Training Log 1/25: Build 1 done

My first build block is complete, including a good pre-planned rest week this week. And rest I did, with 5 lower intensity rides this week. It took most of the week days to feel fully recovered from that hard ride last Sunday, so I was totally with the program of taking it easy.

Yesterday was more of a fun ride. I did a fairly brisk Paradise loop, at a steadily efficient zone 2. It's a good route for keeping the pace up without going hard. Did the same route today, but as an easy spin, averaging > 2mph slower.

I've been looking at my training stats for some sign of how my training has changed between training phases, apart from the obvious jumps in the Performance Management Chart (line graph thumbnail posted in right column). The volume numbers (hours, miles) generally don't show all that much difference and even the intensity tends to average out to similar levels over the course of a month.

The best way I've found is the HR distribution charts in WKO. The latest shows a much stronger concentration in the mid aerobic ranges, while all 3 of the recent months are much more focused than the racing months, with lots of time spread fairly evenly between low, medium, and high intensity.

Build 1 (last 28 days):

The last 4 weeks have had very little truly low-intensity time, but still plenty from mid-zone 1 (125-130) and the most concentrated zone 2 (135-149) I've done. Zone 3 and 4's been dosed in, especially on the hills. Sprint work was there but isn't going to be visible in these volumes (better seen in power #s).

Base 1 & 2 (December and November):

December was a bit lighter than November, mostly due to a nagging injury early in the month and the holidays later on

November was the kickoff of serious base time, but with a track race and Mt Ham hill climb mixed in for fun, creating some top-end time

Racing last summer (August, June, and May):

August was my hardest month of 2008 by the measure of time spent in zone 5 (170-180+), but overall volume was down due to getting hit by a car before San Ardo. Fort Ord RR and the San Rafael crit were pretty tough.

June a relatively hard month of racing (esp. Pesdadero, Napa crit, and Diablo hill climb), but I got a decent amount of non-race training in, too.

May was my biggest month in 2008 by intensity and volume (in terms of TSS, kj, miles, and hours), but was obviously pretty all over the place, looking at this chart.