Power Numbers from The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen is a bike ride/race that has been organized by Danny Chew (best known for winning the Race Across America in 1996 and 1999) since 1983. Each year, riders come out on the last Saturday of November to ride up the 13 most grueling climbs in Pittsburgh. At the start of each climb, a whistle is blown to signal the start of the climb. Points are given to the top 5 finishers up each climb and the winner at the end of the day is simply the one with the most points. Anyone who has ever been to Pittsburgh knows that there are some serious climbs there. Pittsburgh is a town where a grid system was essentially forced on top of mountains. The result of this is that there are quite a few streets where I have to scratch my head and ask, "Why the heck did they even build this road?". The steepest hill on the DD is Canton Ave., peaking at a 37% grade, which by some accounts makes it the steepest hill in the world. For most, it is too steep to drive up or down. As if that weren't bad enough, it's also cobbled.

Of the 150 riders that showed up at the start this year, probably only 20 were in contention for points, though I can guarantee that each and every rider went through their own personal struggle and at the end of the day they all had a story to tell. My goal was to do my best up each climb and make it through the day consistently. The winner of the event for the last 4 years has been my friend and ex-teammate Stephen "Steevo" Cummings. Being that Steevo is 25 pounds lighter than I am and in excellent form for the cyclocross season, I knew that to beat him I would probably need an act of God, so my strategy was to not even worry about him and pace myself appropriately up every climb as if I were doing a series of 13 time trials. This strategy worked out reasonably well, as I saw quite a few riders blow up in front of me throughout the day. I never blew up and I was able to score points on 12 of 13 hills (I pulled out of my pedal on Canton Ave.). I chose to ride a 34 x 50 compact crank with a 12 x 27 cassette, which turned out to be a wise selection as I needed every bit of that granny gear.

Here are the basic stats from the ride:
Total Time: 8 hours
Total Riding Time: 4:05
Distance: 54.7 miles
Average Speed: 13.4 mph
Average Power: 150
Normalized Power: 323
Work: 2198 kJ
TSS: 389
Average Cadence: 76 rpm
Average HR: 148 bpm
Max HR: 193 bpm

(If you are unfamiliar with any of these terms, see my blog on power terms). Note: all stats are based on riding time, time off the bike is not included)

The first thing that stands out is the huge difference between average and normalized power, which signifies a very non-steady state effort. In fact, it doesn't get any more non steady state than this. Overall, there was only about 35 minutes of climbing in the span of a 4 hour ride, but that 35 minutes was all at a sub-maximal effort. Here are the stats for the individual climbs:

#1 (Center/Guyasta): 0.78 miles, 4:16, Avg. = 481 watts, Max = 890 watts
#2 (Ravine/Sharps): 0.80 miles, 4:50, Avg. = 445 watts, Max = 677 watts
#3 (Berry Hill): 0.23 miles, 1:06, Avg. = 691 watts, Max = 1086 watts
#4 (High St./Seavy): 0.36 miles, 1:50, Avg. = 589 watts, Max = 839 watts
#5 (Logan): 0.34 miles, 2:25, Avg. = 540 watts, Max = 744 watts
#6 (Rialto): 0.10 miles, 0:40, Avg. = 877 watts, Max = 1207 watts
#7 (Suffolk/Hazelton/Burgess): 0.48 miles, 3:56, Avg = 442 watts, Max = 665 watts
#8 (Sycamore): 0.55 miles, 3:32, Avg. = 457 watts, Max = 745 watts
#9 (Canton)*: 0.05 miles, 0:37, Avg. = 597 watts, Max = 695 watts
#10 (Boustead): 0.35 miles, 2:16, Avg. = 504 watts, Max = 787 watts
#11 (Welsh Way): 0.26 miles, 1:26, Avg. = 543 watts, Max = 840 watts
#12 (Barry/Holt/Eleanor): 0.44 miles, 3:28, Avg. = 461 watts, Max = 923 watts
#13 (Flowers/Tesla): 0.88 miles, 5:07, Avg. = 390 watts, Max = 737 watts


* I pulled out of my pedal the first time up Canton, so these numbers are from the second time, when I went as easy as possible.

The first question that comes to mind for me is, "Which climb was hardest?". Of course, if you ask 10 different people this question, you will get 10 different answers. Some will rank Canton the hardest because it is so steep and cobbled. Some will rank Suffolk as the hardest because is is long and steep (and cobbled at the top). Personally, I would rank Barry/Holt/Eleanor as the hardest because it is long, steep, and #12. In the Tour de France, climbs are categorized by a combination of length, grade, road surface and where they appear in the route (e.g. the only climb of the day at half way through the race or the 4th categorized climb of the day after having ridden 200 km). I think that this is a pretty good measure, except that there is still no precise formula, which leaves room for different interpretations.

Power numbers are also a subjective way of measuring difficulty because they depend on how hard you decide to go (or could go at the time). However, if you assume that I went as hard as I could up each climb, average speed would be closely related to average grade and one could get a pretty good idea of how difficult the climbs were by averaging the speed and distance rankings. This ranking system produces #7 as the most difficult climb with #2, #12 and #13 tied for 2nd place, which I would argue is pretty close to correct (though I might not put #2 up there because the steep part is at the beginning and it ends on a lesser grade).

Still, there are some that might disagree with these rankings because it does not take into account road surfaces, technical aspects of the climbs, variations in grade or tactics. Most riders are better suited to one type of climbing than another, which is why I always cringe when an athlete tells me "I am a climber" or "I am not a climber" as if it's black and white. A 30 second climb is one step above being a sprint. On the other hand, a 5 minute climb is a much more sustained effort. If we were climbing in the Rockies, the Alps or the Pyrenees we would be facing 20-60 minute climbs which are an altogether different beast. But climbing is about more than just who has the highest power to weight ratio over the given amount of time. I know many riders with high LT or even 5 minute power to weight ratios that I regularly drop on climbs. This is because they do not have the ability to make accelerations within their efforts and recover from them.

Remember last year's Tour de France on the Aple D'Huez stage? Sastre's effort excluded, the last climb was a very non steady state effort back in the field. Evans, Sanchez, Valverde, Efimkin and the Schleck brothers were taking turns attacking each other and playing cat and mouse games. If your goal is to go up the hill as fast as possible, this is probably not the best strategy but if you want to separate yourself from the others and be first up the hill, well, that's a different matter. The hope of any of these attacks is that you can push your competition over the edge of what they can sustain and snap the elastic. Although this is arguably the goal of any attack, things are a little different when you are going uphill; when you crack there is nowhere to hide. Even if you are unconcerned with the other riders, tactics are still relevant. A steep or cobbled section of a climb can push you over the edge just as easily as an attack.

Throughout the day, I did have to accelerate a few times at the end of climbs to gain or maintain position, even though I knew I would pay the price later on. I also felt like I was going to throw up and/or hyperventilate at the top of every climb. At the end of the day I felt like I had just taken 5 years off my life... BUT... I was happy in knowing that I accomplished all of my goals. I never blew up, I did the best I could and I finished the day in 2nd place (though I had to defend 2nd place all the way to the last 10 meters against a fast and surging Chris Mayhew).

The Bet: Episode 3

It's all Over

The Philadelphia Marathon was this past Sunday and while I didn't go as well as planned and I lost the bet, you will never hear the word "failed" uttered from my lips.

A month Ago

It's been a while since my last update on my marathon training and for that I apologize. Everything was going well. A month before the race I was building up the distance and bringing down my average mile times. I was feeling very comfortable at a 7 minute pace and knew with another month I could bring that down a little more.

I headed out one day for my longest run before the race... 20 miles. Everything went fine but a week later my knee was nagging me a bit. I pushed on through because I'm tough (that means stupid, by the way) and 2 runs later I was officially sidelined. With three weeks to go I couldn't walk 1 mile without my knee hurting.

I started doing some researched, as well as talking to the other coaches and realized that my cycling had given me some rather unbalanced legs muscularly speaking. My adductor muscles are not nearly as trained as my abductor. Too, with my high arches my feet were not supported enough so with every step I was stressing the insides of my legs.

When you're injured, or at least when I'm injured I get cranky. I don't want to talk to people about my training or the marathon and I certainly didn't want to post anything on the blog about how everything was falling apart. I never had any doubt I could finish the distance but now there was a very good possibility that 3 miles in I would be done. Not only was it a possibility, it was a certainty based on my last 3 weeks of training.

Add that to family pressures. My birthday was the day before, we had just bought our dream home and we invited my whole family, 3 brothers, girlfriends and the folks out to spend the weekend together. We hadn't all been together for 2 years and no one had seen the house yet so I had this great idea to invite everyone out to take part in the festivities. Everyone ran one of the events, either the 8k, half or full. Everything was set and if I made it 3 miles I would have a hard time mentally getting over that hump for the rest of their visit. It felt like a lot riding on this race.

See, we're all in the same boat. We all have anxiety, we all fear failure and we all get injured. It happens. But what you do with that energy is what makes you who you are. Yeah, I stopped bragging I was training for a marathon; I started setting myself up for excuses in case of failure but I didn't give up in my heart. I started doing some exercises to correct my imbalance, I rode my bike more to keep my aerobic conditioning and I molded some Sidas custom insoles to give me better support in my shoes. And in the end it worked.

The Race

The weekend of the race was cold. In fact, the weather guy the night before said it felt more like January, then paused and said, no even this would be cold for January. My family and I spent most of Saturday night discussing layering, who was wearing what, and on what layer do I pin my number? i.e how many layers do we think we will be stripping over 3.5 hours. (The answer, for me at least, if you ever find yourself racing in cold conditions is a short sleeve and long sleeve shirt with a vest over everything. Tights, shorts, gloves and a hat. I ditched the vest, and gloves at the half way point)

I struggled back and forth with my goal time. On the one hand I really wanted to push myself but on the other I wanted to finish. I finally made the decision the morning of the race that I would stay with my brother, Aaron, the whole race. If one of us had to stop that was one thing but other than that we would finish together. We started out great, keeping the 3:30 pacer in sight the whole time which was my brother's goal time (or maybe it was MY goal time for him. He really didn't have a say in it.) I kept thinking about all the advise I was given, don't start out to fast, to panic if your first mile is slow, etc. and sure enough our first mile was slow but we made it back up my mile 3 and I felt like I would have started out faster, had I not heeded the good advice. At mile 10 we hit a downhill and found ourselves leaving the pace runner. We felt good so we increased our pace to 7:45 for 4 miles in a row. We made it through the halfway point and took on bananas and Hammer drink for the second half. We felt strong and only had 8 miles to go.

Our pace started to slow a little, hovering again at 8 minutes. We were a minute up on goal pace though so we knew we had some cushion and we made it into Manayunk still feeling pretty good. The cheers from everyone outside Cadence kept me going to the end of Main St and back again but once we hit the deadly silence of Kelly Drive again we realized we were slowly crashing. We took as much in as our stomachs could handle (next time I'll plan for more solid foods) and kept moving forward. The legs filled up and it was all I had to keep putting on step in front of the other. The 3:30 pacer caught and passed us but we had nothing to give. We finished 5 minutes later with a 3:35 and given my injury I was excited, though you wouldn't have known looking at me. We entered the shoot and all I wanted was solid food. We were herded through some gates and runners were being handed something wrapped in plastic. "Food!" I thought. Let me tell you, I bet there is no one who has ever been so disappointed to receive a finishers medals.

We got food not too soon afterward and greeted our family. We had a half marathon finisher and some 8k runners. Everyone was tired and happy to be done. So was I.

We walked home and because we wouldn't be together for Thanksgiving we made a turkey dinner and ate until we were sufficiently stuffed. Because that's why we do all of this, right? So we don't feel so bad when we overeat around the holidays.

The Bet

So I didn't win the bet, but I haven't heard an "I told you so" or a mocking laugh from anyone yet. Given the circumstances I am proud of what I accomplished even it what I gained was different than what I set out at the beginning 3 months ago. And it just goes to show how important patience is when training. I had 2 great months of running before I hurt my knee. I steadily increased my long runs and got in my 20 miler. When I had to stop running with three weeks to go I didn't panic. I knew I had put in the work and all that was left was resting my knee until it healed. It is possible I could have done better had I tried to push through the pain in those three weeks but it is more probable that I would have done much worse. Brian said it best, when it comes to the taper, less is definitely more.

I won't stop running now, I really enjoy it and it has kept me fit through the fall where I typically become somewhat of a couch potato. Who knows, maybe I'll start swimming and have an Olympic Triathlon in my near future.

Anyone wanna bet I can't do it?

Biking the New York City Marathon
Bicycle Escort for Wheelchair Athletes at the New York City Marathon
By Ann Marie Miller

I am very pleased to share with you a very “different” Race Report – a report of my experience as a Bicycle Escort for Wheel chair/Handcycle athletes in the New York City Marathon.

Several weeks ago, Richard Rosenthal invited me to serve as a volunteer “Bicycle Escort” for the wheelchair/handcycle athletes in the New York City Marathon because of my experience in bike racing and as a coach and group ride leader. The “bicycle escorts” assist the wheelchair/handcycle racers by serving as “rolling marshals” on the course, giving the spectators notice of the athletes approaching and watching for any hazards on the course. I embraced the opportunity to "give back" to the local cycling community, network with other cyclists and see the 5 boroughs from a different perspective.

I had no idea the bike escort group would include such a diverse group of cycling enthusiasts! Besides networking with many of the local racers I expected to see there, I was impressed with the diversity of the other bikers. I was honored to be included in a group ranging from an Emmy-award winning actor, to leaders in the civic and business community to concert musicians - a real reflection of the palette of New York culture and business!

We met the other riders at 6:15am at 59th & 5th Ave. to ride together to the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano Narrows bridge, were we organized, received our final assignments, and waited for the wheelchairs and handcycles to arrive after their start at 8:30am, well ahead of the actual marathon start. Cyclists were paired with one on each side of the road to lead the athletes, and blow a whistle to warn pedestrians and spectators that the wheelchair athletes were approaching. I think I was more nervous about escorting the handcyclist than I would be about doing a criterium in New York City! The handcyclists can hit speeds of 22-24 miles per hour on the flats, and since the event is "draft-legal", there can be "packs" of handcyclists, making it tricky to negotiate the bike escorts and groups of athletes!

Although there was a strong headwind from the north blasting us in the face as we rode up 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, and 1st Avenue in Manhattan, the ride went very smoothly. It was great seeing the crowds gathering in advance of the runners, and hearing some of the bands along the course. My partner & I were assigned to the first female hand cyclist, who stayed together with another male handcylist for most of the race.

The bike escorts were diverted from the course at the exit from Central Park Drive to 59thSt. (Central Park South) so we did not pass through the finish area with our athletes. “Riding” the New York City Marathon course with the wheelchair athletes was a great experience, and I’m sure all of us bike escorts were as impressed with the grit and determination of these athletes as we’d have been with any world class athletes.

Richard Rosenthal does a great job coordinating the bike escorts, and the entire marathon support team is amazing. I was very proud to volunteer and help with this epic New York City event as an ambassador for Cadence Cycling and Multisport. I'm looking forward to helping with this event next year, and if you are interested in serving as a bike escort, please let me know.

I have attached a photo of the Bicycle Escort team (I’m over on the right side, 2nd row, crouching halfway down, partially hidden in the shadows.)

Kicking the Water

Freestyle Swimming Kick Training
Holden Comeau

If you’ve been struggling all season with the swim portion of your triathlon training, there’s a good chance that your freestyle kick is underdeveloped. Right now in the off season is a great time to get your legs going in the water. It’s going to take a little extra leg power, and this is the best time to spare it! Below is a reprint of an article I wrote a few months ago for Triathlete Magazine. Check it out and get to the pool! And if you’re having some problems, send me an email and I’ll do what I can to help you out.


"A big misconception that unfortunately persists among the triathlon community is that swim training for the sport requires little attention to the freestyle kick. This is hugely problematic, especially for triathletes who are relatively new swimmers, or for those who experience what feels like an unwarranted amount of effort in the pool. For both of these individuals, gaining control of the kick is the first place to start when attempting to improve their swim.

It is important to understand is that kicking for a triathlete is not intended to directly increase thrust (which the kick certainly could, albeit with a substantial effort). Instead, the freestyle kick should be used as a means of controlling the swimmer’s body rotation and position in the water. For many swimmers, this task is often put upon the pull, creating more effort for the arms than is needed.

With proper training – which involves patient concentration on both the dynamics of the kicking movement and also some pure muscular conditioning – a swimmer can gain enough control over the kick so that it can become both light and also relentless. Once this is in place, body rotation and then the arm stroke cycle can be successfully coordinated to the rhythm of the kick (on this point, there is substantial debate as to which ‘rhythm’ is most effective; 2 beat, 2 beat cross-over, 4 beat, 6 beat, even 8 beat kicking per stroke cycle, are all variations of the kick/arm-cycle coordination. In my opinion, it would be best to experiment with as many different kicking speeds as possible, and work to perfect the rhythm that feels most comfortable and natural. Most importantly, swim with the kick speed that feels most rhythmic).

A great way to get your legs going is to train with some swim fins. These are full-sized rubber training fins – not shorty zoomers. Full size fins encourage correct kicking mechanics (move from the hip and core, not the knee), and also illuminate for the swimmer how best to effectively apply power to water. The fins will ‘grab’ the water more dominantly in one direction, which, for freestyle kicking is downward to the bottom of the pool. Standard interval training with the fins and a kick board works well at intervals ranging from 100-300 meters, and intensity should remain fairly low for all but a few of these laps.

Full stroke swimming with the fins can also be helpful. The exaggerated resistance against the fins will encourage a swimmer to pay more attention to their kick while they swim. Also, the added body stability that is created by this ‘really strong kick’ can, in turn, allow the arms a better foundation against which the swimmer can leverage pulling power. Realization of this relationship – a better kick creates a better pull – will also mean a realization of increased speed!"

Coping with Stress: Distress, Eustress, and Destress

This is a topic we're all getting very familiar with: stress. Biologically speaking, stress refers to the failure of an organism to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats, whether those threats are real or imagined. Short term effects of stress on human beings result in a physiological state of alarm creating elevated levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters associated with blood pressure, heart rate, and insomnia. Stress can also lead to a decrease in serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter which keeps epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in check. This vicious circle can lead to anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, and other physiological maladies including decreased production of dopamine, which controls the human body's way of inducing states of relaxation and mental focus. In fact, it is estimated that between 60% and 90% of all doctors' visits are directly correlated to high stress levels.

Dealing with stress can take a negative and turn it into a positive. In fact, the term "eustress" (derived from the Greek "eu," meaning well, or good) denotes a physiological response to stress which leads to a positive adaptation. One example of eustress is found in the training principle of sports periodization whereby judiciously applied intense intervals of physiological stress (training) produce the adaptive benefit of strength and improved performance.

Another form of eustress comes in the form of regular exercise. Working exercise into your daily routine is the single best way to deal with stress. Exercise can dramatically counter the short term effects of stress by increasing endorphin levels, which in cause disinhibits the brain's production of dopamine and serotonin. Increased levels of endorphins cause the euphoric feeling known as "runners' high," improve mental clarity and focus, reduce insomnia, decrease the desire for fatty and high carbohydrate foods, and generally impart a feeling of control and overall well being.

At Cadence, exercise is the core of our existence. Using our expertise in the fields of cycling, running, swimming, and multisport we are here to help you take control of your life by turning your stress into a positive. Stop by Cadence NY or Cadence Philadelphia and we'll suggest events, services, products, and other ways you can turn distress into eustress so you can feel better about yourself, sleep better at night, improve your relationships, and focus better to take control of your life!

The Bet: Episode 2

What You've Missed

I am running a marathon (that's for those who can't be bothered to read old blog entries) After our little bet was made, I knew I had very little time to get into running shape. I think I spent a good week "getting ready" to run. Buying shoes, shorts and tops; reading up on the newest running training theories and sitting down and mapping out my own training on trainingpeaks. I did just about everything a good runner can do... except run. I wasn't really looking forward to that part of it. As a cycling coach who is realizing more and more just how many triathletes are out there, I was excited to gain some experience in the "Multisport" world. If I studied up on running techniques and theories I would be more marketable as a coach and I was thoroughly enjoying my studies... just not the running part. That part I was dreading!

History

I want to make it clear to everyone that I am not a beginning runner. My pops ran marathons when he was younger and still ran almost everyday when I was young. I'm not sure how young I was, but my mom would wake me up before school and meet my dad at the end of the driveway when he finished his run and I would jog with him for a mile on his cool down. This progressed into running 3-5 miles with him by the time I was in the 5th grade or so. We did this for years until I starting running for school. I was obsessed with running, much in the same way I am with cycling now. I can't get enough of the culture, the people, the places. I love it and I loved running the same way. I continued in high school and was an above average runner. I ran a 16:16 5k in cross country my junor year, which wasn't fast enough to go to state. I missed it by 3 places. I broke 10 minutes in the 2 miles and that wasn't even fast enough to get me out of our conference meet.

Since I took up the bike I, or mostly my coaches, have tried to get me to run during the off season. I never made it more than 20 minutes and then I'd be so sore for a week I couldn't move. So I may not be a beginning runner but I haven't competed or ran for more than 3 miles in nearly 10 years.

The First Run

I knew if I just walked out the door I'd either be back home in 20 minutes or at the pub having a pint. No, I needed a different plan. Then it hit me. I had left my bike at work the day before and got a ride home. I needed to go pick it up later that day anyways, so I decided to run there, from Fairmount to Manayunk. It's ONLY 6 miles. I could do that. Even if I had to walk the whole way minus the first 20 minutes I still would be ok. It was decided. I threw on all my new gear (you gotta look good, even if you're walking) and headed out the door.

Fast forward 20 minutes. I am dying I think. Lungs are burning, legs feel like rubber. Maybe I'll just turn around I thought. But something kept me going. 30 minutes in and I was plateaued. I wasn't hurting worse than 10 minutes ago but I also wasn't hurting less. The good news is I haven't stopped to walk yet. 45 minutes in and something kicked in. I'm not sure what it was but my stride opened up, my HR slowed and a light breeze hit my face. I ran the last 15 minutes down Main St at what I figured was a pretty good clip. I felt like I was back in high school. I stopped in front of Cadence, amazed that I just ran here from home. I looked around and smiled. I can do this.

Tune in next time when I run 12 miles on only my 4th run back. (Stupid!)

The Bet: Episode 1

The Challenge...


If you are reading this you are one of two people. You are either a cyclist or a triathlete (somewhere Mike Kuhn just yelled, "What about Mountain Bikes?") We've all been there, riding along the Skuykil river path minding our own business when one of "those" people buzz by us. We utter something under our breath, making massive stereotypes about an entire sporting event. You all know what I'm talking about. Even here at Cadence the cycling coaches and Tri coaches have differing opinions on things.

A few weeks ago in our meeting, we were discussing the schedule of our new distance running class. (If you're just hearing about this, it's not too late to sign up) It all started pretty harmless. We were trying to name the course and figure out our target audience for the class. The Tri coaches thought it should be called "Distance running for Triathletes" to which I said, "yeah but what about those cyclist who just finished their season and want to do some cross training?"

The cycling coaches were silent and the tri coaches chuckled. No cyclist would ever want to do distance running the cycling coaches said in unison. No cyclist COULD do distance running spoke the tri coaches ...

"We COULD," I barked back, "we just choose not to because our sport is better." Oops, I went to far. It was on. We started going at it as to why our respective sports were better than the other. Cyclist are too mean, cut throat racing, Triathletes are too nice to each other, no competitiveness among the masses. Cyclist are bullies, hogging up the streets and paths with their big group rides, triathletes are all over the road and have poor bike handling skills. Back and forth we went and somewhere in there I, for some unknown reason, took the entire cycling world on my shoulders and hushed the room. "I can and will run a marathon. I will train with the class and run Philly at the end of November. I ran in high school and I could get ready for it in 10 weeks no problem." The cycling coaches had a look like I just signed my death sentence. The tri coaches said the deal had to be more than just finishing. I'm an elite cyclist. I could finish 26.2 miles. It may take me 5 hours, but I could get through it. No, it had to be tough, this was for bragging rights. I would have to break 3 hours to win this bet they decided. Something that, I am now learning, is going to take all my focused energy to train and race for.

My racing season has ended and I am in full running mode. Bought the shoes, bought the gear and headed out for my first run Monday morning. But you'll have to wait for the details of my death march until next time...

Til then, happy riding (or running, i guess)