Interval Strategy in OS: Peg 1 Match 2
It's no knit one, pearl two, mind you...but close enough. Looking back over my files from the last few weeks I have noticed a tendency to "accept" fading in the second (or third) interval. Not that the first one was too hard, but almost b/c I am saying, "Hey, that was a good first interval. You don't _have to_ ride 320 again, you can just ride 316 and that's fine."
Such a decision early in the interval is easy to make...but if you wait too long to change your mind, then you have to pedal out of your mind to get the watts back later on. 
So my new personal interval strategy is to ride a really solid, very good first interval. Not off the charts, just really good. Then I gotta back it up or die trying. Figger this mental fu will only serve me well for the next test...
What's your strategy??
P
Comments
I set a goal of what % i want to hold on all 3 intervals.
Then I honestly try to hold a few watts over my goal knowing that once it all averages out i will probably be right on.
But I am new to all this power stuff!
"As I go longer, I get stronger." That's one of my mantras. First interval strong and steady, and as close to 100% as I can, but maybe holding back a tad. Second one--100% and a few watts over the first. That's ideal for me. Learned to do that through the 20-20s. Nuke that first one, and the whole test is toast. I like to build up and end strong in every workout I do. I'm a negative split kinda girl.
I'm a "negative split" guy. Pretty much always and everywhere. I'm a diesel and need to warm up into things, and that approach just works better for me. If it's a really short workout, e.g., 2 x 8' @ FT on the bike, I'm a little more aggressive, but the bigger the workout, the more I emphasize the negative split. How much "negativity"? Well, I basically am a believer that the physiological adaptations of 95% are about the same as 100%, and as a bonus that's what the workouts usually assign, so that's where I'll start. Example: If I were doing a 3 x 12' workout, I'd probably end up with the first interval at 95-97%, the second at 98-100%, and the third one at 100% +/-. I also negative split within the intervals, but not wildly so. I just give myself permission to go a little "under" for the first bit, and a little over on the last bit. Example #2: My current FT is around 245, so on the second or third interval, I might start off in the mid-230s for a couple minutes, but am hammering away in the mid-250s for the last few minutes. In some cases, I might even go harder than that, but if it's an FT set, I try to cap it at 105% or maybe 110% because it just digs too big a hole and threatens the downstream workouts.
What? No "Hit it and Hope" hold-outs out there?
The only time I really do formal intervals is when I'm on the trainer, and, well, since I rarely ride on the trainer (being from Cali and such), that means I rarely do formal intervals (preferring instead to arrange my ride so that terrain dictates effort with extended climbs, etc. -- much like Rich's old posts about repeats up his local canyon). That said, I do often treat any interval (whether formal or terrain-dictated) as a test, just like the 2x20' FTT. It's rather simple to know when I've taken it out too hot, and when that happens, I simply flip the switch and regroup to start again. If I'm more than halfway through the set, then I use the PM as a whip to try and hold those initial numbers. There are times when I can't do it, and I either pull the plug a bit early or ease up and accept that I was too aggressive, but I'm quite often surprised by how well I hold up.
cramer
Holding cadence is the best way I've found to steady rock the watts.
This is all on the trainer, where it's easier to dial in.
Btw, there's a little dust up over on the Nov OS forum about extra intervals. Imho, I think the bigger threat to training into a wall is to go too heavy per interval when "feelin it". What say the smart folk?
I usually fade as they go as described by P. On the "shorter" intervals, 15 mins or less, I can usually make up for the fading by treating the last 1:30 or so like a giant killer 30/30. My 3rd 12 minute interval this morning was the weakest of the 3 by far as I was kinda dying and took some micro breaks to get through it but ended up being the highest NP because I was able to sit on 400 watts or thereabouts for the last minute or so. Kinda cheating but still a lot of work.
I have no problems going out too hard and then trying to hang on for dear life while training. Godd run and if the point is to thrash myself more is kinda better.
I typically will start the first 1/4 or 1/3 of the each interval at 95%, the middle 1/3 at 100%, the last 1/3 with whatever I have left.
That's pretty much how I do the bike test too. Sometimes I think I could be sandbagging it, but I tell myself if I have anything left to leave it all out there on the last 1/3 of the last interval.
This is all fine and well if I have a decent idea of what my FTP will be. When I have no idea (or more like an overinflated idea), then I'm cooked for the last interval (like this OS's first bike test). Yup, my perceived exertion is heavily distorted by my ego.
Well with 4 workouts with power in the books my strategy has been to just keep it steady. My biggest thing is to ensure that my mind does not waver at the end of the interval and thus lower power. I have been decent so far other than my FTP test where I faded in the 2nd interval. This was a rookie mistake where I was feeling good and decided to jump up 20 watts for the final 3 minutes.
If I am really suffering I switch from the time to my HR. When I see 170 somthing I just say keep going I know you can at least hit 185 and believe my max is 188.
Gordon
tom
BTW, Tom's approach has led me to my best test numbers in the past, along with some major implosions !