Beer Drinker Appreciation Society (BDAS) - Open (Page 39)

Great work on your long run! When I was training for my first HM my longest run was only 12 miles. Made that last mile of the HM extra special knowing I was running further than I ever had before.

Speaking of HM's, I have my second of the year coming up this Sunday. Feeling pretty good as I've been keeping up on my long runs each week.

On the beer side of things I was able to enjoy a very good IPA from Firestone called Luponic Distortion. Each batch will have a new blend of hops and the beer is brewed to highlight them. The approach is "enjoy the flavor of the hops without being overly hoppy / malty" and boy does it taste good.

Originally posted by firebert

Originally posted by novaboy Drafting is allowed so they all bunch up, no need for aero bikes and helmets.( I wouldn't want to ride an aero bike in peloton.) A huge group of riders roll into T2 and it boils down to a 10km run. It's interesting to watch, but I prefer the longer distance, non-drafting races.

Well that certainly explains that. I'm not entirely sure why the organizers would do that, unless it's because the 40k bike is so short they were all bunched together anyway? It really took the bike out of the equation and made it swim-peloton-run. And damn can those ladies run a 10k! 34 minutes? 5:30 min/mi pace I'm hoping NBCSN will televise more of the races anyway, the course in Abu-Dhabi was silly - lots and lots of 180 degree turns both on run and on the bike... I'd like to see it run on a proper course - single loops for everything. Plus it sounds like the next round on the Gold Coast will be definitive for more Olympic qualification.

I've been watching the Paris-Nice race, too...cool stuff.  Love how they got snowed out yesterday LOL.

Wednesday and Thursday for me were 60 minutes on the trainer followed by a 15-20 run outside - had to enjoy the 75+* weather!  This morning was a relatively short, but brutal trainer session where I hit a 30" PR @ 417 watts (virtual power - so take that with a grain or a teaspoon of salt ).  Lunch swim with my daughter, who has her Jr. Championships meet this weekend.

So awesome that I'm getting 30-second PRs, 'cause that's so useful in triathlon.  :-/

They do it for the TV audience. Its more exciting to watch. Triathlon is popular sport in terms of participation but it has struggled to find an audience on television since it became a thing in the 80s and 90s. 

Why don't you try a bike race? 

Its a very common thing for triathletes to not bother with top end training thinking that they never use it but building a reasonable top end aids in aerobic performance and it also makes you better able to handle rolling courses and hills. Its one thing to get on your trainer or a flat stretch and ride 30minutes at one even power output but a race course is almost never like that. Your power and effort can change dramatically over rollers, punchy climbs, and turns. Doing anaerobic capacity intervals and VO2 max intervals can help acclimate your legs to the changes in effort. 

Higher intensity training also dramatically increases your glycogen storage capacity which is a benefit to short course triathlon. If you hit the run with your muscles still full of glycogen, that last 5-7km can be hammered out well above your threshold. 

I feel like most of my updates have been everything but what's going on with my training so here's how it's been shaking down:

Last year I raced for a team that focused primarily on criteriums (short flat race on 1mile loops, the nascar of cycling, if you will) so I neglected my weight somewhat and didn't do a lot of FTP work since those aren't overly important on flat courses in short races and worked primarily on my sprint power. I was signed to a bigger team this year (an actual pro team) which is awesome, but unfortunately they are primarily a road squad, which means the long hilly courses. So over the winter I've been working on dropping weight and building up my FTP. I've basically had to reinvent myself as a rider. 

My first race of the year, which is in 3 weeks, is a 127km road race (8 laps on a rolling circuit). Fortunately it won't be decided in a climb but since I've spent so much time on my FTP my sprint power has suffered a little. So it could be a sit-in-the-pack-and-see-what-happens kind of race. 

The after that I'm heading to Nashville with the team for training camp. Hopefully my climbing legs will be there to meet me. If I do well there I have a shot of getting pulled up to the trade team (UCI stage racing here I come!). 

This week has been very $hitty. My wife is training for her first half IM so this will be her first time using a long term periodized training plan and that has meant that our macro cycles are lined up (I don't know why I did that) We're both on rest week this week which means we're both tired and grumpy. On top of that I quit my job as a courier after the accident and I've been focusing all my efforts off the bike on the big expansion of my coaching business and the launch of my podcast. So this week I've been mostly on the rollers perfecting my Cavendish aero sprint (although I recently saw that Caleb Ewan has invented an even more aero sprint position :P) and sitting at the computer. Next week I'm in for a big week trying to build up some top end power before the first race. 

Since I've been doing lots of FTP work and have been going to the pool somewhat regularly to help my wife improve her form, I've been thinking about how I can fit triathlon into my schedule. The guy I partnered with for my coaching business is a former pro triathlete so talking to him has also got me fired a little about triathlon. I really want to take the overall in a Sprint triathlon just once. The problem is finding the time. I have 18 races over 20 weekends starting on March 25. The good part about being on a pro team is that they're all paid for. The bad part is that because the team is paying, they're not optional. One of those free weekends is my wedding anniversary, so no triathlon that weekend. 

I'm actually very nervous and have been filled with a ton of self doubt over the past few weeks. So many good opportunities on the horizon but none of them is a guaranteed success. Because of my age I'm running out of time to really make it big in racing (I've come a lot farther than most but even being on this team I'm still miles away from the real big leagues). Jess and I are talking about having kids soon which will make training and racing difficult so thats another factor. On the business side of things there is also a lot of promise but there are also a lot of 'ifs' involved. The whole endeavour could flop. I'll still have my core base of clients but the expansion could fail miserably which will leave me in the lurch for a good chunk of cash. By the end of April I'll have had my reckoning. How well I perform at camp will define how my season goes with cycling and by April our big campaign for the business will have ended and we'll either start seeing more clients coming our way or there will be nothing. Fingers crossed. 

Also here's a video of me trying to perfect my Mark Cavendish Aero Sprint. I video myself a lot on the rollers so I can see how my form is. This is coming along nicely. Still need to smooth it out a little but I'm proud of myself. https://youtu.be/xOipoS4pa6w

Spot on. Thank you for that. 

What you're not seeing is the dozens of times I've fallen off. Its at the point where whenever the dogs see the rollers come out they hide in the bedroom. The rollers are one of those things where you get lulled into a false sense of security after a few minutes of smooth riding and then BAM! the wheel hits the edge of the roller and there are flailing body parts and bikes everywhere.