Holding great form

This is my Performance Management Chart (from CyclingPeaks WKO+) for Jan and Feb only (see below why only 2 months) and I can't help looking at it with a huge sense of satisfaction for currently I am holding great form. The reason the slope is so dramatic, is of course 'cos it IS only 2 months' worth of data with a low starting point but I just hope I can keep it on an upward slant until the Nationals in 1 month's time. I am always in better form at this end of the year, finding training outdoors in the summer much easier than slogging away at the indoor trainer as I have to do in the winter. However that said despite the season (or actually with the smoke in the air, because of it) I'm currently doing 2 indoor sessions and am finding them much easier with my TACX iMagic ergo than with just an ordinary ergo...money well spent.

Ok..so the reason there are only 2 months in the PMC is because I have data from 2006 on and its all in one file and so I have to be very careful when sending them off to my coach that I don't send the wrong year's info. Soooo, I spent a very boring time creating separate month/year folders and dragging and dropping each workout into the appropriate one. OK so far? Yup...however..when I next opened up WKO+ it was empty...totally empty. After the instant panic of thinking I'd lost ALL my data I realised why there was nothing there. I didn't relish reversing everything so just released Jan and Feb 2009 data from their folders.

TRAC is now 1/3 the way through and continues apace with the fastest 5 or 6 teams having negotiated the floods in Queensland and are now risking Dengue fever in the Northen Territory. The rest are either mooching up the eastern coast..enjoying the Great Barrier Reef, the surf and the sun until they hit the floods or are stuck enjoying the hedonistic delights of Kings Cross in Sydney. The occasional team is still reluctant to leave Victoria but I'm giving them a motivational boot up the backside by doubling their latest week's score. We expect to lose a few teams as the hype settles down and so in 2 weeks time we are planning another lunch time get together with a talk on motivational strategies by the Psychologist on staff.

I've had quite a few comments about the scheme and also a few requests to use the idea. As I've said before, the concept is not new and only the name is my idea. We have learned from the experience and if we do it again will simplify the rules to allow absolutely any exercise rather than, as we have this time, only allowing exercise that could "take you up the road" ie not weights work. The following we would retain: teams of 4, team names, 40km/1hr of exercise, 15 minutes minimum/session and all scores to be in multiples of 15, the map with its team flags is also a great talking point.

Better get out to do my 10 x 1 minute max efforts. I was on my way out a while ago but on patting the cat realised it had been/was raining..weird. Sadly not enough to make a difference and we are expecting another hot and windy day this Tuesday. Here is the latest overview from the CFA of significant and big fires still going and this map is from the DSE with fires of all sizes.