A case study of base face.
It’s still a month away. You’ve got plenty of base.
If those words were being spoken about an upcoming DJ set, then I’d probably not take them completely with a grain of salt. When they are in reference to a 160km event with a shitload of hills, and the sum total of post-KT riding can be counted on a couple of hands and half a foot, then the magnitude of them becomes a little bit greater. A lot greater, actually.
Having a base of fitness to call on isn’t something to be sneezed at. Years of riding does give you an in-built reserve of muscle memory and hopefully some leftover cardio capacity, but being match-fit will only ever come from actually playing the match. I can comfortably jump back on the bike and into our group with not too much trouble, keep the pace and take my turns. But the false sense of security is quickly wiped out when there’s a rise in the road, or someone decides they want to ride twice as fast and the rest start chasing. I’ll usually be smart enough to sit back and not try to mix it up, and be thankful that at least the head is still operating at acceptable levels. I mean, they have to wait for me anyway. Right? Guys?
FRB‘s are pretty frequent at this time of year (in the lower half of the world at least), and the mix of emotions they cause can be as painful as the riding. You make it through in fairly good shape, not having maxed anything out, and you feel like this is not so hard after all. Then in the middle of the night the cramps hit, legs reminding you that they’ve been criminally neglected as they protest at the shabby treatment they’ve had to endure. The lungs do their best to eject the phlegmy detritus that an almost forgotten dose of clean, fresh air is attempting to overpower. Sweat oozes from pores with an aroma of sweet victory mixed with bitter defeat. The Head has it’s usual “ahh, she’ll be right, couple of weeks you’ll be flying” spiel down pat, and you are duped into the scam with an overly agreeable “damn straight, buddy.”
You know that’s not true, but you persevere, because eventually it does come back. The base has served you well, layed the foundations, poured the concrete around the reo and now only needs the bricks to be placed on top, one at a slow, tedious time. By the end of summer your temple is standing proud once again, yet just waiting to be covered in tarpaulins and plastic over the windows when the skies grey and the cold war is lost once again.
Still a month away, you say?
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@brett
if you want a start we have a spot available...
Ugh. The FRB is worst after a forced break. I just spent a weekend with a stomach virus, completely disabled . I reckon in 72 hours I ate less than one decent meal, and I still haven't filled up properly. I dread tomorrow's "back to fitness" easy spin. More than that, I dread Saturday's 180km charity ride that I can't bail out of. At least it'll be slow and easy...
After peaking perfectly for my A-race at the end of August and achieving my best fitness yet, I took a month of traveling and starting a new job. Coming back was hard. There's nothing more depressing than running out of steam 2 hours into a simple, easy weekend ride with the girlfriend. She's in good shape and climbs like a daemon, but riding with power puts a pretty ugly mirror in your face after such a break. And just as I was starting to regain shape that virus came along...
F R B
Please don't. I'm trying to forget that day.
2000, end of a long run. Still a Cat 1 at 40. Racing since I was 15. Decided to hang 'em up. You know, take a break.
This year. 2015. After 15 YEARS away.
FRB. Fuck me. Never seen such a red face. Thank (?!) I didn't own a HRM. 2RB. 3RB. . . .
I knew I just had to make it 8 weeks and then it would be okay. But it all came back and I hated myself for ever stopping.
Always loved this. Always will. I'll never stop again.
Similar situation in my little corner. Was really hitting a good stride mid-summer. Then we started looking for a house. Well, there went a bunch of evenings. We bought a house and moved in three weeks ago today. Took a week off to address wallpaper and paint and now darkness is setting in earlier. Weekends are more or less forfeit for the foreseeable future due to more projects and family/social commitments. I can get in 20-40 km rides a few times a week and I'm grateful for that. And as I started to look towards next season and started setting goals in abstract, my wife brought up the oft discussed notion of starting a family of our own. Should that come to fruition, who knows when the next FRB will happen.
@Joe Cline
In the EXACT same boat, @Joe Cline. 39 yrs old. Live on top of a 12% climb ±1K long... and I find myself 1) communing with butterflies; 2) considering installing something bigger than a 23T for the first time ever; 3) wondering why my head knows exactly what it should feel like, but my legs say "fuck you." Shut up legs! Oh... and don't get an HRM. Ever. My heart isn't responding like it used to (180 bpm hard rides, >200 bpm peak power), so last thing you need is some LCD display flashing "110 bpm" at you when you're laying down the V. Or trying to.
@Joe Cline
So, did you jump on your old bike, the No 1, and hit it or did you check out what's new and pick something up to help get ya motivated? I'm thinking there are some good stories here!
@Litvi
A 25T was really depressing at first, looked like a pie plate, the 39 wasn't so noticeable. I got over both of them shortly.
Spring sucked. Summer was good. Fall is very nice. Winter will be weights and more base. Can't wait for next Spring.
Eight days off the bike included 5 rounds of golf, more than a few steak dinners and countless bottles of red wine shared with friends. And a little whiskey. One cigar. A little break smack in middle of CX season and in front of state champ race this w/e. My FRB yesterday for the Tue club ride I quickly thought to myself, heck with this, my season is over... and this w/e I'll be spectating while the kiddos race and I'm really looking forward to it. And I'll look forward to some long winter rides. But not just yet... cheers all
@wilburrox
Since I was now: Old. Fat. Slow. And completely bereft of Power, I pulled down my most appropriate tool. My old, slow, pink Torpado fixed gear that was No 1 in the 70s and got to work on getting my form back. I knew that efficiency and remembering how to suffer was probably all that I had going for me after all that time off.
I was right, I was going uphill and into a headwind no matter where I went.
Living far up in the northern hemisphere (51N), and still feeling the last remnants of the VVhidbey Island cogal in my guns, I'm not at all about to head into FRB territory. What I am looking at is my first ride back on the trainer, as I accept the ever looming arrival of sub zero temperatures and snow/ice/sand covered roads which will persist for the next 5-6 months.
I've been trying to increase my fitness over the past couple years with the goal to complete solo 150km rides with ~1500m climbing at an average speed in excess of 30kph. Two years ago I was at 28kph, this year I was just over 29kph. With running a business and having a young family, time is sometimes in short supply. A very understanding VMW goes a long way to letting me get some distance in, but I just can't crack the 30kph barrier.
I'd love for there to be a magic solution to getting over that goal based on my time constraints, but as I write this, the voice in the back of my head says 'Just ride more. Build the base. If you must watch TV, watch it while on the trainer.' I know in my head what I can do to improve, it's just the execution that fails.