Week Eight
12.5 Hours
Another solid week of training in the books! Lots of aerobic zone 2 rides on the trainer. The time on the trainer is getting easier and less boring, which is ultimately a good thing. Unlocking the trainer as another option will be big for keeping my fitness going during days with bad weather or limited time once we get into the outdoor riding season.
I started having some pain in my left knee, and I think I started to subconsciously overcompensate, which then caused some pain in my left hamstring. I’m taking some pain killers, stretching, and massaging to see if I can get it feeling better this week without taking time off.
My aerobars came in after some delays due to the storm. Looking forward to getting some time on them and training in the aero position. Being able to hold that position will be a massive gain on the Katy this summer and Unbound next summer.
Week Seven
14.5 Hours
Biggest week of the training so far. This week I finally felt like I’m getting more fitness. The hours and watts started to feel easier on the trainer. Next week I’ll be doing a monthly update on the stats I’ve been tracking since I started, and excited to see what progress I’ve made over the last 2 months.
No outdoor rides this week. Massive record-setting blizzard in the KC area meant I was shoveling the driveway all day on Sunday. Luckily I was still able to get 4hrs in on the trainer. I’m still collecting the necessary equipment for the ultra rides next season, and recently ordered what should be the single biggest difference-maker: aero bars. After researching, I got the Neosonic bars from Profile Design. They should be arriving in the next week, so I’ll get them installed on the training bike so I can get used to the position.
Week Six
11.75 Hours
Merry Christmas! This week included Christmas Day where I didn’t get in any time on the bike. Considering that fact, I was really happy to nearly hit 12 hours on the bike. I was even able to get outside on Sunday for 37 miles. I did lots of gravel and some true off-road riverfront trails too. I made the most of my 2hrs I had to spare. Even nabbed a couple Top 10 KOM segments without realizing it.
Biggest takeaways from the Sunday ride was how great it was to not have to worry about cars, and how smooth the ride was. I rode some of the same route on my Endurace last season, and the bike got rattled to death. The same roads with 45mm tires on the Crux was awesome. Time to double-down on my training and focus now that the holidays are behind me. 2025 will be a great year!
Week Five
11.25 Hours
This week my legs felt good. I was happy to be able to get outside for an hour on Sunday. I had to really bundle up, but it was sunny, so it wasn’t too cold. There was a sustained 15mph headwind for the first half of the ride, so I had to put down some watts to maintain a decent speed. This resulted in my highest ever avg power output for 1 hour of 223 watts, and Garmin revised my FTP to 253.
I’d like to hit 12hrs next week, and keep building up with the goal of getting to a 20hr week at the end of January. I know these base miles over the winter are going to be a game-changer for me because I didn’t do anything last winter. The work I’m putting in now is going to give me a massive head start compared to last season. I’m excited to see the results in the Spring.
Week Four
10.75 hours
This week was the 1 month check-in on my core metrics. Happy to say I’ve seen improvements across the board.
- Garmin Fitness Age: 25 (12% improvement)
- Cycling VO2 Max: 53 (4% improvement)
- 7 Day avg resting HR: 45bpm (12% improvement)
- FTP: 233 (4% improvement)
- Weight: 161lbs (2% improvement)
- Watts/kg: 3.19 (6% improvement)
- Strava Fitness Score: 54 (64% improvement)
Strava also dropped their Year-In-Sport reivew. My main takeaway was that I need more active days in 2025. No days off!
Week Three
8.5 hours
Week number three in the books. This was considered a recovery week on the training plan, but since last week around the holiday was less than I wanted, I added a little time on the bike.
I was incredibly lucky to have decent weather, and was able to do 2 outdoor rides this week, including a 2hr ride on Sunday from Bonner Springs out to DeSoto.
It was really windy, and cold on the ride. I wore a wind vest over a short sleeve jersey top. Long sleeves would have been ideal. There were some headwind sections where I was totally exposed and it was a real grind. But still thankful to get out of the basement and off the trainer for a bit.
Week Two
5.5 hours
Second week of following the Garmin Coach training plan. This week I traveled with the family to WaKeeney, KS for the Thanksgiving holiday and wasn’t able to take the bike with me. While I missed some zone 2 aerobic rides while traveling, I did have an increase in daily steps (over 15.5k) thanks to pheasant hunting.
After getting home, unloading the car, and taking care of the kids, I was able to get a 1.5 hour ride in on Sunday night.
Looking forward to getting back on track this week.
Week One
10.5 hours
This was my first full week of training following the Garmin Coach training plan. This is the Base Phase, focused on laying the foundation for the training to come by boosting aerobic fitness and increasing training miles. My body seemed to handle it well. My average resting heart rate for the last 7 days is consistent with the last 4 weeks, indicating I’m not overtraining.
I hung up my KU letter blanket near the trainer. It’s motivating to remember how fit I was and what my body is capable of. I added core work and stretching to my routine this week. Flexibility and core strength are going to be key for me to make a step up to the next level of performance.