Monday, December 15, 2008

Krista Park's 2009 Season preparations

From http://kristapark.blogspot.com:

This is the time of year to get a bike fit, put together a training plan, figure out nutrition, etc. Basically get it all together for a solid winter of training.

Bike Fit
I started by having Eddie O'Dea (55Nine Performance) check my bikes. While I always suggest a good bike fit for other riders, I may have started to believe I know more about how my bike should fit me than a fit system does. (I had Eddie mark everything so I could move it back to "the way I liked it".) However, the Dartfish video analysis is pretty impressive, I can now see how I pedal (watching the playback in slow motion). The explanation of the Wobble-Naught fit makes even more sense when you can see it working, I don't think I'll be moving anything back. The best part of this fit is being able to talk to Eddie from the road. Asking questions and having him review my pedal stroke via video will assure I am applying the pedal stroke properly.

I used the new information during the 6-hour SS race in Gainesville to keep my leg muscles as fresh as possible as long as possible. Of course I could only apply the technique during the sitting sections as I was on a SS. I had a great race, a faster time than I expected and my legs never thought about cramping. I am now back to base training and concentrating on pedal technique.

Nutrition
Another new resource I am taking advantage of is Namrita's nutritional knowledge. To start with, I filled out a few fitday pages, Namrita analyzed my intake and gave me recommendations. I look forward to working with someone who has a nutritional education (and access to all the latest studies).