# Turning 50 and rebooting - Couch to insanity in 6 months.



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.

Starting point:

6'3 somewhere in the 215lb range. Full time ++ desk job. If it is possible to have less than zero cardio, that is me right now.
Fully quit smoking dec 24 2021. Fought it on\off all my adult life.
Caught Covid in Jan 22. It wasn't great, but thankfully was double vaxed. My BP was like 115/75 in december. It's been as high as 150/98 this month. 100% sure this is post-covid related.
Fully Quit drinking about 2 weeks ago. A "couple" of drinks daily probably my entire adult life, but I became an adult around 15, so...
My diet wasn't that bad, but I have cleaned it up and back to 100% whole foods, and currently low sodium until I get a handle on the blood pressure.
Goal:
In a couple of hours, I'm signing up for the "Tour of the White Mountains" on Oct 1. Its 53 miles with 3,445 climbing. The race takes place between 7200-8200 ft. I've gone that far on a road bike on flat terrain, but never with\at elevation. I plan on showing up at the starting line at 175lbs and giving it my best. I turn 50 about 35 days before the event.


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

That will be a 'hat trick'. If you can pull it off, then good on you. No more Smoking, Drinking, or Fried foods.... And you're going to lose weight and power out some serious elevation. You are a better man then me sir. You'll also be boring 🤣 but in better shape and health. Good luck.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

Nice! Keep us updated on your progress in this thread.


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## Five0 (Mar 26, 2018)

Where are you located? If your in AZ and in the valley it’s gonna be hard to train here for the next 5 months with the heat. You gonna have to go up the Prescott and Flag to get longer training rides in.


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## 411898 (Nov 5, 2008)

That level of challenging yourself seems a bit extreme. I hope things go smoothly and as planned.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Five0 said:


> Where are you located? If your in AZ and in the valley it’s gonna be hard to train here for the next 5 months with the heat. You gonna have to go up the Prescott and Flag to get longer training rides in.


I'm in Chandler. Phase one of my plan involves tons of base work on the stationary and treadmill, but will def be heading north for long rides at altitude. 



Hawgzilla said:


> That level of challenging yourself seems a bit extreme. I hope things go smoothly and as planned.


You are correct, and I don't like my odds of surviving it. Thanks for the well wishes!


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## Five0 (Mar 26, 2018)

So I’m in Peoria. I bought a Nordictrac bike in Jan. I have been having fun on it and not out enjoy our riding season. It just too easy to jump on the bike and do a ride for an hour on the trainer. I have been doing TDF climbs in the alps. 2500’ elevation climbs. Just to let you know, trainers don’t really equate to real world riding. I did 12 miles and 1200’ today on the trails. It was twice and hard as a 2500’ ride on the trainer. My point is, don’t neglect real saddle time.


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## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

I like that you announced your goals publicly. Good start.

6 months is a long time and positive, transformative life changes can happen in that time.

Over a span like that, you need be consistent and not get side tracked. Steady. Eye on the prize and don't get discouraged on set backs or slow progress. The tortoise wins here.

The weight comes off at the kitchen table, not the bike.

I'm excited for you.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Have fun, better late than never.

A suggestion: don’t stop exercising and don’t start back to smoking.

This is gonna be a painful six months 🤣


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Five0 said:


> So I’m in Peoria. I bought a Nordictrac bike in Jan. I have been having fun on it and not out enjoy our riding season. It just too easy to jump on the bike and do a ride for an hour on the trainer. I have been doing TDF climbs in the alps. 2500’ elevation climbs. Just to let you know, trainers don’t really equate to real world riding. I did 12 miles and 1200’ today on the trails. It was twice and hard as a 2500’ ride on the trainer. My point is, don’t neglect real saddle time.




I have a smart trainer and for me it's almost the opposite, equal mileage, elevation, and power is definitely harder indoors than outside.

Agree to not neglect real saddle time, mostly because it's so much more fun.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

OP,
If you’re under 50, then 50 seems old.
I’m 68, take it from me -- 50 is young.
I mean, it’s young if you’re going to live a long time.
If you’re not going to live a long time, then 50 is old.

Glad to hear you’ve begun to act like you’re going to live a long time.
Unsolicited advice: stick to it.
Nobody likes unsolicited advice. Sorry. Anyway…
Once you get to my age, you’ll look back and think, “Damn, I was such a punk then. I actually thought I was getting old at 50. WTF was I thinking?”
All smart-ass kidding aside, I wish you luck.
More than luck, I wish you drive.

My personal epiphany came at age 46, so you’re not far behind where I was around that life phase.
At age 47, I started doing 100 mile mountain bike races (including over 15,000’ gain.)
At the time that I made the decision, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
I’d never done it before.
Know this — you can do this.

You can. But here’s a word from the experienced: don’t underestimate how hard what you’ve laid out will be.
Stay focused.
Go ahead and get obsessed about it. Obsession can be a good thing.
Promise yourself and then don’t let yourself down.
You have a plan — stick to your plan.

Whenever you find yourself hating life most — plan on it — right in that moment, tell yourself, “This is what winning feels like.”
Embrace the challenge. You can prevail.
In the end, your results will reveal what you really wanted.

A tree is judged by the fruit it bears.
=sParty


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...




I think it's awesome to have those goals and don't necessarily think it will be a painful journey. I quit smoking about 10 years ago and starting riding a lot more. Also more recently really cleaned up my diet and feel so much better for it. I still have a few vices I should probably let go of but overall I'm way fitter and feel twice as healthy now as I did 10 years ago when I was your age. I could kick my 50 year old ass for sure.

One suggestion I'll throw out there is to buy a 6 month training plan from trainerroad or something like that, even better hire a coach if you're really flush. Having a plan on your calendar waiting for you every day can make it way easier to form steady & productive habits. Turning your workout for the day green is always a positive buzz. Consistency is paramount. 

Good luck!


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## ZX11 (Dec 24, 2020)

The bike race happens at 7,000 to 8,000 feet? That sounds like the challenge. Poor breathing for exercise effort up there. Is it a race for people who live a mile high? Hopefully, you can try biking with climbs at that altitude before the race.


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## boonegoon (May 16, 2018)

TBoneAz said:


> I'm in Chandler. Phase one of my plan involves tons of base work on the stationary and treadmill, but will def be heading north for long rides at altitude.
> 
> 
> You are correct, and I don't like my odds of surviving it. Thanks for the well wishes!





TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...



Congratulations on your decision! I'm actually in virtually the same boat and decision. I'm probably in worse shape than you at this point but turn 50 in September and doing a metric mountain century in November. Good luck to you, I'll be rooting for you!


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Might as well toss a new bike at the problem, right?


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Same to you! PM’s open for commiserating…


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

TBoneAz said:


> Might as well toss a new bike at the problem, right?
> View attachment 1977620


You got this!  
=sParty


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

In 6 months time that goal is completely attainable. I'm a year shy of your age and only ride 5- 6 months out of the year. I peak somewhere 4-5 months in that cycle and ride single track rides double that elevation. 

The whole quitting alcohol thing seems kind of outlandish though 



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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Get some good lights.


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## Stewiewin (Dec 17, 2020)

TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...


lol from 0 to 53 miles race is rough


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

Get on the bike and just ride everyday you can. Find a local loop that has trails get you away from cars and people and just ride. Look forward to finding new trails when you can. Tune your bike yourself, so it's always working. Leaving it with a bike shop for a week (which is how it is around here) will brake your routine, so try to avoid it. I ride 3 to 4 times a week (usually surf 2 days too). Summer is on us, so you're going to have to ride real early or evening. Az 🌞🌵🌞🌵...


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Sunday Update: 

Scale said 210 this am. Goal is to have that < 200 by May 1. Nutrition is good, currently grinding out alot of Z2 incline treadmill volume.
Had a blood pressure reading of 149/97 (double checked) on 3/30. 119/75 today.

Plan for this week

See Cardiologist asap to greenlight this whole thing
Adding Strong Lifts 5x5 to the program tomorrow, but hacked a bit to hit core harder and only 2x per week
Adding dedicate mobility work
Increase Z2 volume


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## boonegoon (May 16, 2018)

TBoneAz said:


> Sunday Update:
> 
> Scale said 210 this am. Goal is to have that < 200 by May 1. Nutrition is good, currently grinding out alot of Z2 incline treadmill volume.
> Had a blood pressure reading of 149/97 (double checked) on 3/30. 119/75 today.
> ...


LIke I said, we are in a similar position! I weighed 214 this morning, aiming for under 200 by June. Last ride was 20 flat miles building base over the next month. Get after it!


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

I  this. Now is the time to make the change. Set the goals and meet them. Then do it again.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

I'm going to post weekly updates here in case anyone else is dumb enough to try this. 


Got in all of my workouts, which is currently 2 strength training sessions and 60-90 mins per day of strict zone 2 work. Went "long" today with about 2.25 hours.
Diet is in check and no issues. Appetite is under control despite running a massive deficit. Lot another couple of pounds this week so on track there.
Cardiologist visit scheduled in about 2 weeks, will start loading some intensity after that.
Need to rest better. Pets\family random loud ass birds outside keep waking me up 2 hours before my alarm is supposed to go off. 
Had one Moscow Mule this week and it was freaking delicious.


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

TBoneAz said:


> I'm going to post weekly updates here in case anyone else is dumb enough to try this.
> 
> 
> Got in all of my workouts, which is currently 2 strength training sessions and 60-90 mins per day of strict zone 2 work. Went "long" today with about 2.25 hours.
> ...


I wear soft foam ear plugs. Comfy and quiet.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update:

- Missed a couple of cardio sessions due to a nasty stomach flu, but it helped the weight cut. down about 10lbs since I started this thread and on track to be < 200 by the end of the month.
~ Got my strength sessions in

repeated a running workout I had attempted on dec 1. That workout had my heart rate maxed - 174 bpm. This week I never broke 150.
Going to go stuff my face with Mexican food and then get a long session in later.


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## Dunnigan (9 mo ago)

Crush it! Celebrate whatever progress and success you get.


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## Tinkerer741 (9 mo ago)

Riding outside is a start but it's no replacement for a structured training plan. TrainerRoad or Training Peaks. With as ambitious as you feel that goal is maybe Training Peaks and a coach to help you with the parts you know you don't know.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Dunnigan said:


> Crush it! Celebrate whatever progress and success you get.


Yes! That is, celebrate without eating or drinking anything. 
All kidding aside, you are clearly serious about getting results and I salute you.
=sParty


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update:

Managed to fully kick my 30 year daily caffeine habit, so that I can use it strategically vs being dependent on it to function. Converted the tires to tubless and that worked so yay me! Lost a couple more Lbs as of yesterday morning, but did go out with my wife last night and probably gained it all back ++. Stayed on track with my workouts, which are still centered around a couple of strength workouts per week and at least an hour of Z2 cardio per day, and more if I have time. I've been sticking to Z2 until I get a thumbs up from my cardiologist to add in more intensity (stress test scheduled next week). That plan got thrown out yesterday. 

On saturday, my nutrition plan pretty much consisted of zero alcohol beers + a couple of chilada's and a small bowl of ramen (not on purpose, it was a weird day). Then on Sunday I decided to go test myself on Dynamite at Santan, which MTBR describes as (Dynamite is a sustained, steady 400-foot climb over the next mile-and-a-half. The trail is wide and mostly smooth, hardpacked dirt with embedded rocks, and most intermediate riders can probably make the whole climb on the middle chain ring). I fueled up with a Bud Zero (about 50 cal/12g carbs) on the way to the trail. The results of the test:

Fitness: F-
Mountain Bike Skills: F-
Ability to ride anything slightly technical while clipped in: F-
Intelligence: F-
Attitude: B+

According to my apple watch (which is always within a beat or two of my polar chest strap), my heart rate hit 186. Alot. According to the standard formula of 220-age, my theoretical max is around 170. When I push hard on the treadmill, I have seen it in the 174-177 range mostly, and maybe 182 once. 

My average over the 1.5 hour ride was 164. I was freaking throttled the whole time - legs completely dead, heart pounding. Whatever, I survived. Then I helped move a 9 foot pool table out of an upstairs game room 

To Do list:

Going back to flats asap.
Get my sit bones to STFU
Going to up the L2 volume
I'm going to start a thread to solicit opinions on the bike build for this in the AZ forum if anyone wants to chime in.


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## Five0 (Mar 26, 2018)

I wouldn’t give up so soon on the clipless. You’ll appreciate the clips in the end.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Five0 said:


> I wouldn’t give up so soon on the clipless. You’ll appreciate the clips in the end.


depends, mine are all sitting in a box now. Except my road bike.

Basically... clipless, flats, it's personal.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Five0 said:


> I wouldn’t give up so soon on the clipless. You’ll appreciate the clips in the end.


I had a store credit so I grabbed some Five Tens and Chesters today.


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## 141 (Jun 25, 2021)

How can you expect to lose this much weight, particularly at your height? I am 6'0, and have gone from 190 at my heaviest a few years back to 175-180 these days. Going below 175 I end up feeling hungry all day, and my training suffers a lot. I don't know how that is possible to go from a higher number, to 175 at 6'3, all while training a lot, in just 6 months. 

Good luck, but personally I know I would probably have to limit the weight loss to 200 or so to have any chance of putting in a reasonable amount of volume without getting sick.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Five0 said:


> I wouldn’t give up so soon on the clipless. You’ll appreciate the clips in the end.


I don't know, there are pluses and minuses to each. I think overall flat pedals are probably best for most riders and situations.



TBoneAz said:


> I had a store credit so I grabbed some Five Tens and Chesters today.



NIce!


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

141 said:


> How can you expect to lose this much weight, particularly at your height? I am 6'0, and have gone from 190 at my heaviest a few years back to 175-180 these days. Going below 175 I end up feeling hungry all day, and my training suffers a lot. I don't know how that is possible to go from a higher number, to 175 at 6'3, all while training a lot, in just 6 months.
> 
> Good luck, but personally I know I would probably have to limit the weight loss to 200 or so to have any chance of putting in a reasonable amount of volume without getting sick.


I looked/felt my best at 175, maybe just my body type. I’m 203 now and still fat - not having to carry 5 5lb bags of sugar up those climbs seems like a good deal to me!

I’m going to continue cutting while base building. I’m also cycling protein\carbs based on workload etc and still getting stronger in the strength workouts. I may need to move up to maintenance calories when I move out of base, but pretty happy with the course currently.


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

I think that you basically did your stress test outside unsupervised. There is no harm doing one with your doctor. I think that you are ready for some intensity. Riding outside is the best for mental health. If you can get a smart trainer and add inside structured training you will get stronger faster. It’s boring and not for everyone. But I have had my best results that were clearly noticeable after making friends with zwift for a while.


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## Five0 (Mar 26, 2018)

You can make an argument for clipless and flats in trail riding. But i don’t think there is any argument that in a XC or endurance riding there is any comparison in efficacy. Before you jump right back to flats after just one ride. I’d try loosing the tension in your clipless pedals. It’s the same principle as ski boot bindings. Looser for beginners and firmer for more advanced riders.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update:

Life is doing it's best to get in the way, but I'm doing my best to keep on track.


Still a bit weirded out by what my heart is doing (same as last weeks post), but have 2 cardiac appts this week including the stress test, so hopefully I get the full green light and don't have to worry about it.
Life has been busy but still on track with workouts.
Changing from a 2x per week whole body strength session which was lasting upwards of 1.5 hours to 4x per week shorter strength sessions. Same overall volume but hopefully will give me more time for base training too. I am getting stronger in the gym!
I think I have the bile build planned out. As soon as my dr gives me the full green light on this plan, I will start buying parts and schedule a full fitting.
Hope to have the Pain Cave completed in the next few days. You guys will dig it.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Five0 said:


> I wouldn’t give up so soon on the clipless. You’ll appreciate the clips in the end.


Not really, clips work in some situations, but they're hardly necessary.

So Mr OP, how old are you?

I have this vision of a forty something guy, out of shape, smoker, poor diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coming off the couch and pushing hard ... and having an MI.

Pretty scary, maybe you need a complete physical before you leave your family widowed?

I really wish people would take better care of themselves consistently through their lifetime, this couch to insanity thing is exactly that, but not in the way you are thinking


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Nurse Ben said:


> So Mr OP, how old are you?
> 
> I have this vision of a forty something guy, out of shape, smoker, poor diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coming off the couch and pushing hard ... and having an MI.
> 
> ...


I forgot to mention, the Five Tens + Flats were amazing and I will never clip in again in my life.

History is all in the first post. I'm 49, will be 50 and 45 days on race day. 

All valid concerns. I have been super conscious of my intensity and what my heart is doing as my number 1 concern right now is not blowing myself up. I am basically doing decently high volume 80/20 and will be for the next couple of months. I am in process with my cardiologist. Stress test day after tomorrow, lab tests early next week. It's not like I just joined trainer road and started doing high volume threshold work.

At this point I'm sure my wife would happily trade me for the insurance settlement, so it's a win/win for her


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Also, blood pressure was only an issue about 6 weeks after Covid. I checked it fairly regularly before. I immediately course corrected everything and am back down to pretty decent levels but still have a little ways to go - .i.e I'm currently running in the 120-125 over 72-75 range. Diet was actually fairly clean - mostly whole foods paleo-ish. We'll know next week how that worked out for me.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...


Congrats for the no more smoke. I did it 22 years ago just stay smoke free


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Quick Funny:

Had the cardiac stress test scheduled for weds. They called and rescheduled me for thurs due to issues with the machine. Drove 1/2 way across town, did the test, and then as I was getting ready to leave, the tech at the computer says "Oh, no, it's doing that thing again". So there was some sort of error and the files didn't save and they lost everything. Guess the issue with the machine wasn't resolved after all  So today I get to go re-do the test at another location! YAY!

Yesterday's test was good though, at least according to the nurse who does these all the time. 


Confirmed my max HR around 185 vs the 170ish expected for age etc.
Had my apple watch 6 running at the same time and it was dead on vs the 10 lead ECG.
Didn't have any funky rhythms or anything concerning.
Recovery was pretty good.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Thats a long race at a high elevation. Seasoned xc racers with years of base fitness will suffer let alone zero to hero x smoker....


That said i am prone to sillyness also. Impossible is nothing! Alot of our limitations are within our brains. 

You will be pushing you limits to the very edge and possibly beyond.

I see 2 main challenges. 

1) High Elevation. Exercising at elevation is really really hard if are not used to it. It fu#$s with some people more than others. Get out there and do some high elevation training. See how the body reacts.

2) Overtraining will be a very real risk to go from zero to hero. Monitor yourself closely and allow time to rest. That will probably be the hardest thing, allowing rest with such a challenge at hand.
However rest you must or you will fail. 

Now get out there and do it.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Crazy this was like 7 weeks. Don’t let big pharma see this.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Converted my game room into a pain cave.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

TBoneAz said:


> Converted my game room into a pain cave.
> 
> View attachment 1982858


How’s your progress going? What changes are you making to diet and sleep?


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

stripes said:


> How’s your progress going? What changes are you making to diet and sleep?


Overall - I am feeling good about my progress. I am right around 200lb right now so I've dropped around 17.5 lbs (minimum) and in my head think I have 25 to go, we'll see how I perform\feel when I get there. 21 weeks out from the race, so the general plan is to do tons of base work over the next 12 weeks to continue the calorie deficit required for 2lbs\week of weight loss while trying to lay down as much areobic base as possible. So over those 12 weeks, it will be 80% base training (zone 2 heart rate around 125-130 for me) and 20% intensity work, probably just riding tough trails or maybe some structured trainer workouts. I will also continue to be in the gym doing strength work 4x per week (but only 45-60 mins per session and not super intense outside of the actual lifts). I think I am already "strong enough" but I am lifting to try to retain muscle while on a calorie deficit and any strength gains I get in the gym are just gravy. 

The plan has me hitting the weight goal by the 1st week of august, at which point I will go back to eating "Maintenance Calories" and start to "reverse diet" into a much higher carb intake to support the next 7 weeks of much higher intensity race prep training.

Nutrition wise, I started trying to hit a 25-30g dose of protein 4x per day to maximize protein muscle synthesis. I'm going to up that to 40g since I hit a plateau on one gym lift. Carbs tend around 80-120g per day, but mostly strategically cycled to fuel harder efforts and to remain fairly carb-less ahead of any base work so I can try to adapt to fat burning as much as possible. 

Weekly Update: Last week was tough logistically. 


Got my cardiac stress test done and green light from cardiologist to try to nuke myself.
Got my gym workouts in.
Got some Cardio\rides in but not enough.
Had some beers etc
Slight stall on the scale but not worried about it.

Upcoming:

Going to do an FTP test and then shooting for 5 hours in the saddle this week + another 5 hours off off bike cardio with an 80/20 approach.
Get in 4 strength workouts.
No beers etc.
Going to start working on the bike, with the first priority being a saddle fitting and a pair of shorts with an excellent chamois. Will probably have a new fork installed this week and ordering some carbon hoops + a dropper post.
I've got my eye out for a road bike, as I have been feeling like getting out for longer rides in the morning before work bc it is heating up here. This will be the last week with < 100* temps in phoenix until sept.


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

A FTP test can be a great to get in structured work. But not everyone is good at doing an ftp test. If you are not super motivated it becomes very easy to back off. Or if you had poor sleep/ diet, extra stress, or just an off day it can be way off. Take the test with a grain of salt. 


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Mcfarton said:


> A FTP test can be a great to get in structured work. But not everyone is good at doing an ftp test. If you are not super motivated it becomes very easy to back off. Or if you had poor sleep/ diet, extra stress, or just an off day it can be way off. Take the test with a grain of salt.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I think a ramp test is better for most because it's so easy to get the pace wrong on the 20 minute test.


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...


Your off to a great start, no booze, no smoke and a whole food diet will greatly improve your health, lifestyle and longevity.


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## durask (Nov 16, 2020)

Nurse Ben said:


> Not really, clips work in some situations, but they're hardly necessary.
> 
> So Mr OP, how old are you?
> 
> ...


I must say though that complete physical won't do much - there is no way for an office doc to detect a blockage unless you are about to have a heart attack already.

Stress test is good but IMHO a great test to get is a coronary calcium scan, insurances do not pay for it and it is about $200 but it is a great test to gauge your heart attack risk.






Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) - Mayo Clinic







www.mayoclinic.org





Also for smokers you should really consider lung cancer screening 






Who Should Be Screened for Lung Cancer? | CDC


Screening is recommended only for adults who are at high risk.




www.cdc.gov


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

There is a book called "The end of heart disease" I have it and highly recommend it. It's by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is *not* some new fad diet book. Probably cheaper on Amazon.









The End of Heart Disease


Dr. Fuhrman offers a detailed nutritional plan to reverse heart disease, normalize your blood pressure and cholesterol, and protect against heart attacks.




shop.drfuhrman.com


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update:


Weight will start with a 1 instead of a 2 over the next day or so. Have dropped 17.5 for sure and probably more like 20 in 8 weeks. I am also still adding weight to the bar almost every workout for every lift, so considerable strength gains as well. May even be some "recomping" going on due to "newbie gains" since I hadn't been lifting for quite a while. Currently estimate around 20% BF, hoping to have that in the low teens by Aug when I hit my goal weight.
Finally feel like my legs are holding me back instead of my cardio. Decent amount of seat time this week
Got the major upgrades done to the bike: Fork, wheels, dropper (there's a build thread in the Arizona forum)
Dr happy with the bloodwork results.

Upcoming:

Still trying to figure out how to balance strength training (basically to minimize catabolism while in a big calorie deficit), seat time and recovery. I def don't have this aspect dialed.
Suns play game 7 vs the Mavs tonight. Beers\Nachos will be consumed!


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## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

If you have a calorie deficit, there's no way you can build muscle.

You need to decide what's more important.
But basically eat more to build muscle, then when you're satisfied, cut back to lose fat.

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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

rod9301 said:


> If you have a calorie deficit, there's no way you can build muscle.


I agree in general - as stated, I am trying to limit catabolism not "build muscle" - goal is to be fast on a mountain bike not look good at the beach. Any strength gains through neuromuscular adaptation are a bonus. 

Quick example, on Strong Lifts, you add 5lbs to the bar when you can complete 5 sets of 5 reps at a given weight. 

For my bench:

May 5: reps per set
5/5/5/3/3

May 10 Reps per set (same weight):
5/5/5/5/5

May 14 Reps Per Set + 5lbs on the bar:
5/5/5/5/5

So I am hitting plateaus on lifts, but then breaking through them on subsequent workouts.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

rod9301 said:


> If you have a calorie deficit, there's no way you can build muscle.
> 
> You need to decide what's more important.
> But basically eat more to build muscle, then when you're satisfied, cut back to lose fat.
> ...


Why does he need to build muscle?


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## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

Le Duke said:


> Why does he need to build muscle?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Then why lift?

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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

rod9301 said:


> Then why lift?


fair question - i’d like to retain as much strength as possible for bike handling.I probably wouldn’t be lifting at all if I were training for a road race. I would do a traditional bulk cut if I wasn’t already bulked lol.


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## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

TBoneAz said:


> fair question - i’d like to retain as much strength as possible for bike handling.I probably wouldn’t be lifting at all if I were training for a road race. I would do a traditional bulk cut if I wasn’t already bulked lol.


It sounds like you are after useful strength that would translate to utility on the bike. All things being equal, given your pursuit here - adding mass unnecessarily isn't in your performance interests. While the big three - squats, deads, bench have their place, there are variations that are more inline with a mountain bike end goal. There's a ton of mtb strength building stuff out there now as I'm sure you've already researched. 

Personally, if you are enjoying/into it - just go fer it. Safely. Maybe incorporate a few mtb orientated exercises into your overall fitness routine. That said, I think most ppl have weak cores and/or imbalances that hinder their mtb effort - especially over distance. Lots of small muscles with boring exercises but tangible results.


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

How did the ftp test go?


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Mcfarton said:


> How did the ftp test go?


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update:

Despite losing the last 3 days of workouts to a family emergency, I had a pretty good week.

Rode almost exactly 100mi + some cross training because the sit bones were toast after back to back days with 2 hour rides.
Did an FTP test on Peloton today and scored a 171. No clue how this compares to an indoor trainer. Out of the 80,000 this particular test has been taken, I placed around 36k, so basically median. I'll take it considering where I started in march.
Broke through a weight-loss plateau and am in the high 190s now. See my thread in the nutrition forum if you want a chuckle at my expense. 



J.B. Weld said:


> One suggestion I'll throw out there is to buy a 6 month training plan from trainerroad or something like that, even better hire a coach if you're really flush. Having a plan on your calendar waiting for you every day can make it way easier to form steady & productive habits. Turning your workout for the day green is always a positive buzz. Consistency is paramount.


Finally took @J.B. Weld advice. Reached out to Dylan Johnson and he suggested:

Raise your FTP, 15 hours per week:








Raise your FTP 15 hours (8 week) DJT


This plan is designed to work on your lactate threshold. Volume and intensity increase throughout the plan. An FTP test is performed each month to




www.trainingpeaks.com





Followed by 
XC\Marathon Build, 15 hours per week:








XC and Marathon MTB Build, 15 hours (8 weeks) DJT


This plan is designed to get you ready for XC and marathon mountain bike racing. The intensity and specificity of the workouts increases throughout




www.trainingpeaks.com





The week coming up:

Starting the "Raise your FTP" plan.
Going to basically continue the diet in general but shooting for 160ish grams of protein and cycling carbs for intensity days. I still want to try to hit my weight goal 8 weeks out from the race so I can eat a normal amount of calories to support the higher intensity work.
Going to cut the weight sessions to 2x per week and reduce intensity, basically treating it as maintenance at this point.


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## Swolie74 (11 mo ago)

Interesting you are starting those structured training programs. I figured you would be in the base build stage for another month or so. Ive got a race the first week of November and plan on building my base up until August before I start increasing intensity. For now I've been using my commute to work and long rides on the weekend as regular training. Starting next week I was going to add a second weekend ride and slowly add more work during the week. Everything I'm doing is loosely following Joe Friels "mtb training bible".

I'm really intrigued by the trainingpeaks stuff. I really hate paying those kinds of prices for generic information ($80/each).


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Swolie74 said:


> Interesting you are starting those structured training programs. I figured you would be in the base build stage for another month or so. Ive got a race the first week of November and plan on building my base up until August before I start increasing intensity. For now I've been using my commute to work and long rides on the weekend as regular training. Starting next week I was going to add a second weekend ride and slowly add more work during the week. Everything I'm doing is loosely following Joe Friels "mtb training bible".
> 
> I'm really intrigued by the trainerroad stuff. I really hate paying those kinds of prices for generic information.





Structured programs are great for base training too. I haven't used trainerroad but $20 is relatively cheap imo. If your goal is to improve fitness and get faster there's probably no better value.


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## Swolie74 (11 mo ago)

J.B. Weld said:


> Structured programs are great for base training too. I haven't used trainerroad but $20 is relatively cheap imo. If your goal is to improve fitness and get faster there's probably no better value.


I misspoke… I was talking about the training peaks programs


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Swolie74 said:


> I misspoke… I was talking about the training peaks programs




Seems like their plans are cheaper than trainerroad, I'm guessing they're mostly good too. I think the trainingpeaks free app is pretty useful and the premium version even more so.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Swolie74 said:


> Interesting you are starting those structured training programs. I figured you would be in the base build stage for another month or so. Ive got a race the first week of November and plan on building my base up until August before I start increasing intensity. For now I've been using my commute to work and long rides on the weekend as regular training. Starting next week I was going to add a second weekend ride and slowly add more work during the week. Everything I'm doing is loosely following Joe Friels "mtb training bible".
> 
> I'm really intrigued by the trainingpeaks stuff. I really hate paying those kinds of prices for generic information ($80/each).


I was kinda surprised Dylan suggested the "raise your FTP program", but it was pretty similar to what I was trying to do anyway - an 80% base, 20% intensity, but that intensity pretty targeted at FTP. My quads especially seem to want to produce lactic acid pretty quickly (like really quickly) which I consider my biggest weakness on the bike right now, so went with it. Dylan is an elite level MTB marathon competitor and coach - and his youtube vids had the right amount of science for the way my brain works, so I went with it. I agree, pulling the trigger on 80$ for a pre-made plan was hard though. 

Week 1 has you doing 2 interval sessions where you accumulate 90 minutes @ FTP. Then around 9.5 hours of endurance work plus 1 hr @ recovery. 

Since I am 18 weeks out, I am going to run week 1 2x before officially starting the "plan". We'll see how I feel. I may take a 3-5 day break from training to go into week T-16 feeling fresh.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update:

After an off day Monday, I was ready to crush the 1st workout of the week on Tuesday, which was 4x10min Z4 with 5 minutes rest. I basically bonked this workout after the 2nd interval, got off the bike and got on the treadmill to at least complete the required duration. Pretty clear indication that my fueling strategy was not working. After some analysis I decided the idea of cycling carbs to fuel the workouts was really just making it harder to gauge my progress, so I decided to just hit a daily macro goal of 200g Carbs, 160g Protein to try to keep my glycogen reserves closer to being topped off - and started fueling with carbs during the rides (included in the 200g total). Doing this with the foods I eat put me in the 30-40g fat range, so this plan worked out to about 1750 cals per day.

Weds was 2 hr Z2.
Thurs was 2.5 hr Z2
Friday was 1hr Z1

The real test came on saturday, which was a harder version of the 1st workout that called for 5x10min Z4 with 5 mins rest, then an extra hour at Z2 for a total of 2.5 hrs. This time I completed it.

Output (based on Peloton FTP test result of 171)









Heart rate graph - tracked in a different tool so they don't match perfectly but you get the idea. Max in this workout was 172. Legs are def way behind my cardio at this point.










Sunday was supposed to be a 4 hr ride in Z1-Z3, but life caught up with me, and I spent about 4-5 hours doing a landscape cleanup which I supplemented with an hour on the bike. Today is an off day, and I plan on doing absolutely nothing except cooking a rack of ribs later and hanging out with the family.

One of the lingering issues for me was a combo of saddle\sit bone pain and quads burning out way too fast. I did tons of research and tried a new saddle (firmer) and that made things worse. I ended up lowering the seat, moving it forward, and slamming my cleats all the way back in the shoe + testing a couple of different chamios. Sit bone pain gone and using more glutes\hammies instead of just beating the #@(%& out of my quads only.

On the nutrition front, my weight has fluctuated around the same number all week. I assume upping the carbs added some initial water weight, but I intend to run this exact macro range for the next week and then will adjust cals based on my ability to complete the workouts but without just getting fatter. 

So in total 13.5 hours total training with 125 miles ridden + a few hours on the treadmill when legs\sitbones wouldn't allow any more saddle time.

This week:


Repeat the exact same training plan and nutrition as last week except replacing the "1 hr recovery ride" with an upper body strength session though, as my legs are currently pretty cooked.
Going to try to get a bike fit scheduled.
Waste another 20 hours shopping for a road bike that doesn't exist in the current market


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

TBoneAz said:


> Weekly Update:
> 
> After an off day Monday, I was ready to crush the 1st workout of the week on Tuesday, which was 4x10min Z4 with 5 minutes rest. I basically bonked this workout after the 2nd interval, got off the bike and got on the treadmill to at least complete the required duration. Pretty clear indication that my fueling strategy was not working. After some analysis I decided the idea of cycling carbs to fuel the workouts was really just making it harder to gauge my progress, so I decided to just hit a daily macro goal of 200g Carbs, 160g Protein to try to keep my glycogen reserves closer to being topped off - and started fueling with carbs during the rides (included in the 200g total). Doing this with the foods I eat put me in the 30-40g fat range, so this plan worked out to about 1750 cals per day.
> 
> ...


There are a bunch of used road bikes for sale on the paceline forum. Or check pinkbike, Craigslist, Facebook ect. 

I will say this. Where you are at today in your fitness and what you desire in a bike will both change in two years. You will either get more fitness and want a different road bike than what you want today. Or you don’t stick with it and don’t want what you got today. Either way I would get the closest thing to what you want and just move on. 


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## In2falling (Jan 1, 2005)

Not to discourage you, but here is a reality check/perspective of what that race/ride coming up here in short 4 months is going to be like.
About the same as climbing up and down that Dynamite Trail that you did a while back about 20x times.
1.4 miles x 20 = 28 miles
275 feet x 20 = 5,500 feet


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## PT Ryder (May 20, 2020)

I enjoyed reading this thread and the weekly updates. Best of luck to you in your training and upcoming race!


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

I’ll be 60 later this fall, while age is a state of mind, the bodies ability to take abuse and recover does change with age.

I’ve read this thread, your 2 months into your “journey”, best to say the next 4 are part of a broader life journey .. the race is a point along that .. 

Do you have a few MTB races in the schedule prior, to tune up your body for the demands of that day?
To acclimate to race riding conditions, mental and physical?


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

In2falling said:


> Not to discourage you, but here is a reality check/perspective of what that race/ride coming up here in short 4 months is going to be like.
> About the same as climbing up and down that Dynamite Trail that you did a while back about 20x times.
> 1.4 miles x 20 = 28 miles
> 275 feet x 20 = 5,500 feet


I know, right? Frankly it’s terrifying.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

mtbdudex said:


> Do you have a few MTB races in the schedule prior, to tune up your body for the demands of that day?
> To acclimate to race riding conditions, mental and physical?


This is a great idea, but sadly, I don't think there will be an opportunity to race ahead of time. Summer in phoenix sucks, and family issues are going to limit travel this summer. There is one event about 1 month out that I might be able to do, but time will tell. 

Hoping to pre-ride a couple of specific parts of the course at least once before the race. The things I am most concerned about are 1. the elevation and 2. the fueling. As previously suggested, the best I can probably do about elevation is some 'heat acclimation' which has decent cross-over to high elevation. Fueling I should get lots of practice at since my training plan is filled with 4+ hour rides  🥞


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

Eat and drink more than you think you need to. Once you get behind it’s impossible to get back. 

Hint #1. If you need to pee it’s a good sign. The color of it will give you warning if you are getting behind. 

Hint #2 try eating while exercising before during intense efforts. Just to see what works in your stomach and what doesn’t. I like simple stuff like PB & J. I don’t do well with processed packets of goo. Everyone is different. 

Hint #3 what you eat and drink in the days leading up to it matter. When I used to drink alcohol it would hang around my system for a day or two. 

Keep up the hard work. It will all come together.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

TBoneAz said:


> This is a great idea, but sadly, I don't think there will be an opportunity to race ahead of time. Summer in phoenix sucks, and family issues are going to limit travel this summer. There is one event about 1 month out that I might be able to do, but time will tell.
> 
> Hoping to pre-ride a couple of specific parts of the course at least once before the race. The things I am most concerned about are 1. the elevation and 2. the fueling. As previously suggested, the best I can probably do about elevation is some 'heat acclimation' which has decent cross-over to high elevation. Fueling I should get lots of practice at since my training plan is filled with 4+ hour rides  🥞


You are becoming a Peloton athlete, that may not translate so well to a mountain bike race. 

It may be hot in Phoenix during the day, but you can ride when it's dark, just sayng...

Doing some short races to get the mental set is a good idea, the mental struggle is gonna be the hardest part to overcome during a big event.

I just have a hard time envisioning how a indoor workout in a controlled environment where there's no pressure, can prepare you for an outdoor event that is anything but controlled.

But if you goal is to complete, then perhaps it's good enough.

I ride three to five times a week, haven't been in a gm for thirty years, spin bike only sees some use when there's too much snow .. and I usually try to ride in the snow 

I recently packed up my bike and did a 115 miles section of the AZT, averaged 35 miles a day, rode solo, had terrible arse and shoulder pain, but did fine and was able to overcome three days of brutal headwinds, poor water sources, and being alone. My preparation for the ride was winter riding, riding 1-3 hours a few times a week with shorter rides in between.

I didn't have a great base, but I was fit and used to riding, and that helped me push through mentally.

I do wish you luck, but I think you're going overboard on some things and not doing enough in others. For example, family emergency or not, I would still have gone for a run, push ups, sit ups, stretching, etc.. every day; mental fitness benefits from exercise esp when stressed.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Nurse Ben said:


> I just have a hard time envisioning how a indoor workout in a controlled environment where there's no pressure, can prepare you for an outdoor event that is anything but controlled.



I think indoor training can be great preparation for racing if it's done right and for busy people it can sometimes be the best option available. For myself it's great in the winter with the $hitty weather and short days.

Indoor structured training can be brutally hard and most definitely can give you a competitive advantage but I do think it's best to get outside whenever you can manage it.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Summer in Phoenix is a good time for early morning base miles. It'll help build your heat tolerance too.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

dysfunction said:


> Summer in Phoenix is a good time for early morning base miles. It'll help build your heat tolerance too.



Building heat tolerance indoors isn't a problem, trust me 🙃


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## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

Nurse Ben said:


> I recently packed up my bike and did a 115 miles section of the AZT


Thread drift: I'm surprised you didn't post about this. I'd be interested. Been in a spontaneous 'you know? I think I'll camp off the bike today' sort of frame of mind lately. Least amount of planning.


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

My last add here…
I raced weekly 1995-2000, literally 100’s of races, age 33-38. I did NORBA races in 1997, including the National at Park city.
Got totally humbled at altitude, first bonk in a race. A few snippets from my diary then. I did finish, was wearing my HR monitor and then knew my HR max limits for sustained 2 minute Portion , thought I could manage altitude with that knowledge, wrong. 

Don’t underestimate altitude, until you push your body at altitude you won’t know it’s ability.










Race day snippet 










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## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

....and I'm still looking for Billy's girlfriend. Jenny - hit me up!


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## Swolie74 (11 mo ago)

I was looking around for routes that may be good for training that can be done at elevation. The Hart Prairie loop in Flagstaff might just be perfect for this race... 15ish miles each loop, 1200' elevation gain, because it's a loop you can practice race nutrition and keep it at your car and re-up every time you come around.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

mtbdudex said:


> My last add here…
> I raced weekly 1995-2000, literally 100’s of races, age 33-38. I did NORBA races in 1997, including the National at Park city.


Wow that's cool - Thanks for sharing!


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Mcfarton said:


> Either way I would get the closest thing to what you want and just move on.


Had to drive to flagstaff to get it, but done! ✅


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

TBoneAz said:


> Had to drive to flagstaff to get it, but done!
> View attachment 1986221


Perfect now ride it lots


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Short update for this week:

- Got up at 4:30am on Saturday and drove up to Browns. Hit the trails by 6am. Legs still aren't 100% where I want them, but wow I felt great! So much better than my last couple of times out. The trails are all new to me and between watching out for other riders and danger noodles, I didn't really let go for the whole ride, but I really felt like I had just as much punch after a couple of hours as I did when I started. It was a pretty great morning!

- Other than that ride, I have been feeling pretty fatigued, so I kinda took a mini training break keeping things short. Today is an off-day and I formally start the 1st 8 week training block (raise your FTP mentioned earlier) tomorrow. I ran the 1st week of this 2x already so I would know what to expect, but tomorrow is the real real start. 

- There has been lots of talk about elevation in the thread. Other than a pre-ride, long term acclimation or elevation training just isn't going to happen. My best shot is crossover between heat acclimation and elevation. I'm putting alot of my faith in this, and hoping for the best: (Want to Race at Altitude, But Don't Have Time to Acclimate? Heat Acclimation May Hold the Key). This week I am going to be doing my shortest efforts in the hottest part of the day on the road bike, and will slowly ramp that up to where I am doing 90 min sessions 2-3x per week in temps around 105*. Feel free to start a betting pool on when I give myself heat stroke. 

- There's been some chatter on the thread about how indoor training is somehow inferior to actual mountain biking. Here is why this is 100% wrong _FOR ME_:

The indoor trainer is incredibly boring, and you are never more than 30 seconds away from a couch, air conditioning and a beer if you decide to quit. Mountain biking is fun. The mental fortitude required to execute a tough and painful workout on the trainer is like 100x just going out and having fun on a bike. 
Structured training is so much more precise on a trainer. Google the term "constant pedal pressure". You get the exact workout prescribed instead of whatever the chosen trail gives you.
I don't have a power meter on my bikes and decided to invest elsewhere for this project. My peloton has power output and automatically calculates zones etc. There is no way riding by RPE doing hill repeats (Are there any hills in chandler?) is remotely as precise. 
The closest trail to my house is 30 mins each way, so I lose 1 hour. The reason I bought the road bike is to do the above mentioned heat acclimation rides mid day without having to ride my mtb on the street or drive to a trail. 
My wife is 1/3rd way through an 18 week chemo course, so I would rather be home currently as much as possible. 
I think my MTB skills are currently sufficient to handle the TOWM course, so I am placing my focus on fitness vs skills. If I were preparing for a more technical course then I would be splitting my time differently. 
We'll find out on Oct 1 if I am right or wrong. I'm sure most of the folks on this forum were smart enough not to dig themselves into a hole like I am trying to dig myself out of, and "just riding" has been amazing for them. I don't feel like I have the luxury based on where I started and how much time I gave myself to prepare for this specific event.


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

I’m rooting for you .. seriously, your mental fortitude definitely will carry you on. 


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## In2falling (Jan 1, 2005)

TBoneAz said:


> The closest trail to my house is 30 mins each way, so I lose 1 hour. The reason I bought the road bike is to do the above mentioned heat acclimation rides mid day without having to ride my mtb on the street or drive to a trail.


You have 100+ miles of some of the best trails in the country a short drive away, you could even ride your bike there from Chandler?


https://www.trailforks.com/region/south-mountain-preserve/


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

In2falling said:


> 100+ miles of some of the best trails in the country


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

In2falling said:


> You have 100+ miles of some of the best trails in the country a short drive away, you could even ride your bike there from Chandler?
> 
> 
> https://www.trailforks.com/region/south-mountain-preserve/


Agree, way before Trailforks or Strava … there was this book by Cosmic Ray.
I work for Nissan, out test track in AZ, so I’d be at the track multiple times every year in the 90’s …. 
Loved biking the south mountain national trail .. and Sedona, Flagstaff, heck I even did the 1999 Specialized Cactus cup race, not realizing it was the last one … 


















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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

I still have a couple copies of Cosmic Ray lying around here.


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## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

dysfunction said:


> I still have a couple copies of Cosmic Ray lying around here.


I always appreciated Cosmic Ray's writeups...but they didn't call it 'Cosmic Ray's guide to getting lost in AZ' for nothing.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Weekly Update - 15 weeks to go. 

1st week of the 8 week "Increase your FTP" block is in the books. Did pretty good, hit all of my workouts and completed the interval workouts as prescribed, and those are they hard ones (for me at my current fitness level anyway), 10 mins at threshold with 5 min breaks 4x and then 5x. Only deviation from the plan was only hitting 2.5 hours vs 4 in my "long ride" session, so 11 hours total this week vs the 12.5 prescribed (trolls, consider yourselves fed). 

I've flip-flopped back and forth on my fueling. Tried a generic 200g/carbs per day (every day) approach, but didn't love it. I posted a question in the XC racing forum and got some great answers, so this last week I went back to "fueling the effort" but with way more carbs than I had tried previously immediately before\during the session, and then being pretty low carb the rest of the time. Seems pretty good. Read a bunch of studies that dispute the "train low, race high" approach, so figured I might as well train high and train my gut to deal with massive amounts of carbs around hard efforts. Basically trying to get something like 75g carbs (rice, pasta,oats) around 1 hr pre-ride, then another 25g immediately pre-ride of something like fruit juice, and then 50g per hour (Tailwind etc) during for hard interval sessions or stuff that is like 2.5hr+. 

Scale is moving in the right direction - mid 190s now, should be able to hit 180s by july and then 170s in august and then stabilize for 6-8 weeks before the event. 

Also still trying to focus on recovery as much as possible - so getting in good protein with the right timing, as much sleep as possible, etc. 

To Do list:

Need to get all my bikes fit. Had some pain crop up late in rides in my left knee, and pretty sure it is due to some self-fitting I did to address being too quad-dominant. Hoping to get a new saddle included as I am close, but not all the way there yet.
Take out a home equity loan so I can afford all of the Tailwind I am going to need for the next 15 weeks.
Did a little "heat acclimation' work last week, will build in more in this week. Not hard with our current temps here in Phoenix. 😰


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

TBoneAz said:


> Only deviation from the plan was only hitting 2.5 hours vs 4 in my "long ride" session, so 11 hours total this week vs the 12.5 prescribed (trolls, consider yourselves fed).




I forgive you. I don't think most people realize how big 12 hrs/wk of structured training is. 8-12 is a lot for me. 

Good call on the bike fit, assuming you find someone good I think that's money well spent.


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## 2sharp7 (Aug 29, 2013)

TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...


Good for you! I'll be there at the TOWM, haven't signed up yet because I don't know if I want to enter the single speed category, or not or if I'm doing the 35 or the 50. I did the 35 back in 2012 right at the beginning stages of me getting into MTB riding and it seemed pretty hard! I think I finished in around 4-1/2 hours! I'm 56 now and know I'm a much better rider, and probably in a little better shape too.


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## 2sharp7 (Aug 29, 2013)

Great thread, I think it's fantastic that you're posting your updates. One thing that I think hasn't really been touched on is this; you're a new MTB'r getting ready for a BIG MTB race, and you're doing all this road riding and indoor riding. Mileage on the trail vs. the road are about 1:2 in my opinion. When I rode the TOWM 35 in 2012 I had prepared for it primarily with road rides, and just a handful of short MTB rides thrown in. It was freaking HARD! Not the most technical ride, but still hard and in the one technical section (that I remember) I went OTB on my head, lol.
So the 2 weaknesses I see in your plan are that 1. You are not truly getting ready for the whole body work that a mountain bike ride is; Only way to do this is on the trail, on your MTB. And, 2. You are not building your MTB skills.
You will be "fit enough" to finish though, and it will be a great accomplishment. Reading through this thread is helping me realize the weaknesses in my own current training, which is a lack of structure. It's difficult to follow a structured plan, just riding trails all the time like I do.


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

I live at sea level, but have done lots of races at 6,000 -6,500 ft elevation. We had a race trainer MD who told us the best approach was to drive or fly to the altitude at the closest to the race start as possible. The morning of or even a red-eye flight is worth it. Your body can adjust quickly and you can perform at a high level in the altitude before acclimating. If you spend a day in the altitude before you race, it's game over. Once your body starts the acclamation process you have to wait about three days to adjust, but usually much longer before you will be back to a competitive level.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

Tall BMX'r said:


> I live at sea level, but have done lots of races at 6,000 -6,500 ft elevation. We had a race trainer MD who told us the best approach was to drive or fly to the altitude at the closest to the race start as possible. The morning of or even a red-eye flight is worth it. Your body can adjust quickly and you can perform at a high level in the altitude before acclimating. If you spend a day in the altitude before you race, it's game over. Once your body starts the acclamation process you have to wait about three days to adjust, but usually much longer before you will be back to a competitive level.


That hasn't been my experience, but I think we're all different when it comes to acclimating to high altitude.

I moved to high altitude 6 years ago (5600 ft), and it took me 6-9 months to really get comfortable here.

Prior to that, trips to high altitude didn't kill me, but it really took me a while to keep my energy up. I also found that keeping my electrolytes up and my alcohol to zero really helped me adjust, but I never felt fully acclimated during my visits. 

I have seen other people not have the issues I do, and other people who have to go back immediately to sea level because it's too rough on them. It really varies.


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

I've lived in altitude on and off throughout my life. Sometimes for years at a time. I wonder if the body develops a memory for various physiological situations that allow people who live in various altitudes to rapidly adjust to those conditions. I never feel the effects of altitude, skiing, biking or hiking?


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## Swolie74 (11 mo ago)

Tall BMX'r said:


> I live at sea level, but have done lots of races at 6,000 -6,500 ft elevation. We had a race trainer MD who told us the best approach was to drive or fly to the altitude at the closest to the race start as possible. The morning of or even a red-eye flight is worth it. Your body can adjust quickly and you can perform at a high level in the altitude before acclimating. If you spend a day in the altitude before you race, it's game over. Once your body starts the acclamation process you have to wait about three days to adjust, but usually much longer before you will be back to a competitive level.


I've heard that from a ton of professionals as well. 

Hope all is well with OP, I look forward to these updates as the goals (minus age qualifier) are similar to mine.


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

Status update 


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

TBoneAz said:


> Weekly Update - 15 weeks to go.
> 
> 1st week of the 8 week "Increase your FTP" block is in the books. Did pretty good, hit all of my workouts and completed the interval workouts as prescribed, and those are they hard ones (for me at my current fitness level anyway), 10 mins at threshold with 5 min breaks 4x and then 5x. Only deviation from the plan was only hitting 2.5 hours vs 4 in my "long ride" session, so 11 hours total this week vs the 12.5 prescribed (trolls, consider yourselves fed).
> 
> ...


It’s been 2 months since this .. are you ok?
How is training going?


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

mtbdudex said:


> It’s been 2 months since this .. are you ok?
> How is training going?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Good question. It doesn't look like he's logged in since June  Hope he is.


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

stripes said:


> Good question. It doesn't look like he's logged in since June  Hope he is.


Yep, we all have ups and downs, hopefully nothing serious.

Fwiw, I’ll be 60 in October, my own personal goal is 60 MTB miles same day either 10/8 or 10/15 with group of friends … working up to that 


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

mtbdudex said:


> Yep, we all have ups and downs, hopefully nothing serious.
> 
> Fwiw, I’ll be 60 in October, my own personal goal is 60 MTB miles same day either 10/8 or 10/15 with group of friends … working up to that
> 
> ...


That's awesome! For me, I've been working on some orthopedic issues (which seems to be fixed with big-ass pedals), working on diet, and also getting off some meds that are most likely messing me up. I was going to race a single stage enduro this year--didn't happen. :/

So I'll try again next year.


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

He is in his pain cave crushing it. When he gets out he will be a mtb monster  


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## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

Race day is Oct 1 so less than a month. Where we at? Healthy? Flameout?


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## mtbdudex (Jan 13, 2020)

mtbdudex said:


> Yep, we all have ups and downs, hopefully nothing serious.
> 
> Fwiw, I’ll be 60 in October, my own personal goal is 60 MTB miles same day either 10/8 or 10/15 with group of friends … working up to that
> 
> ...


Sorry something happened to the OP, as 10/1 passed and no report.

Well good news for me is I’ve been able to rank up my bodies fitness level to strive towards my “60 trail miles at 60 years old” goal …

Been doing truly “long” MTB trail ride Saturday’s, 2x my normal course so 36 - 44 miles 3.5 to 4 hours, followed by Sunday mid-pace short ride 12-14 miles. Then Tuesday and Thursday the higher pace group or solo rides.
So 4x week trail rides.

But, I’ve found “limits” to my current body conditioning / blood (I’m currently on xlareto thinners)

This 9/17 tested me, and I was gassed at last 3 miles, fatigued and light headed.









Lost my mojo for “60 trail miles at 60 years old” for now.

In November I’m going for 12 months full lower body ultrasound to see if right calf DTV is 100% clear, 5 months ago it was 85% clear. If clear, I’m then off blood thinners and I’m hoping will be back to more fitness ability and much less after ride fatigue.


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## 2sharp7 (Aug 29, 2013)

TBoneAz said:


> I was in decent shape in 2018-ish. Around that time I had transitioned from MTB to mostly Road biking. Then I had to travel most of 2019 for work. Then Covid happened, and I got lazy and sat on my ass for a couple of years.
> 
> Starting point:
> 
> ...


Well, how did it go?? I raced the 35 mile (SS category). I'm glad I did not attempt the 50, 4 hours (ish) seems to be about the limit of what suffering I can take currently. I'm sort of pleased with my result and almost achieved my goal of finishing under 4 hours, at race pace 10mph +. I did finish under 4, but just missed my pace @ 9.8mph average.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

mtbdudex said:


> Sorry something happened to the OP, as 10/1 passed and no report.
> 
> Well good news for me is I’ve been able to rank up my bodies fitness level to strive towards my “60 trail miles at 60 years old” goal …
> 
> ...


Have you found info on the effect of blood thinners on athletic performance? I've wondered about that. I'm a lifer on Warfarin. I've been on it for a long time so it's normal for me.

Hopefully we'll hear from the OP soon.


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