Coming off quite a nice month in January, hopefully doesn't mean February will bring back the extreme cold. Even if it does, we can battle through what should be the winding down of the extremes winter conditions in February. March will be far from perfect but we can always safely anticipate some nice days possibly for some road riding and for sure some quality running. February also turns the corner into the 2023 race season. If you are doing some 10k's, half or full marathons in the spring you are only looking at 8-12 weeks until some great races start kicking off. With the month of May within that window we'll also have the cycling racing calendar starting to fire up and some triathlons in BC in May and in Alberta in June.
LAST CHANCE PLANS
Run Training Plans
1/2 Marathon & 10 km Training Plan Special
Register for our 16 week online Coached Run Program for 177+gst.
A SAVINGS of $60.00!
Must start program no later then March 1,2023
To Register email: kevin@aerobicpower.com
Marathon Training Plan Special
We will help you get to the start line healthy, and confident so that you can hit those personal performance targets. Register for a 20-24 week online Marathon Program for 236+gst.
A SAVINGS of $80.00!
Must start program no later then Feb 1,2023
To Register email: kevin@aerobicpower.com
UPCOMING CLINICS AND CAMPS
Learn to Train with Power (Meter)
Training with Power Made Simple.
If you received. new power meter or maybe just haven't learned yet just how to enjoy all the benefits it is suppose to provide. This 8 week program will teach you how to maximize and enjoy all the benefits of training with a power meter on the bike.
Starts February 6, 2022 with the Opening Seminar 7pm.
What you Get with the 8 Week Program:
Cycling Training Plan, providing 3 power-based workouts per week.
Unlimited access to coaches to answer your workout questions
Presentation on How to Understand and Train with Power on the bike as well as utilize various online training platforms such as Zwift.
Mid Program Presentation "Getting You to the Next Level"
End of Program Presentation "Transitioning to the Outdoor Rides"
Recorded seminar by Pedalhead Bicycle Works owner, Chris Check, on optimizing bike set up, gear and know-how.
Two weekend Group Rides on Zwift
"How To Train with Power" Manual
Discount on Our May 6-7 Learn to Ride Stronger Edmonton Cycling Camp
Cycling Camps
LEARN TO RIDE STRONGER EDMONTON CYCLING CAMP MAY 6-7, 2023
The weekend is designed for beginner to intermediate riders, who want to get more comfortable riding in a group, or handling different aspects of varying terrain found out on the road. Ride groups will be divided into ability levels to ensure all riders are comfortable and enjoy every kilometre of their ride. Ride distances will range from 50km to 90km The camp will be instructed by professional coaches with 20 years of coaching experience.
Rain Out Weekend- May 13-14 ,2023
$199 plus gst.
To Register email: kevin@aerobicpower.com
ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIKE CAMP-JUNE 16-18, 2023!!
In beautiful Jasper Alberta. This camp will offer two main objectives. For the novice groups you will develop the skills to perform group rides safely, learn to descend with confidence, cornering, braking and shifting gears to optimize your efficiency riding all the while developing a new level of fitness to take on your summer riding goals. Our experienced groups will review all the essential skills in group riding/racing, learn how to attack descents with more speed and push your fitness limits with a challenging weekend of riding at altitude.
CAMP PRICE: $399+ gst EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (10%) BEFORE MARCH 1
To Register email: kevin@aerobicpower.com
GETTING TECHY
Attention Cyclists
Why Aerobic Power uses more of the Sweet Spot Methodology
Polarized Training (80/20)
Majority of training utilizes the two extreme ends of the training intensity continuum. An athlete would spend 80 % of training time working at 55-65% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and 20% of training time working at over 90% of FTP.
Tempo / Sweet Spot Training
Tempo is a training zone ranging from 75% - 90% of your FTP. Usually called Level 3 or Zone 3 on one’s training profile.
The “Sweet Spot” as coined by power training guru Hunter Allen is a label for a specific training intensity that falls at the higher end of Tempo training in most training zone profiles, 88-93% of Functional Threshold Power.
The majority of training time would be spent between 75-90% of FTP and probably more of that between 80-90% of FTP.
I think that’s the key variable one must consider when evaluating your early season training methodology. Time, most athletes who I work with do not have much of it. Working cyclists and especially those who are fitting in swims and runs usually have 4-9 hours per week on their bike. This is not enough time on the bike to be spending 80% of that at 65% or less of FTP and expect to gain all the benefits associated with polarized training.
Professionals and other cyclists who have prescribed to polarized training are able to put in a minimum of 12-20+ hours a week to gain the desired aerobic adaptations from polarized training.
All things being equal using polarized during parts of your training may have some fantastic benefits towards building a bigger, broader aerobic engine or foundation to build your specific fitness onto but when things are not equal and you need the “ more bang for your buck” training at tempo / sweet spot lends itself to that same objective of building a big aerobic engine on much less time while still being mindful of minimizing risk of over training or peaking too early in the season.
When utilizing the sweet spot focused training cyclists must be very mindful of their perceived efforts and resulting metrics. It is very important to not let that effort and watts number creep up close to or over threshold. If we let this urge get the best of us, we will begin to start to dig that deep hole into over training. In this case, in these types of workouts more or harder is not better. It is vital that you focus on and work within the suggested range in order to gains the benefits without building up too much fatigue.
Attention Runners
Sprints/Accelerations/Uphill Sprints
As ageing “long” distance runners we tend to do more of our training runs on the slower side of fast and unfortunately our ageing bodies are losing muscle mass and when not trained, our nervous system may not fire like it used to either. These sprint or acceleration sessions are some of the most important workouts we can perform regularly each week as they should not break down the athlete due to the small broken up dosages of work, but at the same time provide the athlete with an extremely beneficial amount of mechanical and fast twitch muscle work. It really hit home when I was in Flagstaff attending a camp with Greg Mcmillan. He put it like this, “ at the end of your easy runs, perform 6-10x 15 to 20 second controlled sprints or accelerations with full recovery. Now do the math, you just completed 1km of very fast running.
“Fast” running helps all of us improve our biomechanics in running, it increases our fast twitch fibre recruitment, providing us with a larger army of muscle fibres to recruit from in our events. In short it will help us run faster, and run longer.
COACHES TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
If you haven't noticed already, I pick an event/sport and then do deep dives and then change it up again for a new deep dive. I feel like I really need to be in there to maximize my learning. So through covid I took a deep dive back into cycling, read, experimented and rode lots. Last year I got back into triathlons and Ironman. That was actually a super summer. It wasn't picture perfect but I think as a result I learned or was really reminded again about the physical and mental challenges of balancing everything in an Ironman year. This winter with Boston Marathon on the horizon my deep dive is back into running. I have found some fantastic readings especially from the likes of Steve Magness which have then shot off into many different directions and high level coaching insights. I always try things first myself and then if it has been a positive outcome, evaluate to see what types/levels of athletes the change ups might be appropriate for.
So far this is what I've experienced.
Fact: We all know a NEW STIMULUS creates change.
Correctly manipulated stimulus creates positive change, in this case a positive trending Performance Chart on my way to the Boston Marathon.
Stimulus 1: More running... "officially" kicking it off in November with some motivating months of running due to some fun challenges and fund raisers leading to some great consistency.
Stimulus 2: 2 a days--> in short I started them to make some mileage fund raising targets but discovered it made for a much better feeling interval session in my second run of the day and it added some more run volume ( see stimulus 1) in a very gentle way.
Stimulus 3: Previously I have felt less robust in my long runs and definitely last May in the Vancouver Marathon, so since December I have not focused as much on the standard "long run" of longer and longer distances but completed more of the 14-16 mile runs working a lot harder by incorporating various types of interval designs working at specific levels above and below marathon pace.
I am not yet where I would like to be pace wise but the work has made running feel good again. It is fun to be out with lots of new ideas in my head resulting in lots of motivation to keep going every day, experimenting, learning and looking for more positive change.