2010 K2 Race Report

The K2 cycle ride is around the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. It starts in one of 4 towns, either Coromandel Town, Thames, Tairua or Whitianga. This year was Coromandel's turn again. This year was the 9th running of the event (since the entire route has been sealed).

Training has been going really well leading into the ride and have done a fair amount of hill work so was expecting a good ride.

The day was looking ok so made sure I stayed hydrated leading into the race and ate well i.e. lots of carbs.

There are 7 categorised climbs for the King of the Mountain jersey and had plans to have a go if I felt good.

I started right at the back of the first group and settled into the ride. The first climb is only 7Km or so from the start so was not going to worry too much about it. Once I got myself a bit closer to the front I noticed that there was already someone off the front! Turns out that the KOM from last year had the idea to break away early to get some points. I did not think that was a great idea so stayed back.

The first climb did not feel to bad so decided to have a go for some points but was past by one guy so only managed 3rd. Legs felt much worse on the next climb and I was struggling to hand on so did not even try to contend for points on it!

Then the rain started and I got cold and wet. There is about 50Km of flat and I sat in the whole way drinking and eating and trying to stay out of trouble.

The next climb is a biggie! about 9Km long not steep for the whole way. This is where things started to go really wrong. All that early drinking turned against me as the weather was not that great. I has to stop to pee! I couldn't believe it. Before the climb proper started I rode a little bit off the front and pulled off to the other side to do my business! There was a long queue of cars behind so it made it easy to get back on - still not the best! Then Gary put in an attack half way up and that really hurt me! By the time we went past the first drinks stop I was struggling to hang in the first group and got tailed off towards the top. Fortunately, there is a good fast descent so had not trouble getting back along with most others... I thin I hit 80Km/h plus :)

The next part of the course is rolling and then lots of flats. I stayed in the group and kept quite feeling ok but not really enjoying myself. There were a couple of guys getting interested in breaking away some did get up the road. I did not even notice I was too busy just trying to stay in the group.

The next climb out of Tairua was ok and I did not have any major trouble. then onto Whitianga I was just sitting in too. I had to stop again for a pee though, in the pooring rain and a headwind. They were riding really slowly so decided I could manage it. Just did although it was hard work getting back on.

From here there were 4 more hills plus the biggie at the end. Not really much to say other than I was just trying to stay in contact. I think Brain had a go as we got closer to the finish and I went with him (and everyone else too) but other than that I stayed quiet.

The final hill Whangapoua starts about 8km from the finish is about 3.5 Km up, with an equally long and very tricky descent. I started about mid pack and worked up close to the leaders of our group. By about halfway up there were about 5 of us & pulling away from the rest. I actually started to feel OK for the first time. My legs were fine and I had not really pushed all day. By the time we got to 3/4 up I started to fade a bit and could not maintain the pace. Over the top I was about 50m back and got past by another rider. The descent was ok but got stuck behind some cars and took a while before I plucked up the courage to pass them. That cost me as Michael shot past near the bottom! He went past so fast that by the time we got to the bottom he was way too far ahead to catch.

I held that place to the finish. 11th overall so not great but a lot better that it was looking for most of the day!

Some favorite swim sets

Here are a few of my favorite sets. These are all pretty much based on swim squads at the Teps in Auckland that I used to frequent. See Haydn Wooley at Futuredreams.co.nz for coaching or stroke correction.

Endurance 1:
400m warm up (as you feel, e.g. 200free, 200 back)
n x 100m on Swim Interval (e.g. 1'45" or 1'40" or 1'30" )
build up to 30 or more
If times slower by 5" then penalty rest of 30"
200m warm down very easy

Choose a swim interval at the start that will allow you to build over the set getting stronger to the finish rather than go too hard at the start and need lots of penalty rest.
n = e.g. 15, 20, 25, 30, or more... depending on goal... e.g. if Ironman you might build up to n = 40

Variation, change to 200m or 300m or 400m (increase swim interval and reduce n) try to maintain no more that 15" rest between each interval.

Endurance 2:
400 wu ayf
n x ( 3 x 100m on m swim interval) where m = a very easy start swim interval e.g. 2'.
Then decrease by 5" after each set of 3 x 100m)
For first set of 3 first 25m fly, second breast, 3rd back
20o wd

For this set you really need to watch the clock. e.g. if start on 2' SI then start on the zero and the next three start on the zero too, however once you start the fourth 100m (second 100m of second set) start on the 55, then the 50, 45. Third set is minus another 5" so start the second 100m of the third set on 35, then 25, then 15... etc going around the clock subtracting the current difference from start.

Ideally this set should be easy to start with and slowly build. Always tends to go very quickly as I have to concentrate on the clock!

Technique: (2.1-2.9Km)
400wu (distance per stroke dps)
Main set 2 or 3 x (

• dps: 16 x 25m 10" rest 8 normal, 4 finger spread, 4 pads
• minimax: 6 x 50m on 1'30" (e.g.) min number of strokes max effort. Aim: lowest value for sum of number of strokes plus time. less than 70. e.g. strokes for 50m = 33, time = 36 => 69.
• Stroke Rate: 4 x 25m on 1'15" fastest rate. Aim > 1.8 e.g. 27 strokes / 15" )

200 wd

Speed: (2km)
Stretch 10-15'
500m easy every 4th back
1 x 100m time trail (dive start) 5' rest
400m easy dps with pads
2 x 75m TT 3' rest
300m easy dps pull bouy
3 x 50m TT 2'30" rest
200m easy dps pads
4 x 25m TT 2' rest
100wd

Power: (3km)
Warm up
500m every 3rd 25m 5 stroke breathing
300m every 2nd 25m 6 stroke breathing
100m 7 stroke breathing
Strength 1:
2 x 400m 1' rest. first 100m SPRINT. Then steady try to maintain form
200m easy dps pads
Strength 2:
16x25m FLY 10" rest (fins ok)
Strength 3:
16 x 50m sprint with 2' rest + 10 press ups every 2nd rep.
Warm down
200m ayf

That's a killer that one!

Review of The Time Crunched Cyclist

I am not much of a writer but I just wanted to jot down a few random thoughts on Chris Carmichael and Jim Rutburgs' new book.

Overall it was a good read with quite a lot of good stuff. Some that I already new (or suspected) but lots of which I did not.

I was using this approach for 5 weeks leading up to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Road Champs.

• I agreed with approach it made sense no quick fix or easy way but just plain hard work. The good news is that because it is short in duration even though the efforts are often very hard you can recover quickly and then get on with your day with the family and do housework etc and not have to end up on the sofa...

• The CTS Field test was very hard to get right. I have only tried it once so far but I am not really looking forward to the next one. You have to be fresh and in the right frame of mind and understand exactly what is required and be prepared to hurt yourself !!! The explanations for completing the test were good but I still got it wrong first time. (See earlier post for results).
  

• The chapter on nutrition was good and I really good some good stuff out of it. Especially the part about eating and drinking sooner in a race. I have been guilty of waiting until an hour into a race before starting and that is just too late! I also tend to not eat or drink much during training but for this programme that will set you up for failure. You need to eat well beforehand to be able to do the session at the required intensity and duration.

• I found it difficult to agree with all the advice in the making to most of your training chapter. Taking shorter turns in the Sunday bunch just does not wash with me... I liked the part about using a bigger gear and pedaling softer is a bit risky though, if the hammer goes down and you are in the wrong gear it could be costly.
  

• The different types of workouts are well described including cadence, power and heart rate and how to do the set. On the subject of cadence, there are some high cadence sets, but not as high as I thought they might be.

• There are 4 programmes, 2 for shorter races divided into New and experienced, and two for longer races up to 100 miles, e.g. like Taupo cycling challenge. This was divided into new and experienced as well. Each week normally consists of 4 rides varying from 1 hour up to 2.5 hours depending on day and week you are up to. The programmes are only 11 weeks long and once completed it is best to take a rest. Its' simple really, because of the high intensity used in the sessions, it does make it difficult to continue for a long period of time.
  

• A chapter on Endurance blocks was welcome. E.g. you get a holiday of some time off that you can devote to riding... then this is the chapter that shows how to make the most of it... great stuff!

Did it work for me? Well in short yes, but my fitness was pretty good to start with and I do have a pretty good base over the last few years... :) With baby Sam around it does mean that the number of hours to dedicate to training has halved. I have gone from averaging 12 hours a week (swimming, cycling and Running) to just 5-6 hours per week. So I think the change it training focus has worked.

The Road Champs were last week and although I was 2nd for the 4th year in a row. I did feel like I was the strongest rider there and a tactical error on my part was the main reason for the 2nd place. I attacked the bunch on the third lap (of 4) on a solid 1km plus climb and got away but not decisively and should have sat up. Instead, I persisted and wasted energy trying to stay away. I attacked again at the same place on the last lap but not quite as hard and one rider was able to claw his way back to me on the downhills and flatter parts. There were no more opportunities to break away and his sprint was too good.... Still I felt I race well and made some of the moves so a good result.

I also have to congratulate Dave Mann on winning the elite race. As a masters 3 rider that is not bad going. He had to out sprint Karl Moore and also in the race was Mark Langlands (just back from Europe) and Pet Latham (2008 Taupo Cycling Classic champ). Amazing result.

Finally, I am not sure if I will follow this programme again but I will most certainly be adopting some of the ideas here and try to fit them into my training in the future.

Pirongia on ride today... Nice.

9x9min Steady Efforts... sort of...

After reading Tonys' blog this week I saw a trainer bike set that I thought that I might like to try (see http://tonyimnz2009.blogspot.com/2009/09/trying-to-make-progress-plus-new-toys.html). 9x9min with 1min rest.

The result below...




As you can see I did not make 9. I ran out of time!

The Average was for each was: 279w, 290w, 291w, 281w, 286w, 287w, 307w. I did find if quite tough to keep consistent. I think I went a bit too easy on the first one and then a maybe 5w too hard for the next two. When I realised that I was not going to be able to do the whole 9, I pushed the last one a bit harder and went one gear harder. Tried to finished it off with a bit of a sprint. That did not go too well so I wonder if I would have been able to complete the last two 9min efforts.

A very tough set both mentally and physically. I had two bottles think I needed 3 and maybe some more food than just one bar.

Still would like to have another crack if I can get my head around it again...

BTW, at 69Kg. my W/Kg values are 4, 4.2, 4.2, 4.1, 4.1, 4.1, 4.4 !!!

PowerAgent and Snow Leopard

It looks like the driver for the powertap head unit has a problem. I am getting the following error, this is after installing the update from https://twitter.com/CycleOpsPower

Product Version: PowerAgent 7.4.5.6

Java: 1.6.0_15; Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 14.1-b02-90

System: Mac OS X version 10.6.1 running on x86_64; MacRoman; en (poweragent)

Error:

Communication Error

Message:
java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: /private/var/folders/fr/fri0VbJ6EVyGFTA6xOlQ0k+++TI/-Tmp-/libd2xx-macosx.jnilib: no suitable image found. Did find: /private/var/folders/fr/fri0VbJ6EVyGFTA6xOlQ0k+++TI/-Tmp-/libd2xx-macosx.jnilib: no matching architecture in universal wrapper
Level:
SEVERE
Stack Trace:
java.lang.ClassLoader$NativeLibrary.load(Native Method)
java.lang.ClassLoader.loadLibrary0(ClassLoader.java:1878)
java.lang.ClassLoader.loadLibrary(ClassLoader.java:1758)
java.lang.Runtime.load0(Runtime.java:770)
java.lang.System.load(System.java:1020)
com.cycleops.d2xx.Library.loadLibrary(Unknown Source)
com.cycleops.d2xx.D2xx. (Unknown Source)
com.cycleops.jpowertap.Manager.getConnectedDevices(Manager.java:120)
com.cycleops.devicemanager.DeviceManager.getSelectedDevice(DeviceManager.java:52)
com.cycleops.devicemanager.DeviceManager.getSelectedDevice(DeviceManager.java:41)
com.cycleops.devicemanager.DownloadDeviceAction.performAction(DownloadDeviceAction.java:83)
org.openide.util.actions.CallableSystemAction$1.run(CallableSystemAction.java:118)
org.netbeans.modules.openide.util.ActionsBridge.doPerformAction(ActionsBridge.java:77)
org.openide.util.actions.CallableSystemAction.actionPerformed(CallableSystemAction.java:114)
javax.swing.AbstractButton.fireActionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:2028)
javax.swing.AbstractButton$Handler.actionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:2351)
javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.fireActionPerformed(DefaultButtonModel.java:387)
javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.setPressed(DefaultButtonModel.java:242)
javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonListener.mouseReleased(BasicButtonListener.java:236)
java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.mouseReleased(AWTEventMulticaster.java:273)
java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.mouseReleased(AWTEventMulticaster.java:272)
java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Component.java:6348)
javax.swing.JComponent.processMouseEvent(JComponent.java:3267)
org.openide.awt.ToolbarButton.processMouseEvent(ToolbarButton.java:61)
java.awt.Component.processEvent(Component.java:6113)
java.awt.Container.processEvent(Container.java:2085)
java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Component.java:4714)
java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2143)
java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4544)
java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Container.java:4618)
java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processMouseEvent(Container.java:4282)
java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Container.java:4212)
java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2129)
java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Window.java:2475)
java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4544)
java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:635)
org.netbeans.core.TimableEventQueue.dispatchEvent(TimableEventQueue.java:104)
java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:296)
java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:211)
java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:201)
java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:196)
java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:188)
java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:122)

My First iPhone App

Here's a screen shot of my first iPhone app. It is all a learning experience for me and to start things off I decided on a simple weight and calorie tracker. The calorie side is still a work in progress.

I do have the track weight side going which includes a graph to show progress.


Weight graph

This graph currently shows the data points, a last 30 days average and a goal weight line.

Best ever Trainer Session?

One of Tony's great sessions that I have never been able to nail is the old 10 x 3minute session. In the past I have either started to fast and blown or not gone hard enough and finished well but under done.

I decided to give it ago yesterday for a few reasons. First the weather was horrible and incredibly windy so I was not going outside. Also I needed a session that would burn quite a few calories to wear off the nice Thai meal I had the night before, and finally and maybe the main reason I just found out that next weekend is the Waikato Bay of Plenty Time Trail champs and I wanted to see where I was at. At 25Km for the distance I figured this would be a good session to test me on.

Heart Rate and Cadence

Power is the only thing worth looking at here

I started reasonably conservatively at about 300W ave for the first 3 then increased to about 310 for the next 3. The 7th 320, 8th 310W, 9th 340W and the 10th 350W.

I was varying the cadence going one gear harder each interval in sets of 3 going back to the first gear after the third interval of the set. The last one (10th) I just went one more gear harder.

The lower power averages do match up with the easiest gear (e.g. 1st, 4th) except the 7th which I cooked myself on a bit as you can see from the next interval power went down.

The heart rate graph definitely has signs of cardiac drift as the HR slowly increases from one set to the next...

The last two intervals I really tried to wind it up a bit and I do not think I could have done another interval at similar power.

All in all a very good set for me!

My First CTS Field test

Just got the new book by Chris Carmichael. The Time-Crunched Cyclist...

No rocket science in involved just plain hard work!

Anyway before you start the program he recommends doing a field test. This invloves 2 8m efforts 10m apart. He has a lot of detail on how to do this. I tried to follow it as close as possible. I chose using the trainer as there is not really any good location close by to do it on the road...

The Results:


Heart rate and Cadence


Power

Unfortunately my test did not match any of the examples CC provided! It was a good test and has highlighted that I was not sure of what I could handle for 2x8m and so I must have started to easily. In the notes Chris does say to really open it up in the last minute and that is what I did but guessing from the examples he would have expected that to hold the current power rather than increasing it as much as I did... The rest of each set was pretty steady though. At the end of the second 8m I again was able to increase the power instead of slightly dropping it which would have indicated fatigue... so as I say I must have gone to easy to start with...

Average power was 325 and 323W, heart rate 146 and 149.