Sunset - Mt. Cardigan, NH

Sunset, Mt. Cardigan, NH (Fall 2013)

Sunset - Mt. Cardigan, NH

This photo was made on Mt. Cardigan in Orange, NH.

Shot on the way down from the summit during a full moon hike it is an example of a classic silhouette and near far composition.  The shot would not have worked as just a sunset with nothing in the foreground to add some interest.

This photo was shot using a Nikon 8700 camera using a long exposure and mini-pod.

Results...

Results!

After about 2 months of using Trainer Road and 5 weeks of following one of their training plans, I believe I am seeing some truly measurable results.

The graph at left shows 3 rides of the famous (or infamous) Sufferfest video ISLAGIATT.  My latest ride was yesterday and is represented by the green line(s).  As you can see, the bold green line (which represents average power throughout the ride), is consistently higher than the other two and by the end of the ride my average power was almost 9 watts or 5% higher than on the other 2 rides.

At "first glance" you might think a 5% improvement is pretty minimal, but over the course of a two hour ride that's an extra 1.1 miles on my total distance!  Not that I race much, but in a business where wins are sometimes measured in centimeters and fractions of a second that's huge!

Now granted it's indoor training and not on the road.  And there are some variables that could affect my (absolute) power readings.  But as I have noted in a previous post, I have found the results produced by Trainer Road to be very consistent.  Each time I ride I use the same gear ratio (39/17)@90 rpm to check my power right after warming up and then again during my cool down... and it's always the same within +/- 1 watt.  You can't ask for better than that.

So I believe the results to date to be real and would highly recommend the Trainer Road system and the Sufferfest videos to anyone looking to improve their riding results this season!

http://www.trainerroad.com/features
http://www.thesufferfest.com/

Bon Voyage Sufferlandria...

It's with a heavy heart and burning quads that I leave the country of Sufferlandria today. Passport stamped and '85 Yugo rental car returned, I prepare to cross the border back to what's considered by most to be "civilization". Yet I've developed a fondness for this interesting country. I suspect I will have to return again this time next year to revel in it's charm & endure unspeakable pain, misery & agony. Bon Voyage for now... and as they would say when you come face to face with a rabbit with sharp pointy teeth... RUN AWAY!

The Sufferfest, TrainerRoad & the Tour of Sufferlandria...

"Blender"

Stage 8 - Blender.

Well, here we are on the eve of Stage 9 in the Tour of Sufferlandria.  With 8 full stages of suffering and misery complete... there's only one short, hour long stage to go. It's a sprint workout planned for the crack of dawn (Sufferlandrian Local Time).

While hardly "out of the woods" yet (or more accurately, out of the somewhat "backward" & "developmentally challenged" country of Sufferlandria)... I'm already starting to reflect on my efforts in this year's Tour and my plans to return in 2015.

@TheSufferfest, @TrainerRoad and of course @GrunterVonAgony put together one of the most epic athletic events of the year (the Sochi Olympics will pale by comparison) and are to be congratulated for wringing out the most suffering, pain, agony and cries for 'My Mommy" possible from every rider in the peloton.  Ultimately even top tier talent like @thejensie got sucked in.

Now I have to admit I came by the tour rather "accidentally" Ok... I was told to say that to protect the guilty.  Actually it was ride the ToS or endure 15 unfocused hours per week on the CompuTrainer for the next 6 weeks as punishment from my DS for indulging in to much Holiday Cheer. The choice was clear.  I packed my bags and was on the next plane, and then a rusty cargo ship and (finally) a rented 1985 Yugo GV!  However after what seemed like more suffering than the ToS could possibly dish out... I arrived in Sufferlandria on the eve of the Tour.

Now riding with such intensity as required by the Tour (and GVA's Minions) is not how most coaches would recommend spending your "off-season".  But it is a genuinely inspired event!  The overall quality, brilliant editing and completely entertaining Sufferfest videos make 2 hour trainer sessions fly by.  In fact they leave you wanting more!  "Can I have another one Sir?"  Well, in fact yes you can... It's called "Extra Shot".  The workouts are pro caliber and designed to get the most out of you.

Kudo's also go out to TrainerRoad.  They have developed a program that allows you to train in a structured fashion using either virtual power, heart rate or actual power if your fortunate enough to own a true power meter.  I'm not... but the important thing to note here is that absolute power is not as important as the consistency and repeatability of results.  And Trainer Road delivers on that... for the whopping sum of $10.00 US per month.  You can't beat it... although the same can't be said for the Minions who WILL beat you with a stick as soon as they see you drop a watt or two during the next interval.  And let's not forget the lava pool at the top of Mt. Sufferlandria where it's rumored the occasional dropped rider has "mysteriously" disappeared.

Crying, groveling, stem chewing and sore muscles aside... the results form the Tour have been tangible, measurable and worth it.  The supporting screen shots below should give some clue as to the intensity of and benefit to be gained from riding the ToS.

Finally... "Shut up legs!" Yes it was worth it.  Now if I could just pass my Sufferlandrian citizenship test :-)

Tour of Sufferlandria - Stage 6 Report

Tour of Sufferlandria Stage 6 - Done!To view the suffering click here

And just in time because at the end of the third interval, I began to sense a soft, warm glow begin to crack the gloom of my "Very Dark Place". I was feeling all warm and fuzzy inside & thinking, "This isn't so bad, I expected much worse".

Turns out the warm glow was from Sufferlandrian lava, flowing toward me like a tidal wave about to engulf another dropped rider. Worse yet, riding the crest of the lava wave was a Minion on a surf board, stick in hand & cursing at me from behind to increase the suffering or meet my well deserved fate.

Thankfully just as I was about to feel the crack of the Minion's stick on my back and the heat of the lava was about to melt my rear tire, I found some "inspired power" and rang a new 2 minute watt-based PR out of my suffering, wretched body.

Now, time for some recovery for tomorrow's stage. Bring on some of that hearty Suffererlandrian Ale & any left-over porridge from this mornings breakfast.

To view the suffering click here: http://www.trainerroad.com/tour-of-sufferlandria/dmengle

First Bike...

Heading out

Wow. This faded Kodachrome slide brings back memories.  Taking off for a spin on my first bike... complete with fenders, rack and headlight.

Used it to ride to school and deliver newspapers on the weekend.  How times have changed.

Now It All Makes Sense...

“The chances are great that the best potential athlete in the world is an overweight, sedentary smoker. Right now sitting in front of the television somewhere is this person born to be the world champion in cycling and to dominate the sport as no one else ever has…

The problem is that he never had the opportunity to discover his ability.”

-          Joe Friel, author of the “Cyclists Training Bible”.

Wow, as we used to say back in the 70’s when I was a kid… “That’s heavy man”.  A scary thought, but I have no doubt it’s completely true.  And it makes me that much more grateful and appreciative of the fact that I had the honor to be coached by people like Jackson Horner (State College Area HS), and in later years Harry Groves (Penn State) throughout my “career” as a middle-distance runner.

Now even though I was actually a pretty decent runner it was clear I was never going to the Olympics… or even going to consistently win all the “Big Races” in my own backyard.  Yet these guys both spent countless hours and expended considerable energy working with me and my team-mates to bring out the best in us.  To allow us to “Be all we could be”.

And no doubt inspired by Jack and Harry a few of my former teammates have gone on to become coaches themselves.  Bill Kvashay and Dave Felice both work with high school kids in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.  Bill has produced some very respectable runners at Lake Lehman HS and Dave continues to work in his hometown with many promising kids at State College.

However, despite all I owe my coaches and teammates… even more instrumental to my (modest) success was the constant and unwavering support of my parents and family.  At the time, I’m sure I didn’t really realize, understand or fully appreciate the amount of time, energy and resources they put into supporting my running.  But without them I couldn't have taken that first step onto the track.  I can only hope all the late night pick-ups at practice; weekends given-up to attend meets and occasional “breaks-in-stride” both on and off the track were worth it for them.  It was (and still is) to me.

And now circling back to coach Friel’s observation…

Pardon the pun… but a few years ago I “shifted gears” from running about 1000 miles a year to cycling 7000.  On more than one occasion various people have accused me of being crazy, OCD or even worse to ride as many miles, spend as many hours in the saddle and push myself as hard as I do each year.  And to some extent they might even be the tiniest bit right. But I’d rather think it as my way of honoring the family and coaches that showed an interest in allowing me to discover my abilities early on so I didn’t have to wonder if I was “That guy on the couch”.