Final Preparations

T-Minus 7 days until my departure for France and there is so much to do!

My training got a little stalled last week as I ended up taking an unexpected business trip to Toronto. A full week of work with no time on the bike, and very little sleep. It took a couple of rides to wake up my legs, but I feel like I haven't lost any fitness. I'm now back in the 4 day a week training routine--a couple of days on the CompuTrainer, and a couple of days outside. This will be my last weekend to get in some good long rides.

My final fitness test before the Etape will be on Tuesday morning. The plan is to take the ErgVideo Threshold Test, then record a Training With Ken spot for the FredCast podcast along with my coach (Rich Wharton).

The purpose of this adventure was always to see how an average cyclist (that's me) could benefit from a structured coaching plan that utilizes the technology that is available to maximize improvement. I always knew that I couldn't train 10-20 hours a week, so I wanted to see what was possible within the limits of my personal life. The reality is that 6-8 hours a week is probably the most I am able to commit to cycling. Is that enough to tackle the Etape?

Here is the Etape profile:

Each of the little climbs is about 4-8km long--and of course, Mont Ventoux at the end. I can say without reservation that I am in the best cycling condition that I have ever been in, but will it be good enough? It is certainly the most difficult ride I have ever attempted, and with potential wind and heat, it could be brutal. But I am excited to test myself!

I'll be recording video along the ride, and I'll try to get some interesting interviews with other riders, spectators, and just about anyone who will talk to me!

Thanks for following my adventure....

Ken

Inside Outside

It’s 3 weeks until I leave for France, and about 6 weeks before the Etape du Tour. I’m getting very excited about the trip, and just a little anxious about being as prepared as possible. Last month I did my threshold test and came in at 216 watts, which was right in the range I was hoping for. Dropping the last 5 pounds has been a bit of a struggle, and I seem to be stuck a bit in the 148 pound zone. Hopefully a few tweaks to my diet and a month of increased workout intensity will do the trick. I was told that the food and wine in France are all low calorie, so hopefully I won’t gain back any of the weight I worked so hard to lose!

With the weather really getting nice here in southern California, I have not been able to resist the urge to get outside and ride. And in doing so I swapped out some of my CompuTrainer sessions for outdoor sessions.

After a couple of weeks of this, I really did not feel like I was getting the same level of intensity on the outdoor rides. Last night I did another threshold test, which came in at 218 watts, a 1% improvement, but well below the 4-5% improvement I had been seeing before.

This is hardly scientific, but my gut feeling, supported somewhat by my testing data, is that the shorter, targeted, more intense indoor workouts on the CompuTrainer deliver faster, more substantial fitness improvements compared to just going outside and riding hard. I’m still trying to find the perfect balance, because let’s face it—we ride bikes to get outside and enjoy the company of other people. Isn’t the whole purpose of getting fit to go out and hammer, I mean, enjoy riding with our friends?

As I start to get ready for France I am also fine-tuning my bike and other gear for the ride. I have been riding with an iAero, but I have recently added a wireless PowerTap, which is being loaned to me by Rich Wharton. The iAero can take in wattage from the PowerTap ANT+ signal, and has some pretty unique capabilities for optimizing riding position by analyzing drag coefficients in real time. I am also swapping out my Dura Ace 7800 standard cranks for a set of Dura Ace 7950 compact cranks, and changing my 11-25 cassette to a 12-27. Since all of my training climbing has been with standard cranks, I think the Compact cranks and 12-27 cassette will give me the extra few gears I will need to make it up Mont Ventoux.

The weather in Provence can be unpredictable this time of year: scorching hot, rain and mistral winds are all possible. I am fairly certain that I will leave the carbon aero rims at home and take my Mavic Ksyrium SL rims, which are a little heavier, but a more all-purpose wheel-set. A 15-mile descent on a 9% grade in the rain with carbon rims is not something I would want to attempt! More likely though, the weather will be horribly hot, but I am bringing just about everything in the closet just to be prepared.

So the next few weeks will be devoted to increasing my training on the CompuTrainer during the week, finalizing the prep of my bike gear, and getting in some good long rides outside on the weekends.

Finally, I want to thank all of the people who have been generous and donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It’s a great cause and I really appreciate your show of support.

Nutrition Musings

I've been thinking a bit about proper nutrition, and its role in training. I've always had generally healthy eating habits, and without a weight issue never given much more thought than that to proper diet. As I struggle to drop the last few pounds I am starting to look into the little things: non-fat latte instead of regular, reducing portion sizes, omitting little things that may have extra processed sugar, etc.

I've also been taking a closer look at calorie content in the things I eat. There is a curious thing about calories per serving in the food we eat--almost everything has 120-150 calories per serving. How could that be? Looking closer it becomes obvious: manufacturers simply adjust the serving size to bring the total calories into line. Tricky. Normally my serving size is the amount I feel like eating.

There are hundreds, wait, thousands, of diets out there. Too many for me to actually subscribe to any single one. Instead, I (with the agreement of my coach) have decided to subscribe to the following general rules for eating and drinking:

Fresh quality foods whenever possible: regular servings of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. When I want to snack, I grab an apple or banana, or handful of raw nuts.

Leaner meats: avoid fatty meats, chicken skin, etc.

Cut back a bit on the gluten: less bread and pasta.

Cut out processed sugar: no sodas, candies, added sugar, etc. I do indulge in a small bit of dark chocolate now and then to quench the sweet tooth.

Limit alcohol: A glass of red wine a couple days a week when I'm not training the next day.

The formula is really pretty basic:

calories in (greater than) calories out = gain weight

calories in (less than) calories out = lose weight

calories in (equal) calories out = neutral

So to drop those last few pounds I plan to kick up the volume a little, and keep the eating in check, watching closely that I don't lose strength (ie, muscle). It is also my hope that by eating quality food, and fueling properly on rides, I will keep my immune system strong and avoid getting sick.

This is just my own common sense approach to eating well!

Ken

A Quick Update

Just a quick update on training progress.

All is going well, and I continue to be on-track with my goals. My May Threshold Test came in at 216 watts, on target with my goal of 215 watts. I am attempting an increase of 5 watts per month with the hope to end up at 225 watts by July. As I move into a new 6-week phase of training we'll see if I can continue at that level of improvement.

My weight is on track, but I have seemed to hit a point of resistance at 150 pounds, which I have been at for a couple of weeks now. My plan is to increase my weekly mileage by commuting into work once a week, which will add a couple of hours to my weekly ride time. I would still like to drop 5 more pounds between now and July. I've cut the croissants, but I guess I need to lay off the lattes as well... :(

For the latest, check out the Training With Ken spot on the most recent edition of The FredCast Cycling PodCast.

And enjoy the Giro!

Ken

Goals / Results

Last post I wrote a bit about inspiration, and nothing is more inspiring than seeing results. Since I don't race I can't point to spots on a podium, or personal-best time-trial efforts, to demonstrate results. Thankfully, my cycling efforts don't require that I get a sponsor's name in front of a camera!

Instead, every few weeks I ride the ErgVideo Threshold Test to track my progress. My most recent test put me at an FTP of 207 watts, up from 198 watts a month earlier, which was up from 192 watts on my first test. So in about three months I am up 15 watts, which is tracking perfectly with my personal goal of getting my FTP to 225 watts by the Etape du Tour.

Along with increasing my wattage, I am also attempting to bring down my weight to achieve a higher power to weight ratio. I started in November of 2008 at 165 lbs. Currently, I am hovering at about 150. My target weight for July is 140-145. There was a very revealing article on the Team Astana website that talks about weight its correlation to the energy required to move it on a bike (link below).

As much as I appreciate the technology of the CompuTrainer, nothing beats just getting outside and riding. With weather hovering in the mid 60s it was a perfect weekend for riding. A small group I ride with on Sundays headed up into the local mountains along the same route taken by the Tour of California as they went from Santa Clarita into Pasadena. It's hard to believe that this view is just a 30 minute ride from Pasadena, CA.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who has donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation in support of my ride. We have broken $1,000! Your contributions are truly appreciated. And of course if you would like to donate, just click on the link on the right column to go the my LAF fundraising page.

Ken

Watts per Kg Article

http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com/fresh_brew/watts.html

Inspiration

Yesterday I was listening to an interview with Phil Keoghan on TheFredCast cycling podcast. Phil is riding across America and raising money for the MS Society. He rides a century every day as he works his way across the country. That interview started me thinking about what inspires and motivates cyclists to train and ride hard.

As a fairly self-motivated person, it doesn't take much to get me to jump on my bike and go for a ride. But going for a ride, and training, are very different. Jumping on my trainer at 10pm when I would really just like to chill out in front of the TV or go to bed takes a little extra motivation.

I've found that a few things can provide that little push:

1) Expectations. I know that my coach is expecting to see a file the next day. I hate to let other people down. If I know someone is showing up at 6am to ride I can drag myself out of bed and be ready to go. Knowing that my coach has worked to prepare a training plan, and is expecting to see the results of a workout is a motivating factor for me.

2) Work towards a goal. Training with a mind towards achieving long term and short term goals keeps me focused on the big picture. As I see myself achieving the short term goals (weight loss, increased wattage, etc.), I know that I am progressing towards the long term goal.

3) Work for a Cause. Riding to raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation has put my efforts into a larger context. Now it is not just for me. People are spending their money to support me, and that adds a level of responsibility on my part to commit and follow through.

What inspires you?

Ken

Training Theory

I always like to understand the why of things, so I asked Rich Wharton of onlinebikecoach.com to go into a greater depth explanation of the training plan he devised for my Etape du Tour ride in July. Below is his quite detailed explanation. I take comfort in knowing that as I sweat through one more set of intervals, Rich has a reason for making me suffer!

Take it away, Rich:

Ken,

Knowing that we were roughly 17 weeks out from the Etape and the Mont Ventoux climb in July, I decided to count backwards and run you through multiple 6-week blocks of specific training, so that we could build upon systems that are necessary for the Four "S" 's.

• Stamina
• Strength
• Speed
• Skill

You've already been through several months of off-season preparation, so the goal right now is to get you ready for your Spring campaign with some Speed and Strength optimization intervals.

Weeks 17 through 12 are mostly MAP intervals - that means "Maximal Aerobic Power", or "Vo2max" style intervals. They're short (<6>

Vo2max intervals are designed to do what their definition implies - Maximize your ability to process oxygen and purge CO2, or, "Develop Maximal Aerobic Power". These are NOT the systems you'd use for Mont Ventoux - instead, they're what you'd use for your local hills in LA or San Diego. 3 to 6 minute hills in the middle of a ride that require power but also require that you recover in time for the next one. So - you're in the middle of a 5-6 week block that will attempt to do this.

Why six weeks? Well, if we base things on a 48 week year (time off for family vacations, holidays, etc.), It allows for good "Mesocycles" of progression in intensity, and periodization, which is the actual time spent recovering adequately so you can perform better. Also - there's some evidence, and it's kind of broad, though accepted, that you really can't train one system for more than about 8 weeks before you flatline on your performance in that category or energy system, and you need to change training so that your body can adapt to do something else. I call changing modes of training, "Juggling water with one hand." You try to keep one drop from hitting the ground, and another drop will fall while you pay attention to that drop. Nothing's ever perfect, though with steady training and practice, you can raise the entire level of your performance or fitness. It's the single-channel optimization that always yields relative drops in other areas.

The next block is a six-week block of AC intervals (levels 6 and 7 on a scale of 1 to 7), with a follow up workout of Threshold intervals (zone 4). This will do two things. It'll absolutely hammer your Anaerobic energy systems, giving you some needed Speed to 'attack' or 'counter-attack', and it'll also rejoin the aerobic workouts that optimize your stamina. This will take us well in to summer. Notice that in this 6 week block, we'll be completely bypassing Vo2max. Why? Well, look at most of your outdoor ride files. They spend a lot of time in the aerobic areas of Tempo and Threshold, and then bypass Vo2max to hammer high periods of accumulated time in the Anaerobic and Neuro-muscular energy systems. Vo2 is still used, but it's on the low part of the overall wattage trough, behind everything else. You still need to develop it, but as my own recent experience will dictate - climbing at Vo2 max usually means getting dropped... You'll need to spend time above and below that zone when climbing in a pack, so you can eke out the climb.

Finally, the last six weeks, we'll revisit Vo2max intervals, but we'll combine them with Threshold efforts as well. Again - you can't hammer out AC Intervals in to perpetuity and continue to think that you'll be able to make gains. Your neural pathways will be fried. I sometimes wonder if AC efforts shouldn't focus more on the AMPERAGE you're sending to the muscles, rather than the actual WATTAGE that the muscles are generating, in AC interval efforts. Returning to Vo2 efforts will allow those systems to recover while still holding on to the gains made from the previous 6 week effort. The Threshold efforts will almost be rote by now, but since this is all about a LONG Etappe, and a LONG climb up Ventoux, well, you'll still need to be able to perform steady climbs.

We'll taper you down on your volume starting at least two weeks out, but you'll be in France by then, anyway, and you'll be able to enjoy your rides that much more.

Sincerely,

Richard Wharton

USA Cycling Level 1 Coach

Author, Watts per Kilogram

Get your exclusive "Watts per Kilogram" CompuTrainer or ErgVideo(TM) Training Plan at

www.onlinebikecoach.com!