The elusive bike power

So, I did a 3 hr indoor bike ride today. I tried to cap my HR to 140bmp for the first two hours. Power looked OK-ish, hovering ~165W in the beginning, but then started to fall under 160W towards the end. After 2 hours I was like, "To heck with HR," and I switched from 20s to 10s while trying to keep power ~170W. HR was in low 150s. How people put out 200+W at 140bmp, is beyond me.

I hear ya, absolute power doesn't mean much; W/kg is what matters. For me, currently at 135 lbs, that'll be a measly 2.63W/kg, compared to a beastly 3.0W/kg my coach outputs at steady pace. And if these numbers don't mean much to you, that difference translates to a 3hr Vs. a 2:20hr HIM bike. HUGE difference, and something I can only dream of achieving. 2.8W/kg @ steady pace will be a respectable number to which I can get with a lot of hard work and consistency.

Find that next step, believe in it, and strive for it.

2014 Season Begins

Winter can be quite gloomy and boring, but this year it was different. Not having rain sucks in a way because most reservoirs are under capacity, but sunny weather helps to stay positive, cheered up and motivated to train. Or maybe it was a great 2013 season that motivated me to train through the winter, so that 2014 can be even better. We are always on a quest to beat our past self and excel, and I am no different. It is January, and I am already in a decent biking shape. I am at 135 lbs at the beginning of the season, which has never happened before. I usually balloon up in the winter, affecting my training and it takes a few months to shed that insulation. Half marathon PR at San Jose Rock N Roll motivated me to continue running. Although I am not in best of shapes, I am in a position to not embarrass self at Kaiser Half Marathon on Feb 2.

'Nuf braggin'. Truthfully, I couldn't have done this without TriForce. Even though it took discipline and consistency, I owe it to TriForce for keeping me on the heels, always motivated, and honest to myself. It is an excellent group of speedo-donned triathletes who share a penchant for all things triathlon. If you lack motivation, find a local triathlon club or an active online groups where you can talk with like-minded triathletes and push each other. Knowing that your buddies have already put in those 3000 yards in the pool or endured 2 hours in the pain cave will motivate you to work in those works in your daily schedule. There are times when we are truly busy and it is hard to find an hour everyday to train. But in most cases it is the state of ignorance and denial that you need to train, that you need the pain. Once we are in a habit to train daily, it becomes an addiction; a healthy addiction. I have read that there is a chemical thing going on in the body during and after workout that slowly makes you addicted to it. The key is to be consistent long enough for the habit to take over, after which all things like managing training, family and work, and finding that 1 hour daily will happen automatically.

I hope we all find the time and motivation to get ready for our next race. For me next up is Kaiser Half Marathon in Feb and Oceanside 70.3 HIM in March.