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Is there value in “junk miles”

Traditionally, Labor Day marks the end of the road and crit racing season and the start of cyclocross.  For me, that means it's time to shut down the training and wind down for the season.  Most people start easing into the off-season by riding for fun and putting in a few “junk miles.”  I've mentioned in the past that fall is my favorite time of year to ride, and this year will be no exception.  Getting away from training is often a refreshing change of pace.

This year, I've spent most of the year away from my bike, so there's no training to get away from.

For the first time in many years, I've put in less than 2,000 riding miles.  I've done minimal training and I've raced fewer times than I have fingers on one hand.  My riding has been limited to 40 miles every 10 days or so.  With that little riding, it's been impossible to train with any regularity.  I've been stuck with short, high-intensity efforts in a desperate attempt to find some form and fitness.  Alas, it was not to be.

This year, my riding has basically been “junk miles.”

Just this morning after a short hour on the deep back roads of NJ, I came to this realization.  I also realized that I have learned something through this year's lack of training.

Click through and learn what junk miles mean to me and what they could mean to you.

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Skyrocket Your Fitness With These Mountain Biking Tips

After crashing out of my road racing season last spring, I've been expanding my cycling horizons a little bit.  I've taken up track cycling as my racing fix, not really looking forward to the press of a criterium peloton in the future.  I've also begun to return to my roots: mountain biking.  When I first climbed aboard a bike a number of years ago, it was a fat tire mountain bike.  I cut my teeth on the rocky, rooty, twisty trails of the Hudson Valley.  I voraciously read about mountain biking tips and practiced my skills at every chance I had.  I was hooked on riding and places like the Taconic 909, Stewart Buffer Zone and Blue Mountain Reservation were places that I knew better than my own home.

Almost.

Then I found road riding and racing.  I spent the past 5 years ignoring those fat tires, cruising around the roads of New Jersey.  I raced Battenkill, time trials, stage races, crits and road races, spending countless hours pursuing fitness on skinny tires and super light bikes.

Then I spent 3 months injured because of those road races.

After I got back in the saddle this past summer, I walked into my garage, looked up at my 10-year-old Kona Dawg Primo hanging from the wall and mused about how much fun it might be to get back on the trails.  A couple weeks later I climbed aboard a bike that once felt so familiar but now felt completely foreign to me.  Thankfully, all of the training I had done meant that only a couple of miles in the saddle would bring back all of those old memories again.

But being out on the trails isn't all fun and games.  It's also a great training tool to build strength on the roads.  Click through to read some mountain biking tips and training advice.  Learn how to use fat tires to make yourself faster in races, on group rides or on your own!

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Quantifying Training Stress Score and Fatigue

Is it possible to use training stress score and a few other derived metrics to manage your fatigue?  Can you simply know how hard to ride by just looking at a number on a computer screen?

I recently answered a question from an athlete that went something like this: Lisinopril otc

“I've been doing riding four days per week (2 trainer days and 2 outdoor days.)  I've been following this pattern for about 6 weeks now and I've noticed in the last week that I've been extremely tired and been feeling worn out.  Have I been training too hard?”

This question is an excellent illustration of why training with power can be so useful: Training Stress Score (TSS) and Intensity Factor (IF) can be calculated from accumulated power data.  These metrics, when combined with a performance management chart will allow athletes to calculate Training Stress Balance and can help determine when overtraining becomes a danger.  It can also help you vary the intensity of your workouts and tailor them to your training needs more appropriately.

As a side note, TrainingPeaks online and Strava offer some variety of TSS as well, calculated via heart rate.  That's another blog post entirely, so keeping in mind that we'll be discussing power based metrics, let's look at how you evaluate training stress and fatigue after the break: https://nonnieestellamd.com/flagyl-over-the-counter/

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Tips To Crush Battenkill (And Other Gravel Grinders)

So you want to enter a gravel grinder event like Tour of the Battenkill, but you're worried that you don't have the skills necessary to compete?  Maybe you want to turn down that dirt road that you've passed a hundred times on your rides but you're nervous about staying upright on the gravel?  Or perhaps your goal is to tackle some tough, unpaved backroad climbs like those in the Vermont Green Mountains to prove how tough you are?

You're not alone.  Gravel grinder events have witnessed a meteoric rise in popularity in the past few years.  They have even spawned a completely distinct line of bikes and equipment.  The best equipment in the world won't help you if you don't know how to train for a gravel grinder, though.  I'll show you what you need to succeed.

Gravel Grinder Success Is In The Preparation

Many people think that success in a gravel grinder race or event like Battenkill comes on race day.  In fact, you can lose an event or miss a target goal by not prepping yourself for success along the way.  Whether you're nervous about riding on dirt roads or how to handle your nutritional requirements, I've got a few tips to help set your mind at ease and prepare you for the worst dirt roads you can imagine.

Click through the jump and pick up 6 tips to get you gravel grinding with the confidence of an off-road veteran.

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Tips to Avoid Getting Dropped

Getting dropped is one of the realities faced by each and every cyclist at some point.  The feeling of watching the group ride away from you can be demoralizing, but it's also a great learning experience.  What caused you to get popped off the back?  Did you make a tactical error?  Did you crack physiologically and just couldn't stay with the pace?  Did you break a chain or cable?

In this short podcast, I'll give you a few tips to help you avoid getting dropped from your next group ride, race or gran fondo group.  If you want to learn how to stick with the group, this is the podcast for you!

Click through for the show notes and remember that the sponsor for this episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast is Stages Cycling.  Check out their power meters and help support the show, and don't forget to rate the podcast on iTunes!

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