I was off the bike for a whole week and took it really stead for another two weeks. I say it couldn't have come at a better time... I have already planned two weeks off as a recovery before I started my next phase of training so I haven't really lost much. At least, I haven't lost as much as if it was a few weeks before the National Hill Climb Championships... That would have been a complete waste of a year then!
There was no real reason for catching the dreaded man flu. I wasn't really training at the time and I was really 'fresh'... much more than I should have been really. I was just unlucky.
That being said, I have decided to increase my weight a little to reduce the risk of picking up any further illnesses. The hill climbs are not until September so I have no reason to be this low at the moment. I purchased some body fat calipers the other day to get a second 'opinion' of my current body fat. Taking at 3 points (chest, belly & thigh) it measured in at an impressive 4%. Not sure how accurate this is as there is still more to come off I'm sure. My bathroom scales measure in at 10%... I recon i'm somewhere in between so going to take an average from now on. Weighing in at my lowest weight of 142lb I have decided to take my weight up to 147lb knowing I can drop 7lb in a few weeks when I need to.
Going back to the illness and time off... I can't believe how much power I have lost. The next phase of training started today and as per usual, it starts off with an FTP test. Feeling optimistic I went into the test with the hope I would be able to hit just under 290W... 5 watts lower than my peak about 5 weeks ago. I couldn't have been so wrong! Not only did I fail to hit the target, I went of so hard in the first 8 mins test I couldn't even finish the second... well... I'll be honest... I gave up because I was no where near target power.
Rather than taking 90% of the average of the two 8 mins tests, I've taken 85% of the first test... clocking in at a rather embarrassing 275W... a 7% loss in power.
I'm hoping the main reason for the drop in power is due to the chest infection and that I just need to clear my lungs a bit... but then again, I have taken 3 weeks away from structured training so perhaps a 7% drop in power is typical of an 'off season' such as this. Time and experience will tell... I have hope and optimism that this will quickly return now I'm back into training mode! I will be doing the evening 10m TT on Thursday and have a 25m TT on Saturday... That should remind my body and mind how to deal with the pain of sustained power if nothing else ;)
