Watts the problem? Women's Challenge log

[silly]

So, I've decided to play these reindeer games for the next 6 months. Gee Whiz that's a long time. Hopefully by July I'll be ramping up for Leadville-its the day before my 27th birthday. I didn't get in last year so I did 2 20+ hour adventure races instead.

So, a little info about me. I've had quite a health battle the last five years which culminated in a major surgery last year due to cancer. A year later, I'm doing great! Needless to say, I've gained about 40 pounds due to hormone replacements / steroids / emotional eating.

So, I race mountain bikes. It's my passion. I'm focusing on long races this year-6+ hours and I've recently moved up into a more competitive class in the short (2 hour) anaerobic fest that is xc racing. After chilling and finally letting my grade 3 right shoulder separation rest in December, I'm beginning to ramp my training for my first race which is in March. Right now I'm building on the bike strength through intervals.

I've invested in a Cyclops Powertap, which measures Watts, Heartrate, Cadence, and a lot of other stuff I don't care about. So, here are my 3 goals:
Reduce body weight by 15%-
I'm 158 now, so that'd put me about 134...That would be a competition weight for me because I'm not sure I could commit to maintaining that year round.

Increase my Function Threshold Power (the most power that can be consistently produced for one hour) by 25%-
Right now-210- hey, I took December off. I de-condition quickly...lemme alone.
A 25% increase would put me at about 252 watts; that would rock! I think if I train smart then it could happen by August. I just need to be consistent and effective with workouts.

Be nice to myself. I really need this one. I can't / won't be perfect, and I may not be able to catch my husband on the bike. Especially if he progresses at the same rate as I do. That's okay though. I have a tendency to psych myself out, and I'm planning on changing that.

How to achieve these- I'm going to do NROL 2-3 times a week (and rehab work for this damn shoulder!) and ride 5-6 times per week. Focusing on intervals, recovery rides, and one long ride per week. I'm up to 3 hours thus far, and I'll progress to 7 hours before April. I'm going to focus on eating good clean food when I'm hungry.

I guess I'm gonna do this thing. At some point I'd like to wear a bikini, as well, but I'm not willing to make that an important goal. If it's a side benefit I won't complain .

Cheers!

[gregl515]

Good luck! Congratulations on coming through cancer. My wife went through that about four years ago and it was scary, nasty, horrible. But you beat it and you can easily achieve this.

[Kaiser]

Seems that both you and I had a log on here a few years back, silly. I'm watching your log to make sure you stick to it my friend. I also want to lose weight/fat and increase my watts.

I think your wattage blows me away. The cool part is (for me and you), if we drop the weight, the wattage is gonna increase automatically.

[silly]

Thanks Guys!
Kaiser, it'll be an interesting journey, for sure-especially knowing that you'll hold me accountable. I've got a new drive this year, though. I finally feel good and I'm ready to feel strong.

Greg, I think the hardest thing is that I'm always looking over my shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop. Every doctor's appt is like going into battle.

[gregl515]

But the more of them you get through the farther the monster is behind you.

[stingo]

A great and inspiring story - welcome to the forum.

[silly]

So I should post today's workout huh? 55 enjoyable minutes on the trainer- From training peaks:

Hills. Set your trainer to high resistance. After warm-up do 12x (30 seconds at low end of LT wattage, 30 seconds upper end of LT wattage 30 seconds at mid vo2 max wattage, 90-second recovery spin). Stay seated throughout.
First 30 secs: 170-200 2nd 30: 200-230 Last 30: 230-250

Looks like this:

[Kaiser]

'Enjoyable' and 'trainer' in the same sentence??

Jealous of your toy. Gotta be great to work at a LBS. Are you seeing any training benefits from the powertap?

[silly]

Originally Posted by Kaiser

Are you seeing any training benefits from the powertap?

hells yeah I am. I haven't missed a workout since I took my threshold test and realize exactly how much "room for improvement" I have. If nothing else, it's a motivator. I think its the concrete numbers-heart rate can be affected by daily things, but a watt is a watt.

I REALLY want them to release the disc capable hub-my rep is working on getting me a prototype to test out. I'll miss my I9 hubs, but the feedback would be worth it during the long workouts/races.

[silly]

From training peaks:
Workout # 1: Day Off, Planned duration: 0:00, Planned distance: 0Actively focus on recovery today: 1) stay off of legs all you can, 2) watch nutrition closely (healthy carbs, lean protein, and good fats), 3) stretch, and 4) drink plenty of fluids.

After 5 days straight on the bike, today is definitely needed!

[UConnJulie]

Nice story Sarah ... glad you joined the challenge!

[LisaS]

which model Cyclops do you use?

[silly]

I have the Powertap SL 2.4 (the new wireless / carbon hub baby) and a Fluid Trainer. It's actually the same setup we use at the shop for Threshold testing.

[Kaiser]

Originally Posted by silly

I have the Powertap SL 2.4 (the new wireless / carbon hub baby) and a Fluid Trainer. It's actually the same setup we use at the shop for Threshold testing.

The exact same one? Is the shop missing it's AT testing stuff?

Carbon powertap. I officially hate you.

I may need to start a log again - I need some diet accountability.

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by silly

I have the Powertap SL 2.4 (the new wireless / carbon hub baby) and a Fluid Trainer. It's actually the same setup we use at the shop for Threshold testing.

oooh nice - spendy though.
J. has been eyeing this setup - any thoughts on it?
Travel Trac Real Axiom V3 Trainer @ Performance Bicycle

[mel]

Hi Silly! It's awesome to read about your biking goals. I am a very amature rider--actually gotten away from it the last 2 years after just staring--and really want to get back into it. Hopefully I can get some inspiration from ya!

Good luck on meeting your goals!

mel

[silly]

Originally Posted by LisaS

oooh nice - spendy though.
J. has been eyeing this setup - any thoughts on it?
Travel Trac Real Axiom V3 Trainer @ Performance Bicycle

Lisa, we have a similar setup at the shop (Tacx Fortius) and it seldom gets used. It really isn't much cooler than a CTS video or good interval workout. Despite the ridiculous price, the graphics are still kinda cheesy so I don't really get into it. I like my Fluid 2 trainer and it's not crazy expensive at about $300.00. To be honest though, Giant has a branded Magnetic trainer that I like more than the Fluid, and it's about $230. It's the same principle as far as resistance goes, and not any louder. All that being said, if you want a VR trainer, then the Travel Trac is as good as any.

Kaiser, nope we still have all our stuff. But, we're now a "Cyclops Power test center" so we're required to use the Powertap and Fluid trainer for those. Then, the test can be replicated at any test center across the US. Since it is a sub-max test, the Powertap and Fluid work well enough.

Mel, I'm not really much inspiration. I struggle everyday with workouts / food/ self esteem. My favorite part of riding is the sense of freedom. I like being about to get out for a few hours without having think about anything but turning the pedals. It really is empowering. I'm going to a conference at the end of this month call "Empowering women in cycling," because we're really where cycling is headed and because I need to be empowered .

Thank you for all the support. I still haven't gotten the guts up to take pics and post them.