So who thought doing VO2x 24 hours after the run test, which was 48 hours after the bike test, would be a good idea? And then follow w/ strides??? But, BOOM - got it done, hit my new numbers, just a little less emotional oomph than usual. I was thinking about swimming tomorrow, but I.AM.TIRED and am now in REST, REST, REST mode...
looking fwd to the next ~40+ hours of rest, as the legs were screaming at me during today's bike wko. toughest part was the 12' w/u at my new 85% -- felt like real work, which is exactly how it felt when the OS kicked off. by week 7, those 12' were much easier, so i have confidence that'll be the case again soon enough
interestingly, VO2 sets #1, 2 and 3 were pretty similar in their difficulty -- normally, the last set is much tougher than the first. i discovered some hidden power in set #3 when i relaxed my shoulders and engaged my core -- looked down on some ridiculously high power numbers early in each interval and then coasted back to my VO2 power
finished off with 15' of EP running + the 5x20" hill strides
OMG! The new numbers are cruel. :-) Even before the second set was over I was wondering if I was going to make it through the workout. I woke up stiff from yesterday's run even though I did all sorts of recovery stuff, including NOT drinking at a holiday party last night. WHAT?? I need to set better priorities...
I tried to tack on some ABP (what does that stand for??) time at the end and could only manage 4 minutes. Phew. I'm going to take some time to recover a little and maybe fold some laundry or something before I try to do the run.
VO2 work done. 15 minutes on 1:1. Didn't have a whole lot of mental mojo going so I just plugged in Revolver and chased Mr. Flappy Jacket around. Skipping the run so I can be fresh for Saturday's run test.
Peter: ABP is always be pushing. I think it's z3 ish?
I got the 45/45s right this time. It's weird because they feel easier this way.
However, it's really a moving target for me. I don't know if I am approaching this right. You all can chime in with your thoughts. As a HR althete, the delay in getting my heart rate up in 45 s is so stupid that I don't really use that. I do these on the spin bikes at the gym, which have power on them. The problem is that there is a wide variation in how they are calibrated. it was a rough first week when I was at 200 watts on bike A and then I was struggling to hit 150 on bike B. I have debated finding the same bike every time, but they get rearranged after every class so it's really kind of a pain. Ultimately what I end up doing is going by RPE and picking a number based on that and try to hit that target consistently over the course of the workout. Sound ok-ish...?
Biked the VO2 workout today with new power numbers from TR. Did not feel overly difficult. I was expecting much worse. If this is the case should I consider moving up from beginner to intermediate or just ride this OS out and make changes at the end of week 14? I don't want to overdo it, but want to make sure I keep pushing in the right direction.
Now I just need the storm to chill out so I can go run outside. No way am I running on a treadmill for 40 minutes.
Howdy gang, I have been swamped at work so it took a while to get this up. I did the 45/45's this morning and like a few others, my legs were not the quickest to respond. Once I got it going, it felt pretty good. My HR monitor starting acting up through set 4 though, so after that it was all PE. I didn't add anything on top of the main set because work has been a bear and I needed to brick in the run. It went well, looking forward to the rest day!
Day late but not a dollar short...had to take it one interval at a time - too much to contemplate the whole workout from the start - but I was able to knock down the intervals one at a time. Set a new 30s power level record in TrainerRoad - not a surprise given my most recent test... next time I'm going to hold on to that last interval for a full minute to set a new 60s record. Love to see those little upside-down light-bulbs or medals or whatever they are supposed to be show up in TR.
Still have lingering symptoms from the stomach bug but they're no worse if I work out, so... guess I'll be getting the run in this afternoon, shortly after work, to get the trifecta: cold, rainy, and dark. It still beats the treadmill.
Vo2 wko in this morning. After last night's 5k it was....not easy. standard warmup and 3x4x45/45. called it a day after that, still have to run 45 after work this evening.
Next week I plan to continue with the beginner plan for the runs and bump up to intermediate for the bike.
Satish - how are you going to load the Training plans since you are doing Intermediate for bike and beg for run. I like that idea too! Are you going to load/print one? Thanks in advance for imput.
@Ann. I'm currently rethinking the whole idea , but what I planned to do is each sunday print out the weekly synopsis for the upcoming week, but keep the beginner plan loaded in.
Testing Week went well. Rode the 40' TT 4mph (25%) faster than Week1; and on the run bumped up the vDOT 4.2; at similar heart rates to Week1. Moving faster and holding the speeds longer on both bike and run. Scan of body systems (head, shoulders, knees and toes) shows no apparent excessive wear (should scan left knee again!). So, speed and volume increased, the double-edged sword. Plan for the next 2 weeks is to let off the accelerator and try not to set a PR with EVERY ride and run; absorb the 8 week gains and try to avoid injury; and in the spirit of NOV OS...BOOM and BOOM the New Year!
@Ann, Satish - I'd be happy to create a topic in the forum and post the intermediate bike workouts a few days ahead of time if it would make life easier for you - let me know.
Not sure if this helps, but you can easily toggle among the plans by changing one number in the URL to the weekly plan. The "p=77" part indicates the plan number (beginner OS in this case), and the "w=8" indicates the week number. By simply changing one or two numbers in the URL you can quickly swap among plans and weeks. The full URL's are as follows:
Saturday AM bike done . Still getting used to relation of new wattage to cadence, so I overshot the second and third interval even though I didn't think I was working that hard. But quarf says I do, and I know better than to argue... Looks like tomorrow's an easy run. Good job hanging tough and getting through this week peeps!
I got up early-ish and got the bike in this morning. Hit the paces, though the second 15 minutes felt like 30 or so. I did about 25 minutes in Z3 to finish it out. Off to work!
Alright, after some rescheduling today was bike FTP test day! At the start of the OS, statistics were - weight approx 207 lbs - VO2 max 382 watts - 20 min power 284 watts - FTP 270 watts - FTP 2.86 watts / kg
Because the ratio VO2 max / FTP was 1.42 I never did any VO2 intervals during OS training, but always did FTP intervals. On Thursday's I'd simply repeat either Tuesday's bike workout or the main set from the following Saturday. As a result, expectation for today was to see a consistent VO2 max, (no drop, no increase) and at least 15-20 watts increase in FTP. At least my 20 min power had to be over 300 watts or I'd be really surprised / disappointed. Made a new playlist just for today's music to have some good music to listen to during the test and cranked up the volume. Also made sure to start the day with the breakfast of champions (bread with Nutella).
VO2 max was good, got stuck a bit between 2 gears and that may have impacted my power by a few watts. Either my cadence felt a little low and force too high or I had to work too hard and ride at high cadence which I couldn't keep up. Anyway, turned myself inside out and averaged 403 watts, so up 21 watts, or 5.5%, kind of surprising but hey, I'll take it.
10 minutes recovery felt very short just like last time. Heart rate dropped by 60 bpm in 3 minutes but it took the whole 10 minutes for breathing to become stable and easy again. Legs felt like cramping and I was worried I'd cramp shortly into the 20 minute interval.
20 minute test came and I paced it just like Rich recommended. Started with 4 minutes at the same power of last time, spot on 284-285, next 12 minutes I wanted to hold a steady power just over 300 watts and averaged 310. Final 4 minutes all out till you puke... averaging 349 watts in those last minutes. Final verdict 313 watts average over those 20 minutes.
Results test 2 - weight 202 lbs --> down 5lbs - VO2 Max 403 watts --> up 21 watts - 20 minute power 313 watts --> up 29 watts or 10.2% - FTP power 298 watts --> up 28 watts or 10.2% - Watts per kg 3.25, up 13.4%
For the next block I really like to make more effort to lose some weight. My first A-race is only in May but I'm doing IM 70.3 California for fun but I feel if i just do the work and make a dietary effort I can actually get a good result there, so want to make the most of my training (without deviating from the season plan).
Boom! Wko in. Added 1' to each 13' to start bridging up to the int bike wko and used a slightly higher FTP number. Went great, standard warmup, 2x13/4, 1x5/5 then 21' at 85%. I am starting to become friends with that 'little' burn in the quads. Have a great weekend!
Have been MIA the last 1.5 wks with the flu only getting a few workouts. Got in today's bike and it hurt.... Last few minutes of each 12' set had to really fight to keep my power up. Looking forward to getting back in the saddle.
Deviated from protocol this morning - after the stomach bug this week and schedule flip-flops next week, I needed a run... and so... I ran. 40m EP plus a few strides. Then I hopped on the bike. Did Devil's Crag, which has the same amount total of z4 riding (36m) but spared me a 15m work interval. Exactly where I wanted to be for all three work intervals: .98, 1.0, .98. It was not easy holding onto that last interval but The Girl (9) and The Boy (11) came down to the dungeon near the end and were staring at the monitor, so backing off wasn't really an option...
As a bonus, I got one of those TrainerRoad upside-down-lightbulb-medal-things for a 60m power record.
Now I am considering my options for the next few days. Monday is my last chance to get in a bike before Friday, so it's now a WORK day. Wonder how that 2x20 is going to feel after (Th,Fri,Sat,Sun) four days of WORK... I'll take it easy on the Sunday run, and then I have a few days to absorb training after Monday.
Thanks for the great posts everyone!
@Kate - that's right, don't argue with the quarf... way to get it in.
@Scott - It's funny how time really slows down during those later work intervals. Whether or not work intervals help you live longer, they will make it seem longer, so either way it's a win...
@Gordon - Similar - thinking about just doing the holiday run challenge and returning to OS when we're back...
@Ben - Those are some remarkable numbers you've put up - nicely done. Kind of calls into question your concerns about being unprepared...
@Satish - Glad to hear you're stepping up on the bike - bet it serves you well...
@Erik - glad to hear you're back in the saddle - welcome back.
Russell, I like your report, too. Nice image in my head. "Dad's nuts..."
So, I got on the bike this afternoon and set about doing the 15, 15, 5 FTP workout that the TR folks have programmed in for EN. I'm not sure if you'll be able to see the file but here's the URL.
It wasn't as challenging to keep the new numbers going as I thought it might be, even futzing around with different gears and cadences during the work periods. Maybe things just flow a little better for me later in the day instead of the morning when I do the majority of my workouts. If you can see the workout online, you'll notice that there are several bugs to resolve before these are properly representing the EN plan workouts.
Comments
So who thought doing VO2x 24 hours after the run test, which was 48 hours after the bike test, would be a good idea? And then follow w/ strides??? But, BOOM - got it done, hit my new numbers, just a little less emotional oomph than usual. I was thinking about swimming tomorrow, but I.AM.TIRED and am now in REST, REST, REST mode...
interestingly, VO2 sets #1, 2 and 3 were pretty similar in their difficulty -- normally, the last set is much tougher than the first. i discovered some hidden power in set #3 when i relaxed my shoulders and engaged my core -- looked down on some ridiculously high power numbers early in each interval and then coasted back to my VO2 power
finished off with 15' of EP running + the 5x20" hill strides
enjoy the rest all. we've earned it this week!
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/132115
I tried to tack on some ABP (what does that stand for??) time at the end and could only manage 4 minutes. Phew. I'm going to take some time to recover a little and maybe fold some laundry or something before I try to do the run.
Keep on the gas everyone!
Peter: ABP is always be pushing. I think it's z3 ish?
I got the 45/45s right this time. It's weird because they feel easier this way.
However, it's really a moving target for me. I don't know if I am approaching this right. You all can chime in with your thoughts. As a HR althete, the delay in getting my heart rate up in 45 s is so stupid that I don't really use that. I do these on the spin bikes at the gym, which have power on them. The problem is that there is a wide variation in how they are calibrated. it was a rough first week when I was at 200 watts on bike A and then I was struggling to hit 150 on bike B. I have debated finding the same bike every time, but they get rearranged after every class so it's really kind of a pain. Ultimately what I end up doing is going by RPE and picking a number based on that and try to hit that target consistently over the course of the workout. Sound ok-ish...?
What about putting a piece of white tape on the seat post?
Now I just need the storm to chill out so I can go run outside. No way am I running on a treadmill for 40 minutes.
I have been swamped at work so it took a while to get this up. I did the 45/45's this morning and like a few others, my legs were not the quickest to respond. Once I got it going, it felt pretty good. My HR monitor starting acting up through set 4 though, so after that it was all PE. I didn't add anything on top of the main set because work has been a bear and I needed to brick in the run. It went well, looking forward to the rest day!
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/132798
Day late but not a dollar short...had to take it one interval at a time - too much to contemplate the whole workout from the start - but I was able to knock down the intervals one at a time. Set a new 30s power level record in TrainerRoad - not a surprise given my most recent test... next time I'm going to hold on to that last interval for a full minute to set a new 60s record. Love to see those little upside-down light-bulbs or medals or whatever they are supposed to be show up in TR.
Still have lingering symptoms from the stomach bug but they're no worse if I work out, so... guess I'll be getting the run in this afternoon, shortly after work, to get the trifecta: cold, rainy, and dark. It still beats the treadmill.
Have a great day, everyone.
Satish - how are you going to load the Training plans since you are doing Intermediate for bike and beg for run. I like that idea too! Are you going to load/print one? Thanks in advance for imput.
@Ann. I'm currently rethinking the whole idea , but what I planned to do is each sunday print out the weekly synopsis for the upcoming week, but keep the beginner plan loaded in.
@Ann, Satish - I'd be happy to create a topic in the forum and post the intermediate bike workouts a few days ahead of time if it would make life easier for you - let me know.
That would be helpful Russell, but you shouldn't feel obligated.Cheers!
@Satish, Ann - under Int Bike WO for OS-peeps doing Int-Bike and B-Run
Not sure if this helps, but you can easily toggle among the plans by changing one number in the URL to the weekly plan. The "p=77" part indicates the plan number (beginner OS in this case), and the "w=8" indicates the week number. By simply changing one or two numbers in the URL you can quickly swap among plans and weeks. The full URL's are as follows:
Beginner:
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingWeekDetails/tabid/204/Default.aspx?p=77&w=8
Intermediate:
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingWeekDetails/tabid/204/Default.aspx?p=78&w=8
Advanced:
http://members.endurancenation.us/TrainingWeekDetails/tabid/204/Default.aspx?p=79&w=8
That's really helpful, Jim
Thanks Russell and Jim!
Saturday AM bike done . Still getting used to relation of new wattage to cadence, so I overshot the second and third interval even though I didn't think I was working that hard. But quarf says I do, and I know better than to argue... Looks like tomorrow's an easy run. Good job hanging tough and getting through this week peeps!
I took Thursday off due to other commitments and still came back with a less than stellar result.
1X15 the 1X5 @ .98 & .94 - I then did 10' @.83 and called it a day. Heading off to the inlaws shortly so next week maybe a little jumbled.
Gordon
- weight approx 207 lbs
- VO2 max 382 watts
- 20 min power 284 watts
- FTP 270 watts
- FTP 2.86 watts / kg
Because the ratio VO2 max / FTP was 1.42 I never did any VO2 intervals during OS training, but always did FTP intervals. On Thursday's I'd simply repeat either Tuesday's bike workout or the main set from the following Saturday. As a result, expectation for today was to see a consistent VO2 max, (no drop, no increase) and at least 15-20 watts increase in FTP. At least my 20 min power had to be over 300 watts or I'd be really surprised / disappointed. Made a new playlist just for today's music to have some good music to listen to during the test and cranked up the volume. Also made sure to start the day with the breakfast of champions (bread with Nutella).
VO2 max was good, got stuck a bit between 2 gears and that may have impacted my power by a few watts. Either my cadence felt a little low and force too high or I had to work too hard and ride at high cadence which I couldn't keep up. Anyway, turned myself inside out and averaged 403 watts, so up 21 watts, or 5.5%, kind of surprising but hey, I'll take it.
10 minutes recovery felt very short just like last time. Heart rate dropped by 60 bpm in 3 minutes but it took the whole 10 minutes for breathing to become stable and easy again. Legs felt like cramping and I was worried I'd cramp shortly into the 20 minute interval.
20 minute test came and I paced it just like Rich recommended. Started with 4 minutes at the same power of last time, spot on 284-285, next 12 minutes I wanted to hold a steady power just over 300 watts and averaged 310. Final 4 minutes all out till you puke... averaging 349 watts in those last minutes. Final verdict 313 watts average over those 20 minutes.
Results test 2
- weight 202 lbs --> down 5lbs
- VO2 Max 403 watts --> up 21 watts
- 20 minute power 313 watts --> up 29 watts or 10.2%
- FTP power 298 watts --> up 28 watts or 10.2%
- Watts per kg 3.25, up 13.4%
For the next block I really like to make more effort to lose some weight. My first A-race is only in May but I'm doing IM 70.3 California for fun but I feel if i just do the work and make a dietary effort I can actually get a good result there, so want to make the most of my training (without deviating from the season plan).
Boom! Wko in. Added 1' to each 13' to start bridging up to the int bike wko and used a slightly higher FTP number. Went great, standard warmup, 2x13/4, 1x5/5 then 21' at 85%. I am starting to become friends with that 'little' burn in the quads. Have a great weekend!
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/133871
Hi all,
Russell, I like your report, too. Nice image in my head. "Dad's nuts..."
So, I got on the bike this afternoon and set about doing the 15, 15, 5 FTP workout that the TR folks have programmed in for EN. I'm not sure if you'll be able to see the file but here's the URL.
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/134171
It wasn't as challenging to keep the new numbers going as I thought it might be, even futzing around with different gears and cadences during the work periods. Maybe things just flow a little better for me later in the day instead of the morning when I do the majority of my workouts. If you can see the workout online, you'll notice that there are several bugs to resolve before these are properly representing the EN plan workouts.