TLog: Of perfume and sweat

The smell of perfume is unmistakle, especially when you don't expect it. There I was, doing my drills at the pool when the wiff of perfume caught my nose shen I rotated to breathe. And I smelt it before I could see the swimmer.

Talk about distraction. Perhaps I am just becoming more sensitive to olfactory stimulus?

I suppose we are more comfortable with the smell of sweat. The very next day, I was pedaling down coastal road when another cyclist overtook me. Usually, there weren't that many cyclists on the road at 6 am on a weekday. I decided to draft him, and came close enough to smell the sweat off him. I'll take sweat over perfume any time.

Anyhow, I increased my cadence to over 90 to build up to 30kph (at big chain ring and third largest rear gear), and went closer to 100 to overtake. At least I had the satisfaction of knowing that my speed could be achieved at that gear combination with high cadence. So the past high cadence sessions seemed to be working.

Then there's the smell of stale sweat that goes with gyms and workout machines. The handles and floor reeked of musty fetid sweat. That's me going back to the gym for weights training. Must have been months since I did weights, so started light with just three sets.

TLog: new focus

Now that TNF is over, this is a recovery week before restarting training with a different focus to prepare for next year's Aviva 70.3. The shift in focus will be more intense cycling and swimming workouts.

Mon: 24 lap easy swim
Tue: easy 5 k jog/walk
Wed: 41k bike ride focusing on cadence
Thu: rest
Fri: rest
Sat: 30 lap easy swim
Sun: 41k bike ride focusing on cadence

Essentially the same route for Wed and Sun - Changi coastal and Selarang, with minor variations. But Wed was on fifth cog while today's ride was on third largest cog. Average cadence went up to 89 cp 70. Speed fell about 1 to 2 kph while HR went up from 133 to 140 average. Good to feel the spin. Now to maintain 80 - 90 cadence while working to smaller gears. Hopefully speed will improve. :)

TLog: dropping the heels

2 hour bike ride this morning. Learnt a new technique yesterday at the bike shop: Drop the heel when pushing (down stroke). To me, this motion by having the heel lead the downstroke, creates acceleration and power, and allows for a smoother transition to the up pull stroke.

I tried it this morning, and consciously tried to keep cadence high. Also played around with the different gear combinations, together with cadence above 80. With the new fit and heel dropping, I was surprised I could bring the speed up to 30 kph. In fact, I maintained this speed for 5 km straight (even though HR went up to 160!).

On the way back, I diverted to do a short slope. Had to go to the largest gear, so clearly work is needed. The downslope compensated for the hard work. :)