Thursday, February 28, 2008

Dammit, I'm catching a cold. I've been SO careful -- scrubbing my hands and being lavish with the Purell, trying to get enough sleep every night, paying attention to my nutrition, sucking on zinc and using zycam religiously. But I'm feeling really exhausted and rundown and today I have just a hint of that taste in my mouth that says "you sick, bitch!" And I have a slight cough.

The LAST thing I need right now, nine days before training camp, is to be sick.

I've started sleeping in [to 6 am, ha!] in the mornings and doing my workouts after work. Which I don't like -- I hate having the workout hanging over my head all day, and I'm so tired after work. But I just can't face getting up at 4:30 am. I was hoping that more sleep would leave me refreshed and energized, but I wake up tired and headachey and sick to my stomach. Everything I eat makes me feel nauseated.

Arg. Maybe I'll take a sick day tomorrow and try to get some intensive rest. Or maybe I'll do it this afternoon.

--

ps to Jeff -- I REALLY need a lesson in how to use my powertap. That instruction book is pretty pathetic [in more ways than one]. And what exactly is 'torque' in this context, and why do I need to zero it?
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2 comments:

Jeff and Debi said...

Are you overtrained? Talk to your coach about it.

Torque. Where's Kirby when you need him...? Well, as far as the Powertap is concerned, when there is no torque on the chain (rear wheel is spinning, cranks are at a standstill and power has recently been applied to make the PT register force) the power should go from some number greater than zero to zero. If it does not, the PT is not calibrated for zero torque. You need to calibrate it, which requires memorizing the specific steps (not easy).

Torque is important since if it's out of calibration, it throws all your power numbers off. Usually you know it, like when you do a recovery ride and you are going easy and your PT is saying "178 watts". It is important to test before rides/races as well. If you are using the PT for feedback during a ride, and it's not correctly calibrated, you are not putting out the right amount of effort based on your targeted zone for effort.

February 28, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Tamara Fraser said...

Thanks, Jeff.

February 28, 2008 at 11:45 AM

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