34 and 2.89 / silly numbers that made me smile today

34 = for the first time since I was 22 years old, I fit into a pair of 34 inch waste pants.

2.89 = I did a 20 minute time trial today (silly doing it today because I did a 4 hour mtb ride this am-but with this weather....I did it anyway) 2.89 was my my 20 minute relative threshold profile reading today - My ave power over the 20 minute effort was 285 watts. I hope to have this over 300 come race season.

So here we are - another follow up to the progress of this journey. I was a bit disappointed looking at the scale and seeing that it had actually gone up a bit. I have been hitting the gym pretty hard in order to build core strength and tone up and make myself better fit. So I got an assessment done at the gym and the results made me happy. I gained 2 pounds on the scale but actually lost 10 pounds of fat since the last body composition analyzation.

So this test was to see where I am overall fitness wise and see where my weakness that I need to work on are.

the scale you see below is out of 100 - so if I scored a 35 that means that out of 100 people my sex, my age, 65 of them would score better than me.

Just as I thought - i still need to work on body fat/BMI. I also need to work on flexability (I knew this going in)

I was, however very surprised at how my VO2max has improved a LOT - it is 4.9l/min which is the best reading I have ever had (49.7 mkm)

I am still right on track to being where I want to be looking toward some races in September.

to all the people that are supporting my effort and helping me out along the way...a HUGE thank you.

before - during - after pics

here are before and during - after pics are a couple months away

Muddy face is a happy face

What a fun ride at oak mountian - the fitness and weight loss is really making a difference in ride quality

results from 1 month on the NAKED INDIAN Nutrition Program

results for this AMs PWR test

So - I see how bad of shape I am actually in - but improvements are being made since the last test - look at the previous blog to see what these numbers mean as far as my progress goes:

relative threshold power profile

relative threshold power profile

The key to riding faster is to do the best you can to raise your relative threshold power profile:

The power-to-weight ratio (PWR) is cycling's great leveler. It's a measure that allows a comparison of cyclists' abilities even when the riders vary in size. The key to getting faster is raising your PWR. You can still raise your PWR by lowering your body weight or raising your average power output, or both.

DO THE MATH To determine your PWR, divide your body weight in pounds by 2.2 to convert it to kilograms, then divide your weight into the average power from a 20- or 30-minute time trial. (PWR isn't a static number, but rather corresponds to a specific time span. A rider who averages 6.8 watts/kg for 30 minutes may only be able to sustain 6.4 watts/kg for an hour.)

THE BEST WAY TO RAISE IT For cyclists who are carrying around more than 10 extra pounds, losing weight and gaining power are equally achievable through good nutrition and focused training. Heavier cyclists have the potential to make bigger improvements because they can attack both parts of the equation. Between the two coaches in my office, this favors Griffin, because Hyman is already very lean.

As an example of how small changes can make a big difference, Cheyenne Canyon averages an 8 percent grade for 5 kilometers. If a 75kg rider with a max sustainable power of 250 watts loses 2.5kg, or about five pounds, that would cut 38 seconds off this rider's time. Improving power output by 20 watts without any weight loss cuts 85 seconds. If this rider loses 2.5 kilos and increases power by 20 watts, the improvement jumps to 2:03.

HOW FAR CAN YOU GO? Elite racers aim to be as strong and as light as possible, but this is a delicate balance that can't be maintained for very long. Most experienced cyclists can expect to see a 15 percent variance in PWR during the year. Because it's far easier to make the ratio go down than up, changes greater than 15 percent often indicate that you either gained too much weight or decreased your training load too much during the winter.

On the flip side, there are physiological limits to how light you can get while maintaining a high power output. Here's the test: If you're leaner than you've ever been and your average power output on climbs starts to decline, you've reached the tipping point. Try gaining two or three pounds, and back off your training a little bit. Your power will likely come back up, and from now on you should consider this your minimum allowable weight. Future gains in PWR will need to come from better training.


so tomorrow A.M. I will start to chart my PWR

here is a chart to give you an idea of what different levels of riders profiles looks like:

the boring part

So - I started this mess 241 pounds with 33% body fat

before I can get into the serious training I have to drop a lot of weight so that I can get my watt/kilo ratio where I want it to be.

by riding LSD (long Slow Distance) for the past 3 months, I am now down to 212 pounds. My first real race back is going to be the 12 hours of Dauset. This will be my third time doing this race and I am looking for a much better result.

No weight training cross training or speed/interval training has been started yet.

here is the weight progress to date

so it begins

over weight and unhappy with my physical fitness and poor results trying to be a mountain bike racer......it is time to make a change.

this is going to be my journal to take me from where I am now to where I want to be.