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The Nature of Pain

suffering-272x300[dc]P[/dc]ain is an interesting, often elusive and sometimes debilitating creature.  Almost always negative in connotation, it denotes a kind of suffering, either physical or mental, as a result of some assault upon our body or mind.  As human beings, we associate pain with misery, with suffering, with disability and typically strive to avoid it wherever possible.  However odd it may seem, athletes in general (and cyclists in particular) seem to live for the rush of agony that often accompanies competition.

But why?  What is it about this universally negative condition that drives some of us to seek it out while the majority of the population tries to escape it?

What, really, is the nature of pain?

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Be More Efficient

Pedal StrokeIt's cold, there's a bitter wind blowing and last night's snow has left the roads both damp and layered with salt.  Patches of ice lurk on the sides of the road, waiting to claim the unwary bi-wheeled traveler.

Most people refer to this as “winter” but I (and the rest of the cycling community) tend to refer to it as the “off season” or “indoor training season.”  While there are times when we're able to get outside in the fresh, chilled air most of our training this time of year is spent on the trainer or rollers.  As boring as that may be, there are benefits to indoor work: ability to precisely control interval duration, intensity and frequency, ability to control the environment around us, and perhaps one of the most important things, ability to increase our efficiency.  Because the bottom line is: the more efficient you are, the faster and stronger you are for longer.

How do you get more efficient?  You follow the tips below:

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Coaching Tool: Ubersense

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Ubersense is a tool which I have recently become acquainted with that has to potential to change the way coaching and fitting consults are performed.  To put it simply, Ubersense is a magnificent app which utilizes your iPhone's (or Android's) video capture function to record a sports activity.  Yourself (or your coach) can then view the video, analyze it in slow motion, mark up the video with angular measurements, record commentary over it, etc etc.  This makes it extremely easy to perform consultations from a distance or work out mechanical issues in fitting environments or coaching environments.

Not only an app, Ubersense has a web presence and social media presence; users can share their video files with coaches and their friends, making it simple to see what others are doing and how training or activities may increase their skills.   You can visit Ubersense on the web and download the app.  We'll take a look at the functionality of Ubersense below, and you can follow along on the app.

More after the jump:

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Module Based Training (podcast)

TrainingPeaks WKO+ TSB Graph[dc]I[/dc]f you're looking to improve your cycling, there are plenty of ways to go about it.  You can hire a coach to help you work through your weaknesses.  If you're the self-motivated type or you just aren't ready for a coach, you can always look for a training plan to help structure your workouts.

My new modular training plan may be the solution for those who want structure without being held accountable.  Working with the packed schedules and limited training time most people have nowadays, minimizing junk miles and maximizing returns, I designed these modules to focus your training efforts into a concise plan.  Gone are the days of trying to figure out where to place workouts and how long and hard to ride.  With all the workouts based on TSS and with room left for you to hit the weekly group ride or Tuesday Night Worlds, my modular system is designed to be effective and ultimately flexible.

Since this week's podcast coincides with the "official" release of my modular system, I'll discuss the specific modules themselves along with topics such as:

  • Battenkill plan updates (people gained HOW MUCH?)
  • Questions from customers/listeners about group rides and training hours
  • Training module descriptions
  • Building a plan using modules
  • Listening to your body and avoiding over training
  • The importance of rest days and weeks

As always, leave your feedback and questions either here or on Facebook and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

 

 

Beginner’s Guide to Training With Power (part 3)

In part 3 of my “Beginners Guide to Training With Power” we'll look at building a few performance profiles.  There are two key metrics that will determine where you focus your training time.  Before you read on, I suggest you read the previous articles to refresh your memory as to what we're talking about:

Beginner's Guide to Training with Power: Part 1

Beginner's Guide to Training with Power: Part 2

Once you've refreshed your memory, we'll focus on two topics that will heavily govern your training and racing strategy.  These are your power and fatigue resistance profiles.

I'll describe each of them after the break and tell you how they can guide your training.

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