Computrainer PIG Week 17 Session 1 Intervals

After another good weekend of skiing and recovery Monday, it's time to get back in the saddle with intervals. This week's main set is almost identical to last week's set except the recovery interval is twenty seconds shorter. If you think twenty seconds isn't a lot of time, try holding your breath.

Interval sets are definitely tough. Don't go out too hard on any particular interval and don't go out to hard on the early intervals or you'll crack on the last ones.

Computrainer PIG Week 16 Session 3 Tempo

The session 2 long interval set really did a number on my legs. I finished the workout around 5 am and my legs were still numb at 11 am. I slogged through a five mile run but it was all I could do.

The tempo set this week, after an extra day of rest felt real good. The nice thing was that I was holding a tempo just below my initial CP30. I still have a few weeks to go but this training program really does work.

Computrainer PIG Week 16 Session 2 Long Intervals

Pain is temporary but when each rep is twenty minutes long at 98% of your critical power, it seems pretty permanent. I just hope I left enough to climb the stairs out of the basement.

This morning's set was two by twenty at 250 watts with ten minutes recovery. The first twenty seems to take forever and the last twenty felt like thirty. To think that just sixteen weeks ago, I was struggling through 225 watts for thirty minutes.

Computrainer vs Subway

Subway breakfast sandwich: 200 calories
Computrainer interval workout: 872 calories

I guess if you want to lose weight, Computrainer is four times better than Subway.

Computrainer PIG Week 16 Session 1 Intervals

Time to step up for one last four week cycle starting with intervals. The second set was six by six minutes at 275 with three minutes recovery. At the five minute mark of rep one, I adjusted the set to six by five minutes. I wanted to make sure I finished all six reps and I was cracking at the five minute mark. The adjusted reps were tough.

Whoever developed the PIG program knew how to make it just hard enough to introduce doubt but not too hard.

Computrainer Critical Power Test Week 15

It's that time again in the training plan, another critical power test to see how I'm improving. As you may recall, the critical power test in week 10 was a flop. Maybe I didn't improve, maybe I didn't get enough rest, who knows.

Going into this morning's test, the plan was to average 240 watts for the first ten minutes, then raise the average five watts over each of the next ten minutes for a target average watts of 250.

I started out and tried to keep the pace even, trying for a hard even pace. I went through the first five minutes averaging 243 watts which was a little high but it felt pretty good. At this point I decided to hold this pace and see how I felt at ten minutes.

The ten minute average was up three watts to 246 and I still felt pretty good. Trying to relax and control your breathing while pushing 246 watts isn't easy for me but that's what I was trying to do.

At fifteen minutes I was averaging 249 watts which was my target for thirty minutes. Now all I had to do is not explode and I should make my goal. Relax, take a drink from the water bottle and try not to lose focus.

With twenty minutes completed and only ten to go, I was averaging 252 watts which is new territory for me with a duration of twenty. If I didn't explode, I would meet my goal and probably beat it by a little.

Increasing by three watts every five minutes was also looking great. Trying to do math while working this hard, I think it meant that I would finish around 258.

Things started to get tough between minutes 20 and 25. My wattage increased to 253 so I was still improving but the three watt gains had stopped. Time to refocus and finish the test.

The last five minutes were tough. I wanted to get to 255 but that would require a solid effort over the last five minutes, especially considering minutes 20 through 25. The new plan was to hold 253 until twenty-eight minutes and then try to lift the wattage one watt per minute. I jumped up on the pedals at twenty-eight for a short sprint and raised the wattage to 254 and then at twenty-nine, I just buried it, getting to 255 before time ran out.

Now the question is, what's the next set of workouts going to be like since I increased my watts by fifteen? I hope I can make it through the next four weeks.

Computrainer PIG Week 15

Yea, I made it to the third recovery week and not a day too soon. The mornings are still just as early but it's nice to not have to hammer every day. Hopefully with enough rest the test set will go better than the third test set where my improvement flat lined.

Computrainer PIG Week 14 Session 3 Tempo

Today had to be the hardest workout of the week due to yesterday. Yesterday started with a hard interval set on the Computrainer followed by a four mile run at lunch and a three and a half mile run after dinner.

That left about nothing in the legs for this morning's tempo workout. The good news is that longer tempo workouts seem to be my strength and I was able to get through the workout without a lot of trouble. I ran into a little trouble around the seventy minute mark but with only five minutes to go, it wasn't too much of an issue.

Now it's time to start refueling and getting ready for the rest of the day.

Computrainer Week 14 PIG Session 1 Intervals

The weekly difficulties continue with this morning's episode of rebooting the computer. Nothing like having a hard workout and only just enough time and then having to reboot. If I had a really fast computer it might not be an issue by mine takes about five minutes to reboot and there just isn't that type of time cushion on work days.

So what do you do? I shortened the number of intervals from six to four. Four by six minutes at 265 with a three minute recovery interval. I held the first three without any issues and after finishing number four, thought about trying for all six. And then I realized I would be late the rest of the day so I stopped with the success I had.

Take the win, be content and don't add any additional stress to the day.

Computrainer PIG Week 14 Session 2 Tempo

This week was a hard one to start, at least the morning workouts. Monday morning was skipped in favor of sleeping after a hard day skiing on Sunday and Tuesday morning was skipped in favor of sleeping after Monday night's meeting didn't end until 9 and I didn't get home until 10.

The rest of the week is going to be crowded. I only have five days to get in four workouts and I'm hoping one of those days is skiing. To start the morning sessions, I decided to do session 2 Tempo instead of session 1 Intervals. I think tempo workouts are my strength and I wanted a solid start. The workout was tough but it was so close to the last two session 2 tempo workouts that it was easily accomplished. Now it's time to recover and get ready for session 1.

Computrainer PIG Week 13 Session 2

I finished session 2 - tempo finally after not being motivated for two mornings in a row. It's interesting how I wasn't motivated earlier but on Friday morning after running five miles Thursday night I was.

Maybe it was because I had to get up early to start smoking a brisket or maybe it was because I had two days left to complete two workouts. Either way, I got it done.

Computrainer PIG Week 13 Sleepy

This morning was the hardest so far in terms of waking up. It takes a few weeks to get back in the early morning workout mode and today was the closest to sleeping in. I took another recovery ride as opposed to the harder tempo workout since I slept through half of the workout time.

Computrainer PIG Week 13 Session 4 Recovery

I planned session four for the second work morning this week. I find that getting up early the first day is easy but the second day is much harder. With an easy recovery day planned, if I had slept in, it wouldn't have mattered too much.

Computrainer PIG Week 13 Session 3 Tempo

I opted for session three before session two for a couple reasons. This is the first workout at oh-dark thirty in a couple weeks and if it didn't go well, I could always just make it a recovery ride. I also wasn't sure if I would even get up this early so if I missed something I would rather miss workout three than two.

As it was, oh-dark thirty wasn't too early and the workout went pretty well. Now I just have to hustle for the work thing and the rest of the day.

Computrainer Week 13 Session 1 Intervals

Today's main set was six by six minutes with three minutes rest. The six minute reps were at 265 watts and the three were at 125. From past experience, the 265 was a tough number for me. I started to reach failure on rep one at five minutes so I altered the six minute reps to five minute reps. I didn't want to not be able to finish the last reps and if I tried to hold six, I might have failed around rep four. I stretched the five minutes to five-ten, five-twenty and five-ten on reps two, three and four. Rep five was a fractured into two pieces but I recovered it on rep six.

One thing is for sure, the PIG program is tough.

2011 - The Good

Where to start on what went right and was good? Family are all relatively healthy, I'm employed, completed my eighteenth year on the ski patrol, help remodel an animal shelter, got to race a lot, went cycling with an old friend, didn't have to travel too much for work, got to build some cat shelters for a feral colony, was sponsored by Wheaties Fuel, won several races, had a few seconds, and a few thirds, got paid to go to the gym.

Ok, I didn't win Powerball or MegaMillions but the odds are pretty high against that.

On the 0 - 10 scale with 10 being great, 2011 was probably an 8. I don't know how it could get better but there can always be improvement.

2011 - The Bad

They say in every life a little rain must fall but looking back at 2011, I think most days were clear with lots of sunshine. I am trying to think of anything really bad that happened and I can't really think of anything too bad.

There might have been a race or two I wanted to do but I really can't think of one and even if I did miss one I wanted to do, is that really that bad? I did at least ten races and that's quite a bit.

Ok, there were a couple tough workouts that I suffered through and didn't do as well as I would have liked. Is that really bad or just life and tough workouts?

On a scale of 0 - 10 with 10 being Sith Lord bad, 2011 was probably a 0.

2011 - The Ugly

Looking back at 2011, I don't think anything went truly ugly. I learned that Clif Bar is no longer making my favorite recovery drink but when I contacted them, they sent me sample Clif Roks which are now one of my favorites.

The closest thing to ugly was the water in the Potomac when I went to do the Nation's Triathlon in DC. After torrential rains and a hurricane, the Potomac was muddy with a lot of debris. To their credit, the race cancelled the swim and other than running through the muddy transition area, everything else was perfect.

About the only ugly thing was the case of distemper that attacked the kittens we were fostering. Without the valiant efforts of a few people thinks could have been horrible. As it was a few kittens didn't survive but it could have been so much worse.

On a scale of 0 - 10 with 10 being Cthulhu ugly, 2011 was a 3.

Computrainer PIG Week 12

I love completing all the workouts in a week with a day to spare. Since everything was done, I could do whatever I wanted today so I'm starting the new year off with another recovery workout. Don't want to over do it on the first day of the year and tomorrow is the dreaded interval workout.

Happy New Year to all.

Ps. The title now has Computrainer in it because they are running a contest for course videos and a free trainer.