Log: 05/10/2011

Having a week away from work is nice, have started some home renovations. Combination of training and reno-labour is leaving me smashed at the end of each day.

My philosophy for the week off is not to ride any extra - it is to just stick to the plan. So far so good..

A catch-up in-brief:

02/10/2011 - Road | Muntanyes

Sunday was team training ride - "Cirque de Cardinia" was the ride route. Beautiful morning, great training and great company.

Cardinia

It's getting nearer to goal events for many, and it's showing in their present form. Makes for a committed bunch driving  a solid pace through challenging terrain.

Duration:      4:55:34
Work:          2493 kJ
TSS:           361.5 (intensity factor 0.905)
Pw:HR:          1.68%
Distance:      119.702 km
Elevation Gain:        1609 m
Heart Rate:      73    174    135     bpm

03/10/2011 - Foot

Walk as substitute for recovery ride on the trainer.

Young one usually rides when we go walking..

04/10/2011 - Road | Velodrome

Again this Tuesday not feeling fresh enough to put in quality threshold workout. Wound it back to SST intensity. Cut workout a little short as combined fatigue, loosening rear cassette and broken front derailleur built an overall, distinctively "broken" feel to the ride. Headed for home feeling a little deflated and praying the 595 would be ready for tomorrow.

05/10/2011 - Road | Muntanyes

No 595. More renovating in the morning. 3 days of stripping paint from window frames has melted my core - front and back. I fueled up at about 2:30pm and hit the road at 3:00 feeling skeptical about my potential to perform based on how my abdomen and lower back were feeling.

I followed the same route/climbs that I have been hitting for the last few weeks. Numbers were up again over last week across both climbs in the order of 2.5%.

This was unexpected due to core muscle "meltdown", and regardless of that I just expected to hit a plateau this week. Not the case so far - very encouraged by this. Need to play the week out to confirm that I'm able to hit the numbers consistently.

Duration:      2:54:53
Work:          1719 kJ
TSS:           206.6 (intensity factor 0.844)
VI:            1.28
Pw:HR:          6.89%
Distance:      74.327 km
Elevation Gain:        1082 m

End of this week will mark the end of first build block (4 weeks). Looking forward to reviewing progress and consolidating the training details for the coming block at weeks-end.

Based on current progress I'm on track to meet or exceed goals for this stage in the preparation for ToB. It's really encouraging, and as I continue to move forward faster than previously experienced - I'm starting to really believe that the changes that I've made to training structure much better suit my physiology than previous approaches.