Tour Of Sufferlandria - Stage 3-5

A lot has happened these past few days regarding my venture of the Tour of Sufferlandria.  Firstly, 3 stages have gone by and my legs are killing.  I honestly think a musician could supplement my hamstrings for a guitar.  Nevertheless, each leg of the race truly shows me just how strong I am mentally and physically.  I have pushed past barriers like never before.  Here are the recaps of the past 3 stages.

Stage 3 - Extra Shot & Fight Club

I have never done either of these videos... and there is a reason for that.  Extra Shot was created as an addition to any Sufferfest video.  If by the time you finish one of their 11 other videos and you still have some gas in the tank, then you tag this on after.  The reason - pure suffering.

Ride Summary

After I pushed myself through this 20 minute interval, I began my first attempt at Fight Club.  

What is the first rule of Fight Club?

1st RULE:You do not talk about FIGHT CLUB.
2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about FIGHT CLUB.
3rd RULE: If someone says "stop" or goes limp, taps out the fight is over.
4th RULE: Only two guys to a fight.
5th RULE: One fight at a time.
6th RULE: No shirts, no shoes.
7th RULE: Fights will go on as long as they have to.
8th RULE: If this is your first night at FIGHT CLUB, you HAVE to fight.

All rules applied to this race except rule 6. True suffering.

Ride Summary

Stage 4 - A Very Dark Place

This is by far the eeriest video I have ever succumbed to doing.  Throughout the painful climbs, this demonic voice laughs, and at the right times. I will be suffering beyond belief and this cackle will begin in the background.  To the creators of this video - congratulations.  I quite literally feel like I must push forward in order to get away from the psychopath.  I also pushed 4 new personal bests - one being a new 5 second record of 703 Watts.

Ride Summary

Stage 5 - Angels

The title of this video makes one think that it is an easy ride.  What can be painful from angels? Right? Wrong.  The name is foreshadowing of how much pain you'll endure.  You will be broken time and time again until you start to see angels guiding you to the light.  This workout made me really second guess this tour and why I am suffering day after day.  To prove I can.  The last interval of this workout is up one of the most iconic hills on cycling - Alpe d'Huez with the last 20 seconds being an all out sprint.

Ride Summary

I am over the hump and 4 more days of suffering.  In total, 6 more videos... which means the next two days are back to back videos.  

Shut up legs.  Pain is relative.

Tour Of Sufferlandria - Stage 2

The dogs were set loose and they had one mission, to hunt me down.  Today, I pushed through adversity and showed those howling dogs who was their master.  If you have absolutely no clue what I am talking about, then you have never tried The Sufferfest Video - The Hunted.

It is a great workout with two intervals; 20 minutes at FTP with some bursts followed by 10 minutes at just below FTP (somewhat sweet-spot) with 5 progressively longer sprints to finish it off.  Lets put it like this, my legs were screaming the whole way.

My favorite part of the video is when you are climbing one of the hills and a prompt comes on screen saying "Lance looks like he is in some trouble." If Lance is in trouble, then the average rider will be tearing in agony.

Throughout the video, whenever the chase pack gains closer on you, the audio cuts out and you hear dogs howling.  This is a simple video/audio editing trick, however it makes you truly switch into high gear and keep pushing up those dreadful climbs.

Ride Summary

Day 2 is complete, and I have still maintained my intensity at 100%.  Heck, I have even set some personal bests for 20 minute average powers.  New PB is an average of 363 Watts.  That is going to be tough to beat...

Tomorrow - 2 workouts. 2x the pain.

Tour Of Sufferlandria - Stage 1

The first leg of the online cycling tour, the Tour of Sufferlandria, started with one of their longest videos - Hell Hath No Fury.  Let me put it like this, they are right.  This video pretty much takes you to the gates of hell and back twice.  The two 20 minute intervals that are full of bursts and never dip down past your FTP truly make you question your insanity.  Not to mention, the video is a montage of professional womens cycling races so it makes the most macho of men feel like wimps.

Needless to say, I have completed stage 1 of the Tour with keeping my intensity at 100%.  My goal for the next 9 (now 8) is to keep the intensity at 100% and not drop it at all.  I know this will be a killer around day 5, but I have made this my goal.  Hopefully my legs do not fail me early...

Here is the graph of my ride to hell and back:

Ride Summary

Tomorrow - Stage 2 - The Hunted.  I believe Lance Armstrong makes an appearance...

Tour of Sufferlandria

If you have followed my blog in the past few months (which has not had that much activity) I have become insanely passionate about the Sufferfest cycling videos and its incorporation into TrainerRoads.  Well, they have once again cured my itch for more with:

The Tour of Sufferlandria

The worlds toughest indoor cycling tour

What is the tour?  Nine days of hell starting on January 26th, 2013.  Over the 9 days through Sufferlandria, one will perform 12 of The Sufferfest Videos.  What makes this worth the torture is that if you have the TrainerRoads Software, you are eligible for prizes including an iPad mini!  Not a bad way to get some training in in my opinion...

For more information and to register, click here.

Free Swimming Workouts

Before I introduce this - I want to confirm that I am not one to give any advice on swimming besides the fact that one should practice, practice, practice.  I was not born to be a fish, nor will I advocate proper swimming technique as I have never had one-on-one professional help, however have gained lots of quality education from the competitive swimmers apart of the University of Ottawa Triathlon Club.  Without them, I would have been swimming countless hours of freestyle without implementing drill work.  Thanks to all of you!

If you are like me, you show up to the pool and decide your workout right there on the spot.  You might not even have an idea on how to structure a swim workout.  Don't worry, everyone has to start somewhere (even me).  So, I bring to you my finding of the day: 100 Free Swimming Workouts.

This website is super easy to navigate and takes no time to find a workout suited to your needs.  The workouts are categorized into 5 groups: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, One Mile, and Open Water Preparation.  Furthermore, each workout is described by its primary goal and the total amount of yards are given in the last column.  Head on over to the website to find out more.  It takes the guesswork out of swim training - for free.

100 Swimming Workouts

Santa's Bag of Triathlete Goodies

So Christmas has passed and Santa was good to me for sure.  My Christmas pretty much encompassed the sport that has become my second life.  Below is all the present's my many Santa's got me :)

Timex Global Race Trainer Watch

This watch is amazing considering all the features it has.  My major concern for 2013 was pacing and this watch will make sure I stay on it with its built in GPS.  Furthermore, it can be used during each leg of a triathlon as it is water resistant and has a multisport feature that is more than ideal.  This feature allows me to setup up a desired brick workout, and easily transition from one different page on the watch display to the next sport.  I cannot wait for the snow to melt so I can take this bad boy outside.

Synergy Endorphin Wetsuit

Somehow Santa knows my size exactly because on Christmas morning I tried this on and it fit like a glove.  Unfortunately I cannot tell you exactly how great this product is, however I can tell you that it 'forces' your body into a proper alignment for the freestyle stroke.  On the tag/warranty card it stated that this suit may not feel right vertically as it is meant for horizontal positioning... interesting feature.

Aqua Sphere Kaiman Goggles

I was suffering from irritation and rubbing around my eye sockets from my previous Speedo swim goggles so Santa decided to hook me up with some new ones.  Lets put it like this, Aqua Sphere knows exactly what they are doing when they design goggles.  They have absolutely no plastic pieces near or around your eye socket - just rubber.  Not only does these goggles give you more peripheral vision, they are so comfy I could wear them everyday.  I would classify these guys as the Audi of the swim goggle market.

4 GB Waterproof MP3 player

Last, but not least, is my brand new companion for solo swim workouts.  I do not enjoy my swim training and I find myself looking at the clock more and more hoping that I can get out of the pool sooner rather than later.  My new toy from Santa is this little Chinese Gem (as that is where they come from - no manufacturers name on the box) that will keep me focused the whole way through my swims.  The countless laps will breeze by with this mp3 player that came with waterproof earbuds with interchangeable earbuds so you can get a secure fit.  Furthermore, you can even strap this mp3 player to your goggle strap and it will not go anywhere.

The Suffering has Begun

The winter is approaching and I will confess - I am not a die hard outdoors-man.  As soon as the temperature dips into the single digits, I seem to find myself training inside more and more.  It is due to combination of the frigid temperatures and the quality of workout.  Personally, I find I am capable of greater workouts inside from late fall to early spring.  I do not think the people who run outside when it is cold are crazy - it just does not pick my fancy.  Rather feel my fingers and toes constantly…

ANYWAYS… So now that I have become a hermit for the season, I needed new ways to stay motivated inside during the countless hours of training.  This is my first season of owning an indoor bike trainer (my beloved Cycle Ops Super Magneto Pro) and so I have gained the opportunity to consistently train on my bike.  Furthermore, it has given me many more opportunities to train since I do not need travel.  Bonus!

My indoor cycling has been accompanied by the amazingly cheap workout software TrainerRoads.  It has been my training buddy and my support.  TrainerRoad’s premade workouts have been having me push my boundaries time and time again, and breaks up the monotony of just ‘spinning’ my legs for extended periods of time.

Not only does TrainerRoads have hundreds of structured workouts to choose from, they have created workouts to coincide with video workouts.  Primarily, TrainerRoads have integrated The Sufferfest – a compellation of workout videos utilizing real footage of international cycling races.  The name of series explains the torture you endure.

“At Sufferfest Studios, we make the hardest, most exciting, most get-on-your-bike-and-suffer-your-ass-off cycling training videos in the world. And we strive to deliver the best customer service in the industry. The Sufferlandrian community deserves nothing less.”

Trust me, they do just that.  I have obtained the series of videos and let me tell you, they will make the strongest of riders quiver.  I have even questioned my efforts during previous workouts - like as if I may not have been trying hard before.  The seamless integration into TrainerRoads allows riders to have target powers to attain for the variety of intervals.  Furthermore, the on screen prompts during the video make you dig deeper.  The official race footage that Sufferfest Studios uses for all their videos make the experience far more realistic than any other workout I have done. 

I recommend you check out TheSufferfest series – your workouts will never be the same again.  They are the definition of suffer. Their slogan says it all: 

"I will beat my ass today to kick yours tomorrow."

Here are links to my first two Sufferfest Sessions, and the will not be my last!

Revolver

Angels