I see a lot of huge gains and huge #s here - WAY TO GOOOO!!
@Dawn - it's not a big problem to fail on a test (I just blew up on my run 2 days ago). Have you already read Coach P's entry in the WIKI about "Test results"?
Well I did a nice Z3 ride with my new zones today Total workout 1:08 / NP 259 -> http://tpks.ws/Y3cr (I'll most likely die on my next Z4 intervals haha)
I hope I am not breaking any rules but I didn't do the VO2 max... I did one when I had purchased an EN IM training plan (prior to joining on-line) once and haven't done them since - I don't like them very much. I did do the 20' TT and gained 7W from the last test. I am amazed at how the tough workouts translate to higher wattage on the bike and faster times on the run. I am a Believer!
I hate the vo2 max as well...BUT it is an important part of the test. The 5 minute blow out is suppose to assist in getting you fatigued as if it were a 1 hour test. Without doing the 5 minute test the 20 minute test is really not indicative of your one hour power. However if you are doing apples to apples and that is how you have always done the test you still have a comparison gauge to go by.
2x what Ray said! - I hardly believe anyone in the world likes the 5'-All-Out segment!
... but Eric you will find yourself suffering badly when the intervals get longer because FTP is meant to be 60' all way through. So if the plan tells you can ride at 82% of your FTP for your HIM you most likely will blow up because your tested "FTP" doesn't reflect the power you can sustain 1h ... it will more reflect the power you can sustain for 45'.
BTW - these 5' are meant to be ALL-OUT (according to Mr. Coggan)... this can be less than 120% of your FTP but I can also be a lot more!!
I was a day behind on my test due to work. I did the test yesterday and had a small bump in both VO2 and FTP. I am very pleased with the bump as I have missed quite a few workouts (one week for the Philly marathon and another week due to the passing of a good friend).
Great work by everyone. I have needed help with motivation lately and reading all of your posts has been very beneficial.
Did my test this morning and had a nice bump although i thought i was going fall over dead when i was done. It was the highest i have seen my heart rate while on the trainer.
Last year i started the out season at 213 and finished at 237 but my actual training time was only about 7 weeks because it was cut short due to an injury. So far this year i'm psyched with the bump I've seen in just the first 8 weeks although i'm now freaking out about how in the hell i'm going to hit these new numbers.
Thanks to everyone for posting your results! Love being part of this great team
Did the bike test today....and it went pretty well! I don't have power so the only thing I can say is that my heart rate avg went from 144 in week 1 to 168 in week 8. Being able to sustain higher heart rate for longer time is good, correct? To be honest I'm a bit lost at how to understand HR testing on the bike. But I felt stronger although my MPH is still very low (but higher than week 1) But that will come with WORK I hope!
@ Ray, I'm signed up for the full Vineman and the Avenue of the Giants marathon. I only race the clock myself, but it is satisfying to pass the 30-40 somethings on the run. It does motivate me out there when I see a calf with a lower AG written on it to pick up my pace especially in the last 8 miles.
Thanks for the analysis on the ftp portion of the test. I've used Joe Friel's training plans for so long and in his tests he says to pace it from the beginning and hold it steady. I read one blog of his where he said to ask yourself "Am I going as hard as I can right now" and that has stuck with me. It's not the way I race obviously. I try to hold back and build both the ride and the run. I'll try that on my next ftp test.
No one is gonna MAKE you do this stuff. BUT, it is written this way for a reason. To MAXIMIZE your results/progress in as little time as possible. Don't get caught floating around in the middle of harder than ez but not hard enough. There are physiological reasons to do it.
Even if you don't like how something in the plans is laid out for you, keep trying. Don't worry about the numbers, just get it done! Don't compare your numbers to anyone. Do your workouts, do 'em right, and watch how you break through to next levels!
@ Eric, besides what Tay, Stephan, and Chris said there's the psychological aspect that you get by pushing yourself during those workouts. That mental toughness is what can pull you through a race when things get tough.
Re-tested today. Not sure how to interpret the outcome though but it looks like there is some improvement. For the same 40' test I was able to finish with a .25 mi gain over test 1. Average pace was up a little bit, the max speed was up a couple of miles an hour. But average HR was exactly the same as test1 (145) and the max HR was down (from 161 to 158). I see this to mean that I'm able to go a little farther a little fast with no real impact on the overall effort indicated by the HR. So, I guess that is a good thing on the physical front. The mental game though has improved as I'm definitely able to feel like I'm pushing harder and holding that harder longer. I'm happy overall but clearly the work isn't over yet!
So........funny story. I got my Stages PM back in week 4, but I just realized that I left Trainer Road set on "virtual power" up until week 7 Thursday. So all those gaudy power numbers I was throwing up all through the last few weeks of the OS were inflated virtual power numbers, not "real" Stages numbers. I was wondering why I couldn't hit 281 on Saturday. Oh well...I thought I was a beast with an FTP of 281 and I was freaking out that I had lost a bunch of bike fitness recently. Now that I am much less of a beast with an FTP of 250, I guess I will learn some humility.
Cage match was on today. 5 X 5 minutes with a 1.1 IF Goal. I could feel every one of the 1/4 mile intervals from the last run workout. My cadence started to slip after # 2. I didn't stay at 1.1 for very long. I hit 1.12, 1.10, 1.09, 1.08 and 1.05. The Zone 1 run after was much easier to deal with.
40' in new Z3 done. I may jinx myself in saying this but it felt pretty easy. I started off conversative and slowly buillt to avg .85IF so I was probably closer to .87-.90IF for the back half. I'm sure I won't be saying that once I get into the Z4 intervals with the new FTP!
Finished the 40 minutes Z3 with the new FTP... not bad, actually. But I moved the 5k to tomorrow morning, so I will see how the legs feel about it then!
Thurs bike wko done; did the standard EN w/up, but did not push the 12' section to 80% (legs weren't feeling it). Managed the 40' interval (if it's that long, is it still an interval???) at 0.83 IF. Like Gonzalo, before this week, this would have been 40" @ FTP. These next few weeks on the bike are gonna be rough -- focus on rest and recovery is absolutely key.
Have been pushing off the 5k run test until I can find a route free and clear of ice/snow -- that should be on it's way with a high of 66F(!) forecast for Sunday!
Comments
@Dawn - it's not a big problem to fail on a test (I just blew up on my run 2 days ago). Have you already read Coach P's entry in the WIKI about "Test results"?
Well I did a nice Z3 ride with my new zones today
Total workout 1:08 / NP 259 -> http://tpks.ws/Y3cr
(I'll most likely die on my next Z4 intervals haha)
I hope I am not breaking any rules but I didn't do the VO2 max... I did one when I had purchased an EN IM training plan (prior to joining on-line) once and haven't done them since - I don't like them very much. I did do the 20' TT and gained 7W from the last test. I am amazed at how the tough workouts translate to higher wattage on the bike and faster times on the run. I am a Believer!
EK,
I hate the vo2 max as well...BUT it is an important part of the test. The 5 minute blow out is suppose to assist in getting you fatigued as if it were a 1 hour test. Without doing the 5 minute test the 20 minute test is really not indicative of your one hour power. However if you are doing apples to apples and that is how you have always done the test you still have a comparison gauge to go by.
... but Eric you will find yourself suffering badly when the intervals get longer because FTP is meant to be 60' all way through. So if the plan tells you can ride at 82% of your FTP for your HIM you most likely will blow up because your tested "FTP" doesn't reflect the power you can sustain 1h ... it will more reflect the power you can sustain for 45'.
BTW - these 5' are meant to be ALL-OUT (according to Mr. Coggan)... this can be less than 120% of your FTP but I can also be a lot more!!
@Jason, nice improvement and great #'s!
Great work by everyone. I have needed help with motivation lately and reading all of your posts has been very beneficial.
October 2012: VO2: 174 FTP: 145
October 2013: VO2: 186 FTP: 152
December 2013: VO2: 196 FTP: 162
Need to keep working at this - progress is nice though.
@Kristen - Nice work. Way to go!
Awesome job by all. This stuff works!!!
Did my test this morning and had a nice bump although i thought i was going fall over dead when i was done. It was the highest i have seen my heart rate while on the trainer.
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/554903
Oct 28th 2013 - FTP=220 - Dec 18th 2013 - FTP=247
Last year i started the out season at 213 and finished at 237 but my actual training time was only about 7 weeks because it was cut short due to an injury. So far this year i'm psyched with the bump I've seen in just the first 8 weeks although i'm now freaking out about how in the hell i'm going to hit these new numbers.
@Stefan - I totally misunderstood that I should have left my FTP were it was, and rise above that. Now I know.
Mexican dinner tonight = Not conducive to re-test. Tomorrow it will happen!
Thanks to everyone for posting your results! Love being part of this great team
Did the bike test today....and it went pretty well! I don't have power so the only thing I can say is that my heart rate avg went from 144 in week 1 to 168 in week 8. Being able to sustain higher heart rate for longer time is good, correct? To be honest I'm a bit lost at how to understand HR testing on the bike. But I felt stronger although my MPH is still very low (but higher than week 1)
But that will come with WORK I hope!
Keep it up everyone!!
@ Ray, I'm signed up for the full Vineman and the Avenue of the Giants marathon. I only race the clock myself, but it is satisfying to pass the 30-40 somethings on the run. It does motivate me out there when I see a calf with a lower AG written on it to pick up my pace especially in the last 8 miles.
Thanks for the analysis on the ftp portion of the test. I've used Joe Friel's training plans for so long and in his tests he says to pace it from the beginning and hold it steady. I read one blog of his where he said to ask yourself "Am I going as hard as I can right now" and that has stuck with me. It's not the way I race obviously. I try to hold back and build both the ride and the run. I'll try that on my next ftp test.
turned out better than I expected.
About a 5% increase, bumping 250w up to 264w.
And dropping kg, 74kg then to 72.5kg now.
3.4 w/kg then to 3.64 w/kg now.
I'll be shocked if I get my watts up much higher.
I'm adding to what Ray and Stefan are saying.
No one is gonna MAKE you do this stuff. BUT, it is written this way for a reason. To MAXIMIZE your results/progress in as little time as possible. Don't get caught floating around in the middle of harder than ez but not hard enough. There are physiological reasons to do it.
Even if you don't like how something in the plans is laid out for you, keep trying. Don't worry about the numbers, just get it done! Don't compare your numbers to anyone. Do your workouts, do 'em right, and watch how you break through to next levels!
(been there)
So........funny story. I got my Stages PM back in week 4, but I just realized that I left Trainer Road set on "virtual power" up until week 7 Thursday. So all those gaudy power numbers I was throwing up all through the last few weeks of the OS were inflated virtual power numbers, not "real" Stages numbers. I was wondering why I couldn't hit 281 on Saturday. Oh well...I thought I was a beast with an FTP of 281 and I was freaking out that I had lost a bunch of bike fitness recently. Now that I am much less of a beast with an FTP of 250, I guess I will learn some humility.
Today's ride was great at my new lowered expectations.
40 minutes is a long interval. http://app.strava.com/dashboard/feed/10/1
Cage match was on today. 5 X 5 minutes with a 1.1 IF Goal. I could feel every one of the 1/4 mile intervals from the last run workout. My cadence started to slip after # 2. I didn't stay at 1.1 for very long. I hit 1.12, 1.10, 1.09, 1.08 and 1.05. The Zone 1 run after was much easier to deal with.
I am one week behind you guys....
Week 7 2X15s:
http://www.strava.com/activities/100940913
Entire workout (229 watts):
Duration: 1:15:10
Work: 1030 kJ
TSS: 96.3 (intensity factor 0.879)
Norm Power: 248
This was cake in comparison to what lies ahead starting next week!!!!!!!!!!!!
2014 OS Week 8 Thursday Intermediate Bike 12.19.13
Split
Time
Avg HR
Max HR
Cad
NP
AP
IF
1
0:11:30
125
133
96
185
187
0.61
2
0:40:01
148
163
87
264
265
0.87
Interval Goal 80-85%
3
0:08:30
142
162
95
186
185
0.61
Summary
1:00:01
142
163
90
246
239
0.81
Re-tested tonight - No change.
And I'll miss next week since we'll be in Bonaire. At least my run improved from October.
Was not easy to do 40 mins at a Z3 that is higher than what used to be my FTP last week !
That said, pushed through it and DONE, 40 mins at 0.88 (203W vs 231W FTP)
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/417545383
Cheers
Have been pushing off the 5k run test until I can find a route free and clear of ice/snow -- that should be on it's way with a high of 66F(!) forecast for Sunday!
I did my second bike test yesterday hoping to see more of an improvement than Monday's test and I got exactly the same results.
Monday, I used the EN test witth the VO2 max and FTP segments and got the following results:
Avg Power and NP are 268, Avg HR 179
Last night, I used Rubber Glove which uses a different warm up and got the following results:
Avg Power and NP are 269, Avg HR 181
Almost exact results - haha - I guess my first test was good enough.
Looking forward to trying the new numbers on Saturday.