andy: 2013年3月アーカイブ

Inspired by Andrew's first yahiko, I did a first isonobe today.

On the road at 515. The sky looks threatening. Snowing by the time I reach Takayanagi. Still it's better than rain!

Isonobe isn't oficially open. Even without the snow, the road would be wet and dirty. I won't do this very often. Sorting out the bike and kit after the ride is a pain.

A steady climb at lactate threshold.

Back down in Takayanagi, heavy rain and road sprinklers.

A TT home for a hot shower and hot coffee...

Sunday's training: Road (55 km)

I fell asleep with the boys at 8 pm last night. Up at 4:30 for asaren. Rain! Back to bed! Power sleep!

This afternoon I get both of the boys to sleep together. Magic! I have about an hour!

Rollers while watching them sleep.

Rollers are no longer the base of my training. That's done on the road. Rollers are a chance to do hard and controlled efforts.

40 minutes at 50 kmph. The HR hovers around the aerobic ceiling. Lactate threshold training.

Play with the kids in the afternoon. Genkikan. Salt Spa... at last chance for a beer!

Friday's training: Rollers (45 mins)

Another 5 am start. A mix up meant that I rode to Teradomari solo. Tempo pace. No wind or waves today.

On the way back I meet Nishihiro san at Izumozaki. Some high paced through and off.

On the climb I try a long attack. Drop two gears. Out of the saddle. Sit briefly. Out of the saddle again. 184 HR AND 37 kmph (!) over the top.

Chance for a second climb today. 170 HR keep @ 28 kmph. At 500m to go, push harder. Hold 30 kmph. Out of the saddle over the top. AJ!

Another great training sesson.

Thursday's training:

Road: 73 km

Rollers: 50 kmph / 110 cadence x 30 mins

Weekday asaren today. A 5:00 start with Nishihiro san. Excellent training as always.

At the top of the first climb.

"174 HR!"
"172!"

It's gonna be a good ride!

There's no rest on the flats. Nishihiro san is really fast. 151 HR average tells the story.

On the last climb I have the strength to kick a big gear over the top. 32 kmph / 181 HR.

I've got a good base. Now this type of training is helping me build towards race fitness.

Wednesday's training: Road (68 km, 151/181 HR, 34.2 kmph, 86 cadence)

It's been a while since I hit the rollers. I can ride fast today. The HR responds well too. Peaking at 170 HR @ 55 kmph.

Tuesday's training: Rollers (35 > 40 > 45 > 50 > 45 > 50 > 55 > 45 > 50 > 50 > 35 kmph x 100 cadence) 45 mins

After yesterday's hard effort, a tempo ride today.

110 km on the coast. At this time of year, that means:

• 55 km into a headwind (30 kmph, 129/161 HR, 81 cadence)
• 55 km with a tail wind (33 kmph, 133/159 HR, 79 cadence)

That's why aerobars are so useful at this time of year. I'm not looking for speed. I just want to get my head down. Find the right gear. Find the right cadence.

The rhythm. The rhythm. The rhythm.

Aerobars also bring the muscles of the bum and lower back into play. Neglected on the rollers. A chance to strengthen the core....

Monday's training: Road (110 km)

Each group ride is better than the last.

A 5:10 start with Nishihiro san. 172 HR on the first climb of the day. The sensations are good.

A headwind on the way out but we still make Teradomari in an hour.

50 km into the ride at Maze we meet 10 more riders to become a 12 man group.

Some fast through and off back to Teradomari.

3 laps of the race course.

First lap, I position myself well at the bottom of the climb. A good gear selection too. First over the top.

On the front I take extra long pulls. See how long I can hold it before someone comes through.

By the second lap, 4 of us are working the front to pull the group. On the climb I follow Fuchita san's wheel. He looks really comfortable. Fast on the flats and the climbs.

More long pulls on the front.

The third lap, I dig deep on the climb. 184 HR over the top. I look back. I have a gap. But they'll be back on the descent.

The home straight. Attack! Tazaki san has a gap. I dig deep to bridge. Drag the group with me.

Counter Attack! Fuchita san. No response. No response. Go!

Out of the saddle. I gap the group. I have about 1.5 km of road left to reel him in. Pursuit time!

I close the gap slowly. The rising sun casts long shadows. I hold back a couple of bike lengths so he doesn't know I'm there.

Once he sees me I grab his wheel. He's watching my shadow. 500m to go.

I make a few suggestive moves to test the water. He seems ready to go.

Look back. The group is closing fast. Now or never! Attack!

Out of the saddle I sense a gap. The road rises. Now his shadow closes on me. Try to hold him there. Here comes the shadow. I try match him. But he's too strong!

Second over the line. AJ!

Great race training! A couple more sessions like today and I'll be ready for Gunma CSC.

A tailwind back to Kashiwazaki is great reward...

Sunday's training: Road (4h18, 142/184 HR, 3255 kcal, 140 km, 33.5 kmph, 82 cadence)

A rest day tomorrow. Go hard today.

Long intervals on the aerobars. Heavy gear. Low cadence.

• 1 min hard / 2 mins easy x 3
• 1.5 mins hard / 3 mins easy x 3
• 2 mins hard / 4 mins easy x 3

A TT on the return leg:

• 140 ~ 150 HR / 80 cadence x 40 mins

Friday's training: Road (90 km)

Two back to back long and hard rides. A recovery ride today.

The air is cold. The wind is strong. Even some snow in the air. The great outdoors!

Easy does it today. Refresh the legs...

Thursday's training: Road (55 km, 109/137 HR)

A 515 start with Nishihiro san today. Not too cold. A slight headwind. Both on aerobars, we can keep it around 35 kmph. To Teradomari in an hour.

50km to Maze. Here we meet 7 more F(t) Racing riders. Facebook is great for setting up rides like this. 9 of us together now.

Two laps of a short circuit in Teradomari.. A few riders are riding strong already. It's only March! Motivation is high. 177 HR on the climb on the second lap.

Back to Kashiwazaki. Tired legs. But we can keep the pace high.

Another great day's training. Nishihiro san, thank you!

Wednesday's training: Road (3h33, 141/177 HR, 2669kcal, 116.4 km, 33 kmph, 80 cadence)

Grrrrrrrrrr!

Most of March is spent putting some miles down. A few intervals once a week don't hurt though.

Today a ratio of 1 : 2 / work : rest

• 40 s hard / 80 s easy x 3
• 45 s hard / 90 s easy x 3
• 50 s hard / 100 s easy x 3
• 45 s hard

On the flat. Out of the saddle. Hands in the drops. 50 × 11.

The 50 s intervals push me into the red....

Tuesday's training: Road (90 km)

Another warm day today. The radar pictures on the weather forecast show rain on the coast. Drier inland.

Mmmmm wet and warm? Or dry and cold? I opt for the latter and check out Takayanagi.

It's much colder inland. The walls of snow and the cold wind from the mountains make sure of that.

More tempo work today. Putting the miles in...

Monday's training: Road (65 km)

The toughest ride of the year so far. A 530 start from Kashiwazaki. A beautiful sunrise. But sub freezing temperatures.

Rotating with Nishihiro san. Teradomari in just over an hour.

We meet up with Andrew, Tazaki san, Abe san and Numa san. Time for some speed. Hammer it on the front. The legs feel the effects of a few short efforts.

A strong headwind for the 50 km back to Kashiwazaki. Luckily I'm with Nishihiro san. Short rotations make it bearable.

Full gas on the last climb. Arrrrrgh!

Time for a rest tomorrow...

Saturday's training: Road (112 km)

I've been putting in the miles since we entered March. 93 km at tempo pace today.

Another long ride tomorrow...

Friday's training: Road (93 km)

First intervals on the road today.

On the flat. 50 × 11. Out of the saddle. Hands in the drops.

Standard 1:3 work:rest interval at first.

Gradually increase the work / reduce the recovery....

Intervals:

• 30 s hard / 90 s easy x 4
• 40 s hard / 80 s easy x 4
• 60 s hard / 60 s easy x 2

Thursday's training: Road (73 km)

Ride in the rain?

It's always a tough choice. Especially in March! A chance of a 50 km commute today.

Dry in the morning. But I knew I'd get wet on the way home.

I wasn't expecting the rain to be so ferocious though. Time to use the get out of jail card - a call to Shinobu to pick me up. You only get one of these a year!

Tonight at football, I run my legs into the ground...

Wednesday's training:

Road (25 km)

Football (2 h)

Around this time of year I often ride up the coast to this boat, eat a banana, and ride home.

The legs feel fluid. Enjoy the wind on my back on the outward leg.

Riding home a headwind. Time to get aero. Drop a gear. In the drops. Or forearms on the top.

Still the effort is low. HR zones 1 & 2. Enjoying the sunshine. To the boat and back...

Tuesday's training:

Road (72 km, 119 / 150 HR, 1000+ kcal, 31 kmph, 80 cadence)

A long swim today followed by a good session on the rollers. I planted the seeds this winter, now it's time to start blooming a little...

Monday's training:

1. Swim x 150 laps (3.75 km)

2. Rollers (1 h)

•warm up x 5 mins
•140 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
•150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
•140~170 HR crisscross x 3 (approx. 5 mins)
•150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
•140~170 HR crisscross x 3 (approx. 5 mins)
•150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
•warm down x 5 mins

I took the chance to rest up this weekend after a decent training week

An hour on the rollers this afternoon and I feel great! Turning the screw slowly. To get where I need to be by April.

Saturday: rest day

Sunday's training: Rollers (1h)

• warm up x 5 mins
• 150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
• 140~170 HR crisscross x 3 (approx. 5 mins)
• 150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
• 140~170 HR crisscross x 3 (approx. 5 mins)
• 150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins
• 140~170 HR crisscross x 3 (approx. 5 mins)
• 150 HR / 100 cadence x 10 mins

Total: 1 h

So far riding on the road this year, I've not seen the heart rate rise above about 150 HR. On the climbs it rises slowly before plateauing out.

Today I decided to push a little bit deeper.

4 climbs of R291, the pass between Oguni and Kashiwazaki. From the phone box at the bottom, to the layby at the top, it's 3.6 km.

The grade is gentle enough to climb in the big ring. A few subtle changes in gradient require some good gear selection choices. My kind of climb. I'd fancy my chances against anyone on this baby.

• climb 1 - tempo, up to 150 HR
• climb 2 - 7:39, 156/173 HR, 27.4 kmph, 78 cadence
• climb 3 - 7:22, 163/178 HR, 28.5 kmph, 81 cadence
• climb 4 - 7:45, 159/171 HR, 27.8 kmph, 79 cadence

After the first climb, I wonder if I'll be able to go that bit deeper.

On the second climb, the sensations are good.

Full gas on the third climb. The headwind doesn't bother me.

By the fourth climb, the legs have gone. Dead weights.

A slog to get home in the headwind.

Time for a rest tomorrow.....

Friday's training: Road (50 km)

The first big ride of the year is always tough. The neck and shoulders, the balls of the feet. It's been a while!

Today's warm temperatures (18 degrees!) and strong winds also make it hard going.

3 or 4 rides like this will get me ready for the next training phase...

Thursday's training: Road (125 km)

It's great to wake up to sunshine. Great to be able to commute by bike.

I squeezed in some SFR climbing too:

• climb 1 small ring / tempo
• climb 2 50 × 23 standing
• climb 3 50 × 21 sitting
• climb 2 50 × 19 sitting

Mid-season, I tick off these 60, 70, 80 km rides for fun. But now as I make the transition to riding on the road again, they become quite tiring. Especially with today's wind!

Wednesday's training: Road (70 km)

When March comes along, I like to increase the load.

The winter is spent keeping fit, creating a big base. Now the focus is on increasing the load. Before more intensive training in April.

Mostly on the bike training from now on. But I opted for a long swim today...

Tuesday's training: Swim x 160 laps (4 km)

Chance to ride today. First time to use a HRM this year. Zones 1 and 2. Ease my way back into it.

Monday's training:

• Road (66 km)

• Rollers (120-130 HR x 30 mins)

Asaren on Mt. Hachikoku on Sunday. Two climbs. Feeling strong. MSR snow shoes are great for the icy conditions.

A chat with an old friend on the way down,

“アンディは何回目？”

“２回目です。先生は？”

“４８回目です。”

ああ、今日じゃなくて、今年のことだ！すごいじょんのび！

Sunday's training: snow shoe (3h)

At the beginning of November, I made a promise to myself:

Above all keep active. Keep the training varied. Keep the motivation up.

I think I've done that as my training stats for February show:

• Road x 2
• Rollers x 13
• Football x 4
• 10 km run x 4
• Swim x 5
• Steeping Machine x 7
• Strength work x 7
• Snow shoe x 4

Back in deep winter today, but it won't be long now before the bike comes to the fore, the light at the end of the tunnel.

Saturday: rest day

Warm spring like temperatures today. I decided to take the plunge and ride inland. The walls of snow make it much colder than out on the coast.

A climb of Sochi Toge and then into the hills to the kayabuki village of Ogonoshima.

The rain starts here. It gets heavier and heavier. 40 km in the rain. In March...

Positive thinking. This will make me stronger!

Friday's training: Road (80 km)