Saturday, 10 April 2010

Training Progress

I have recently blown, sorry, spent rather a lot of cash on some new kit. Without doubt though the best money I've spent this year (and possibly at all re. cycling) is on my coach.

The first evidence of this came on the Burgess Hill Classive sportive *. Up to that point I had done NO hill training outside at all, and only 1 or 2 real hill like classes in spinning (i.e. nothing but hills). Yet on this ride I found I could attack right from the start and found I was so much better on the hills than this time last year. On the longer ones I was spinning up them much quicker and on the steeper ones I could stand for far longer than I ever used to be able to. I've also stopped zig-zagging (although I reserve the right to bring this back for the Fred). I was 5 minutes off a gold time having lost the use of the big ring before half distance (which meant a 2-3 minute stop at a food stop to see if they had a mechanic). Without that I could well have managed gold. I didn't and am happy with silver but even to be considering what might have been without the bike playing up is a big step.

Away from sportives I'm also feeling the progress on my usual training roads. On a local (ish) hill where I first found my maximum heart rate I am now going up there 13-16 beats lower. On a longer steep hill I can now stand all the way (comfortably). And a week ago I knocked nearly 4 minutes off my 10 mile tempo time trial time.

So its all going well so far. My coach is obviously playing a huge part in this and I'm really grateful to have his time.

* I had a text when I finished the ride from my friend Simon calling me an "antisocial git". He was without question quite right as I sodded off right from the start. Given that he's training for an ironman and I only cycle I guess this is how it should be. But he put in a great time just 10 minutes behind me. Show off.

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