Lake Placid Virtual Reality w/Coach Troy

[michelem]

So, I received this dvd last Friday but did a long, stupid run on Saturday that put me out of commission for a few days. I couldn't take it anymore tonight after work though, and popped in the dvd. I only made it about 1/2-way through -- I was SOOOO bored it wasn't funny! The entire dvd is 56 miles and close to 3 hrs. The first part is all downhill, low gears/high cadence (90-110rpm). I hate that stuff. There is very, very little climbing in the first 1/2 of the dvd - just some short Big CR/15 stuff. Even though at about mile 25 or so he said something like, "now we really start climbing," it sure didn't seem to last long (a couple minutes?) and we were back to going downhill at high rpm's again.

Also, it was close to 80 degrees in the house and there is no breeze on the trainer (I turned on the a/c, which helped a bit, but not much) . . . and I think I'm still a little wiped out from my Saturday adventure. So, maybe this added to my apathy about it. I ended up hopping off the bike after about an hour and 25 minutes and doing yoga instead.

So, I hope to try this one again and get through the whole thing. The back of the box says there are some good climbs in the second half and toward the end -- we'll see.

Another thing, sometimes I can see Coach Troy's lips moving, so I know he's saying something, but the sound cuts out. And, the "Coach Troy cam" is very shaky at times and difficult to look at. I'm going to have to try using my own music and seeing if that helps as well.

My mother got me the first virtual reality dvd of Coach Troy's, which is only about 17 miles and less than one hour. Even though the production isn't much better, there is much more variety and that makes it go by so much faster and be so much more enjoyable. I also have the Chris Carmichael mtn. biking interval training dvd that came with the trainer and even though it is an hour long of intense intervals, it goes by in a flash because there is so much variety. I just really don't like the whole stay in the same gear and at the same cadence for 10+ miles type of stuff. It doesn't simulate what I do on the road and it is boring! Sigh . . .

[Velobambina]

I agree that this one isn't exciting but it's a great training session. Since it's an endurance training session, I didn't expect that it would be fun, like Hillacious. It's also a nice break from the usual Spinervals format and I enjoy seeing the Upstate NY scenery. You can also turn off DVD music track and play your own tunes.

Yes, there are more hills in the latter part of the workout. I'm glad they weren't in the beginning since it's such a long (3 hr) ride.

[Thorn]

Hands down, Lake Placid is the most boring Spinervals I own (and, sigh, I am a groupie during our long winters). We bought it for a longer ride and, I swear it took us 5-6 uses before we finally made it all the way through. Even now, I perfer to cut a 3 hour segment out of the Hard Core 100 than to do Lake Placid.

One mental trick I used was to switch gears every minute during the 90-100 RPM aero sections ( a 90RPM gear and a 100RPM gear). I'm not going to develop that steady, long-term spin that way, but it keeps me saner. Those long sections with no hills drove me batty.

The thing I find wierd is that I looked at the profile of the Lake Placid Ironman course and I swear some of those long stretches of "flat" aren't flat.

[Velobambina]

Thorn---Think of it as "mental toughness" training. LOL. I usually crank my Best of the Ramones (Loud & Fast) CD when I do this one and sing along!!!

[michelem]

So, I tried this one again a couple nights ago and made it through the entire three hours. UGH!!! I really don't think I'll ever do this one again. So, if anyone wants to take it off my hands, let me know!

If you like LOTS and LOTS of fast spinning in easy gears, this one is for you (over 100 rpm's). I really hate that stuff and it's not as if I ever do it out in real life. The climbs are pretty pathetic and few and far between. I'll be using my Tucson Training Ride dvd for hill climbing action. I really do like that one!

[andtckrtoo]

I use this one occasionally, but have never gotten through the full 3 hours (I'd rather be tortured with Tough Love than this). I use it when I need to spin out my legs between hard rides or heavy leg days that just killed me. There are a couple 30 minute sections that I use. I prefer Gates Pass to this, definitely.

[Blueberry]

I might be interested in this Can you do just the second half of the DVD? I'll think about it

[michelem]

Yes, I believe you can actually start it at three different points in the ride. Here's the description, although I think it is very misleading. There is no 14 mile uphill at the end. It is more up and down, with the downs being longer than the ups (in my opinion). Maybe I'm just spoiled after doing the Tuscon training ride last week. That one IS 14 miles of all uphill -- I liked that one a lot!

Volume 2: Lake Placid Training Ride

A 56 Mile Virtual Training Ride previewing the Triathlon Course in Lake Placid, NY.

Ride with Coach Troy Jacobson in a virtual 56 mile cycling tour over majestic hills in the Adirondack region of picturesque Lake Placid, New York!


Difficulty Rating: 9.0
Duration: 56 Miles (About 2 hours, 50 minutes)
DVD Format / All Regions

Description:
Enjoy incredible scenery as you ride on Troy's wheel as he coaches you on proper technique, gear selection and intensity during this high aerobic endurance training ride of about three hours in duration. As this ride covers much of the race course for the famous Iron distance event in Lake Placid, you'll hear tips and suggestions on race day nutrition, pacing strategy and more!

Starting in Lake Placid, the ride takes you down the hill to the town of Keene then over rolling hills to the sleepy town of Jay. The climbing really starts on the way to Wilmington, with an out and back section on Haselton Road that shocks the legs. Once back in Wilmington, the last leg of the ride includes a 14 mile uphill jaunt back to Lake Placid with the incredible White Face Mountain and the Au Sable River on your right side. Overall, this is a cycling workout for the record books and a fantastic training workout!

This DVD contains two audio tracks including one with coaching mixed with music and one with only coaching and no music, allowing you to play your own favorite music in the background. Produced by Hopestar Productions, LLC. Executive Producer - Troy Jacobson. Distributed by Lifesports, Inc. Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.

[andtckrtoo]

I thought there were actually 4 start points:

Start to Keene - mostly down hill
Keen to Jay - mostly flat with a few (very few) rollers
Jay to Wilminton - up and back (more rolling hills)
Jay to end (climb to the end).

I have the start times for each of these written down so I know the approximate length of each section.

[michelem]

andtckrtoo,

You're right. I wasn't at home to be able to check when I posted this, so I was going on memory (not so good, obviously!). Thanks for the correction.

[andtckrtoo]

Michele - I guess I use it more than I thought. :P

[ny biker]

Technically I don't need any more spinning tapes, since I don't use all the ones I have now. But this virtual reality thing sounds like it might be a nice change of pace. Has anyone tried the Autumn ride dvd that was filmed in Maryland? Is it any good?

Thanks

[michelem]

Yes. I like that one, although it is on the shorter side (about 17 miles/56 minutes, or something like that). More rolling and varied and the time passes quite quickly, so nice for a day when you want something easier and don't have a whole lot of time.

The three I have are the Autumn, Tucson, and Lake Placid. LP is the only one I despise.