NOS 2014 Week 8, Bike Workouts (Testing Week)
Ok NOS'ers, time to get busy! Most of us are going to be testing this week, so get yourself into cage match mentality. Review testing protocol in the wiki, minimize outside negative distractions, get a good night sleep the night(s) prior, fuel up prior and during your workout, and CRUSH it!
A couple of pieces of advice:
1. Set a realistic goal, start at a manageable effort and build into it. Don't be a hero for the first 5 minutes of your test and then slowly watch your power/heart rate/RPE die off.
2. If you have a GOOD test, post and share. Kim D posted a good recommendation/thread about sharing a mini-OS review along with your results to provide context/best practice kind of information. Check it out.
3. If you have a BAD test, post and share. There will be a portion of us that don't test well this week. Its NOT time to doubt the work you've done over the past 2 months, its NOT time to go hunting for a new training program, its NOT time to feel bad. One bad test/workout does not a season make. Put it in perspective. Triage and focus on your next workout. If you feel you want to recock and test again, throw Patrick a question in the Micro thread about it (or throw up a question here). A.BAD.FTP.TEST.IS.NOT.THE.END.OF.THE.WORLD. The results of a single workout don't make you a bad triathlete 
4. If you have a MEDIOCRE test, post and share (there might be a pattern here). Mojo is mojo and we all need it, regardless of what's going on.
5. Whatever the outcomes of your workouts this week, we've all put in a solid amount of work up to this point. Don't doubt that. Due to the sheer numbers of folks in the NOS, whatever your result (good or bad), statistically speaking there are probably a handful of people having your exact same experience. Capture and share it in the threads and we'll all work through it!
Good luck everyone and lets CRUSH this week!
Comments
Just trying NOT to talk about it with others. Head is def in right place, tho. At least in this tri world. Apparently, there's some kind of festive holiday going on for others to talk about every time I want to talk FTP and VO2.
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"i started out at my previous FTP adjusted for the 95% (242W) and held that steady for the first 10'. things were going well and i was drifting slightly above target, so once i reached the midway point, my goal was to increase the AP by one watt per minute. i ended up getting to 260W average power for the 20' with some major suffering during the last 5 minutes. all in all, it felt really well paced, and the suffering was minimized"
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This certainly puts pressure on me to get back to those numbers (Week 1 this year was just over 200 watts FTP), but using this methodology will help me avoid a blow-up and maximize my test results. Everyone rests differently, but wanted to throw this out there in case others are looking for a template to avoid a blow-up. Happy testing and can't wait to see all the BIG NUMBERS when I get back home.
OK I'll go 1st (as I'm a week ahead). This week despite being short has been one of the most tiring.
FTP @ Start of OS: 205
FTP @ week 8 of OS: 212
So a 7W or 3% increase. Not as much as I had hoped for, had a few bad nights sleep before. On a more positive side had less downward spikes (where I nearly gave up) as I actually followed the advice on how to do the test - see Mikes post further up!! Remember to set your 20min FTP target higher as the final FTP will be multiplied by 0.95. Mind you the test was still a lung buster though.
On another note, after rest and sleep my run test was beyond my wildest dreams!!
Just finished. Not good. I've been struggling on the bike for about a week.
Wk 3 (I started late): 281 test using virtual power. Max HR: 189. Felt great and was never leg limited.
Today: 250 test using my stages power meter. Max HR: 180.
This isn't a surprise; I was hitting my numbers using the 281 threshold at the start of the OS but it's been getting tougher. The last two FTP workouts were very difficult and this test I was leg strength limited. I've suspected for a while that my real FTP using a PM wasn't 281. Now I know. I'll set my new FTP to 265 and see what happens. I can always drop to 250 if I'm still struggling.
Hoping for better on the run...unlike the bike my run workouts have been great lately.
http://app.strava.com/activities/100478198
FTP remained the same, 226 W. My 20' NP was 238. Gave it all I had today. Goal was NP around 242-245. During the ride it felt like my numbers were in the 240 for the most part, so it was a bit surprising to see NP at 238. So that will be my end of OS goal then.
But interesting observation. I use trainer road for these workouts and I can tell I am stronger than 8 weeks ago. Since my 20' FTP was the same, I went back to OS day 1, and looked at my data numbers. The only variable that has changed is my weight. I went up from 148 to 152 (I tend to lose weight when I take a break from working out so its normal for me to go up in weight with these workouts). the speed on day 1 for 20' test was 18.7 mph, today that was 21.5. Today's test felt like I was going harder than day 1, but power doesn't say so. Whats the explanation for this?
in the first 8 weeks, all bike workouts were on the trainer: 20 workouts, 14 hours total time, avg time per workout 42 min, 1.09k TSS points. Overall I feel stronger on the bike and feel good the way things are going.
*drumroll* Here are the results:
Pre-OS VO2: 188, New VO2: 196
Pre-OS FTP: 154, New FTP: 165
So about a 7% increase in FTP. I think that is about what I had last year. (I think I went from 151 to 160)
I paced it pretty well after reading some of the other folks testing posts. I started out at current tested FTP and gradually increased so I didn't feel like I wanted to die from the get-go.
Good luck everyone!
Improvement here. Now, (I think!) I have my FTP. Top of Z5 bike HR raised from 133 to 140. (Uh oh. Whose side am I on?
)
Test 1 (HR): 40', 12.32 mi, 18.5 mph, HR 130
Test 2 (Power): 20', 6.43 mi, 19.29 mph, HR 137, AP* 238, FTP 228
*The calculator asks for NP, but my generic Training Peaks program gives me AP. How do I calculate NP?
Gonna nail the 5k on Wednesday.
Turn 62 on Thursday! Just think, in 2016 I get to move up to 65-69!
Here's the details on the testing
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Testing+for+Power+Athletes
Avg for 5 min Vo2: 204
Avg for 20 min LTH: 191
I put these new numbers in the EN Calculator, and it looks like it took the 5% of the 20 min effort? Am I on the right track?
Way to work gang! Impressed by all these numbers.
Testing today was almost exactly the same as 3 weeks back
FTP stayed at 228
VO2 5 min test was 309 vs a previous 311
Both tests seemed really hard so I think I did them right. Although after reading the testing advice above I think I went out too hard then lost some power as the test went on.
I can tell that workouts with power are tougher . No way to pretend, when you back off just a little it shows up, hell when a different song comes on I can loose 10 watts.
Now just waiting on the Wednesday 5k run
went out too hard.
schedule allows me to test again Thurs (no run test for me this week)
we'll see how that goes.
good job to all you guys and gals!
Update: I went back and looked at my original test. In week 3, I did the 20 min at 21.2mph with 159bpm avg HR. Today, I did the 20 min at 21.8mph with a 166 avg HR. I haven't changed the resistance on my trainer at all. I'm chalking up the decline in power to the difference between a power meter (today) and virtual power (week 3).
Took my slightly higher FTP out for a ride today. Well actually it was inside, but I rode the 3 X 15' 95% - 100% workout. Hit the intervals at .99 IF, .97 IF and .98 IF. Great ride.
Richard,
You now have a base line on your power meter. There is a substantial difference between virtual and a power meter so don't fret! Virtual is still good for tracking and comparison purposes virtual to virtual but it truly is apples to oranges versus a power meter. You still did great and will have this stake in the ground going forward.
Ok here we go! The first week of OS I had sinus surgery and was suppose to be out for the first two weeks per the doc. I said ok doc(hah). I took it cautiously easy the first 5 days or so and only had a bloody nose twice in workouts! Little victories.
I generally did not try to hit the top end of the workouts. I am more a long distance guy versus a sprinter so I did not want to blow up a workout and have it impact me for the next OS workout. I did not miss a single workout and actually did a hybrid of the intermediate and advanced programs. I tried to focus more on running since that is my weakness due to the motorcycle/bike collision I had in Kona in 2010.
Courtesy of RnP I joined the 300 FTP Club today with a 319 20 minute FTP test on a Lemond Trainer using my SRM as the power meter source. Below are my numbers from the initial test and today's test. If I can stay away from the holiday food I WILL be 4.0FTP/KG for my last test in February. I think it is easier to lose the weight than gain the power. Man this was tough today.
One more thing to all you youngsters I AM 56 and very proud of it!!!!!!!
2014 OS Week 8 FTP Test 12.16.13
Split
Time
Avg HR
Max HR
Cad
NP
AP
IF
1
0:10:00
129
138
99
165
164
0.56
Warm up
2
0:01:00
143
147
102
284
298
0.96
Spin interval
3
0:01:00
142
147
95
210
177
0.71
4
0:01:00
145
150
99
299
321
1.01
Spin interval
5
0:01:00
143
150
92
213
160
0.72
6
0:01:00
145
152
88
315
344
1.06
Spin interval
7
0:05:00
141
152
97
200
188
0.67
8
0:05:00
163
170
89
327
328
1.10
VO2 Test
9
0:05:00
136
162
89
157
135
0.53
10
0:20:00
168
180
85
319
320
1.07
FTP Test
11
0:10:00
139
179
92
139
112
0.47
Cool down
Summary
1:00:02
152
180
91
267
227
0.90
Prior FTP
297
FTP/KG
3.75
New FTP
303
FTP/KG
3.86
Change %
2%
3%
6 pounds away from the 4.0FTP/KG
Club!!!!!!!
It is super interesting for me to read about results using a power meter as I do not have one. (yet!)
I went back to my initial test and found that my notes weren't all that great. I did not clear out my monitor, so my results are based on the total saddle time, which was 14.75 in 61:02. My average heart rate was between 111-118 for Z4 and 119-121 for Z5 (which is based on what I entered into the calculator).
For today's test, I smartened up in the 8 weeks and did 10.57 miles in 40:31. My average HR was 134.
So, I think it's all good.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Kim,
Thanks for your feedback. I was unclear. FTP Test 1 was in October. Test 2 was today. I wanted to show improvement, but also point out the first test was with HR and now I have a Power meter.
I also did the 5' Vo2 first this morning.
Bob
Terry,
Speaking of songs. I was listening to Classic Rock on Direct TV and in my last minute on the 20' FTP test, Bicycle Race by Queen came on. It kept me going strong to the end.
Bob
Ray, I think I've got FTP envy. Bob (keep up the great work.)
Keep up the great work everyone...good to see the results!...
As for N=1....Not sure if I will test this week or just work through...
Just got finished with my tests and I have to say that it just means one thing, the workouts are going to be harder from now on!
I raised my Vo2 from 266 to 297 and my FTP from 211 to 228. I may have gone out too hard on the Vo2 because the power graph drops until about 1:30 in and levels out with a NP after that of 283. Any thoughts? The FTP workout was pretty steady throughout the 20 minutes. Here's the link to the file. http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/7CYFQXNG6AE4NF63XS7HYOT44A
I started the bike work 2 weeks after the start of the OS because of coming off a late October marathon and having trainer issues ( had to get my trainer replaced because of oil leak that happened during my first FTP test )
My first FTP number (250 ) was an intelligent guestimate based on prior testing. After struggling through some hard workouts, it felt as if the number was correct and I applied it to the last 6 weeks of workouts. I had a correction by TP that moved it to 252 in the first couple of weeks and I have stayed their since. Looking back, I only missed 2 bike workouts in the last 6 weeks of the OS (because of travel ).
Overall, I have felt considerably stronger in the last few weeks, easily hitting or exceeding the interval IF values whereas I struggled during the first few weeks.
Testing results:
VO2 Max
FTP
Threshold Heart Rate
As mentioned, I feel much stronger and I am more productive at a lower heart rate, so I am seeing improvement. I thought I would see much higher test values based on my last 3 rides, but it didn't happen. I haven't decided if I will retest later this week. My peak season FTP for last year measure in May( prior to my first HIM ) was 290 (virtual power - so most likely higher than real power) , so I feel that I am in a very good position to meet or exceed this number by May of this year. I have been using real power measurement(stages) this OS, so I am confident that the numbers are more accurate/repeatable. I am glad it's still December and we are getting in this much work early on.
Looking forward to the next 6 weeks before "swim camp".
Mike
M&M,
Did you build to the goal wattage? It looks like you went right to it and tried to hold it. I think the first 5 minutes it is critical to get settled down and spin your way to the goal wattage. You did an awesome job still, but I bet if you went out slower you could have held and built. I start out at about 90%, quickly spin up to 95-98% and try to finish around 7 or 8 FTP points over. When you first start out it is like crap I am never going to get there but it is like trying to raise your MPH it builds quickly over the total ride.
I say all this but everyone is so different. Kind of like running negative splits. Some people like to others want to go at the pace form the start. I think from your vo2 you are much higher!!!!!!!!!!!!
Felt I executed the test properly. TR shows that I had a steady increase through out the FTP interval. I started out at current FTP, held for 5 minutes and then increased every 5 minutes, however I did not move on my FTP, as I came out of the test with an NP of 172. Take the 5% off and I come in at 163 (beginning of OS my FTP was 162), but I did move up by 10 watts on my VO2. Came into OS at 190 and am now at 200.
Observation: I was just hitting my 100% in the last two weeks for the FTP work, so no surprise that my FTP did not jump. Next segments of workouts has us working at 110% of FTP (178 watts) for 5 min intervals, so I will get a jump in 6 weeks for sure.
P.S. Came into OS 8 watts ahead of last years OS.
Happy Testing Everyone