Tag: Functional & Strength Training

Test anxiety: Finding my functional threshold power

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On Wednesday, I took my first ever “functional threshold power” test. The FTP is a 30-minute test, using my CompuTrainer, which is designed to measure the average wattage (or power) I can maintain while cycling for 30 minutes (CP30). The above image illustrates the results of this test. (Side note: I don’t have a polar heart rate strap yet, required for CompuTrainer HRM, so the HR data is below, imported from my Garmin HRM file.) Fitness tests are not new to me. I rowed crew in high school, and we had regular tests of our fitness on the ergometers (rowing …

Welcome to full scale geekdom

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It was Friday, and I awoke like a kid on Christmas morning – or like a triathlete about to receive her first CompuTrainer. You know, same thing… Having checked the UPS tracking information, I knew it “out for delivery,” which caused me to keep checking the front door to see if it had arrived. (Hmmm, obsess much?) Around 3 p.m., I heard a rustling on the front porch. It was Jolly Ol’ Saint UPS delivery driver. I walked to the door, and what to my wondering eyes did appear: the CompuTrainer. “It’s here! It’s here!” This exclamation was complimented by …

A return to the roads

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While I will run in almost any weather, I will not cycle in cold temperatures. It’s just too, well, cold! That means I have been cycling on my trainer 4 days a week since the beginning of November. Today, however, the thermometer read 45 degrees at 8:30 a.m. That is warm enough. I was excited and apprehensive to return to the road. Excited because I’ve been working my arse off on the trainer for over 3 months – hill simulation, interval rides, tempo rides, long rides, high cadence rides, rides I don’t even know what to call them rides. I …

I’m a desperate masochist

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The sounds of the Rocky theme filled the air. My phone was ringing. I took a quick glance at the number. Hmmm. I don’t recognize that one. Usually, when I don’t recognize a number, I let it go to voicemail. But, this time, for some reason, I hit the answer button. “Hello?” I asked, more than said. A cheery voice sang wonderful words to me: “Hi, Maria! This is Sherri from CompuTrainer.” CompuTrainer?! Did she say CompuTrainer? About two weeks ago, I had submitted an entry for a contest that CompuTrainer was running to find their 2011 “Desperate Athlete.” The …

Riding to nowhere: Making the most of the bike trainer

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After several weeks of the weather forcing us to ride our bike trainers instead of the road, I was less than enthusiastic to do my 2.5 hour bike ride last Saturday morning. Then, I had an idea: What’s my first important triathlon of the season? Rev3Tri’s Quassy in Middlebury, CT. We had heard the bike course was grueling. So I thought, Hmmm, I’ll create a trainer workout that simulates the Quassy course. Now, without a computrainer (the $1,700 price tag is prohibitive for us right now), this simulation is not an exact science. But, with a little bit of time …

Siberian Soaks

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“Hoowwwwwllllleeeeee,” I scream as I plunge my legs into the snow and water filled tub. “La, la, la, la, la, la,” singing now, as my not-so-little tushie, hips and lower belly hit the water for my daily 10-15 minute Siberian soak. “Oh, God, Oh, God, Oh, God…” I repeat almost at the top of my lungs. I know it’s not good to take the name of the Lord in vain, but really, I am praying. The water is as cold as a tub filled with two 5-gallon buckets of freezing snow. Clearly, the real thing is descriptive enough – no …

Hard work isn’t easy & easy isn’t worth it

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I was riding my bike on the trainer on Tuesday. To lessen the boredom, John hooked up a TV in the garage so we can watch while we ride. As I flipped through the channels, I noticed that various fitness products were being reviewed on Rachel Ray. Eh, I guess I will watch this for a minute. The show’s producers had several former Biggest Loser contestants test various “get thin quick” fitness products – you know the ones you see on informercials late at night? The BL contestants, Amanda, Sunshine and Matt, were to use the products for several weeks, …

Training begins anew: setting goals for the new year

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When I was a young girl, one of my favorite things about the beginning of a school year was a clean notebook, with its crisp white pages just waiting to be filled with notes of my learning experiences. Today, I still enjoy the promise of empty pages, waiting to be filled. Now, however, those clean pages are those of my training log for the 2011 season. It’s time to start filling them with experiences as this week marked the beginning of the 2011 training season. It’s not like I have being doing nothing. It’s just that I’ve been working out, …

All training and no playing makes me a cranky pants: Thoughts on the holidaze

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I love this time of year: Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, each complete with gatherings of family and friends. Yet, all of this merry making, combined with  colder temperatures, dark mornings and evenings, and busy days, comes with a price with respect to training and health. I’m by no means an expert in overcoming these holiday hangups with training and nutrition. But, I have few key guidelines to keep in mind during the holiday offseason. All training and no playing makes me a cranky pants. We can’t train hard every day, all year long. Well, I guess we can if we …

A return to strength

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Over the past several weeks, I’ve allowed myself to wallow in a bit of self-pity, which is at least part of the reason I haven’t blogged lately. Here’s a sampling: Oh poor me, I can’t run. Oh poor me, I hurt my hamstring again. Oh poor me, I didn’t get to run the Atlantic City Marathon. Oh poor me, I’m losing fitness. Am I serious with this attitude? I’ve had one of the most incredible years in terms of running and especially triathlon. Here’s a rundown of the highlights:  I ran 50 miles. I qualified for Boston (and am registered …