mac. I hate having to re-start in PC mode just to run my software (but I’m glad I can). I know the developers will say there isn’t enough money in the Mac market to develop for it. But I’ll keep asking.

I know developing for a small marketplace is challenging, and it is no doubt difficult to decide where to assign resources that will show a return on the investment. But I can’t help but think that RaceMate needs to step up and give their software a solid interface update soon to stay in the game.

If you are interested in joining me and a few thousand other riders, here is the link to the Solvang Century:

http://www.bikescor.com/solvang/welcome.htm

ErgVideo Threshold Test

Back from the distractions of the holidays. Too much eating, not enough bike riding, and I am a little tardy in keeping up with the blog. Here is the latest. The ErgVideo Threshold Test DVD arrived in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago. Coach Wharton had estimated my threshold power at 190 watts, which I have been using for my workouts and it seemed about right in terms of generating ErgVideo workouts that are challenging, yet not overwhelming.

So after a rest day I installed the Threshold Test, and gave it my best shot. The first thing to report is that the test REQUIRES that you warm up properly. This is a 20 minute warm up that ramps up in intensity and includes a number of intervals at 100% and above threshold power. It was more intense than I ever would have warmed up on my own, and I am sure how I SHOULD be warming up for a time trial effort!

The test itself offers both a 20 minute and 60 minute time trial to determine threshold power. I chose the 20 minute test because I am still a wimp. The time trial is done on a 1% grade, in which you follow another rider. You are NOT riding this in ERG mode, in other words, you ride at whatever power level you can maintain(which makes sense, as this is a test after all). The rider you see is only a visual aid that helps you pace yourself--I found it to be helpful seeing someone else so at least I could convince myself that I was not suffering alone.

At the end of the test, the software calculates your threshold power and displays the stats as an html page. I tested at 189 watts--almost right in line with Coach Wharton’s estimate.

Now that the holiday’s are behind me it is back to a regular training schedule and regular reports on my progress. Happy 2009 to all!

Ken

2 x 20s

Tonight felt like a small breakthrough. This was my second time doing 2 x 20 minute threshold intervals. I survived my first attempt--but barely. This time, though by no means an easy workout, I certainly felt much stronger throughout the 2nd 20 minutes, and was able to keep both my cadence and speed up. Coach Wharton wanted to see me riding between 20-25 mph at a cadence in the 90s, which I was able to maintain through both intervals.

Rain and cold in the forecast--yes, even in southern California. I LOVE that I can still get in a challenging ride and see improvement even when the weather turns ugly. My new bike, however, sits in the living room, gazing longingly out the front window...

Christmas Comes Early

This week Santa made an early stop at my house. Well, he actually made me drive 90 miles to pick up my present: a 2008 Trek Madone 6.9 Pro. I’ve had the itch for a new bike for some time now, and having my Felt on the CompuTrainer makes for a bit of a hassle when the weather turns nice and I want to go outside. A shop in San Diego was “blowing out” the 08 Madone 6.9 Pro, and offering a 12 month no payment/no interest deal that was too much for my weakened willpower to withstand.

So with the hesitant approval of my finance manager I drove south and signed up. Who says there is a credit crunch? It took all of 3 minutes for Trek to approve the transaction. The shop did a very complete bike fit and I was on my way in no time.

Continuing with coach Wharton’s training plan. Lots of intervals... I’ve been trying to figure out how best to get WKO+ charts out of the program to post. XP doesn’t have a nifty window capture utility built in, and my Mac keyboard doesn’t have a print screen key. I’ll dig around for some shareware--there must be something out there that will let me grab the charts.

Finally, the ErgVideo Threshold Test DVD arrived yesterday. I will have a go at it next week and report back. In the meantime, lots of rain in the forecast so the Madone will have to be content looking pretty in my living room while I spin away on the CT until the sun comes out again...

Ken

Week One

My first week of training is done and all the performance files are in the hands of coach Wharton. Despite a couple of technical bumps in getting the CompuTrainer up and running, the ErgVideo software ran flawlessly. The seamless process of receiving the coaching plan, selecting the ride, and doing the workout, is really amazing. And the quality of the workout is pretty intense.

Last night’s ride was a tempo club ride--very much like any home town club ride you might be used to. What a great feeling to be able to get in this kind of workout from the comfort of my home, at night while it is raining outside!

One thing I notice right off the bat is that ErgVideos force you to give it your best. An hour into the ride when the rider in front of me sprinted ahead to catch up to a group up the road, I really didn’t want to follow him. But the power graph at the top of the screen told me I would have to if I wanted to complete the workout! The more I get used to the software, the better I get at reading the upcoming sections of the ride by looking at the graph. A dip to zero watts followed by a sharp rise: stop sign or turn ahead. You can easily see in advance when it will be your turn to pull at the front. After a long stretch at 100% I found that seeing that little dip in power coming down the road kept me motivated to keep pushing just a little more, knowing that a rest was coming...

In terms of the mechanics of the system, there are a few things to make sure you have right. The CompuTrainer connects to a computer using a serial connector. Being a Mac user, I haven’t seen a serial port on my computer--well, ever. The latest Mac I bought even dropped the Firewire 400 in lieu of the faster firewire 800 and USB 2 ports. For most users I suspect that they will be using a serial to USB adapter, and they are not all created equal. ErgVideo has a nice video tutorial that explains which is more reliable.

http://www.ergvideo.com/Support.aspx

I ordered one, updated the drivers, and it worked flawlessly. $19 well spent.

Other than that, it is important to do a proper warm up to get everything calibrated (10 minutes). Just build this into your workout routine--it will keep your rides consistent and accurate. Make sure you have whatever you need while you ride at hand. Water, gels, TV remote, phone, a towel, etc. should be at arms length, because you really don’t want to pause the workout to get up and get something you forgot.

One final point about this entire system. While it provides, in my opinion, an unparalleled quality of workout for an indoor training system, it does require that the user be comfortable with diving into aspects of software that the casual computer user might not normally be required to explore. Be prepared to tinker a bit to get everything running optimally.

I think it is important to keep in mind that the developers of these tools are developing to a relatively small market (compared to say, the market for Halo). The time and effort is being spent in making sure the software gives us the best workout possible, in an easy to use interface. In the case of the CompuTrainer Coaching and MultiRider software, that interface is, um, somewhat aesthetically dated. That said, it is functional, and the ErgVideo Inc. software works in such a way to keep it in the background for the most part.

Now, a day of rest, and then on to Week 2!

Ken