Time off is good...

It has been a while... I have a lot that has happened over the last month or so... I will jot it all down in a haphazard method below and follow with blogs talking about things that are more interesting to me right now...

• 6 gap was a disaster for me... went out to hard, rode the first 2 hours trying to keep up with some friends while my back brake pad was rubbing pretty good and burned myself out. I tried to turn around to cut the course and rode for a long time in the wrong direction. Ended up riding 85 miles and 5 gaps I guess (one more than once) and was glad to get back to the parking lot in one piece... not my finest day...
• took my typical week and some change off the bike
• Started my winter ramp with a FTP test
• Test came in way too high... put out 315 Watts over 40 minutes and did not feel like I had worked all that hard. My speed seemed slow... I think it was 21 mph or so and seemed slow for that much wattage.
• Went out the next week on my FTP... halfway through it finally occurred to me... my right leg was not working! I could feel it suddenly... I have been overcompensating with my left leg... the one that was injured. I could see an immediate difference in wattage and inversely speed when I concentrated on using my right leg... wattage goes down and speed goes up.
• I immediately scheduled a meeting with Kevorkian Jordan in the cave of pain to test my ergomo, test my leg balance and stroke, and test my FTP...
• I did a 1 hour cross ride with Robert and then went into the cave for the testing. The ergomo looked like it was reading accurately, my left leg was clearly putting out more wattage, and the FTP was an unbelievable sufferfest... I put out 312 hard earned watts over a 45 minute effort and proved that the road power was not a fluke... I also proved that my left leg was throwing my numbers a little, but not more than 10-15 watts at worst...
• I learned that the cave of pain is a very special place. Kevorkian Jordan was skulking around, drinking a beer, and grinning with every whimper that left my lips. He really is sadistic, but knowing he was there, and knowing that many a legend had ripped their legs to pieces in that same place, makes you go harder than you could or maybe should. If you don't throw up or slump over your handle bars or piss your pants or something major, he doesn't have a story to tell and you feel like a chump.
• I don't know if Jordan has a story from my cave trip... I need to ask him. I have blocked most of the event out of my mind.
• Cross didn't work out the way I thought... I liked the bike and the idea, but I am infatuated with power and my winter training and not getting hurt... the cross bike is collecting dust... whatever... it is still cool and I really like it and will one day pick it back up...
• So I did a perfectly paced FTP the next week... 323 Watts over 40 minutes and 23 mph on the hoods... got the right leg working hard... increased power and speed considerably. I would be better off with a powertap, but I don't care right now... keep pressing...
• Did another one the next week... 325 Watts...
• Lost 8 lbs... back to 182... not bad for this time of year...

I guess that gets us up to speed...