tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88129865172588080792024-03-13T23:58:19.915-07:00Jose Soltren's Cycling BlogJosé Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-45624864941249592672012-04-11T09:15:00.002-07:002012-04-11T09:27:11.730-07:00Learning to Fly (shameless self promotion)http://coronthica.com/flight<div><br /></div><div>I'm taking a break from bicycle racing for a while. The reasons are numerous, and include burnout and a perceived lack of progress. I've already come so far (upgraded to Cat 2, cycled across the US twice, cycled from NYC to Boston in a day, won a stage race, been part of a national championship winning team) and am happy with what I've achieved. Somehow, though, upgrading to Cat 1 isn't as exciting, and I have no interests in becoming a professional.</div><div><br /></div><div>At some point riding became stressful and stopped being fun. That's when I knew I needed to stop for a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>In any event, with a change of focus and a new-found abundance of free time, I've decided to pursue another lifelong dream: learning to fly. Head to my new personal site, http://coronthica.com/flight, for news to that end.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wish me luck!</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-71918153032269155372012-04-04T23:39:00.000-07:002012-04-04T23:41:02.918-07:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 16 (ending 2012-03-25)<div><span >I've decided to resign the JEP Coaching Scholarship.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Due to a number of other factors in my life, I am unable to commit the amount of time and energy required to be competitive at a Pro/1/2 level.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I'd like to thank AltoVelo and the Peckham family for their support and encouragement, and Dan Smith for providing coaching services. I apologize to anyone who depended on these scholarship reports in any way.</span></div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-58260610693923443432012-03-28T20:52:00.001-07:002012-03-28T20:52:20.302-07:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 15 (ending 2012-03-25)<span ><div>Weekly Overview:</div><div>Between work and awful weather, it's been hard to find time to ride. I wasn't feeling well this week either.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div>03-19 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: Day off.</div><div>Actual: 90min Z3 rollers ride.</div><div><br /></div><div>03-20 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: 90min Z2-Z3 ride, 1h strength maintenance session.</div><div>Actual: Day off.</div><div><br /></div><div>03-21 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 90min Z2-Z3 ride, 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Easy 1h ride around lunchtime.</div><div><br /></div><div>03-22 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h ride with 10min Z4 efforts, 1h strength maintenance session.</div><div>Actual: Day off. Allergies acting up.</div><div><br /></div><div>03-23 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 90min ride with seated sprint efforts, 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Day off. Allergies gave way to a cold.</div><div><br /></div><div>03-24 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 2h rollers ride with Tabata and Z4 efforts, 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed.</div><div><br /></div><div>03-25 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: Warnerville Road Race, replaced by day off.</div><div>Actual: No racing. Day off on account of rain.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 5 h 06 min</div><div>Distance: 70 miles</div><div>TSS: 333</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose </div></span>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-31720941160235418922012-03-21T22:19:00.001-07:002012-03-21T22:19:53.777-07:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 14 (ending 2012-03-18)<div><span >Weekly Overview:</span></div><div><span >The time change, the cold rainy weather, not feeling all that well, and tasks at work made training difficult this week. The time change means that I now wake up an hour later, and as such, have even less training time in the morning. I just don't ride well in cold weather.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Workouts:</span></div><div><span >03-12 Monday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h30min Z2 ride, 30min stretching session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Rode outside for 1h, felt awful. Did a little stretching.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-13 Tuesday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: HIT Session: hill repeats at Huddart Park, plus 30min strength maintenance session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: 1h stretching session with some kettle bell work, not feeling up to strength maintenance. 45min of efforts on rollers, 2-3min Z5 repeats.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-14 Wednesday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 90min Z2/Z3 ride, 30min stretching session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: 90min ride on rollers, 5min stretching.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-15 Thursday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h strength maintenance, 1h30m Tabata efforts (20s on 10s off for 4 minutes).</span></div><div><span >Actual: Day off. Not feeling up to training at all.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-16 Friday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h30m pedaling in drops, 30min stretching.</span></div><div><span >Actual: 1h in drops doing Tabatas. No stretching.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-17 Saturday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h30m pre-race openers, 30min stretching.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Day off.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-18 Sunday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Bariani Road Race.</span></div><div><span >Actual: No race. Apparently, as a Cat 2 under 30, there was no field for me to do, and the weather was suspect.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Weekly summary:</span></div><div><span >Time: 5 h 40 min</span></div><div><span >Distance: 85 miles</span></div><div><span >TSS: 419</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Thanks for reading.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >--Jose</span></div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-70086819976679082152012-03-14T22:46:00.001-07:002012-03-14T22:46:56.733-07:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 13 (ending 2012-03-11)<div><span >Weekly Overview:</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >This was a busy week at work. It was difficult to find the time to complete all prescribed workouts this week, and nearly impossible to find time to stretch. Cold mornings continue to be a challenge for training. Getting enough sleep is at least as important as training correctly.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Workouts:</span></div><div><span >03-05 Monday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h ride featuring Tabatas on bike: 3 x (8 x(20s on 10s off), 5min rest). 30min stretching session post ride.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Did Tabatas in AM on rollers. Felt absolutely awful but the power was quite good. Did 30min of stretching afterward.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-06 Tuesday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h "strength maintenance" session. 1h Z3 trainer session: 4 x (3x(2.5min on 0.5min off), 2min rest).</span></div><div><span >Actual: Did 1h strength maintenance session: lunges, step ups, kettle bell swings, Turkish getups. Felt really, really sore after these. No time or energy for intervals, so punted these to next day.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-07 Wednesday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h30m easy Z2 ride, 30min stretching session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: 1h Z3 effort on rollers, plus a post-rollers spin. No time for stretching.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-08 Thursday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h "strength maintenance", plus Z4 efforts: similar to Tuesday, but Z4 instead of Z3.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Went too hard on Tuesday, so punted strengh maintenance. Did Z4 efforts. Felt really tired, though power was good.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-09 Friday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Super easy Z1-Z2 recovery ride for 1h30m, plus 30min stretching session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Did an easy Z1-2 spin during the nicest part of the day, nice relaxing ride. No time, again, for stretching.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-10 Saturday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Spectrum ride (sit in) plus Tabatas post ride: 2 x (8 x(20s on 10s off), 5min rest). 30min stretching session post ride.</span></div><div><span >Actual: As prescribed. Most of the fast guys were out racing so the Spectrum ride was more mellow than usual. I even won the Portola fire station sprint.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >03-11 Sunday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Day off.</span></div><div><span >Actual: As prescribed.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Weekly summary:</span></div><div><span >Time: 10 h 01 min</span></div><div><span >Distance: 157 miles</span></div><div><span >TSS: 897</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Thanks for reading.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >--Jose</span></div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-80697921316999858372012-03-05T20:23:00.000-08:002012-03-05T20:24:16.307-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 12 (ending 2012-03-04)Weekly Overview:<br /><br />The weather is improving! Training continues to move toward race prep with some shorter, higher intensity workouts. Dieting is getting to be a challenge. I seem to have settled on 180 lbs. I can lose another 5 lbs, and have in the past, but doing so involves being unhappy and being unproductive at work. We'll see what happens.<br /><br />This was the last week of scheduled Crossfit workouts. I'll continue to have strength maintenance assigned through the season. To this end, I purchased a kettle bell.<br /><br />Workouts:<br />02-27 Monday<br />Prescribed: Day off, rollers option.<br />Actual: 1h easy spin on rollers in the morning.<br /><br />02-28 Tuesday<br />Prescribed: 1h Defiance Crossfit (last session) plus neuromuscular sprint efforts: 2 sets of (15 sec all out, 2 minutes rest) x 5.<br />Actual: Last day of Crossfit covered move to strength maintenance. Without a gym, I can still do lunges, step ups, planks, squats, and stretching at home. The kettle bell purchase means that I can do kettle bell deadlifts, kettle bell swings, and Turkish get-ups as well. Sprint efforts were okay but not awesome. I think the highest power I saw was 1375W, which is lower than I did the prior month.<br /><br />02-29 Wednesday (Leap Day!)<br />Prescribed: 1h30m Z2 ride with 30 min stretching session.<br />Actual: As prescribed. Ride was on rollers. Did stretching right after rollers ride.<br /><br />03-01 Thursday<br />Prescribed: 1h strength maintenance session plus FTP rollers session: 4 x (2.5min Z4 on 0.5min off for 10 minutes).<br />Actual: Did strength maintenance in AM. Had to improvise weight for lunges and step ups but it was okay. Unable to do prescribed ride in evening, punted to next day.<br /><br />03-02 Friday<br />Prescribed: Nothing assigned (!?). Checked later in the day and saw prescribed day off with optional rollers ride.<br />Actual: Did Z4 effort from prior day. Had a very good workout, punting was definitely the correct step.<br /><br />03-03 Saturday<br />Prescribed: Spectrum ride plus 1x Canada Road TT effort, totaling 3 hours, plus 30min stretching session.<br />Actual: As prescribed. Sat in on Spectrum ride. Riding with a group is a good refresher for upcoming races. First Canada Road TT in a while, broke 25 minutes on road bike on Beat The Clock course not doing anything special. Canada is always a hard TT course for me. I applied a lesson from flight training: the idea of "establishing" a climb or a descent. The road changes but it can be broken down into about 1 minute long sections of constant grade. Thinking this way helped me better pace the effort. Saw a bunch of AV people out today.<br /><br />03-04 Sunday<br />Prescribed: Day off.<br />Actual: Los Altos Hills ride with a friend from out of town. Super low key, just enjoying the nice weather while it lasts.<br /><br />Weekly summary:<br />Time: 13 h 38 min<br />Distance: 191 miles<br />TSS: 1019<br /><br />(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)<br /><br />I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!<br /><br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br />--JoseJosé Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-34021277676259929352012-02-28T19:28:00.000-08:002012-02-28T19:29:14.764-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 11 (ending 2012-02-26)<div><span >Weekly Overview:</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I received my SL3 back from Calfee, and made time this week to put it back together. The blocker was a replacement set of SRAM Red shifter blades. I eventually caved and got Force replacements. They are identical, except for two splotches of paint. Oh well.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Rebuilding the SL3 took a total of about ten hours of work over three weeknights. On the first night, I discovered that WD-40 is an amazing degreaser. On the second night, I built the frame up from scratch. On night three, I cabled the bike, tuned the shifting, and applied bar tape. It was great to split up this work instead of doing it all at once.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Training is moving toward the "build" phase, with slightly less volume but more intensity.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Workouts:</span></div><div><span >02-20 Monday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Rest day.</span></div><div><span >Actual: As prescribed; a much needed holiday.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >02-21 Tuesday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 1h Crossfit plus Tabatas on bike: 20 seconds "on" Z6, 10 seconds "off" Z1 - for four minutes, three times.</span></div><div><span >Actual: As prescribed. Crossfit featured stretching, kettle bells, and deadlifts per norm. The Tabatas were brutal. Who is this Tabata fellow anyway? Apparently he is first author on PMED 8897392, "Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max", from 1996.</span></div><div><span > Bonus points to someone in the academia racket who can get me the full text to that article!</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >02-22 Wednesday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 90min unstructured Z2 ride plus 30min stretching session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: As prescribed. 90min Z2-Z3 rollers ride in AM, 45min stretching in the evening.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >02-23 Thursday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed:1h Crossfit in AM. Rollers session in PM: four 10 min efforts of 2.5 min "on" Z4, 0.5min "off" Z1.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Did Crossfit in AM; very similar to Tuesday. Did rollers workout immediately thereafter. I was able to hit the power numbers but it was a challenge.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >02-24 Friday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: 90min pedaling in drops (Z2-Z3) plus 30min stretching session.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Rode on rollers in drops for about 1h15m. Continued stretching is making the drops slowly but steadily more comfortable. Did some stretching afterward.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >02-25 Saturday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Spectrum ride (sit in) plus 2x Kings Mountain at Z4, stretching afterward.</span></div><div><span >Actual: Did Spectrum ride. First group ride in a very long time. Remembered the joys of riding in a big group. Rode strong out on Canada. First effort up Kings was pretty strong; second one was less awesome. I re-discovered that cold weather riding with high intensity causes back pain, no matter how flexible I am.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >02-26 Sunday</span></div><div><span >Prescribed: Day off.</span></div><div><span >Actual: As prescribed.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Weekly summary:</span></div><div><span >Time: 13 h 59 min</span></div><div><span >Distance: 194 miles</span></div><div><span >TSS: 1012</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Thanks for reading.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >--Jose </span></div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-88555448475554278762012-02-20T11:38:00.000-08:002012-02-20T11:39:05.711-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 10 (ending 2012-02-19)Weekly Overview:<br /><br />After some weeks of building up to the training camp, I greatly enjoyed an easy week. I suspect the volume will begin to increase again fairly soon.<br /><br />I did a 20min test on Saturday, and calculated my FTP to be 358W (measured with a PowerTap). See below for further details. (If you're not aware, FTP stands for functional threshold power, a mythical power number with all kinds of implications. It is, among other things, the power you should be able to average in a 1h time trial, and about 15% over the "sweet spot" of Z3 tempo training.)<br /><br />Workouts:<br />02-13 Monday<br />Prescribed: Day off after training camp.<br />Actual: As prescribed.<br /><br />02-14 Tuesday<br />Prescribed: 1h Crossfit in AM, 1h Z2 ride.<br />Actual: Rode to and from Crossfit in AM, were our day focused on range of motion post training camp.<br /><br />02-15 Wednesday<br />Prescribed: 90min Z2 ride, 30min stretching session.<br />Actual: Did Z2 work on rollers and outside for a little under 90m. Did some stretching of tight areas (hamstrings) in AM.<br /><br />02-16 Thursday<br />Prescribed: 1h Crossfit in AM, Z2 ride.<br />Actual: Rode to and from Crossfit in AM.<br /><br />02-17 Friday<br />Prescribed: 90min either in drops or aerobars pre-test, Z1-Z3, plus 30min stretchi<br />ng session.Actual: Rode in drops on rollers for about 1h20m, with some spinning outside after<br />ward. Did about 20min of stretching post ride.<br /><br />02-18 Saturday<br />Prescribed: 20 min test following protocol of ~20min warmup, 2x3min Z5 effort, 5min rest, tare power meter. 20min TT pace. Road ride (~2h) and 30min stretching afterward.<br />Actual: FTP 358W (CP_20 * 0.95 = 358W). Test completed on rollers. Used PowerTap; need to compensate for drivetrain losses if using crank-based power in future (~2%). Details (avg/max)[units]: power (377/508)[watts], heart rate (168/175)[beats/minute], cadence (95/139)[revolutions/minute], temperature (16/16)[C]. Normalized for my weight and using the usual Coggan chart, this puts me in the mid-Cat 2 range (surprise surprise). Did a little bit of stretching immediately post ride. Did 2h easy road ride afterward. Need to recalculate my power zones after this test.<br /><br />02-19 Sunday<br />Prescribed: Day off, optional Z2-Z3 ride.<br />Actual: As prescribed.<br /><br />Weekly summary:<br />Time: 10 h 57 min<br />Distance: 148.7 miles<br />TSS: 591<br /><br />(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)<br /><br />I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!<br /><br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br />--JoseJosé Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-89783518949773264222012-02-14T20:46:00.000-08:002012-02-14T20:47:09.726-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 09 (ending 2012-02-12)<div>Weekly Overview:</div><div><br /></div><div>Rain and cold returned to NorCal just in time for training camp. This was the hardest week yet - over 20h between riding, Crossfit, and stretching/massage sessions. I had a good week in training, and am looking forward to an easy week coming up.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hit one of my weight targets (180 lbs) a couple of weeks early. If/when I get down to 175 lbs, I'd like to get a DXA scan to see just what my body composition is.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div>02-06 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h30m Z2 ride (some Z3-Z4 OK) plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Managed to get in just under 1h15m of riding. No time for stretching session today.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-07 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit (stretching, lifts, Tabata intervals) plus 1h30m Z3 riding</div><div>Actual: Did Crossfit - it was challenging with two Tabata interval sets. Managed to get in just under 1h15m of Z2-Z3 riding, some on the rollers. (It is still cold.)</div><div><br /></div><div>02-08 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h30m Z2 ride (some Z3-Z4 OK) plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: 1h30m of rollers, Z2-Z3. Managed to get in 15min of stretching.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-09 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit in AM, 1h rollers ride with 4 x 10min Z4 efforts.</div><div>Actual: Did Crossfit - lighter day than usual due to Dan's camp. Rode to and from Crossfit before doing workout.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-10 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h30m Z1-Z3 (HR, not power) focusing on riding in drops, plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Life caught up to me today and I had to run a bunch of errands. Rides were cancelled.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-11 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 4hr+ road ride (training camp) plus 30min post ride massage.</div><div>Actual: just under 5h30m on the road. Route was: up Kings Mountain, up West Alpine, up Old La Honda, up West Alpine. I descended dirt Alpine in the rain (not advised on road bike). Fun ride. Post ride massage was good idea.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-12 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: 4hr+ road ride (training camp) plus 30min post ride massage.</div><div>Actual: 4h50m on the road. Up Old La Honda, up Haskins, up Tunitas. Felt surprisingly good. In post ride massage we theorized that my rectus femoris is tight, causing an anterior pelvic tilt and possibly the cause of back pain on long rides.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 20 h 01 min</div><div>Distance: 278 miles</div><div>TSS: 1596</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-82911494004537600332012-02-07T21:17:00.000-08:002012-02-07T21:18:51.540-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 08 (ending 2012-02-05)<div>We have been very fortunate, here in the Bay Area, to have one of the driest "winters" on record. Indeed, I was able to get in a good ride this Saturday. It was a repeat of last Saturday's ride, along Old Haul Road, but dry conditions on the trail are better than wet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weight loss progresses well. I'm slightly ahead of my target. I can already feel that the reduced weight makes life going easier uphill. Yes, I've lost weight before, and this is nothing new, but it is still a good feeling.</div><div><br /></div><div>It will be at least another two weeks before my cracked SL3 frameset is back in my hands from Calfee. My repurposed cyclocross/commuter bike fits me well and is a fine training bike, as long as I avoid the brakes!</div><div><br /></div><div>Doing the prescribed workouts continues to be at odds with my work schedule.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly Overview:</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div>01-30 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Z2-Z3 ride plus stretching session.</div><div>Actual: 1h Z2-Z3 on rollers; no time for stretching session.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-31 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit plus 1h30m tempo ride in AM; 1h Z4 efforts in PM.</div><div>Actual: 1h Crossfit plus about 1h Z3 tempo ride to/from Crossfit in AM, plus 1h rollers ride with two 20min Z4 efforts at low cadence.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-01 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h30m Z2 ride (some Z3 okay) plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: 1h30m rollers ride before work. No time for stretching session with work schedule.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-02 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit plus 1h30m tempo ride.</div><div>Actual: 1h Crossfit plus 1h Z3 tempo ride to/from Crossfit in AM.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-03 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 2-3h ride with two 20min Z4 hill climb efforts. Climbs include 30-60s Z5 bursts every few minutes. 30min stretching session in PM.</div><div>Actual: No riding or stretching today.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-04 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 4h road ride with climbing, aim for 40+ minutes Z4. 30min stretching session after.</div><div>Actual: 5h13m road ride: up Kings, down 92 West, down 1 and Stage, out Old Haul, up Portola Redwoods and West Alpine, down Alpine - same as last week. Good ride. Did 20min stretching after.</div><div><br /></div><div>02-05 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: Day off, 1-2h Z3 ride option.</div><div>Actual: 2h15m Z2-Z3 road ride with one Z4 effort up Kings; made it up in under 25 minutes. Watched the Super Bowl afterward.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 16 h 15 min</div><div>Distance: 241 miles</div><div>TSS: 1238</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-63823181812525999832012-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:002012-02-01T00:02:37.046-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 07 (ending 2012-01-29)<div>The slow and steady progression back into form continues.</div><div><br /></div><div>The warmer weather and earlier sunrise made training easier this week. I've settled on taking Caltrain to and from work for the time being. The good news is that this makes some logistics much easier. The bad news is that I can't combine my commute with training this way, so training time suffers.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the constant challenges is making the most of the training time that I have available. Dan wants me to train more, and keeps pushing me in the direction of putting in more hours. I'm pushing back. Between dieting, long hours at work, and really not riding very much for several months before training again in earnest, I'm better served by quality than volume. Burnout has been a problem for me in the past. I am trying to avoid it this year by being conservative and realistic. When the weather is nice, the days are long, and I'm in good form, putting in the hours does not seem like a challenge at all. (It's barely February!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly Overview:</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div>01-23 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Z2-Z3 ride plus 30 min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Unable to do rides today due to time constraints.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-24 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit, 1h Z2 ride, 1h rollers session with Z4 efforts in PM</div><div>Actual: Did Crossfit, plus ride to and from. Hang power cleans continue to be a challenge. Evening rollers workout is harder to start than it is to complete. Z4 efforts are getting more solid, I'm seeing somewhere around 360-380W+ in efforts. </div><div><br /></div><div>01-25 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h30m road ride plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: 1h30m Z2-Z3 rollers ride, plus 30 min stretching session.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-26 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit, plus 1h in aerobars on TT bike on rollers (in PM?)</div><div>Actual: Did Crossfit, with more lifting and Tabatas. We're starting to do plyometrics: jumps, bounds, etc. I need to make some improvements to my form in bounds. Logistical challenges prevented me from getting my TT biek ready, so I rode to and from Crossfit as usual.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-27 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 2h+ road ride with four 10min Z4 efforts. </div><div>Actual: Did prescribed intervals on rollers.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-28 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 4h road ride with some Z3 efforts.</div><div>Actual: Long 5.5 hour road ride. Up Kings, down 92, down 1 to Pescadero, along Old Haul Road (trail!) to Portola Redwoods State Park. Up West Alpine, down dirt Alpine. Gorgeous day. Too bad my computer died an hour or so from home; the weekly summary numbers below don't reflect the tail end of the ride.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-29 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: Day off.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed!</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 12 h 34 min</div><div>Distance: 182 miles</div><div>TSS: 878</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-27240918790359773792012-01-24T22:37:00.000-08:002012-01-24T22:40:39.529-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 06 (ending 2012-01-22)<div>An unseasonably cold winter means that I'm riding the rollers more. I sent my cracked SL3 frame to Calfee and am still waiting for a repair quote. I've repurposed my old cyclocross and commuter bike as my primary training bike. There is a good chance I'll be riding this bike as is for the next month or two. Dieting continues; I expect to achieve my goal of losing 5 lbs this month.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the most part, it is too cold to ride outside. People always laugh when I say this, citing that I'm from the East Coast and ought to be used to the cold. My response is that I rode indoors until mid-April back east, until it got above 55F at the start of rides. My work schedule and logistics mean that I can only really ride in the mornings or evenings, when it is still quite cold.</div><div><br /></div><div>The good news is that I enjoy rollers workouts. Staying upright keeps my mind occupied, and not worrying about road conditions or passing motorists allows me to focus on the workout. Some of my best training sessions have been on the rollers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly Overview:</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div>01-16 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Z2-Z3 ride plus 30 min stretching.</div><div>Actual: Took a much needed day off, still sore from crashing on Friday.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-17 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: Crossfit in AM, 1h ride to/from Crossfit, 1h rollers session with Z4 efforts in PM</div><div>Actual: As prescribed. Lots of dead lifts at Crossfit. I really need to ride in to Crossfit in order to get a good warmup.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-18 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 45min easy outdoor ride plus 30min stretching.</div><div>Actual: 1h on rollers plus stretching. Too cold to ride outside - 30F in the morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-19 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: Crossfit in AM, 1h30m ride to/from Crossfit.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed. More deadlifts at Crossfit. Riding home when everyone is dropping off their kids at school, is always interesting.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-20 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 2-3h Z2 ride with Z3 efforts, plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: 2h rollers ride with 5 x 10min Z3-Z4 efforts, plus stretching session.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-21 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 4h tempo combo ride or 1h trainer session.</div><div>Actual: 2h on rollers, with three 20min Z4-Z5 efforts. I was supposed to do these efforts last week but did not. Ride was quite good, and power numbers are starting to come back up.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-22 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: Day off, optional 1h rollers ride.</div><div>Actual: Took a day off! Sunday is the only day when I can get away with not having to ride or go to work. I always come back feeling energized after a day to focus on other things.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 11 h 12 min</div><div>Distance: 164.52 miles</div><div>TSS: 696.4</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div></div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-29400269487981879522012-01-18T20:51:00.001-08:002012-01-18T20:51:38.035-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 05 (ending 2012-01-15)<div>Weekly Overview:</div><div>Record cold weather is making it difficult to train. A change of ownership at the now-former Defiance Crossfit means that Tuesday and Thursday morning workouts happen at 6am, 30 minutes earlier. A crash in training on Friday effectively kept me from riding over the weekend. I'm fine, but my Tarmac SL3 is off to Calfee for frame repairs. Dieting continues; I've already lost a few pounds. (Mostly, I'm just losing body fat. I can go from about 10% to about 6% body fat, representing a loss of about 8 lbs.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I promised to talk a little more about the diet. In designing my eating plan, I aimed for low glycemic, whole, natural foods, plenty of protein (at least 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day), meals of not more than 500 Calories, and many small snacks through the course of the day. It sounds simple, and it is, but I used a spreadsheet to make sure I was getting enough of all of the nutrients I needed. Fruits and vegetables are great because they have a high fiber and water content, which helps you feel full, and reduces the glycemic load (i.e. no blood sugar spikes, no rush or crash). Pickles are a favorite snack, as they have a negligible number of calories. I found Monique Ryan's book "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes" to be helpful, and largely in agreement with advice from our very own Mary Ann Levenson.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div>01-09 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: 45 min Z2 ride plus stretching session.</div><div>Actual: 1h Z2-Z3 on rollers plus stretching session.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-10 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: Crossfit 1 rep max test plus 1h15m Z2 ride.</div><div>Actual: Crossfit was cancelled due to change in gym ownership. Rode 1h30m in bitter cold.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-11 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 90min tempo combo ride in AM with some Z3 efforts, 30min stretching session. 60min threshold efforts session in PM.</div><div>Actual: Completed 90min Z3 intervals and stretching session. Due to new management, Crossfit workouts are now at 6am. I don't have time to ride an hour and get to bed by 9pm on a work night, and I had a flat tire, so the second session was cancelled.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-12 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: 1 rep max tests at Crossfit, 1h ride including some standing start sprints.</div><div>Actual: Achieved new 1 rep max of 375 lbs on deadlift and 215 lbs front squat. Was toasted for sprints, though: 1377W max, less than last week.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-13 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 2-3h ride with Z4 efforts and Z3 efforts, plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Coldest ride yet, I was wearing more layers than I have on a ride the whole time I've lived in CA. Z4 efforts up Alpine Rd were strong. After efforts, I climbed OLH just to stay warm. Due to reduced traction caused by a different rear tire and cold conditions, I skidded out while descending 84E. I'm fine, with some road rash, but I tore through most of my expensive winter clothing and cracked my frame. Great.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-14 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 4h ride with Z4 efforts plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Stayed home and glared at the cold weather from inside. I was sore and in no mood to go for a ride after the crash.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-15 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: Rest day, with option of 1-2h endurance ride.</div><div>Actual: Stayed indoors, still recovering from crash.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 10 h 31 min</div><div>Distance: 144 miles</div><div>TSS: 633.4</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-32304167304272363682012-01-10T21:25:00.000-08:002012-01-10T21:26:14.554-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 04 (ending 2012-01-08)<div>Weekly Overview:</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally back from vacation and recovered from illness, I started a more regular training schedule this week. I also, for better or worse, started dieting. I am blessed with a body type that, given any sort of worldwide food shortage, would give me an advantage: it seems to extract calories from thin air, causing me to gain weight very easily. Ah well. My basic diet plan is as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>Estimated calorie needs for someone my age, height, weight, and gender: 2362</div><div>Calorie deficit needed to lose one pound per week: 500</div><div>Calorie budget: 1862</div><div><br /></div><div>My usual diet looks like this:</div><div><br /></div><div>Breakfast: 80g GoLean Crunch cereal, 240g skim milk</div><div>Lunch: 4c green veggies (lettuce, spinach, etc.), 100g brown rice, 130g grilled white meat chicken, 100g pasta sauce, 1T olive oil, 1T balsamic vinegar, salt to taste</div><div>Snacks: 3 small-medium apples, 1 Clif builder bar, black coffee or tea, and unlimited water!</div><div>Dinner: Same as lunch, possible substituting quinoa for brown rice, and salmon for chicken</div><div><br /></div><div>Total: about 1850 Calories</div><div><br /></div><div>This is all I'll eat on a rest day. On top of this, I'll use my power meter to replace whatever calories I burn on a ride. I use the very simple "kilojoules expended equals calories burned" approximation, and aim to refuel within an hour of riding. Most of my workouts require an additional 800-1200 Calories per day. Every evening, I'll look at the rides for the next day, estimate how many Calories I'll need during and after the ride, and prepare all the food I'll need. This way, there is always a plan, and there are rarely any surprises.</div><div><br /></div><div>After years of doing this, I find that losing more than about a pound a week affects recovery time and productivity at work.</div><div><br /></div><div>In coming weeks, I'll write about why I choose the foods I do, how I established this base diet, and what I eat on rides.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div><br /></div><div>01-02 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: Easy recovery ride, ~45 minutes.</div><div>Actual: Rode around the neighborhood with my fiancée.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-03 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit workout plus sprint efforts</div><div>Actual: As prescribed. I saw a new personal best max wattage of 1443 W in a sprint. When I do a standing start on my Tarmac SL3, it flexes a fair amount.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-04 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: 45min endurance ride with stretching session</div><div>Actual: Rode for 1h on the rollers. I don't do well in cold weather. Did stretching afterward. I have a routine for this.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-05 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: 1h Crossfit in AM, 1h threshold combo rollers session in PM.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed. Crossfit involved some Tabatas, intense workouts with 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. I found that I can jump on top of a 42" box, but not a 48" box. The PM rollers session was challenging - I discovered I had a flat tire at the end of it. D'oh.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-06 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: 2-3h endurance/tempo ride plus 30min stretching session.</div><div>Actual: Rode outside for 2h20min. What a mistake. I was freezing, and as a result, cold and sore. I need to either do these during the warmest part of the day (which is tough with work sometimes), or do them on the rollers (which is tough for more than about 90 minutes). I'm glad that I'm not racing in the shape that I'm in now! Did stretching session when I got home, after warming up some.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-07 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: 3h threshold combo ride with 2x20 min efforts: 1 flat and 1 climb, plus stretching session (30 min).</div><div>Actual: Rode for 3h49min during the warmest part of the day, which was still somewhat chilly. Efforts were solid given my recent power numbers, but I have a long way to go before I am in race shape. Did stretching session afterward.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-08 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: Day off, optional ride.</div><div>Actual: Went on a 1h hike along Skyline Drive with my "little brother" Kevin (http://www.bbbsba.org/).</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 14 h 24 min</div><div>Distance: 184.32 miles</div><div>TSS: 768.3</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-48004743866632177422012-01-03T19:56:00.001-08:002012-01-03T19:56:45.649-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 03 (ending 2012-01-01)<div>Hello everyone. I spent last week visiting family and fighting off illness, working out when possible. It is good to be home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workouts:</div><div><br /></div><div>12-26 Monday</div><div>Prescribed: Travel day - flight to Ohio. Eat well, wear compression tights, stay hydrated, etc.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed. The compression tights definitely do help with air travel - highly recommended. I managed to do an hour spin on the rollers before heading out.</div><div><br /></div><div>12-27 Tuesday</div><div>Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed - really, I did almost nothing except spend time with people I do not see very often. It was cold and snowing.</div><div><br /></div><div>12-28 Wednesday</div><div>Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed.</div><div><br /></div><div>12-29 Thursday</div><div>Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.</div><div>Actual: Workout at Crossfit Energy, a gym in Ohio. It was interesting to go to a different Crossfit gym. The workout of the day involved a total of 100 lunges with a 45 lb plate overhead, 150 wall balls with a 20lb medicine ball, and 750 jump ropes. It was a bit much, way more volume and intensity than I'm used to. Plus, I was getting sick...</div><div><br /></div><div>12-30 Friday</div><div>Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.</div><div>Actual: Felt sick all day, had trouble keeping food down at some point. Bleck.</div><div><br /></div><div>12-31 Saturday</div><div>Prescribed: Travel day - flight from Ohio. Eat well, wear compression tights, stay hydrated, etc.</div><div>Actual: As prescribed. Glad that I felt well enough to travel.</div><div><br /></div><div>01-01 Sunday</div><div>Prescribed: 90 minute tempo ride and stretching.</div><div>Actual: I went for a 1h20m ride around Arastradero and Portola roads. It was 65 degrees out! Did 30min of stretching and foam roller work when I got home. Happy New Year!</div><div><br /></div><div>Weekly summary:</div><div>Time: 3h51m54s</div><div>Distance: 45.78mi</div><div>TSS: 187.8</div><div><br /></div><div>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Jose</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-36020596520948408112011-12-27T14:05:00.000-08:002011-12-27T14:09:35.787-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 02 (ending 2011-12-25)Hello everyone. I've been fighting off illness for most of the week. There is a balance between doing training and recovering from a cold, even a minor one. A minor head cold is not a dealbreaker for many training rides. Of course, training too hard in cold weather can divert energy away from the immune system, complicating a simple cold. I do not enjoy being sick.<br /><br />Workouts:<br /><br />12-19 Monday<br />Prescribed: 45-60 minute recovery ride.<br />Actual: Easy spin to work, along the usual Central Expressway route.<br /><br />12-20 Tuesday<br />Prescribed: Crossfit workout in the morning, followed by on-bike sprints session.<br />Actual: As prescribed. Crossfit was good, with a challenging workout of the day (WOD) involving box jumps and kettle bell swings. Dan sometimes prescribes sprints just after Crossfit to take advantage of neuromuscular training. The sprints were the best I've done in a while, with a max wattage of just over 1400W. Someone my size ought to generate more wattage than that in a sprint; this is one of my training goals.<br /><br />12-21 Wednesday<br />Prescribed: Unstructured ~60 minute ride with stretching session.<br />Actual: I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I did a loop ride (defined as a ride on Alpine, Portola, and Sand Hill roads) around lunchtime, which may not have been a great idea. I cannot recall if I managed to get the stretching in, which means I likely did not.<br /><br />12-22 Thursday<br />Prescribed: Crossfit workout in the morning, plus 1 hour ride with some tempo efforts.<br />Actual: No workout. Woke up feeling less well. Stayed off the bike and ended up leaving work early due to not feeling well. Tried to do some stretching in the evening, but decided against since I really was not feeling well.<br /><br />12-23 Friday<br />Prescribed: 2-3h tempo combo ride with stretching session.<br />Actual: As prescribed. I was feeling a little better this morning. I waited until the warmest part of the day to ride. The ride itself was very good: I felt stronger than I have in a while. Stretched after the ride.<br /><br />12-24 Saturday<br />Prescribed: 3h30m ride with two 20+min climbs, doing 90min sitting 60sec standing on climbs, plus stretching session.<br />Actual: No workout. I woke up this morning to green mucus, signs of a possible chest cold. Blech. Tried to recover as best as I could.<br /><br />12-25 Sunday<br />Prescribed: 90 minute endurance ride with some 10min Z3 efforts, plus stretching session.<br />Actual: As prescribed. I was feeling somewhat better today. I rode up and down Canada Road once the weather got "warm" (around 8C, or 48F). Merry Christmas!<br /><br />Weekly summary:<br />Time: 8h16m<br />Distance: 103.73 mi<br />TSS: 462.4<br /><br />(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)<br /><br />I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!<br /><br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br />--JoseJosé Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-31520250748608732022011-12-20T20:20:00.001-08:002011-12-20T20:26:53.744-08:00[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 01 (ending 2012-12-18)Hello everyone. My name is Jose Soltren. I was fortunate to receive a JEP Coaching Scholarship this year! In the coming weeks, you'll hear more about the training and racing I am doing.<p>For those who don't know, the JEP Coaching Scholarship is named in honor of John Peckham, who was an Alto Velo (<a href="http://altovelo.org/">altovelo.org</a>) member and an original scholarship recipient in 2005. John was struck by a car and killed in 2006 while out training.</p><p>About me: I'm a Cat 2 road racer, racing age 27 in 2012, who joined Alto Velo in early 2011. I've been racing in the NCNCA district since 2010, previously with Los Gatos. I moved to the area in 2009, after getting my Cat 2 upgrade on the East Coast and graduating from MIT with a Master's in Computer Science. Apart from cycling, I enjoy working at NVIDIA as a software engineer, mentoring a young man named Kevin through the Big Brothers program, and studying to become a private pilot. I live with my fiancee, Jane Wolcott, in Menlo Park.</p><p>Season Goals:<br />- Be competitive in district races<br />- Learn to work as part of a team<br />- Get a starting spot at the Hellyer Velodrome Challenge</p><p>Training Objectives:<br />- Race weight of 175 lbs<br />- Develop and maintain sprint and attack power<br />- Improve pack handling</p><p>Weekly Overview:</p><p>Workouts:<br />12-12 Monday<br />Prescribed: Meet with Coach Dan Smith (<a href="http://sportvelo.com/">sportvelo.com</a>) to establish annual plan.<br />Actual: Dan and I sat down and discussed my aforementioned season goals and training objectives. I left the meeting with an annual race plan completed, which also highlighted which races I am planning to target more seriously. My 2012 race calendar is on my blog at <a href="http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/2011/12/2012-racing-calendar.html">http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/2011/12/2012-racing-calendar.html</a> .</p><p>12-13 Tuesday<br />Prescribed: Morning workout at Defiance Crossfit, plus commute to work with a few 5 minute Z3 tempo efforts.<br />Actual: I felt great during the Crossfit workout but wanted to throw up afterwards!</p><p>12-14 Wednesday<br />Prescribed: Z2-3 commute to work, 1h on rollers with 10min Z3 efforts, plus 30 minutes stretching.<br />Actual: Rode to work, and rode the rollers after. Felt pretty good. I've taken over the living room to do stretching exercises.</p><p>12-15 Thursday<br />Prescribed: Morning workout at Defiance Crossfit, plus Z2-3 commute to work.<br />Actual: As prescribed. I discovered that I can jump on a fairly tall box, and can swing a heavy kettle bell. The ride in was good, cold, but good.</p><p>12-16 Friday<br />Prescribed: 2-3h flat-rolling ride with some 10min Z3 efforts before work.<br />Actual: Rode 2h45m before work. Discovered that home, to Canada and 92, to work takes about 2h45m in Z2-Z3. Solid ride.</p><p>12-17 Saturday<br />Prescribed: 3h road ride, with two 20+min climbing efforts, during which alternating between 1.5min seated, 1min standing (I call these "90-60s"), plus stretching afterward.<br />Actual: Long ride up Kings and West Alpine, doing sitting-standing efforts. Felt better than I thought I would out of the saddle. Did stretching when I got home.</p><p>12-18 Sunday<br />Prescribed: Day off. Be lazy.<br />Actual: As prescribed.</p><p>Weekly summary:<br />Time: 13 h 15 min<br />Distance: 150 miles<br />TSS: 626</p><p>(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)</p><p>I've copied this report to my blog at <a href="http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/">http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/</a>, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!</p><p>Thanks for reading.</p><p>--Jose</p>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-57325016100064468252011-12-19T08:51:00.000-08:002011-12-19T08:53:37.990-08:002012 Racing CalendarI recently met with Dan Smith (sportvelo.com) to establish my 2012 racing calendar.<br /><br />Some considerations were:<br /><br />* Preference for local races over out of district races (minimize travel).<br />* Preference for later season start.<br />* Getting married in August, and ensuing travel, effectively ends my season.<br />* Realistic race schedule, avoid burnout.<br />* Hope to compete in the Hellyer Velodrome Challenge this July.<br /><br />As a result, my race season begins in mid March, and ends in late July.<br /><br />I am planning to start the following races:<br /><br />Mar 18 Bariani Road Race<br /><br />Mar 25 Regalado (Warnerville) Road Race<br /><br />Apr 14 Chico Stage Race<br />Apr 15 Chico Stage Race<br /><br />Apr 22 El Dorado Hills Criterium<br /><br />Apr 28 Wente Road Race<br /><br />May 05 Cat's Hill Criterium<br /><br />May 13 Panoche Valley Road Race<br /><br />May 20 Scotts Valley Grand Prix<br /><br />May 28 Memorial Day Criterium<br /><br />June 03 Dunlap Time Trial<br /><br />June 09 Campbell Criterium<br /><br />June 17 Nevada City Classic<br /><br />June 23 Pescadero Coastal Classic Road Race<br />June 24 Burlingame Crierium<br /><br />July 06 Hellyer Velodrome Challenge<br />July 07 Hellyer Velodrome Challenge<br />July 08 Hellyer Velodrome Challenge<br /><br />July 22 Menlo Park Grand Prix Criterium<br /><br />July 29 Spring Hill Road Race<br /><br />(Race dates are tentative, and based on the NCNCA 2012 Race Calendar: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=g533udgvcn6d0o6drp8ubatcuo%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles )José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-70264406180548792712011-10-06T13:11:00.000-07:002011-10-06T13:23:06.091-07:00"Big Brothers" FundraisingI am a "big brother" mentor to a young man in East Palo Alto named Kevin. When I was his age, I was, myself, a "little brother". Having a mentor was one of the most positive experiences of my childhood. It helped show me that there was a world larger than the one I lived in.<br /><br />Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area (and related and similar agencies) pair adult "bigs" with young "littles" in mentoring relationships. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit <a href="http://www.bbbsba.org/">http://www.bbbsba.org/</a> (SF Bay Area), <a href="http://www.bbbs.org/">http://www.bbbs.org</a> (US), or <a href="http://www.bbbsi.org/">http://www.bbbsi.org/</a> (International).<br /><br />Like most any nonprofit, BBBSBA is accepting much needed donations. If you feel so compelled, please consider visiting my <a href="http://bbbsba.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=484167&lis=0&kntae484167=B1DB1C20CCE2407CA58B7AC9ED8799FF">Donation Link</a>.<br /><br />Thanks for reading.José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-43508931310334019442011-08-07T17:23:00.001-07:002011-08-07T17:27:32.818-07:00We're getting married!Jane and I are getting married! Hooray! For more details, please head to our <a href="http://www.coronthica.com/wedding/">shiny-new wedding Web page</a>.José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-51012911543330419032011-06-07T17:49:00.001-07:002011-06-07T17:57:22.170-07:00Dead transmission on our Subaru (1999; 130k mi). $2300 to fix. Thoughts?On Thursday, en route to have dinner with Jane, the Subaru's transmission died. I had to get towed off of 101. A local repair shop quotes $2300 to rebuild the transmission. This is the same place that did a tune-up on the car a month ago. They claim this transmission failure is internal and due to a broken pawl, gear, or other. This is independent of the work they did and may have happened regardless. (Another place quoted $3500 for a rebuild.)<div><br /></div><div>So, what now? Fix the transmission? Sell the car as-is and get something else? (Learn how to rebuild transmissions?)</div><div><br /></div><div>The car is a 1999 Subaru Legacy Outback with 130k miles. We, unfortunately, need it for getting to bike races.</div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-74327964139137443672011-05-25T07:26:00.000-07:002011-05-25T07:32:57.835-07:00New track bike!My new <a href="http://www.tiemeyercycles.com/">Tiemeyer</a> track frame arrived yesterday! Hooray! It's red!<div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1MPWfl5yX4/Td0RwmfHkvI/AAAAAAAAEfg/rCAOUUzSI1k/s1600/IMG_2024.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1MPWfl5yX4/Td0RwmfHkvI/AAAAAAAAEfg/rCAOUUzSI1k/s400/IMG_2024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610660237435966194" /></a><br /></div><div>Last August, I decided that a new track frame was in order. After exploring all possible options, I determined that the Tiemeyer was the only high end track frame that could fit me well, was durable and serviceable, and also readily available. I began discussing the bike with Dave Tiemeyer back in February.</div><div><br /></div><div>We determined that a stock-geometry large frame would allow me to use my deep track drops in a mass start position, while also enabling a pursuit position with aero bars and a more forward saddle. The large, with seatpost and chainring removed, just barely fits in my hard travel case.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully I'll get to race it tonight, if the weather holds!<br /></div>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-6921662834185656042011-04-07T10:32:00.001-07:002011-04-10T16:56:26.514-07:00Anyone need a developer?So today was my last day at Stanford. I enjoyed my time with the research group I was with, but ultimately, it was not the right fit. We parted on good terms.<br /><br />I'm now in a transition period, thinking about where I want to go and what I want to do next. If you have any ideas, please drop me a line!<br /><br />(Are there any awesome jobs in the bike industry?)José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-44244746618849015112011-03-26T20:08:00.001-07:002011-03-26T20:08:19.988-07:00San Dimas Stage 2: Solid Race, No Points, Pack FinishSo my plan to win the green jersey was destroyed at the start of Lap 3, when a two-man break took off. It was perfect: right after a KOM uphill sprint, good team representation, attacking right before a corner that slows the pack. If I had the legs, I would have been part of that break.<br> <br> So, instead, with the break gone and only one points-winning spot open, I could only sit in. My fitness is not where it was last year, which is frustrating since I remember feeling so strong for this race, but I also remember it being warm, so, there. I felt way more comfortable out of the saddle than ever before, which is good, because I have some real power when I stand.<br> <br> I finished with the main group at the end of 8 laps of racing. Am I the only one who thinks these itty-bitty 7 mile laps feel like racing in Central Park in NYC? Anyway, this means I made the time cut and can start the crit tomorrow.<br> <br> Speaking of power, I said "forget the power meter" today. (Well, I really said something else, but it was not rated for general audiences.) I'm not sure it helps. Besides, with crazy winds today, I wanted a more aero setup; enter the Soloist with 404s, one of the fastest road bikes available. Guys who have slower TTs than me still finish ahead of me, so, clearly, racing with the power meter isn't the trick.<br> <br> Homework for me: learn to be more (physically) relaxed once the race gets hard. I tend to get tense and lock my arms, which only adds to fatigue. Maybe I'll make a sensor-embedded goniometer, connect it to a buzzer, and tape it to my forearm. Then, whenever I lock my arms, it can yell at me. If only.*<br> <br> * noise making devices, i.e. Garmin GPS units with the beeping turned on, loosely bolted bottle cages, and loudmouths, are in poor taste. For an example of good taste, please see the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2258201150">Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist</a>.<br> José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812986517258808079.post-35902384443870807502011-03-26T09:58:00.001-07:002011-03-26T09:58:45.266-07:00San Dimas HCTT: DisappointingI made it up Glendora Mountain Road yesterday in 15:16.22, slotting me <br>into 31st place in the GC. It's not a terrible time per se, and if I <br>throw in some excuses (i.e. "I've been sick", "I've been stressed at <br>work", "the weather has been cold and miserable", "conditions were cold <br>and windy for SoCal", "TT helmet is 200g heavier", etc.) it seems better.<p>Still, the simple facts are:<br>- my time last year was 10 seconds faster.<br>- I was 5 pounds lighter when I did this race last year<br>- my average power, 394W, was 25W lower than my Old La Honda record two <br>months ago<br>- I was 7 pounds lighter when I went up Old La Honda<br>- I was hoping for a time that was 30 seconds faster, which seemed <br>perfectly reasonable given my OLH performance<br>- the field this year is stronger, due to greater interest from the <br>NorCal peloton<p>So, unless I get into a break that puts a minute into the field, I'm not <br>a GC contender. Guess I just need to win the road race...<p>The organizers are being amazing about results. Check them out here: <br><a href="http://www.scvelo.com/san-dimas-stage-race/san-dimas-stage-race-results/cat_view/92-results/55-san-dimas-stage-race/137-2011-results">http://www.scvelo.com/san-dimas-stage-race/san-dimas-stage-race-results/cat_view/92-results/55-san-dimas-stage-race/137-2011-results</a>José Hiram Soltrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185206805135858384noreply@blogger.com