Jan052025January 5, 2025January 5, 2025by Masters TTRacer

Getting Closer to Eliminating Heel Scrape

Posted in Training Reports

FOUNDATION 1.4 TRAINING REPORT (12/30 – 01/05)

HIGHLIGHTS: Over the past two years, whenever I ventured outdoors with my trike, I noticed that my heels would scrape on the pavement when pedaling. This was particularly noticeable and worrying when I completed laps on an outdoor velodrome in preparation for the aborted world record attempts this past June. It wasn’t until I had my trike fitting a couple of weeks ago that this problem surfaced again. Why is this happening? There are a couple of reasons.

The first reason is the difference in the direction of the pedal stroke of a standard bike, which is vertical, and the pedal stroke of the trike, which is largely horizontal. The second reason is that the front wheels of my trike are only about half the diameter of a standard bike wheel. And my crank set has 170mm (6.69 inches) crank arms. This reduces the clearance of the pedals to only five inches above the ground. When I clip in my size 12.25 shoes, the distance from the back of the cleat to the heel of the shoe is seven inches. This two-inch gap is the reason for the heel scraping.

There are three ways to eliminate this heel scrape: smaller shoes, shorter crank arms, and flatter pedal stroke. I ordered and received size 11-11.5 shoes, which measure six and a half inches from the back of the cleat to the heel of the shoe. This reduces the gap to 1.5 inches. I’ve ordered a new crank set with 165mm (6.49 inches) crank arms, which reduces the gap to 1.3 inches. Once the new crank set is installed, I will return to my bike fitter to lengthen my pedal stroke to clear the 1.3 inch gap.

This week’s training included seven workouts on the trike, plus one strength workout. All indoor cycling sessions were completed with my recumbent trike on a Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine smart trainer + Rouvy application.

DETAILS:

  • Monday’s Endurance-Kitchen Sink Ride workout was 9.13 miles in 0:41:02. Average speed was 13.4 mph; maximum speed was 16.7 mph. Average power was 67 watts; maximum power was 141 watts. The 45-minute strength routine, a mix of strength machines and bands, was completed.
  • Tuesday’s Sweet Spot Tempo Intervals (3 x 10/5 minutes) workout was 14.88 miles in 1:03:04. Average speed was 14.2 mph; maximum speed was 16.2 mph. Average power was 77 watts; maximum power was 117 watts.
  • Wednesday’s Recovery-Endurance Blend workout was 9.64 miles in 0:45:04. Average speed was 12.8 mph; maximum speed was 14.0 mph. Average power was 60 watts; maximum power was 77 watts. The 37-minute strength routine, a mix of strength machines, free weights, and rope exercises, was cancelled.
  • Thursday’s Aerobic Tempo Intervals (3 x 15/5 minutes) workout was 19.11 miles in 1:22:03. Average speed was 14.0 mph; maximum speed was 15.5 mph. Average power was 74 watts; maximum power was 121 watts.
  • Friday’s Endurance-Coffee Shop Ride workout was 12.51 miles in 1:00:02. Average speed was 12.5 mph; maximum speed was 13.1 mph. Average power was 56 watts; maximum power was 70 watts. The 36-minute strength routine, a mix of strength machines and rope exercises, was cancelled.
  • Saturday’s Foundation Medley Intervals (6 x 10/4 minutes) workout was 23.54 miles in 1:47:04. Average speed was 13.2 mph; maximum speed was 15.1 mph. Average power was 64 watts; maximum power was 99 watts.
  • Sunday’s Aerobic Tempo Intervals (3 x 20/5 minutes) workout was 22.22 miles in 1:34:24. Average speed was 14.1 mph; maximum speed was 15.5 mph. Average power was 76 watts; maximum power was 101 watts.

BY THE NUMBERS:

  • Total Distance: 111.02 mi
  • Longest Ride: 23.54 mi
  • Total Time for Week: 8:57:43 (h:m:s)
  • Avg Speed: 13.5 mph
  • Max Speed: 16.7 mph
  • Avg Power: 68 watts
  • Max Power: 141 watts
  • Calories: 2,238 C
  • Avg Weight: 176.4
  • Chronic Training Load: 54 (0)