On tap for today: Testing. Ouchie.
The test we did today was new. It's a standard protocol that's going to be used across the board to identify potential national and international levels of para-cyclists. Completed on a stationary SRM bike and hooked up to a computer, we start at 50 watts and maintain 75 rpm (designed to be doable by all 12 of the para classifications), and increases every minute by 25 watts, until failure.
What it's measuring is VO2 Max and a better way of testing a wide range of athletes and different fitness levels. (As compared to the steady state RAMP test we did last month, which increased wattage by 25 watts every 3 minutes. Sounds great, right? It's peachy. (I just puked a little bit in the back of my mouth thinking about the test.) But really, when they're looking to identify the next talent group of athletes, the VO2 Max test ramps up quickly and shows the potential of different athletes, verses how fit they are to begin with.)
If you want to hang out with an inspiring group of people, sign yourself up for a para-camp. It's pretty awesome.
Personally, I'm seeing an improvement since my last test about a month ago. Yay! Those 20 hour training weeks are paying off...
Tomorrow we have a "flat" time trial out Otay Lakes road. It's roughly 12 miles and should be a good test to see how we stack up next to other female tandems. At least, what Craig has on record.
My stoker is Shawn Cheshire and she's super new to the sport and improving leaps and bounds every day. She's also relatively new to being blind and learning to integrate competitive sports into daily living. She's falling into the pro-cyclist lifestyle pretty easily. It's easy to do at the training center. You get really good at training hard and really, really good at doing nothing. Preferably from a horizontal position.
Well, the cafeteria calls. Yum. And I don't have to do the dishes. :) More tales from the tandem to come...
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