2021 Festive 500 - Day 1 and 2

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This year, I gave myself a challenge - the Festive500.  Follow the link for full details, but rules are simple: complete 500km between December 24 and December 31.  I'm a slower, heavier biker by Zwift standards. 

First question: why?
I am off work from Christmas to New Years.  I have a few things to do around the house that will keep me somewhat busy, but honestly there would otherwise be a lot of couch time.  This crazy challenge will help me get a jump on the post-Holiday exercise blitz, and maybe even push me through my next weight plateau.


Day 1 - Earned Level 20!
  • Day 1: December 24
    • Target - 60km
    • Achieved: 60.4km
    • Method: Laps on Tempus Fugit on a custom 2hr Structured Workout (Longer Pyramid).
      • Overall this was a test of methodology for the week to come. 
      • Wasn't sure if I'd find the workout boring or how I'd fare with the increased output during the middle stretch.  
      • Found that breaking it up into 2-3 minute segments made the kms kick by pretty easily.  The longer segments in the middle were boring.  
      • Paused workout at 1hr mark for a 3-4 minute break, reapplied Butt'r and kept on rolling on the flat.
    • Nutrition: 1.5 bottles of HEED, 1 Hammer Gel, and a Clif bar at the start (my breakfast). Probably should have eaten more. 
    • Good: Didn't know if this workout would be too much for me too early in the week. The higher sections just below FTP were not fun, but the ride down the other side of the pyramid was quite satisfying.
    • Bad: Seat discomfort. General inability to stretch/coast or get out of the saddle in workout mode. I had passing thoughts of continuing past the goal but the last 15 minutes were brutal. 
    • Ugly: Frikkin' HRM died at the 1hr mark


Day 2 - Hanging out with the Diesel Army!
  • Day 2: December 25
    • Target: None
    • Achieved: 46.5km
    • Method: Built a quick ramp-up warmup workout and then jumped into the Pace Partner Mafia with D. Diesel for an additional 1:20 of work.
    • Nutrition: Good old h2o, and a Hammer gel at the 1hr mark.  I was making this up as I went; didn't want to load up on carby foods and then stop. 
    • Good: This time went super fast. 
      • Ramp up workout helped get me settled vs. hopping in straight away.
      • I really enjoyed the mini-game of keeping w/ the bot.  
      • I earned about 2x more sweat points than Day 1 in about half the time (about 45k).  (I might be able to get a frame upgrade this week? Crazy.)  
      • Less hand/seat pain since I could coast and move around in micro-increments, despite being in my Tri suit.  
      • I think needing to shift gears kept my right hand in a little more motion; far less numbness.
    • Bad: At the 1:20 mark, my legs were fatigued and I was sprinting to keep pace and then slipping off the back slowly. While I could have kept going, this was starting a death spiral. I didn't really plan for big distances and opted to pack it in for lunch and a shower. I could have kept going but have many days to go. 
    • Ugly: HRM never really came back and only sputtered data throughout. 

So far so good. I'm a little over 100km into the 500km goal.  Tomorrow I will do the Rapha Festive 500 ride (60 mins, group event and earn the jersey), take a quick break and then catch a pace partner if I feel up to it.  

I have some long days ahead and am thinking about an Imperial Century on Monday or Tuesday so that I can get ahead of the 8 day curve and allow a full recovery day.  I'm expecting to finish the 500km with the Zwift January Fondo.

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