The Tragedy of Madison

I was recently reading the book "What Made Maddy Run" by Kate Fagan. Madison Holleran was a successful high school runner and soccer player. She loved soccer and looked forward to playing soccer at college. A few colleges were seeking and recruiting runners, schools she couldn't afford. She drew their attention when she posted a fast 800 meter time in winning the New Jersey State Championship Title. Lured  to an Ivy League school, Maddy would join Penn University. The pressure increased dramatically for good performances. Maddy tried to study hard, compete, work out on a high level, and gain friends in her new environment. This was a huge change of stress.

Running at Penn University

Maddy trained hard every day for herself and her team. She threw herself into a hectic schedule. It was far different from the high school level she was use to. There were drastic changes. Instead of running track against seven others, she was now running cross country, doing six kilometers against a hundred competitors. That kind of crowd at the start line sparks a mad dash to get ahead.

In October, Maddy finished 104th out of a field of 400. In November, Maddy would finish in 44th of 100 racers. At the finish, Maddy collapsed. She was completely drained. Later, at home Maddy would say, "Mom, I'm just not happy. I'm not right. Something is not right." By Christmas break, Maddy's family could see she was profoundly depressed.

Suffering depression, she announced she was quitting the running team. She texted two of her friends. "I just don't like (track) at all anymore." And later that day, "I may quit track." Her friend replied, "You would be a non athlete regular person(?)"

There was a side of Maddy that her friends saw in her life as well as her training. Maddy did have a love of soccer. She would go home after practice and run. It gave her a sense of freedom. Her friends help us see how intense Maddy could be. "At the gym, Madison would push herself harder than anyone else." Another said, "She wasn't okay with being good, ever. Good was not good enough." A high school friend recollects, "She just put too much pressure on herself."

The Heavy Toll

A letter in her computer had this to say, "I've had difficulty sleeping, concentration, making decisions, studying, and just overall have not been feeling like myself." She added, "The running over the past couple months has taken a huge toll on me mentally, emotionally, and physically." It appears to be a draft of the letter she would read to her coach at Penn.

"How did I end up being as overall unhappy as I have been for the past four months. I'm really not ready to compete. I feel like I've dug myself so deep...and right now, there isn't any coming back. Before I was confident, focused, motivated, silly and happy girl. Sports defined me. But it hasn't brought me happiness here. The only thing I really want is a break. I strongly believe that it (competing) isn't the right choice for me."

She also mentions reading a book by Denton. It tells the story of an athlete she seems to identify with. Some underlined text reads as follows: "His outlook would begin to darken. He was getting very, very tired. Accumulation of steady mileage began to take its toll. He never quite recovered fully between workouts. He found himself in a constant state of fatigue-depression."

The coach, knowing her talent, pressured her to continue, with some modifications. We can only imagine the pressure to compete for a college whose purpose in recruiting Maddy was to benefit their running team. Would they continue her scholarship without the very sport they brought her for? In truth, Ivy League schools have to honor their agreement for education since the sports agreement is not an actual contract but an informal agreement. How much expectation did her coach and teammates have? Whether the pressure to continue was real or only her perception, Maddy agreed to give it another chance.

Maddy's Last Run

On January 17 2014, Maddy ran her last few meters. On top of a nine story parking garage, Maddy left a bag of gifts for her family. From the location of her body, it was concluded that Maddy did not jump off the ledge to her death. She had to have run at full speed up to a low wall and leap over the edge.

The author suggests mental illness. I disagree with her. Neither the author or myself are medically qualified to even begin a diagnosis, even if we had met her during her life. What I see, from the information we have, is a girl who was willing but ill-prepared for the intense competition and pressure of the next level up. A few notes of Maddy's seem to indicate severe over training and stress. This often will lead to complications of depression, insomnia, and becoming under-nourished.

Over training kicks you in a number of ways. Besides heavy fatigue, an early symptom is insomnia. This cripples your training even further. When presented with slower efforts, most athletes (not recognizing over training) dig into their reserves, increasing their training. The body begins to steer toward sugar, simple carbs, caffeine, and alcohol. You actually might not feel like eating a healthy dinner with vegetables. Things begin to spin out of control. Depression quickly comes in like a heavy fog. Suicidal thoughts are not uncommon among heavily fatigued athletes who have fallen deep into Over Training Syndrome, or OTS.

Where Do We Point the Finger?

To be clear, I do not blame her family or friends in any way. It would be very uncommon for someone outside of elite sports to identify the degree of an athlete's depression and its link to her intense training regimen. Many saw her depression. The pressure may not have been anyone's fault. This world's atmosphere of "Win, Win, Win" can do that single-handedly. The 'Win or be nothing' attitude is woven into the very fabric of sport. Coaches are under pressure to insure that their athletes continue to compete, and at the highest levels. To be fair, a lot of athletes need a push after a disappointing race or a lack of progress in their training. Many top athletes will admit that they spoke of quitting at some point in their life.

How can you quit the team? There is social pressure to support your school and team. When you are recruited to a top school as an athlete, it is difficult to turn your back on them. Why didn't anyone say, "Take as much rest as you need"? Nobody recognized how serious her condition was becoming.

A group of British Psychologists found that stress induced depression is "skyrocketing" among elite athletes. some stress potentates were teammates with high expectations, contract and sponsorship obligations, even image related to body image for women and a macho image for male athletes. One writer listed dozens of athletes who had either attempted or committed suicide. Recognizable athletes include Graeme Obree, Kelly Holmes, O.J. Murdock, and a long list of Cricket players. Certainly, some had depression or other mental conditions apart from sports and some athletes commited suicide over family problems, financial problems, even possible depression from brain injuries sustained in football play. The problem is real and dangerous.

We as a society put too much emphasis at being number one, winning the gold medal. The pressure put on teenage gymnasts and ice skaters can be tremendous. It can kill the enjoyment that they have experienced from childhood. National fervor rises to new peaks each year at international championships, especially in the Olympic events. Social media has become a huge influence and exerts a tremendous force behind the lives of young athletes. The desire to stand out, to outperform others, to satisfy the public and to avoid disappointing their fans, family, and friends; Social media is a force as strong as a tidal wave and can leave great destruction in its wake.

The person I perceive as Madison has touched me deeply. Even as I read her story, I kept hoping that the worst would not happen. Like the movement against college hazing a few years ago, I pray we will find ways to help young athletes from becoming the next Maddy Holleran. 

Epilogue
A year after Maddy's death, one of her former teammates decided to quit the track team. Toward the end of her letter e-mailed to her teammates, she said, "If there is any positive message iI have taken away from the tragic weekend with Madison, it's that we need to do what makes us happy." In the list of people she addressed  was Madison Holleran.




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Zwift Academy

Zwift Academy is great for two very different groups of riders. Many just want to be part of this annual event. Ride, train, and race a little. There are others who are seriously trying to out duel one another to be in contention for race wins and selection to the ten semi-finalist positions.

Fit and Fun

Many Zwifters join the Academy to challenge themselves with workouts designed to test you and elevate your fitness level. Having a set time period prevents procrastination. Group rides are a unique class of exercise. Many are at a set pace. Actually, the speed is the resulting pace of watts per kilogram. To understand if the ride is a good fit, see the description on Zwift. It will list the pace as, for example, 2 w/kg (or watts per kilogram). You need to find your level of fitness in terms of those numbers. Very fit riders are comfortable at 3 or even 4 w/kg.

You can ask questions during the ride through messaging. With that said, fellow Zwifters, try to engage new ones. Welcome and encourage them. A group ride leader will have a yellow beacon attached to them the entire ride. They give guidance and answer questions in addition to leadership and instructions. (Usually, "Slow down in front!")  Remember, drafting will make it easier.

Beginners may find a race with a rolling start. This has a gradual increase in tempo until a set starting point. One is not allowed to jump off the front until that point. Most races, however, will start with a huge burst of power and speed. It will calm down after anywhere from one to three minutes. Save yourself some heartache by staying with a group in your category. Categories are listed in events https://zwift.com/events/. You won't generally last long as a C trying to stay with A or B groups. Before entering a race most races ask you to add this letter to your name. Go to my.zwift.com/profile/edit and add "B" to the end of your name, or C or D if that is your class. Your FTP number divided by your weight in kilograms will fall into the following categories; D= 1.0 to 2.4, c=2.5 to 3.2, B=3.2-4.0, and A=4.0 to 5.0

Workouts are for your personal achievements. For longer and more difficult workouts, try to do the entire workout. Don't be afraid to do less if it becomes too difficult. For example, I could not do 10 sprints in a row at 300% FTP. So, I did all ten at 200% FTP. The workout said rest and repeat twice more!? So, being exhausted, I stopped. Next time, I will try to do two sets. Others may choose to do five of the ten repetitions, and repeat that three times. Then they will redo the workout at a later date and attempt 7 or 8 of the ten repeats.

Enjoy the challenge. Your jersey for completion won't appear immediately in your virtual locker. Everyone will get it at a set date, usually the next Zwift update will unlock these items.

The Fast and the Furious

First, know that many hope to have what it takes to compete against other Zwifters for a real life professional cycling contract. There are essentials to be selected for the top ten. You will have to workout and race Zwift on a smart trainer. You also need to wear a heart monitor and sync your data to Today's Plan for the judge's analysis. You should verify your weight weekly and on every race date. Your Zwift weight must be set prior to the race. It will show on Zwiftpower.com. However, I am speaking of your weight on Today's Plan. On your account, go to 'Calendar' and click on the "+" sign for that day (bottom of daily panel). Click on the top option 'Record Body Metrics' and verify your weight.

The more outdoor races and power data you have, the clearer your abilities will be to the judging panel. Last year's semi-final tests included five 5 minute hill climb intervals and another had a 15 minute full effort at the end of a long tempo ride. If you have lack a power meter for outdoors, try to borrow one from somebody in your cycling community to record real life power. I would suggest doing this before the Academy starts.

While workouts and races will help you get the attention you want, the interview for top candidates is focused on real life race results. The importance of the smart trainer is to insure a rider can truly power up hills. You can of course, use a power meter for Zwift instead of your smart trainer numbers. If you are using the estimated 'z-power' on Zwift rather than a smart trainer or a power meter, there's some bad news. Z power candidates will not qualify. More and more races on Zwift are no longer extending credit for z power riders. This year, riders on standard (non-computerized) trainers will not be selected for the top ten positions. Your trainer needs to simulate real gradients.

Power meters or a smart trainer is the only way to get credible race results. If you are a serious contender but fairly new to Zwift, note that the entry level bikes are slower than the Cervelo and the Concept bikes. The 808 wheels are much faster than the standard wheels that Zwift accounts start with. You will have a difficult time staying ahead of riders with faster bikes. It is very tough to cross a gap by yourself to catch a group of riders ahead of you. Thus, many racers will push hard at times so as not to get gaped, especially to avoid getting dropped on a climb. Zwift Insider has a few racing tips here and here. Make sure your account is connected as "opt in." and update your profile and settings on ZwiftPower.com. For more information read this update: Zwift Insider article and www.zwiftpower.com/

For the serious minded, your FTP is important. Women should try to hit 4.0 wts/kg and men around 5.0 w/kg, as that is what the top candidates hit. You can always repeat an FTP workout towards the end of the Academy period. You will be tested and examined for power, speed, and endurance. Here are a few numbers from the Ladies of 2017 who qualified for the semi-finals. The top FTP scores were 4.59, 4.60, 4.77, and a whopping 4.93 w/kg. In their 5 second power 15.16, 17.0, 17.1, and 17.1 w/kg. Ouch! You can get an idea of your level from the chart below. Of the men, I only have one of the three finalists on my Strava radar. His weight was unlisted but his wattage is impressive. He had 934 watts for 5 seconds, 744 for 30 seconds, 457 for a three minute test, and an FTP at 362 watts.

As stated by Zwift, this year all in the Academy will be able to see the statistics for 50 top riders. This should make it a little more competitive than just the races. You have to do at least two races. Feel free to enter more races to improve your best results. Make a schedule where you will enter races fully recovered. Zwift races are tough, especially during the Academy.

Today's Plan

There's a great benefit when you sign up for the Zwift Academy. You will receive a free premium account at Today's Plan (todaysplan.com.au) during the course of the Academy. It will open just before the Academy begins. This is a great perk. It will also allow as a special feature this year, being able to see and compare your efforts with the top fifty results in the Academy.

This is Today's Plan page for those new to the Zwift Academy and Today's Plan: Academy page at Today's Plan. There's a lot of unique analysis tools you will have available. You'll want to familiarize yourself with them, especially if you are serious about the Academy.

When you open your account, you will need to fill in your information, of course. You will be able to construct your dashboard. One thing I love is the PI, Performance Index. It is a graph that helps you see your strengths and weaknesses. Here is one of their brief videos: Performance Index YouTube. My graph shows I do well in the long sprint zone but not in peak power or a short sprint.The zones are Peak Power, Sprint, Long Sprint, Lactate tolerance, Maximum Aerobic Power, Sustained Aerobic Power, Short Endurance, and finally Long Endurance. It can be quite a challenge to target one of these zones as a max effort. At times you should work on your weaknesses and at times, on your strengths.

There are helpful articles on the Today's Plan blog. I suggest you read how you can understand your activities. Here's the page: Today's Plan Blog - Activity Graph. You will also want to see your power curve and best efforts on your dashboard.  It will list your best efforts from 3 seconds to 3 hours. To start with your background, you can do one of two things. One, start a basic account with Today's Plan, link your account to Zwift, and automatically upload your activities during July. Another option would be to select key rides, races, and workouts and manually upload them to your Today's Plan account in August. Here's some help from Today's Plan: How to import and upload your data.

If you entered the 2017 Academy and opened your account last year, all your Zwift activities will have continued to upload. You can see your activities in the basic account. However, if you chose not to continue premium membership last year, you won't be able to see the full analysis of your activities with the exception of your heart analysis. When the Zwift Premium access begins in August, your information will be up to date.

The Academy will undoubtedly begin with an updated FTP test workout. I would recommend doing a twenty minute test in July. Many trainers recommend doing some 5 second sprint efforts, a 20 second, a one minute, and a five minute effort to help in evaluating your abilities. This will start your Academy with a good data background. A twenty minute test in July will also help you successfully pace your August FTP test. Here is a view of the 2017 test: Zwift Academy 2017 FTP Test. Note: To get your first Zwift FTP number, you only need the 20 minute segment. First timer's might want to skip the three 30 second sprints as they may take too much of your energy unless you are able to do that kind of a warm up. Zwift Insider will have more information for those new to Zwift and the Academy.

Today's Plan premium access includes training plans. You might not have time to do an entire plan during the schedule of Academy efforts. However, it will be well worth your time to select the type of training you want to do and allow them to show on your calendar. You can view them, watch a brief video introduction provided by Today's Plan, and download them onto your computer. It is pretty easy to drag the workout into your Zwift 'workouts' file. They will stay in the 'Custom Workout' section of Zwift, ready any time you are.

I found the support from Today's Plan to be very helpful last year. It was my first Academy and I needed a little help, here and there. I did go to MyZwift, downloaded a few previous rides, and uploaded them to Today's Plan with some guidance from one of their videos. Go to your  My Zwift Activities and click 'download' to retrieve the file you want. If you do email their support crew, please remember, Today's Plan support team is located in Australia. They may be going to bed when you are sending a question to their support team.

It's going to be a great summer (or winter) next month.

BKool

Would a Velodrome Be Cool?

Now that we have the Alpe du Zwift, many have wondered if we will get our own velodrome on Zwift. Coming from a track background, I have been asking for a velodrome too. So when BKool invited me to train for a month on their platform, I wanted to see their version. I learned some positive and negative aspects. What can Zwift learn? How can they be original in their approach?

Bkool has two velodrome options, Luis Puig and the Galapagar Velodrome, both of which exist in Spain. You can opt for video mode or game screen. I prefer the game mode, especially to see other riders on screen. Watching a video of the track feels real. However, I think most riders new to a 250 meter track will find it to be a tight circle. It can feel dizzy and one can lose where they are on the track. Then you have to rely on the on-screen numbers. A 333 or even a 500 meter track like Robaix may work better for Zwift.

Bkool has several options. You can enter either your own program or one started by another rider. I started an hour ride. Here's the interesting part. If you wait and warm-up for ten minutes, others can join in and ride with you. It is definitely better with some company. I rode a twenty minute effort at my FTP. I also ran a 3 kilometer pursuit effort and a one kilometer effort as well. Speeds seemed realistic. I ran my FTP at 3.6 w/kg and averaged 40.6 kph. My pursuit at 4.6 w/kg averaged 43.9 kph. My kilo at 7 w/kg hit an average of 50.0 kph. When you race against other opponents, you earn points to purchase jerseys for your avatar. Interesting idea.

I did like having a speed that means something to me. 50 kph is the goal I was shooting for. All I need to do is figure out how to do that for another 59 minutes, and I'll be ecstatic. I like this aspect of flat track racing. What does a 14:00 lap of Watopia mean? The average watts tells you some part of how your ride went, but not the whole story. On the track, your numbers are simply more relevant.

Bkool has race options of Keirin, Pursuit, Team Pursuit, and an Elimination race. Sounds great? Guess what? None of those options are available to power meters, only smart trainers. This is unnecessary, there isn't any elevation changes as there would be in a long steep climb.

The worst part of my experiment with Bkool and its velodrome was a seven second lag. When a race started my avatar waited, waited, and then took off. In workout mode, the lag continued to grow from seven seconds to almost thirty seconds. This made intervals impossible to gauge. I have a very fast gaming computer that runs very smoothly with Zwift.

How would a race work? The number of riders must be limited. This may be the reason Zwift has not installed an open velodrome. Until Zwift is ready, I am willing to wait. Soon, we will have a volcano points race. It will be nine laps long with points each lap over the 40 km distance. The information will be at http://www.z-race.com/about/ If any organizer wants exciting sprint races, I would love to see sprinters line up at the London 1 KM banner sprinting one on one to the finish line. Definitely live, with Nathan shouting himself hoarse.

Alp d'Zwift

Had a lot of fun climbing so far. Had a full on effort at 47:45 but got beaten by Cassie Baldi. She is def. a better cyclist than me, esp over long distances. So, I missed out on the QOM. However, I set up the Double Alp and am, so far, the only woman challenger. Hopefully, I will make some other gals go through a lot of pain. Looking forward to doing the Alp a few more times. 25 seems a long way off.

Got my 25 after two months at the end of May. Beat Nathan to it too.

My Season of Racing

My video of three highlights

1. The only CVR race I won. This is the key moment when I finally caught my opponent and put in a huge 30 second attack starting on the staircase. I kept pushing until the finish even though my legs were screaming in pain. This was a bit of a revenge/rematch if you will, as I tried to break free the previous race, with big attacks before Box Hill and got schooled as I knew I would.

2. One of my KISS Crit series sprints from the pack. I love Nathan's enthusiasm. To me, I knew I couldn't stay with the A cat leaders in the race. But, I love to hit the sprint.

3. Another good finish in the KISS series. I finished 5th over the series which ran from early October 2017 through late February 2018. A long, tiring event.

Not pictured are two other great races for me. One was the London Classique course where I sprinted at 3 K to go to catch a dropped rider 8 seconds ahead. We traded a bit and I caught my breath slightly. When she seemed to fade on the climb, I saw the pack only six seconds back and attacked. It was the longest 2K/3minutes of my life. I think when I hit my aero p.u. and sprinted hard, they looked at each other and I managed to finish ahead of the charging pack.

The other race I loved was where I finally had a chance to match myself against the US East Coast KISS girls on a Thursday evening. I fought to stay in the main pack. They slowed a bit as we approached the final 2K. Someone started a fierce sprint at 700 to go. It took a few seconds all out to catch her wheel. I waited till her 30 seconds were running out on her aero p.u. Then I hit mine as I sprinted clear. Although two seconds ahead on my screen, I finished as winner only 0.5 seconds. Wow, that felt amazing.

Top B ranking 65th in women's rankings. Doesn't mean I am the best of B cat. But, I have more races and scored more ranking points.

OTS future Zwift article

Overtraining can be minor and brief, if you rest when symptoms first appear. Ignore the warnings and serious complications can besiege you. Train harder and you can develop overtraining syndrome or OTS. Don't think, "It can't happen to me," and dismiss these warnings Any athlete can fall into over training.

Over Training: The Hidden Dangers

Overtraining will definitely start to hamper your progress. Then your performance as a whole will suffer. Insomnia often is an early warning sign that you are pushing too hard, too often. Dieting or restricting calories to maintain race weight is another risk factor.(Guilty). The main complication or cause is related to our athletic nature. Not getting the results you expect? "Train harder, faster, longer" is often the path followed.(I'm guilty of this too.)

The Kuopio University of Finland published 'The Effects of Over Training' by PhD MD Uusitalo. It directly mentions some individuals with OTS got as little as 3 or 4 hours of sleep nightly. Many had recently increased their training or racing volume 100-200%. Major depression was common, even though it often went unrecognized or undiagnosed until they were in the study. Two other proven complications were bradycardia (changes in heart rate) and pollacisuria (changes in urination). This special testing used serotonin transporter imaging and discovered over training was directly responsible for "decreased abnormal serotonin reuptake". Basically, medically proven depression. However, this is not a test you can get through your doctor. The depression  showed as notable effects on the level of serotonin in the midbrain, anterior gingulus, the left frontal lobe and the temporo occipital lobe. They believed this was caused by disfunction in the hypothalamus from over training. They add that their is no exact criteria to identify or define over training syndrome itself.
(Article, How Much is Too Much?, Overtraining, Uusitalo PHD)

The Psychiatry department of the Miami University published research that showed over training syndrome can lead to Addison's disease also known as hypocortisolism. It was also shown to cause depression severe enough to lead to suicidal behavior. UMiamiHospital Report

A group of over trained athletes had an 80% rate of being diagnosed with clinical depression. Over training apparently led to their depression. Many surveys have found a change in attitude about workouts or practice, lack of motivation, and even anxiety are symptoms of OTS development.

The Mayo Clinic's study on over training syndrome reported that cortisol levels were effected as well as aldosterone levels, which regulate the balance of sodium and potassium in sync with the kidneys. These effects can last years even with treatment. If severe enough, the effects on the body can become "permanent".

Dr. Axe agrees that over training raises cortisol levels as do other kinds of stress you may experience. He likewise mentions the effect on your electrolyte levels (sodium/potassium). Often, these stress effects will trigger weight gain, although some suffer loss of appetite and weight loss. Too much stress can also result in damage to your heart. Athletes with several stressful events are more likely to develop OTS than athletes who have only the stress of training.(Link)

While you may think that only a Tour de France cyclist or an Ironman competitor could fall into this syndrome, it is believed that many individuals suffer various levels of over training. In a follow-up article, I will detail the story of a young college athlete, Madison Holloway. Her story may help change some of the athletic training ideas that are so commonly put forth as beneficial.

A few top athletes have had career ending conditions brought on by over training linked with severe iron deficiency. One passed several blood tests for iron. However, when another doctor tested his 'serum ferritin', the results showed nearly zero iron. Another athlete suffered similarly. Both began iron supplementation resulting in normal iron levels. Neither one came back though. "My endurance never came back," Doris Heritage said. "I never had the strength again."

Four months of Ironman training left another athlete exhausted. OTS was evident. His maximum heart rate would only go up to 122. Initial blood tests likewise revealed nothing abnormal. His doctor prescribed a detox, a change in diet, and supplementation with nutrients. While Alberto Salazar was treated solely with iron, Paul Thomas had a complete profile of nutrients to take. He became a successful athlete. The key is to determine the right levels of nutrients needed, vitamins and minerals. FDA supplement levels are not high enough for elite training. They might only be high enough for the average, mostly sedentary, person. Even with doing everything right, Paul said it took a year to fully regain his health. Prevention is obviously the key.

Avoiding over training is much, much easier than dealing with recovering from it. Don't make drastic changes in your training. Don't restrict calories during heavy training or when you are in a full racing schedule. If you are sore or have had little sleep, rest rather than doing a lengthy, intense workout. There's a difference in a special training camp week and a month of daily intense training two to six hours a day. Know your limits and don't cross that line. Your health is of more importance than the goal you may be seeking. Depression from over training is real and proven. Seek medical attention if your depression lasts more than a few days or if you have  any suicidal thoughts.

Please, listen to cautions from your family and friends. Everyone wants you to be both happy and healthy. Keep your health and you will be rewarded greatly.

SWISS CHAMPION

I have to recognize that as someone told me, "You know, it isn't real" Get outside and do something real." I have been thinking about a lot lately, trying to overcome a few issues. But, this was a great challenge. I didn't know it would get such support on Zwift. Hundreds raced.
My race was fairly small, 8 of us plus a French rider that I later thought might be there to assist a friend or team mate.

The race started fairly well. I pushed the start to see if everyone was going to race and the group stayed together. After the climb out of the tunnel which I again dropped everyone (just wanted to see who had the legs to pull the rest back). I was breathing hard trying to slow my heart back. It was 162 and not going down. it had froze. I kind of paniced. I tried tapping it and pulling it out but still not changing. I should have unsnapped it and dried it off. Instead I grabbed my backup, the Tickr and had to pair it. The group was on the flat and not pushing hard. However, when I had it back I was 13 seconds back, then 10 and I realized I would have to sprint to catch them. You can see it on the graph.

Onto the volcano climb, I started to hit on the rise before exiting the volcano. I opened up a 4 second lead. Wanted to break off before the climb so nobody could draft me. Went at a good pace and watched them split up on the rise. I think there were four almost together. But then it became two and two. They started to fall back. I saw them under the banner as I made the turn onto the downhill. With my weight and a few digs, I opened up a one minute gap. That is doable over two people. The pair behind them were 20-30 seconds back. Would they regroup and work together to pull me in?

As the gap held, I kept my pace up, forcing myself to go hard on the rises. The French girl behind seemed pretty strong. I was fading a. Still, it was 2 minutes as we approached the volcano. Their time behind was mostly unseen. I was only seeing myself on the right side. Near the top, I had lost 30 seconds. I finished the climb but my legs were numb so I used my feather power up to get back a little speed and got an aero at the banner. I rested on the downhill, just working on the rises and the flat through the volcano. By the bottom, I had regained my legs and felt i could run. They seemed to be doing 3 - 3.5. Once i was at the 700m to go, I knew I could finish hard. Dig for speed and just try to survive until the finish line. A lot of the time in this race, the gap and riders behind didn't show up. I was guessing I might be up a minute but maybe 30 seconds as the 1 km mark came up.

I had turned off the live broadcast and just had my music. This was the culmination of two months of hard racing (although the crit series started in October?) It has been tough. I felt really tired lately. Skipped the gym the last two weeks. Overslept tuesday, rode recovery thursday. I couldn't sleep last night. Probably over-training (edit: yep exactly). As far as I know, a fellow Swiss Zwifter who is faster than me, had to work today. So, I am not the greatest in my mind. And it wouldn't be fun if the others hadn't kept working to make it a tough effort. So, I won despite a fairly foolish attack that somehow worked.

ZwiftOff Workouts

Want something different on Zwift? Have you had a long winter full of long races and workouts? Try some of this action...

Get some fun in before Spring.


ZwiftOff Workouts can now be yours. I know many are not able to join our group workouts. Others have enjoyed them and want to do them more often. Thanks to WhatsonZwift.com, you can now download our workouts. There is even a new one, Titan, which has a bit of a HIIT to it. Basically, a few sprints thrown in the mix to stir your heart a bit. they are all designed to help burn fat.

Here's the link: ZwiftOff Workouts

The State of the Union

Zwift racing may seem like a testosterone-fueled world. But, women's racing is coming out of the shadows. You won't find a 'You don't belong here' attitude. In fact, you'll find friends and teams eagerly seeking new recruits. Find out more...

Women's Racing - The State of the Union Address

We are into the thickest part of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the peak indoor racing season. Women's racing is still short of full participation. Sure, there aren't as many women as men on Zwift. But, did you know how much is being done to promote women's racing?

Certainly, the 2017 Zwift women's Academy attracted a lot of female riders. The women's only races were suddenly full. Group rides were large packs. But, completing all of the requirements for the Academy was less than desired. Was it the eight workouts or the five mandatory group rides? I would like to see group ride requirements reduced. I also think one of the races could be a time trial event or a roll-out start to keep new racers from dropping out. It can be a lonely ride if you aren't prepared to have heavy combat for the first few minutes of a race. Integrate, not isolate. Time trials are an even effort that compliments 'from the gun' races.

The September 2018 Academy is a ways away. So, what's on tap now?

CVR Series CVR info here

It is pretty simple to get involved. There are the basic four levels of A,B,C, D. Each week, the race is held in 8 different time zones. You get to pick which one will work with your schedule. Then, you race and receive points. You get points for 3 of 4 races each month, with your total of six races. A season is eight weeks long. There are prizes and a grand annual World Cup Final. The second and third overall from each season race head to head and can qualify for the next season finals. Pretty good deal. Did I mention cash prizes? This years final will be held in Los Angeles March 24 and 25. This competition features paid travel and over $100,000 in total prize money. Insane.

Currently, the season is wrapping up Feb 25. After the championship, there will be four annual series. Spring - March 26-May 20. Summer June 18 - Aug 12. Fall Sept 10 - Nov 4. and Winter not announced, but likely Jan 1 2019 again and not before Dec 9, 2018.

Also right now, CVR holds training classes for those who want to get a taste of racing and prepare for the next season. Women's participation is still low. Big credit to CVR for stepping up with men's and women's racing. They have set up these races for the long haul. Participation should rise annually.

You might like their series XRS races. One is coming up Thursday Feb. 8. See Zwiftpower or Zwift events.

The down side of a women's league? Some zones are small, with women and men sharing the course. In larger zones, CVR has a separate start for the women in their own module. Which is harder? Competing against 20 other women or competing with four other women in a sea of a hundred men?

KISS Europe and North American Series

KISS Wonen's Euro Crit Series  KISS NA Women's Crit Series
This series was born from the Australian Zwift Crit Series. Kudos to KISS who stepped in and took up the responsibility after Zwift started the competition. Race modules were problematic in the early part of the season (almost always with the women being unable to log in). Once resolved, the series started anew in December 2017 and has a few weeks left. The final races are in April, the 14th for Europe sponsored by Tacx and the 21st for North America sponsored by Cycleops.

KISS has done great things for racing on Zwift. They are at the forefront, presenting several races each week live on Zwift Community Live (Facebook and YouTube).They have a 100 km race on Sundays (if you dare) and a four part 2 km race series on Saturdays (which I love).

ODivaZ Women's Races
ODZ has had a few races for women in the Diva series. I've done their Saturday race a few times. You might love the start, a fairly easy roll-out for a few kilometers. A nice change of pace. In the 'A' group, expect a sprint at the end of the warm-up. The ODivaZ Race is generally held twice a month.

Zwift Team Racing
There are a number of brave gals running the show as race team captains and team group administrators. You'll find most teams on Facebook. The best location for a list is at ZwiftPower; see Zwift Race Teams. Look at the women's race results and you will see a list of teams that the riders are associated with. I ride for Team Fearless. Some teams also ride and train using DISCORD. It's the best way Zwifters have found to communicate on a specific channel. It has been used by gamers since May 2015.


Jump In
Watch our events. they are sure to be broadcast live. CVR weekly races can be seen here every Tuesday on live streams every 3 hours starting at 2 am EST. KISS broadcasts their Thursday races at 2 pm and 8 pm EST races. Broadcasts appear at Youtube Zwift Community Live and you can comment live at Facebook Zwift community Live. By watching, you may get the 'bug' and start racing too. 

My Plans
As an impatient person, I would rather start building what I want rather than writing posts about what I wish would happen. To that end, I am starting a Powerhouse Series of 4 or 5 segments to race. Points are awarded for each stage. It will run on Strava League just like the Smackdown Series Eric ran here last year. It isn't perfect. The system pulls your best time out of Strava for a given period of time. I love short powerful tests like these and I want to see how many other people, men and women, want to have a whack at it. I will run that in March. I will post a specific link but here's their site. If you want to test your best time on The Pretzel Course or 25 laps of the Volcano Circuit, you'll have to find someone else.

I am also trying to find an organizer for a Match Sprint Race. Sprinters would have to qualify on a time trial bike sprint with a screenshot of their sprint time. The top 16 will be invited to live matches just like a real track meet. Racers will line up on the London 1 km banner and go off by pairs using the Classique course finish line. I'm still not sure how we can handle the finish, short of a race module. We could just use the 'live sprint results', which means if you do a 1 km flyer that only your 200 meter time would count. Obviously, drafting will be crucial. No power-ups. First night would have the round of 16 and round of 8 settled in single matches. #1 and # 16 race, then #2 and #15, just like real track races. Next night, Semi-finals and Medal Finals to be best of three sprints.


I have been looking at the smart Trainers. I will do more research and put out an article. We all know the Neo is the best race model. But, for fitness and price value, I want to look at the Direto, Hammer, Flux, and Kickr. So far, you can't beat the look of the Elite Pink Giro version. Barbie's Trainer for sure.

cvr My First Big Win!

https://youtu.be/XRE_Iz7ezkI?t=3891

I pop through at 1:40 right on the staircase

The Story
Ouch, this was a hard start. I set a 1km and 2 km record from the line


me passing 3

CVR "Z" points

Week 5 had only two dozens riders with 6 under the 1:10 time. Behring was first at 1:03.13 @4.4 w/kg scoring 88 points.

1. B. York         354 
2. T Cashmore  299
3. K Falck         277
4. A Kubota     274
5. J Real           234
6. Z Kryder      206
7. Behring        206
8. D Dixie        136
9. C Fortier      132
10. C Conabeare  131
11. L J Leonard   125
12. H Asperheim 120
13. Fiederwick    118
14. S Engmo       115
15. L Vere           112
16. R Elliot         100
17. L Beaumoont  96
18. I Janson          73
19. S Holmes        61
20. F Hate             61

Zee Kryder Biography

Thanks for coming. I'll tell you a little bit of who I am as a cyclist

I began Zwifting November 2016. It helped me reduce stress and ride when I couldn't leave home for long. That chapter finally ended almost a year ago. But, by then, I became addicted to indoor training and racing.

I did the 2017 Zwift Academy. I did fairly good (Two fourth place finishes and great workouts, except the sprint repeats.)

I started a weight loss group called ZwiftOff. We have weekly group rides (but not during Academy).
You can download and try them for free: ZwiftOff Workouts

At the same time, I began writing articles, mostly on health and fitness, for Zwift Insider. I love it but finding the time can be a real challenge.

Zee's Articles





I have made improvements since last year's Academy. I have a lot of racing experience. Although, I have done too much and have severely over-trained twice; last year before the Academy ended and again after 6 months of KISS Crit Series(finished in 5th place in the Europe edition and had a win in the North America race) and 3 months of  CVR races ( a head to head competition where I only won one race but second place the other 7 races or so.)

Zee's Races and Stats (My stats can't be altered, but some high numbers were from before I had an accurate power meter and I had to use a Garmin wheel sensor and estimated Z power which was off by 35-50 watts unbeknownst to me. I removed them from my Today's Plan stats and my Zwift files.) ZwiftPower scores are now only from past 90 days, so estimated power results are gone. I score in the top 20, from 8 to 12 generally. You have to choose high scoring races, if you want to earn race points (wbr events don't count) (Update 8/2019 Now I'm fighting to stay in top 100. I've cut back heavily on racing for my health as it's too much plus a lot of new girls have come in from the pro's)

I also entered and won my National Championship. It was a tough race but some other countries (like USA and England) have a lot more competition.

I am a short distance rider, think of track cycling's 500 meter and 3 Kilometer Pursuit. I specifically target goals by time ( ie 10, 20, 30, 60 seconds and 1,2,3,5,8,20 minutes pushing my max in different workouts. I am best at 1 - 5 minutes.

I have done a lot on Zwift. I helped design the Highline Road on New York (originally designed for Richmond. I agree that the glass roads are amazing, but my design is below in 'Hot Wheels' orange. Also, the Speed Wheel at the start of some time trials, the Invisible Power-Up, the World Championship races in 2018 and 2019.

I also wanted more than the sloth in the Jungle and I told Eric Min when the Jungle came out that I wanted a T-Rex. He gave me a thumbs up but I never heard anything else until the new Titan course came out. So, he surprised me with the t-Rex. (Still need that ZwiftOff jersey...waiting...waiting...wait for it.)

Currently working on Switzerland Course details for August 2020 release and a Greek Marathon Course (Sparta to Athens in all its original glory...and yes you run naked with only an olive wreath for protection...lol)

I'm a bit behind in condition for this year's 2019 Academy. But maybe I will peak in late September as coached instead of a burnout by the end of August. I still collect jerseys when possible and now have 106. (I have codes for 50 I never grabbed but i took the ones I liked already)

So, I won the top 60 second spot during the 2018 Academy and had second place in the 2 minute effort. I have to update chart. The chart above is prior to the Academy and below is the Academy results. I had a 551 in the one minute and got beat by a 243 in the 2 minute. It is hard to beat a max effort because by shooting higher, you run the risk of seizing up a few seconds before the finish.

"This is Me!"

See also My first (and only) win in CVR with Beth York
              Huge Sprint Win KISS NA (with B. Mason in 2nd)

CVR Race 3

me and Beth

Had a great CVR #3 race. Of all times, I came in 6th. I came in second in this race. It was great. Beth pushed real hard up Box Hill the second time and detached me for good. I hauled ass at the top but couldn't punch it on the downhill like I did the first time to catch her on the stairs. She beat me good, by 21 seconds. But, at least I was able to make it a race. I put in three digs to force her to catch me. She couldn't know I was going to sputter up Box Hill. It was fun to watch her replay.

One of these weeks, we'll have a sprint finish for you.

CVR Z-Points

I wanted to compare everybody doing the CVR races. CVR official points are at their site. They use a 500 rider point system and score for each zone and every category. Your score is based on top 7 races of 10. My system looks at every registered racer (cvr and others who may join in) and compares them with my own system. I am doing this without a program, so sorry if I make an error.

Scores are for the top 20 by finishing time: 20, 19, 18, etc. Each racer's race ftp is recorded. This is the first number at your race results on Zwiftpower.com and your time. The highest score (yep, we had one already) would be for fastest time (20) and that race's ftp (95% on chart) (5.0) would score 20 x 5.0 = 100. If you came in third 18 at (ftp - 3.7) = 66.6 or 67 points. (remember it is the 95% for that week's race, not your pre-race ftp. Makes sense?)This rewards hard efforts and also gives riders in a crowded race an opportunity to score more points, with a larger field to draft.

Here is the score after four races Jan 24. This will be for the 8 race series.
Some have done only 1 or 2 races. Some did not score, finishing 21 or later.

Week 4 was a long 52 kilometer effort. The 20th time was 1:25.00 with several missing points just a few seconds behind. (I didn't score at all for week four)

Week 5 had only two dozens riders with 6 under the 1:10 time. Behring was first at 1:03.13 @4.4 w/kg scoring 88 points.

Week 6 had about 50 women with 50 finishers. Come on Gals. Finish it out. No points for Real or fortier/ dixie and Falck did not race. Behring won the overall with 4.5 w/kg! 6 finished within one second in the E race. 9 got under 50 minutes.

Week 7 had a light turn-out.

Week 8 had lots of turn out. I took third best time!

1. B. York            502+36=538
2. T Cashmore     415+78=493
3. Behring            382+88=470
4. A Kubota         341+51=392
5. Z Kryder          298+61=359
6. K Falck            277+61=338
7. C Conabeare    208+50=258
8. J Real               234
9.  H Asperheim  183+35=218
10. S Engmo          166+47=213
11. K Hoel             146+56=202
12. D Dixie            136+41=177
13. L Vere              165
14. I Janson           142+19=161
15. S Deegan         79+54=133
16. C Fortier         132
17. L J Leonard    131
18. Fiederwick     118
19. K Minn           83+29=112
20. R Elliot          100
21. L Beaumoont   96
22. Otiebrab          56+20=76
23. Whiteman        72
24. S Holmes         61
25. F Hate              61
26. TB                    58
27. Lan                  56
28. E Joyner          49
29. S Hollmichel   47
30. A Lander         47
31. A Fowler        37+10=47
32. B Kreisle        37
33. C Chrystoja    34
34. G Martyn       29
35. I. Rod             27
36. F Jewell          25
37. Volebelk         25
38. Classin            22
39. K Salvatoria  17
40. Reiss            17
41. Zaubi            16
42. Freidberg      14
43. K Stange      13
44. Muldon      12
45. Styler         10
46. Burroughs  7
47. Johansson 6
48. D Solomon 6
49. Newsome     3
50. Langseth      3
51. C Parker       3
52. M Deliv          3
53. Ankers 3
54. Levendorf    3

Weight Loss Article 7

You may hate to hear the dreaded 'V' word. I'm referring to the latest dieting trend, going Vegan. There is such a push lately that most of us don't want to face the issue of the Vegan diet. "Don't try to change me!"

The Vegan Monologues

To be clear: Vegetarians do not eat meat. Vegans forgo eggs, dairy, and even honey. I have friends that are weekday vegans. This article will look at some common reasoning from both sides of the issue. You vegans don't get off easy though. There are a number of doctors with great concerns for vegan patients.This is a look at the main issues, not a forensic examination. We can probe the height, width and depth of this in another article.

What's Wrong with Meat?
There's plenty to worry about with your meat, particularly its source. Hormones and antibiotics are a great concern to vegans. Reports indicate a definite link of red meat to prostate cancer and arterial clogging. There are claims that animal proteins cause inflammation and water retention. Much of your meat source is fed corn and even sugars to fatten them up quickly for sale. Thus, those animals are unhealthy. Worse yet, is the chow they may be fed. The television show Dirty Jobs once showed how dead cattle were ground up and used to make chicken feed.

Is there proof that meat is the villain here? Do studies differentiate from lean meat and processed meats, like ham, bacon, sausage, and deli turkey? Does it matter what type of meat is consumed?

There are three things worth observing in my opinion One: Avoid all processed meats, including frozen prepared meals and meat with chemical additives. Two: Avoid fried and grilled meats. Carcinogens are believed to be from high temperature cooking. Slow cooked meats may avoid this danger. Three: Look for the best meat you can find and afford. As Newsweek magazine once showed, cage-free and organic are terms that do not describe the packed conditions often present. Real free range is healthier as they can move around, as well as be outside. I recently purchased free range, natural grass raised venison and elk. A serving had 4 grams of fat. Dare you look at the amount of fat in the average steak or hamburger? Lean 90/10 beef has four times the fat of venison.

What's Wrong with Dairy?
The main concern appears to be Bovine Growth Hormone. Like MSG, there are sure to follow similar chemical compounds that will establish similar results but with various substitute names. More and more milk labels read 'No BGH'. A cow given BGH reputedly produces twice the amount of milk over its lifespan. Hard to resist for farmers. Impossible to resist among corporate owned industries. Other objections to dairy includes possible links to cancer, lactose sugar impact, and resistant infections from antibiotics. Low level reactions, such as indigestion and headaches, can occur until a dairy free diet is introduced.

Proponents of dairy products see little issue with this. Again, many dairy cattle never get outside the barn in the modern milk industry. You may see a study where those who eat dairy are much more likely to die of a heart attack. Again, are they comparing people with a healthy diet that includes dairy or an unhealthy diet with dairy? Do they compare vegans to vegetarians who consume dairy? Can they differentiate the type of dairy consumed, such as fat free versus those who consume whole milk and cheese?

With dairy, try a brief change to check for intolerance to lactose or casein. We can conclude that fat-free is your best option. Some with mild issues can consume lactose free milk, yogurt, and fermented cheeses without complications. Look for grass fed organic milk. Note that 1% milk is 20% calories from fat while 2% milk has 38% of its calories from fat.

What's Wrong with Veganism?
Vegan heart attacks? Yes, indeed. The issue includes vegans who eat junk foods like potato chips, French fries, even stir fried vegetables. There is a lot of vegetable oils that are considered dangerous to your health, especially hydrogenated oils and trans fats. Many oils lose their value when heated to high temperatures. They may even endanger your health. While coconut oil has been touted by the coconut oil industry as having health benefits, it is extremely high in saturated fat. Why avoid saturated fats in meat, then have that amount from coconuts? The danger is there. Doctor Michael Colgan is one of the experts who has staked his reputation against coconut oil from the very beginning.

One study said that eating meat causes inflammation while vegans avoid this. However, other studies showed much inflammation from gluten (another diet altogether.). A better study showed inflammation occurred in those eating meat fed a corn-based diet, but not in the group with grass-fed meat. I only trust studies with real people.Mice and rats are not humans. Besides, the test changes the proportion of the amount that a human would consume. In other words, don't test mice with the equivalent dose of twenty servings a day for a human.

You can definitely gain fat on a vegan diet. If you currently eat a lot of fatty meats, cheese, and ice cream; then you will lose weight on any diet where you eliminate those items. There are a good number of vegans who simply want to save animal lives. Extended time as a vegan will reduce the flora in your intestines that aid the breakdown of those proteins. This is probably why vegans who return to a meal with dairy or animal proteins usually feel awful after. Go back slowly and take probiotics if you are vegan for several months. Note that Coconut Milk is saturated fat and 63% of its calories are from fat.

What Are My Best Choices?
Oil free cooking may be your healthiest choice. It will immediately reduce the amount of fat in your diet. There are a number of companies providing non-stick enamels that can truly do what they promise. They are safer than Teflon and durable.

Protein powders can help you break the bad meat habits that are currently clogging your arteries. We can all benefit from eating healthy greens, like spinach and kale. Proteins from lentils, peas, and all the beans are worry-free alternate sources of the proteins you need. Choose fat-free dairy products. Limit cheese severely or eliminate it altogether. Despite the convenience, steer away from processed foods. Processed soy products have little nutritional value and can still have high fat levels. Consider a better soy option such as Fearn Soybean Soy Flour. Give yourself time to adjust to a new diet completely. Don't give up if you fail from time to time.

I have been pleasantly surprised how many people have made half of their weight loss goal with Zwift. Daily exercise can do wonders. Share your story with us or join your fellow Zwifters currently riding off the pounds, kilograms, and a few stones. ZwiftOff Facebook link.

KISS 4th!

Tough tough start. Angerman is almost a 5 w/kg and people were trying to match her, so I had to stick to the other riders chasing. Eventually, she broke ahead and Cassie and Falk went with her. I can't draft 4.5. Well, I could for a lap but then I would be burnt. They would dump me and I would be lost as the B pack would up and pass me.

When the split came, there was 10 of us competing for 4th through 14th (I think). Oh, I forgot there was 3 followed by 4 followed by 6. We kept the A group to 8 seconds. But, the riders behind went from 30 seconds to 10 or so. I saw the group kind of fold their hands and gave up the chase and let the others catch our wheel. I stayed near the front so I couldn't tell for sure. I had a number of lifts to stick with a few pushes. One rider i think kept wasting energy. I may have put in one small attack at the hill, but people kept catching up. Everyone stuck to the finish.

So, I stuck with the B squad led mostly by Pohl who eventually took 5th behind me. I waited until the 400 or 500 mark before I cut loose and committed at 400, sprinting to a bit past 200 then back on it for a 100 or so and coast across the line. It was a lot of mental effort. My HR has been way down this week as I moved up a gear (from my big gear training).

It has been a great week. Need some rest and a trip to the weight room. I'm afraid to look at the course for tuesday's CVR.

Sprint

Zwift Insider Articles

6. 6

AM I DOING IT RIGHT?

5 5 

START THE YEAR WITH ZWIFT

4 4 

ZWIFT FOR WEIGHT LOSS: THE SUPPLEMENT CONUNDRUM

3 3 

EXERCISE FOR WEIGHT LOSS

2 2 

ZWIFT FOR WEIGHT LOSS: DIET AND NUTRITION

1 1 

ZWIFT FOR WEIGHT LOSS: PREPARE FOR LIFTOFF

cvr and QOM

Had a great race 2nd behind Beth York again. Held on for a long race, twice up box hill

Also, held on to Leith Hill QOM now over 24 hours. So, it counts. (I don't count the first day results)

Weight Loss Article 6

Ever feel you are doing everything correctly to lose weight, yet a month later nothing has changed? Don't give up hope! Keep refining your efforts.

Am I Doing It Right?


Expert Advice
Even the experts don't agree on what methods work best. "There's no way to lose weight fast," says a popular fitness site. But, do a search and you will find they list articles such as, "Lose Weight Quickly," "Lose Weight Super Fast!" and "Lose Fat Super Fast." I am not dismissing those articles. Some of them contain good advice, but they're cloaked behind 'Click-Bait' titles. It is wise advice; beware of 'articles' that are basically a hidden sales tool.

The Numbers
Part of the problem is applying weight loss principles to a diverse group. An article for beginners in cycling fitness may urge one to "Go hard." That may refer to a level of effort that would be considered light to moderate for conditioned cycling athletes. Even when working with personal levels as a percentage of your maximum effort, the numbers may be difficult to pinpoint with accuracy. To illustrate; a beginner's level that can be maintained for a given length of time may be 50% of his maximum level. Whereas, an experienced, fit cyclist may maintain 85% of his maximum for the same length of time. You can't always go by numbers. Beginners can't train the way an experienced cyclist can. Often, they train by feel or intuition. They know what they are putting out without looking at the numbers.

This does not mean that those numbers are meaningless. Training levels just can't be defined with precision. You should find your FTP or your functional threshold power. Zwift Insider has an article What is FTP? and you can read a brief article on Zwift News Understand and Find Your FTP. This will help you target your efforts by the actual power of your cycling in watts. Training zones are given as a percentage of your FTP. Some studies and coaches use a percentage of your maximum heart rate. I will link the CDC (Center for Disease Control) information to calculate your Estimated Maximum Heart Rate. Basically, subtract your age from 220 if you are an adult.

VO2Max is a level higher than your FTP.  It is often expressed for use as a training level in watts. The actual VO2 (Volume of Oxygen Maximum) is expressed in measurements of milliliters of oxygen used in kilograms of body weight per minute. If you can cycle all-out for three to five minutes, that's perfect. Your wattage in that effort should be the level of your maximum volume of oxygen consumption. Short all-out sprinting uses more energy than the amount of oxygen your body can take in. The four minute test is great for knowing your approximate VO2max level.  However, I wouldn't recommend it for beginners. I'm sure your glad to hear that:) A good number estimate their VO2Max level to be 120% of their FTP.

Fat Burning Levels
Last week's chart showed the best fat burning levels to be 45-52% of VO2Max. The men's peak level for burning fat was 45% while the women's peak level was 52%. Here's the original chart for 233 test subjects(A) and all 300 test subjects(B):

Journal of Applied Physiology January 2005


 Let's compare this chart to a training level based on heart rate:

Terry O'Neil "Indoor Rowing Training Guide" (2001)

As the chart above shows (results were rounded for simplicity according to author), the best fat burning occurred at a rate of 65-75 % of maximum heart rate.This number may not be reliable in individuals with poor heart health, obesity, and other health conditions. It is an estimate. Poor fitness may make one's heart pump much faster than it would with a trained athlete. A great benefit to low intensity efforts is that it should not over-stress your heart. It should contribute to the habit of daily exercise rather than requiring rest days.

It Feels Too Easy
Could you possibly be doing too little to get the most benefit? In my opinion, a flat yes. This is why I stress a strength workout of low cadence effort. Low intensity efforts without a high pedal force are quite possibly too low an effort for many individuals. The exception is those whose health limits their ability to do more at present. And this presents the problem with studies of low intensity exercise. It is often defined differently from one test group to another.

Let's examine two individuals doing the same workout. The effort consists of ten minutes 45% ftp, ten minutes 55% ftp, and ten minutes 50% ftp. A little tough to maintain if all you see is a line graph.

Example 1

Example 2

In example 1, the rider did the exact protocol, averaging fifty percent of his ftp for thirty minutes. His heart rate appears low and under stressed. He averaged a cadence of 90. His heart rate resting was 100. His heart rate averaged 112 for the entire duration. My analysis would be low force on the pedals, essentially just spinning in a small gear. He may lack muscular strength in his legs. This is not a failure, it misses the ideal for weight loss though. This rider may not be targeting weight loss.

In example 2, the rider did the test as called for. His resting heart rate was between 85-90. His effort averaged a heart rate between 117-125 beats per minute. This is spot-on to what I would expect. His cadence was between 69-72. He was exerting his muscles much more. It should feel like you are pushing up a hill. Push with your glutes and the back thigh or bicep muscles. The effort of the rider in example 2 burns fat and improves fitness.

If you can target the right intensity at the right strength level and add the factor of early morning exercise, you can put yourself in the best position for success. Be aware that fasted exercise is recommended only in the low intensity zone. Many advocates of fasted exercise (pre-breakfast efforts) will limit the total duration of your workout. If you burn 50% of your calories as fat, then you also burn some of the finite amount of glycogen stored in your muscles and liver. You don't want to completely exhaust your energy by riding over 90 minutes on water alone. If you want a longer ride, take a few calories with you.

Experts caution that high intensity exercise (85% ftp and higher) should not be maintained for more than 30-60 minutes without some fuel (sports drink, fruit, cereal). You don't want an energy crash (aka 'bonk') especially if you are riding outdoors. For many of us, it is the opposite problem. I see people ride a short distance to burn 200 calories, eat a 500 calorie granola bar, then pedal off back home. That will defuse your fat burning efforts. Drink water. Drink plenty of it.

Fringe Benefit
One more reported benefit of specific fat burning exercise hasn't been mentioned yet. It was deliberate so as not to influence you. If you have tried a ZwiftOff Group Workout on Zwift or have followed some of our workout suggestions; you may have experienced a suppressed appetite following your workout. In sharp contrast, an intense high level workout that burns a large percentage of carbohydrates often causes an increased appetite, aka 'carb frenzy'. Personally, I thought it sounded like nonsense. Maybe it is the power of suggestion, but I know I get carb crazy after an intense race or workout. I haven't felt that after the ZwiftOff workouts.

All I can say is "Try it." I wish you all the success you deserve. Try our group workout, 'ZwiftOff with Zee' Sundays at 7:10 am EST. Check Zwift Events Listing and join us. Everyone is welcome.
January 14 2018 information: ZwiftOff Event