I'm not saying I don't nerdily peruse my spreadsheets and graphs like any other gadget-focused - ah, performance-oriented - cyclist. I do... all year round and especially this time of year.
And while I did just that the other day, I became a true believer! A believer in the Performance Management Chart! So why do I think my Performance Management Chart of 2011 would be of any interest to you?
If you, like me, battle health issues, such as autoimmune diseases, that prevent you from training consistently or at the level you would like, but, like me, still want to enjoy riding hard and fast and as best as you can, then you may find this interesting. If you are perfectly healthy, switch to your next favourite blog now... kidding! You may still get one important point: the importance of rest!
Most people use WKO+ with all its useful tools to train smarter, harder, more efficient! I now use it to stay healthy!
How?
By making sure my Performance Management Chart does not look like this ever again!
(Click to enlarge)
This is my 2010 chart and 2010 was a shocker of a year cycling-wise, which is visible in the spiky erratic lines. Long periods of no riding followed by too high intensity training weeks, which lead to my crash and burn in July 2010.
First there was my parent's visit in early 2010. In mid February I tried "catching up" on missed early season kilometers. In April the symptoms of The Great Fatigue returned. It couldn't still be Glandular Fever surely? A doctor visit revealed I had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (possibly all along) and was restricted to low intensity rides with heart rates below 120bpm.
When I finally got the clear from the Endocrinologist, I went overboard and tried to push my fitness up quickly for the upcoming races. See all these high spikes of the red line in June/July? ATL = Acute Training Load = Fatigue! By the time the Scenic Rim Tour came around, I was fried, physically and emotionally! All too familiar? If you haven't been this stupid then please keep it that way because I didn't recover for the rest of the year, gave up any idea of racing and had moments of wanting to just give up cycling all together. It can happen this quickly!
So what went differently in 2011?
First of all, in 2011 I enjoyed cycling again. I mean, really enjoyed riding my bike(s) - all of them after all the stressing over doing this forth effort on Mt Coot-tha as scheduled or making the 15 training hours on the bike that week and, instead of improving, only getting more and more tired.
Knowing now that I was dealing with a physical problem and not just lack of discipline and talent, I relaxed and rode my bikes. I continued riding with powermeter and heart rate strap, more out of habit and often with Alberto's disapproval, read my graphs, watched my numbers - religiously - and listened to my body, what it was telling me and how that matched the numbers on the screen. Gradually, and especially over the past three months, I noticed the power numbers improving, confirmed by feeling stronger & healthier.
So here are the numbers that keep me riding healthily
This is the technical part and probably only understandable if you are familiar with WKO+. What I learnt is that as soon as my CTL (green line) reaches the mid to high 70ies, I have to be very very careful. Every time I tip into the 80ies, I get really fatigued and my thyroid symptoms flare up, which makes it hard to enjoy riding. I feel strongest, fastest, and keenest to ride when my CTL sits comfortably in the 60ies. Does this make me a Hippie?
The other thing is the weekly load. My body seems to be able to cope with any CTL increases of 5-7 TSS/d per week. This translates into 12 hours or 600-700 TSS per week - the most. I can get away with a little more once but I can not exceed 7TSS/d for two or three weeks in a row. In July 2010 I exceeded 13TSS/d for three consecutive weeks.
Last but not least when my fatigue (ATL - red line) reaches 120-130 TSS/d, I schedule a rest week now.
I'd love to know your figures. Maybe my numbers are actually not that different from someone perfectly healthy? How far do you push your CTL to peak? How high is your ATL before you cancel all rides for the following few days and rest up? How fast can you improve your fitness without getting too tired?
Whatever you figures were in 2011, I wish you a fantastic and consistent 2012! Healthy or not, always get enough rest and ride safe!
8 comments:
Interesting stuff - I get good form at about 70 also, but don't maintain it, or go above, as don't have enough time available. Lucky to get a 10 hr week!
2011 Chart here (http://secrettraining.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-pmc.html), the two peaks are Canberra Tour (2nd Masters) and Tour of Bright (3rd Masters) - this is the first full year of data I've got, previously only TT data. As you can see, not much training gets done in winter!
...you know how well i relate to this 'squiggly line stuff' but i fully understand the significance it has for you in monitoring your health & considering we both have those kinds of issues to deal with, well, enough said on my part...
...now, as far as that 'hippie' comment goes, you're talking to an original here & if you feel the need, i'll loan you my alumni jacket (w/ beads) to help authenticate you...
...sandra, i hope the best for you in health & cycling in this new year because you are, in my eyes, a significant cyclist...
I wish you a health and enjoyable 2012 cycling season. No doubt, if you achieve that then the Power numbers will follow. All the best.
I enjoyed your practical interpretation of PMC. I only acquired my power meter a month ago, and need some more data to be able to make meaningful deductions, at which time I will revisit your post.
Stephen B - Very interesting to compare charts. I noticed you pushed your ATL up to 140 right in the beginning of the year but then dropped. What happened? Did you get sick? Looks like in Feb and Mar your training went well with perfect periodisation going on... :-)
bgw - I know how much you like graphs so I wrote this article with you in mind! Thinking the whole time: How do I write this post and make sure bgw understands what I'm on about... LOL
Will - Thanks and the same to you. In 2012 the power numbers will only be important as they relate to climbing big mountains... ;)
Faizel - You are right, you need to collect quite a few months worth of data before you can really start training with power. Make sure you make notes about how you feel at the time so when you later re-visit and analyse you can put the power numbers into perspective. Let me know if you have any questions and all the best for 2012.
Schweet Jebus Groover....looks like a whole bunch of rad Single Track lines to me ;-) Welcome to Happy 2012 Performance Management - and may you follow that good line that keeps you on track ;-)!
thank you for this post! I just started managing my PMC and is using it for my racing season in 2012...I too have thyroid problems but is not on medication because it's on the border, however have to still monitor yearly. I really appreciate you sharing your experience in racing and training.
I am in my base period - Base 3 and will have another base period so I will be getting more data as I go.
thank you! :-) good luck to you in 2012!
Miff - The same to you!
Flandria - Thanks for your visit and comment and I'm glad you found the post useful. Like you, I'm not on any thyroid medication and need to have blood tests done every six to twelve months. I hope your training and racing will go well in 2012.
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