I’m currently training for a 100 kilometer charity ride and two triathlons this year, and this series is me documenting the process.

This is Part 2.

If you want to follow the journey, stick around.

See Part 1 here.

Week 6: FTP Test 2 Search for the Limit

Is there a better way to start your week than with an FTP test? Probably, but I wanted to get it out of the way, as my weekends were strictly for long rides now. So if I wanted to do a test, it will have to be during the week before or after work. 

I’ve been thinking about this test for a while. It’s redemption, now that I have done a month of training. The whole point with these tests is for me to see progress, and it will be a good motivator if I see some improvement.  

A month ago I tested at 182 watts, and that has been one of my lowest FTP since I started. Not because it was bad, but because it was honest. It just showed me exactly where I was at, whether I liked it or not. I’ve just been trying to rebuild from there.

My weekly training has consisted of one VO2 and one threshold ride where I feel fine for a few minutes and then suddenly I’m hanging on. If I have time, I’ll add another slightly longer recovery ride. But what I try not to skip are the ones on the weekend. I love these longer easy rides. I’m casually exploring, but I also feel something building underneath, because I always come home with wobbly legs.

By the time the test actually came around, it didn’t feel like a big moment. Just the next step.

So Monday, after work, I got to it. That’s something I’ve noticed now—there isn’t really a 100% version of me that shows up for these things.

I like doing ramp tests because of how deceptively easy they start. There’s always this moment where I think, oh, maybe this won’t be that bad. 300 watts? I can do it. No problem. Then it quickly changes. 

It feels like a pretty good metaphor for life. Things start out easy enough that you assume they’ll stay that way. You get comfortable. Then the next moment it gets hard, and part of your brain almost rejects it because you thought you already understood what this was supposed to feel like.

There’s still that point where it gets hard. But this time I push it a bit more. I endure a bit longer. But I always fall apart. That’s also a lesson in life. Eventually, whatever you are doing you will reach your limit. Because you are human and there is always a limit. 

But with limits, there is always progress.

And when it ends, I look down and see two hundred and 8 watts.

That is a huge improvement from 182. It almost feels too high. 

That’s also another lesson in life. When you raise the bar, you challenge yourself forever more. And you are not going to be your best every time. So I’m daunted by this new number, because now all my workouts are going to be that much harder. 

Almost 10% harder. 

But still, all of this is to challenge myself. So… I just got to be ready for that. 

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To help with motivation, I got myself a little treat. New socks. I purchased a bunch of these Outway socks. It’s just one of those small things that makes getting out the door feel a bit easier.

On Saturday, I rode out toward New Westminster.

I took the Central Valley Greenway, which is a route I wanted to take for a long time as it goes from Vancouver, across Burnaby, and all the way into New Westminster. New West is the original capital of BC. I went to college here. Met my wife here. I had some of the best memories here. But now I don’t go out there enough and I honestly haven’t done too much exploring here. So this ride felt  like something I needed to check off my list this training block.

These long rides are nice for exploration. And today was a good opportunity for it. 

Another thing I’ve started testing is fueling. It’s something I’ve kind of overlooked, but with longer rides coming, I know I need to figure it out. The good thing is I have an iron stomach. I can usually eat almost anything while training without issues, which is a huge advantage I like bragging about. So for me, it’s less about can I eat it, and more about whether I actually want to. Does it taste good? Is it easy to eat while riding? Am I going to end up covered in sticky crumbs trying to unwrap it on the bike? That’s kind of what I’m figuring out right now.

I’ve been trying these Xact bars, mostly just figuring out which flavors I actually like. I started with the apricot one, and the first thing that surprised me was the texture. For some reason I wasn’t expecting it to be a gummy candy. This was my first ever Xact bar, so I had no idea what I was getting into. And this one was way sweeter than I expected. Like properly sugary. Even the texture caught me off guard too. Softer and stickier than I imagined. I don’t know… maybe it’ll grow on me.

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While I was out in New West, I stopped at Caps Bicycle Shop. This is the bike store, I purchased my current road bike from. I was thinking of getting new wheels, but I just didn’t find it financially necessary. The ones I currently have is fine. 

I think about buying a new bike all the time. But the truth is, every year I crash at least once. And little scratches happen. If I bought some really expensive dream bike right now, I’d probably spend half my time worrying about damaging it. I don’t want that relationship with my bike. Right now, I like having something functional. Something with a bit of character already built into it. 

And there’s something nice about not feeling precious with it. One day I’ll upgrade, for sure. But not this year. Right now I kind of want to see how far I can push this bike. How many miles I can get out of it. How much life it still has in it. I like that idea. Because in a weird way, it feels similar to what I’m doing with myself right now too. I’m trying to find the bike’s limit. My limit on this bike.

Right now, this entry level bike still feels fast to me. Sometimes faster than I’m even comfortable with. So I keep thinking… if a Toyota is already fast enough for where I’m at, why do I need a Ferrari right now? That’s kind of the mindset I’m in these days.

Speaking of practicing… this Sunday, instead of going out for another ride, I stayed home and cleaned my bike. I practiced taking the wheels off, trying to understand the machine a little better instead of just riding it. I took a bike mechanic course 2 years ago. I’m not sure how much of that stuck. 

I even spent some time tuning up my wife’s bike. I adjusted a few of the gears and noticed the chain was dropping on the big ring, so I tried to fix that too. I took it out for a quick test ride afterwards, and it felt pretty good. It was actually kind of fun riding her bike. It’s so much more comfortable. 

Challenging yourself isn’t only about going longer or achieving bigger numbers. Sometimes it’s learning the less exciting parts of the process. The things that make you more capable. More self-sufficient. More connected to what you’re actually doing.

Week 7: Mixed Together

This week felt like one of those weeks where training stops being separate from life and gets mixed into everything else. 

On Good Friday, I met up with my buddy, Joel, for a run before we went swimming.

Joel has been joining me for swims for about a month now, which has helped me stay consistent, especially since swimming has dropped down my priority. With just one swim a week, I’ve accepted that my swimming is not going to be that much better. 

As for running, after doing my half marathon a month and a half ago, I’ve cut down my mileage, but this month, I’m hoping to start slowly picking it back up. Two runs a week. 

This was a nice one to get out for. The run always feels easier when you’re chatting with someone, especially on a day off when there’s no pressure attached to it.

And the swim was good too. Right now I’m not following a structured swim plan—I’m mostly just doing lengths—so it can get a little repetitive and hard to stay motivated sometimes. But having someone there changes the whole feeling of it. It feels more like an experience I’m sharing with someone. It’s nice to have that balance. Because consistency is more than discipline, it’s making it easier to show up.

For example, the next day, I had to take my car in for service, which basically meant I had this awkward block of time where I couldn’t really do anything while I wait for my car. Toyota does offer to drive me somewhere and pick me up after the car is ready, but I don’t like the idea of being dropped off at a random place I don’t really need to be. Usually I would just wait at the dealership or go over to the McDonald’s across the street. This time, I decide to bring my bike.

Instead of waiting around, I did my training. And it was probably the best way to spend my time. I rode up Burnaby Mountain toward SFU. I did that climb once last year, and I remember it feeling like a proper suffer-fest.

It still hurts, obviously. But this time it felt familiar. I took the longer way up, which felt super rewarding once I got to the top. And that’s the part I like the most. The top of that climb just feels earned. It’s hard to get that satisfaction waiting at the dealership or having breakfast at McDonald’s. Although a McGriddle would be really good right now. 

What surprised me though is how accessible it’s starting to feel. Not easy—but completing a big climb like this is becoming part of my normal rotation instead of this big challenge ride.

I definitely want to come back and do it a few more times this year. I’ve always liked coming up to SFU. I’ve got a lot of good memories attached to this place. I was never a student here, but a long long time ago I had friends who studied on campus, so I’d come up to visit them, hang out at the bar, wander around the halls a bit. So getting to ride up here now feels kind of nostalgic. 

I like exploring this place, but not all of it is easy to access on a bike. There are a lot of staircases or inclines. But I did manage to take a break at the tracks. These little breaks on the long rides have been nice. I use it as an opportunity to taste test my Xact bar. 

I tried the blackcurrant one, and it was way better than the apricot. Not as sweet and way easier to actually get down. I could actually see myself using that on a run instead of a gel. On the bike though… I don’t know. That feels like a sticky and grainy disaster waiting to happen. But that’s kind of what this week was.

I’m just figuring things out. I’m starting to think that these Xact bars will be great for right before the race not during. Maybe I could have one before a run. But I think I would prefer a gel then one of these bars. Although, this blackcurrant one was pretty good. 

I love how this whole training process has become this mix of old and new. Old places, new experiences. Old routines, new ways of accomplishing them.

A lot of it right now is just figuring out how training fits into regular life. Around car service appointments, errands, work, all the normal stuff. That’s the real challenge most of the time. Not the workouts themselves. Sometimes it just means blending things together the best you can.

So Sunday ended up being more of a rest day. I stayed home, cleaned up a bit, hand-washed my cycling kit. And weirdly, I love that part of it too. Watching all the dirt wash out of the fabric after some long training. There’s something satisfying about it. 

Week 8 — Man Makes Plans

My buddy, Joel invited me to go for another run this week as he’s planning for the Sun Run. We decided to do a lap around Stanley Park, which is simply one of the nicest places in the world to run. 

It’s nice to spend a Friday night by the beach. This is the closest thing to night life for me these days. We finished the run by grabbing a beer and burger. It has been some really stressful weeks of real life, so it’s nice to have these outing sometimes. 

On Saturday, the cycling training continues. Riding across the Lions Gate Bridge is always fun. Every time I go over it, I think about when I was younger and a few friends and I walked across it into North Van just to explore for the day. At the time, it felt like this huge adventure because I barely explored the city growing up. Even going somewhere across the bridge felt exciting and unfamiliar. Now I get to choose to come out here whenever I want. 

For a while I’ve been planning a trip to Nanaimo which is on Vancouver Island. I was thinking of taking my bike there on a solo touring trip. I had it all planned. The route, the ferry ride, the hotel, the cycling I was going to have once i was there. I even got a day off. But I decided to cancel. 

A trip like that sounded really fun and challenging, but with how everything was going in training and life, I just didn’t need that extra riding pressure, so I decided to stay in the city. I was planning another overnight trip, but with the World Cup coming to Vancouver this year, all the hotel in the city is way overpriced. There’s many excuses, but I just have to do it. Just not this year. But I could still ride over the bridge and into West Van today. Nothing is stopping me here. 

I took a little break at Ambelside beach and it’s nice to see Stanley Park from this view. I tried the Green Apple EXact this week. I’m not a big fan of real apples, as I’m allergic to them, but I do like the flavor of green apples. I like how sour they are. And I think this one does it justice. It’s pretty good without being overwhelming. 

I’m not sure how eating something sour will affect you while racing. Like a Warhead. That would be interesting. I might just choke. 

As the time is ticking by and all the things I plan to do has rather happened or is fast approaching, I feel a little overwhelmed. There is a dread that starting to loom over me. A fatigue that is more than just in my body, it’s in my brain as well.

For example, on this ride, I decided to do a lap of Stanley Park as well. This is a race course for the Vancouver Triathlon I’ll be doing in September. September seems so far away at this moment, but I know it’ll soon come. And will I be ready? Will I be ready for my 100Km? Will I be ready for the T100? 

A part of me wants to have just training. No event. I just train to train without the pressure. I’m starting to feel like I have so much pressure these days. Leading up to an event. A presentation. A test. A challenge. But I suppose life is made up of these little milestones and that’s just the way to measure growth. 

Plans. Isn’t that another word for growing? Man makes plans, god laughs. Nothing ever goes exactly the way you want. And, nearly 2 months in, I’m seeing cracks in my training plan. 

Week 9 — Good Medicine

I’m excited for this weekend, because this weekend I’m going camping and it’ll be the first break I’m getting this training block. I have been training hard indoors, doing a couple of high intensity interval workouts per week. And with the higher FTP, the training has been much harder this month than last. So, a full few days to take completely off was good. 

But before I head out to slum it out in the woods, I’m going for a run. It’s a beautiful day. I’ve really come to love camping earlier and later in the year. With forest fires and how busy camp grounds get, it’s nice to beat the crowd. 

I went with my friend Tyler, who’s always great company. We grabbed a good meal first, then headed out to the campsite. It’s actually not that far from the city. You’re not completely out in the middle of nowhere or anything. It feels more like camping in a giant park than full wilderness camping. And that’s really all I need for now.

People prescribe all kinds of things for stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression. And you know what they say when there are this many remedies… there probably is no cure. But these little camping trips, like exercise, do feel like good medicine. 

The campsite we stayed at was nice too. We were right by this little river and Tyler built a little staircase here. It was a really great trip, although my air mattress deflated and I couldn’t figure out where the leak was. I’ll figure out whether I need to buy a new one next time. That was a bummer, because my sleep wasn’t great. In the end, this camping trip was a wonderful way to wrap up another month of training. And what I thought would be a good way to rest up for my next FTP test. 

You know what they say—when you go on a trip, you often come back needing another vacation. And honestly, I felt that. Summer was coming, I got back, and suddenly I’m pressure washing the patio, dealing with all the usual stuff at home, and jumping straight back into work. There’s just a lot happening all at once. I even caught myself thinking, what’s the point of trying to fit my next FTP test in? But then I reminded myself why I’m doing the FTP test in the first place. It’s not supposed to be done in perfect conditions. It’s about seeing where I’m actually at in the middle of everything. 

So with all that in mind, I guess the real question now is… how am I actually going to do this time around?

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