Mid-season layoff mystery

[peterpen]

Doesn't seem like a mystery to me - you rested 10 days and basically got the benefits of a taper. The idea of "form equals fitness plus freshness" is hardly revolutionary - no need for spooky music or promises of wondrous training tools.

Now go do some races and take advantage of that form! You're in NorCal right? Come out n' play at Leesville Gap this weekend! It's only supposed to be 91 degrees, down from 108 earlier this week.

 

[acoggan]

The idea of "form equals fitness plus freshness" is hardly revolutionary

I completely agree (although I am proud of my pithy little saying ).

- no need for spooky music or promises of wondrous training tools.

Certainly no need for spooky music, anyway. However, given the frequency with which people make mistakes in training (e.g., ramping up too quickly and getting sick, tapering too little, etc.) I'd say that a tool that can help prevent such things would be quite useful.

 

[frenchyge]

Sure it's hard, but we're gonna give it a try anyway.
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=3647

Dates should also be coming up in OH, CO, and possibly Dallas this fall.

<quote from agenda> TSTWKT - What it is and how to use it. <quote>

Is this a demo of the training manager software package, or a recap of the article that appeared in CyclingNews?

 

[BlueJersey]

Look interesting and I am hoping the seminar will dig deeper than the fundatmentals of training with a power meter.

<quote from agenda> TSTWKT - What it is and how to use it. <quote>

Is this a demo of the training manager software package, or a recap of the article that appeared in CyclingNews?

 

[peterpen]

...
Certainly no need for spooky music, anyway. However, given the frequency with which people make mistakes in training (e.g., ramping up too quickly and getting sick, tapering too little, etc.) I'd say that a tool that can help prevent such things would be quite useful.

I completely agree - in fact I wish it had been around back at the beginning of April when I posted asking for feedback on managing my taper for target events that month. I don't think I got a single response. Y'all must have been off playing with your sliderules. Managed all right on my own - or the majority of my competitors bungled their tapers, were targetting other events, etc etc.

As for F+F=F, it certainly rolls of the tongue better than TSTWKT.

 

[jbvcoaching]

Is this a demo of the training manager software package, or a recap of the article that appeared in CyclingNews?

Sorry, what CyclingNews article? Frank wrote a PEZ article, is that what you're referring to? If so, it's going to be much more in depth and applied than that.

 

[WarrenG]

Friends,
I've been away from the bike between June 15th and the 25th. I had an opportunity to do a backpacking trip in Colorado that I simply couldn't pass up. ... However, I may have made some fitness gains, and I don't understand how this can be. .

You've mentioned before that you felt overtrained, tired, maybe bored with training, minimal gains, plateau-ing, etc.. You got some rest, added variety to your training (new stimulii?), maybe increased your blood volume and/or hematocrit levels, and maybe got stronger in a useful way during your hiking with extra weight on your back.

 

[whoawhoa]

Actually, I'm not sure why I even put the word "apparent" into that sentence...I guess just out of habit, because I do believe that your 1 min power went up 70 W (having experienced essentially the same thing myself on several occasions...to the point that I was able to predict a priori to someone that I'd be able to significantly exceed my normal 1 min best of ~540 W when I next gave it a shot).

So, does that mean that you disagree with traditional tapering philosphy that includes lots of l6 intervals (assuming l4/5 centric events)? IOW, the taper period should be focused on aerobic workouts (l4/5 intervals) that result in low metabolic stress so that:
1. aerobic abilities are improved due to freshness combined with the l4/5 work.
2. Anaerobic power improves through whatever his phenonema you're describing is?

 

[frenchyge]

Sorry, what CyclingNews article? Frank wrote a PEZ article, is that what you're referring to? If so, it's going to be much more in depth and applied than that.

My mistake. It was Frank's PEZ article that I was thinking of.

 

[kmavm]

You've mentioned before that you felt overtrained, tired, maybe bored with training, minimal gains, plateau-ing, etc.. You got some rest, added variety to your training (new stimulii?), maybe increased your blood volume and/or hematocrit levels, and maybe got stronger in a useful way during your hiking with extra weight on your back.

All true. (Nice memory, Warren!). We'll see how tomorrow's 20 minute test goes...

 

[WarrenG]

All true. (Nice memory, Warren!). We'll see how tomorrow's 20 minute test goes...

If the test goes well I suggest that in three weeks you take a 5-day trip through Yosemite's high country.

 

[acoggan]

So, does that mean that you disagree with traditional tapering philosphy that includes lots of l6 intervals (assuming l4/5 centric events)? IOW, the taper period should be focused on aerobic workouts (l4/5 intervals) that result in low metabolic stress so that:
1. aerobic abilities are improved due to freshness combined with the l4/5 work.
2. Anaerobic power improves through whatever his phenonema you're describing is?

I see where you're coming from, but I wouldn't necessarily agree with the conclusions that you've drawn. That is, I view the phenomenon in question as being a separate issue, and in general wouldn't alter my tapering strategy as a result (although I would make some minor adjustments). Also, I think that what you do during a taper should always reflect the demands of the event for which you are tapering...IOW, while in many cases you'd want to use this time to try to maximize neuromuscular power and anaerobic capacity, it makes little sense for, e.g., somebody prepping for a flat 40 km TT or an Ironman-distance triathlon to do so. Or to put it another way: the S^3 (or S^5) principle applies even when tapering.

 

[kmavm]

BTW, I predict that your 20 min TT power won't be significantly higher (and might be lower) than before your trip.

Well, you sure called that one. It was absolutely pitiful: 250W vs. 280W before the trip. Are you willing to let me off the hook yet? I'm simply dying of curiosity about what's going on here. It sounds like "taper" doesn't quite explain what's going on (monster improvement in AWC, monster lossage in FT).

 

[WarrenG]

Well, you sure called that one. It was absolutely pitiful: 250W vs. 280W before the trip. Are you willing to let me off the hook yet? I'm simply dying of curiosity about what's going on here. It sounds like "taper" doesn't quite explain what's going on (monster improvement in AWC, monster lossage in FT).

Fast fibers like rest and you were doing a bit of training for them during your hikes. Your sprint power is probably still near what it was too.

 

[gvanwagner]

It could be because your anaerobic capacity is a pretty stable trait and it also responds well to tapering. OTOH your aerobic abililty detrains easily (walking might not have been a high enough rate of O2 delivery) and it also isn't as responsive to tapering. Also when tapering fast twitch fibers generally increase in strength so your better 1 min could be because of both the AWC part of it and the NMP part of it.

Or feasibly you could have been tapering your fast twitch fibers while fatiguing your slow twitch. I'm not sure that that is physiologically possible but...


Greg

 

[Russ968]

Come out n' play at Leesville Gap this weekend! It's only supposed to be 91 degrees, down from 108 earlier this week.

Hey perterpen...how'd it go for you at Leesville? I trust you stayed out of the potholes/gravel at the beginning and pushed through the headwinds at the end.

Russ

 

[peterpen]

Hey perterpen...how'd it go for you at Leesville? I trust you stayed out of the potholes/gravel at the beginning and pushed through the headwinds at the end.

Russ

Leesville was fun, did a lot of work for a teammate but he only got 10th so nothing to brag about. Solid day of training and just happy I didn't go down like Criston DeWan did - front tire blowout on that 40+mph downhill.
He's OK though - saw him on the side of the road checking to make sure he didn't lose any of his piercings.
I'd post my file but I ran my Cosmic Carbone SL's - those things are absolutely bomproof!