Cold is gone! Back to work. 1.08, 1.08, 1.08, 1.12 then 14 minutes at .88. Glad I took it easy so I could hop back in. Of course Saturday I am in a 5K then in an indoor Time Trial so the plan will be modified, again. http://tpks.ws/1xDi
Larry- Nice work! Hope the weather is good for you for the 5k!
Finally nailed those pesky 4 x 5' 110% on the bike.... For the first time in the OS. I had been hitting about 1.05-1.08 and last week cheated a bit and manaed the 1.10IF for 5 x 4' which gave me the confidence to go for it tonight without worrying about burning out (Hero to zero) but I stayed a hero for all 4 at 1.10-1.11IF. Woohoo!!
Maybe the Endurox I've been taking is doing something! Of course next week we test again so the numbers will go up, but I guess its all good!
@Kim - congratulations! I nailed them once too and it like "wow, I have arrived!!"
But, not today. I went to work early anticipating the winter storm so I could miss the traffic there and back. So, with the weather I also decided to aqua-jog instead of treadmill during lunch. As a supervisor at work it just drained me today dealing with knuckleheads. I got home in time to cover the outside plants (think SAUs) and got on the bike. Computer dead. So, after the "battery drill" I finally started in my pain cave (garage) that was like 40 degrees.
But since I knew you guys were knocking this out I said, "I'll just do Z4 and be happy". This resulted in (IF/Pwr):
5' - .97/281
5' - 1.05/305
5' - 1.07/309
5' - 1.09/316
5' - 1.14/330
Now it is time to kick back and relax as the winds are howling outside! I can honestly say that if I did not have this support group, I would have blown this workout off. I'm gonna miss you guys after week #14! Anybody doing the run focus?
@Ralph - i had the same issue with Trainer Road this morning. After i upgraded i couldn't get it to pick up virtual power, then i realized i had to reselect my trainer type and the virtual power check box. After that i was good to go, but like you, with all the messing around it was a main set only day.
Today's wko felt surprisingly manageable and i am steadily making improvements in each thursday ride since we started the 5' @ 110%. Finished today 1.07, 1.07, 1.09, 1.09. Probably should have pushed harder on the first 2 intervals, but i never know if i'm burning too many matches too soon. That's the last of these intervals, but against my better judgement i took a sneak peak at the GF plan and life certainly doesn't get an easier for both the bike and run.
I did my bike test today and before I did I went back and read @ Ray's analysis of my last test and then followed the advice he gave me to start out at 90% of what I thought my FTP might be, quickly ramp up to 95-95% and hold that for the first 5 minutes, then ramp up to 100% for the middle 10 minutes and then try to hold 6-7 watts above 100% for the last five minutes. (It's easier to type than do. Thanks Ray.) So I did the warm up and then the fun started. I thought I was going to die during the Vo2 test because I tried to do the same thing on a micro level. I started slightly above where I tested at last time and then tried to build during the 5 minutes. What was interesting is that I have a computrainer and I was able to load my last bike test and race against that. I was watching the numbers and I was consistently putting out higher numbers than last time but my heart rate was at or just slightly above what it was 5 weeks ago. I was thinking all along that it boded well for my final numbers and it did.
10-28-2013
12-16-2013
1-22-2014
Vo2
261
293
310
FTP
208
228
243
I could make a graph of this and you would see an upward trend since I now have three points. That's a 17% increase in FTP and an 18% increase in Vo2 during the OS. I'll take that. Now all I have to do is recover and nail the half marathon on Saturday. I didn't see a Vdot bump last time and I doubt there will be much of one this time. But the last time I had this much of a bike gain I lost speed in the run. If I can hold steady there I'll consider this a pretty solid OS and a great base for the rest of the season.
@Mark - Awesome improvement in your FTP. That's massive!
Today was supposed to be 4x4 Z5 intervals on the bike trainer for me, however I spaced out that I was supposed to take my daughter to the pool for 5pm so my planned ride evaporated. I made a choice to skip it altogether, still take the rest day tomorrow, and get in the pool instead.
This proved very nice indeed… It was great to be swimming again and helped to de-stress me quite a bit. Swimming really forces me to let go of all other thoughts: due to the fact that if I am not completely focused on my swim stroke, I am utterly useless as a swimmer. My goal was to get 1000m and I did it - very slowly… But it felt great!
@ David. Thanks. I'm looking forward to getting back in the pool next week myself. It will be a fun diversion from the bike and run focus of OS. I count my strokes while I swim and I'm always trying to get the number lower so it takes a lot of concentration on my part as well. So I know what you mean about losing yourself (although the bike test is pretty good at erasing all other thoughts too ).
I remember that 2 weeks ago I was struggling a little bit with these, today was a complete different story. If I see the evolution of the Average NP for the 5 intervals it has been: Week 10 : 250W Week 11 : 249W Week 12 : 251W Week 13 : 255W ! Nice !
@Kim : Great work ! feeling a little bit like you too !
@Mark : Excellent Evolution of you FTP ! I hope I can show a similar trend next week !
@Mark -- picture perfect chart. i think that's what we're all hoping for next week -- great job!
got my Thursday wko in this morning (call in the Vegas effect). went pretty well all things considered...5x5' @ 1.1 IFs (266W for each interval)
only enough time for the w/u and MS. have lots of work today and also need to set up for the elementary school's first-ever Mother & Son Game Night this evening. i won't be participating, but I'm one of the organizers and we've got a sell-out -- 95 Mom/Son teams in a crowded gym. should be exciting!
@Mark - excellent post!! I will use this in my test as well. I'm still catching up and guess I missed Ray's post on that. Thanks for putting all the details in so I know what to expect.
@Kim, it's just good artesian well water. The secret is the little bowl of Jelly bellies that I keep on the stand by my trainer. I reward myself with a few of them after every interval. :-) Although yesterday I did have an accel jel right before I tested and I did drink two bottles of water during the ride
@ Kim, The NP I did for the 20 minutes was actually a little above the 110% mark for me, but I think it helped that I ramped it up over time per Ray's suggestion. It was a good plan. Not an easy plan but a good one. I was looking at the clock from the get go though and counting down. The middle 4-5 minutes are always the hardest for me and then I see that I'm really on the downhill and can begin to see the end, but man do those last minutes drag by. I'm always amazed at how long a minute or 5 or 20 can seem when I'm doing an interval in a training session and how fast the time goes by when I'm in a race. It's just not fair.
Wow, today's WKO was rough! Guess since all other WKOs this week were great, it was time for a fight.
Managed to barely fight off the gorilla for first 20' and manage .954IF. But then ANOTHER gorilla showed up (NOT fair) and only pulled off .907IF. Guess I tired them out cuz I hit 1.01IF for the last 5' interval. Phew! Going to get in an easy run later this afternoon after doggy school.
Did my NOS Bike test today. I rode everyday this week because I am jones to get outside. I had about 11 hours on the trainer this week. Here are my numbers the glass ceiling is there! My increases (thank God for them no matter how small) are getting tough. However I am 4 stinking pounds away from joining the 4.0 Club.
I am more like a diesel engine than a v8 but it is interesting to note how much my VO2 changed over the NOS. All the max vo2 sets obviously played into the improvement. I have been consistently higher outside on one hour tests so I am anxious to get outside and see where I am. Having said that though I think I am going to retest on my TT bike and do the Get Fast Plan on it. I have a 1.2/58/13.1 Duathlon in the Georgia Mountains 3/9.
@Ray, You are a beast. Those are some really impressive numbers. We will have to talk. I pulled a workout out of my closet and rode an hour today. The FTP test from Thursday was very prevalent in my legs.
Huge #'s RAY - Awesome work!! Reading your HR values is just incredible!!
That wasn't a good day for my Gorilla today ... I absolutely SMASHED him to the ground and there was no way back for that beast today
20' @ NP 310 (IF 0.99) 20' @ NP 307 (IF 0.97) 12' @ NP 307 (IF 0.97) Added a few minutes of Z3 as I really felt good today! Total workout 1:42 / NP 281 / IF 0.89
Thanks everyone! This was BRUTAL. I was dumb though at about 17 minutes in I dropped to a higher gear and my cadence sank like a rock so I downshifted and scrambled to recover.I should have known better because I spin! I was holding around 330 before that so it will give you an idea how bad I dropped!
My heart rate has always been weird. I can quickly recover and then run it right back up. If you go by the traditional max HR calculation my max should be 220-56 or 164. I was at 181 today and can see 187 quite often while running.
Today I got off the bike and laid on the floor until my dog came over from his bed and started licking me because he thought something was wrong! Smart old guy there was something wrong I WAS DEAD.
Dear Ray Brown your description today I must say is interesting ! x 3 ! Doggy CPR ,!
"Today I got off the bike and laid on the floor until my dog came over from his bed and started licking me because he thought something was wrong! ".
Got home late this morning from work at 0100 Hrs. In bed by 0200 hrs. Ottawa sleeper gang coming over in the morning for a 1000 hr group ride. Dragged my butt out of bed, coffee, and joined the gang downstairs in the pain cave.
In all with the motivation from the team ride was better than expected !
1 x 20 1.00 IF, 89 cad.
1 X 20 0.96 IF, 89 cad, toned it down, worried about a downward spiral as the second set progressed.
1 x 12 0.97 IF, 89 cad, this was redemption to push a little to show I was not giving in to circumstance (spiraling downward).
There was no run today "just plain tired". Tomorrow is another day as they say. Not testing in my last week. I am going to repeat Wk 14 of OS next week.
My plan is last week of NOS repeat week 13 as per schedule. Enter the get faster plan of week two see what I am up against, and at week two do a testing protocol week. For me I feel it is not my time to take my foot off the pedal and not get the gains I know I am capable of ! Time will tell I guess.
Did an indoor Time Trial instead of my Week 13 Saturday ride, after my morning 5K. It was a very hilly course that was selected and I just focused on my numbers. I stayed at 225 Watts for the ride and finished 3rd in my group. I have no idea how I did overall. Fun way to spend an afternoon. The next one I am in is at a brewpub. The cyclists are up on the stage while the audience cheers. Free beer at that one.
Like every Sat I swam with local tri club from 6:15-7:15. I then came home, jumped on the mill and ran for 45min at Z1 up to Z2 and hoped on the bike with 4 other OSC and did the ride. Hold on is all I could do today. My 2x20 and 1x5 all came in at .98. That was the hardest bike I have done so far. My legs are cooked.
Comments
Finally nailed those pesky 4 x 5' 110% on the bike.... For the first time in the OS. I had been hitting about 1.05-1.08 and last week cheated a bit and manaed the 1.10IF for 5 x 4' which gave me the confidence to go for it tonight without worrying about burning out (Hero to zero) but I stayed a hero for all 4 at 1.10-1.11IF. Woohoo!!
Maybe the Endurox I've been taking is doing something! Of course next week we test again so the numbers will go up, but I guess its all good!
But, not today. I went to work early anticipating the winter storm so I could miss the traffic there and back. So, with the weather I also decided to aqua-jog instead of treadmill during lunch. As a supervisor at work it just drained me today dealing with knuckleheads. I got home in time to cover the outside plants (think SAUs) and got on the bike. Computer dead. So, after the "battery drill" I finally started in my pain cave (garage) that was like 40 degrees.
But since I knew you guys were knocking this out I said, "I'll just do Z4 and be happy". This resulted in (IF/Pwr):
5' - .97/281
5' - 1.05/305
5' - 1.07/309
5' - 1.09/316
5' - 1.14/330
Now it is time to kick back and relax as the winds are howling outside!
@Ralph - i had the same issue with Trainer Road this morning. After i upgraded i couldn't get it to pick up virtual power, then i realized i had to reselect my trainer type and the virtual power check box. After that i was good to go, but like you, with all the messing around it was a main set only day.
Today's wko felt surprisingly manageable and i am steadily making improvements in each thursday ride since we started the 5' @ 110%. Finished today 1.07, 1.07, 1.09, 1.09. Probably should have pushed harder on the first 2 intervals, but i never know if i'm burning too many matches too soon. That's the last of these intervals, but against my better judgement i took a sneak peak at the GF plan and life certainly doesn't get an easier for both the bike and run.
Rest up all. Next week's the money week!!
I did my bike test today and before I did I went back and read @ Ray's analysis of my last test and then followed the advice he gave me to start out at 90% of what I thought my FTP might be, quickly ramp up to 95-95% and hold that for the first 5 minutes, then ramp up to 100% for the middle 10 minutes and then try to hold 6-7 watts above 100% for the last five minutes. (It's easier to type than do. Thanks Ray.) So I did the warm up and then the fun started. I thought I was going to die during the Vo2 test because I tried to do the same thing on a micro level. I started slightly above where I tested at last time and then tried to build during the 5 minutes. What was interesting is that I have a computrainer and I was able to load my last bike test and race against that. I was watching the numbers and I was consistently putting out higher numbers than last time but my heart rate was at or just slightly above what it was 5 weeks ago. I was thinking all along that it boded well for my final numbers and it did.
10-28-2013
12-16-2013
1-22-2014
Vo2
261
293
310
FTP
208
228
243
I could make a graph of this and you would see an upward trend since I now have three points.
That's a 17% increase in FTP and an 18% increase in Vo2 during the OS. I'll take that. Now all I have to do is recover and nail the half marathon on Saturday. I didn't see a Vdot bump last time and I doubt there will be much of one this time. But the last time I had this much of a bike gain I lost speed in the run. If I can hold steady there I'll consider this a pretty solid OS and a great base for the rest of the season.
@Mark - Awesome improvement in your FTP. That's massive!
Today was supposed to be 4x4 Z5 intervals on the bike trainer for me, however I spaced out that I was supposed to take my daughter to the pool for 5pm so my planned ride evaporated. I made a choice to skip it altogether, still take the rest day tomorrow, and get in the pool instead.
This proved very nice indeed… It was great to be swimming again and helped to de-stress me quite a bit. Swimming really forces me to let go of all other thoughts: due to the fact that if I am not completely focused on my swim stroke, I am utterly useless as a swimmer. My goal was to get 1000m and I did it - very slowly… But it felt great!
Target = 5x5min @ 110% FTP = 1.1 x 231 = 254W
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/434751730
The breakdown was :
-Int#1 : 5' @ NP=255W (1.10)
-Int#2 : 5' @ NP=255W (1.10)
-Int#3 : 5' @ NP=254W (1.10)
-Int#4 : 5' @ NP=257W (1.11)
-Int#5 : 5' @ NP=256W (1.11)
-Added 15 min @ NP=200 (0.87)
I remember that 2 weeks ago I was struggling a little bit with these, today was a complete different story. If I see the evolution of the Average NP for the 5 intervals it has been:
Week 10 : 250W
Week 11 : 249W
Week 12 : 251W
Week 13 : 255W !
Nice !
@Kim : Great work ! feeling a little bit like you too !
@Mark : Excellent Evolution of you FTP ! I hope I can show a similar trend next week !
got my Thursday wko in this morning (call in the Vegas effect). went pretty well all things considered...5x5' @ 1.1 IFs (266W for each interval)
only enough time for the w/u and MS. have lots of work today and also need to set up for the elementary school's first-ever Mother & Son Game Night this evening. i won't be participating, but I'm one of the organizers and we've got a sell-out -- 95 Mom/Son teams in a crowded gym. should be exciting!
@ Ray - you da' Man!!!
So I'm already scaring myself with the FTP math. To yield a 5% increase, I'd have to ride 20 mins at that 110% number... Eewwww
Did my Saturday wko earlier this morning and boy was it tough!
2 x 20 @ FTP
1 x 5 a FTP
15' @ z3 (even that was tough)
Don't have the numbers with me now but somehow managed to hit my targets. Finished with 45' @ z1 on dreadmill with strides
Total bike 90 mins
Big ski day tomorrow and hoping the legs are fresh by then...
Wow, today's WKO was rough! Guess since all other WKOs this week were great, it was time for a fight.
Managed to barely fight off the gorilla for first 20' and manage .954IF. But then ANOTHER gorilla showed up (NOT fair) and only pulled off .907IF. Guess I tired them out cuz I hit 1.01IF for the last 5' interval. Phew! Going to get in an easy run later this afternoon after doggy school.
Stay warm everyone!
Did my NOS Bike test today. I rode everyday this week because I am jones to get outside. I had about 11 hours on the trainer this week. Here are my numbers the glass ceiling is there! My increases (thank God for them no matter how small) are getting tough. However I am 4 stinking pounds away from joining the 4.0 Club.
I am more like a diesel engine than a v8 but it is interesting to note how much my VO2 changed over the NOS. All the max vo2 sets obviously played into the improvement. I have been consistently higher outside on one hour tests so I am anxious to get outside and see where I am. Having said that though I think I am going to retest on my TT bike and do the Get Fast Plan on it. I have a 1.2/58/13.1 Duathlon in the Georgia Mountains 3/9.
@Ray, You are a beast. Those are some really impressive numbers. We will have to talk. I pulled a workout out of my closet and rode an hour today. The FTP test from Thursday was very prevalent in my legs.
@Kim super job - did u then send the gorillas to my place?
Gorilla fest tonight.
20m @ 1.01
20m @ 1.00
5m @ 1.01 (212w)
Off out for well deserved stake and fries with the Boss of the house. And rest up for 2 whole days... Yippeeee
just time for the MS and a quick w/u today. very happy with how this cage fight went down
20' @ 97.5% (236W)
20" @ 99% (240W)
12' @ 101% (244W)
good luck with this animal everybody!
That wasn't a good day for my Gorilla today ... I absolutely SMASHED him to the ground and there was no way back for that beast today
20' @ NP 310 (IF 0.99)
20' @ NP 307 (IF 0.97)
12' @ NP 307 (IF 0.97)
Added a few minutes of Z3 as I really felt good today!
Total workout 1:42 / NP 281 / IF 0.89
http://tpks.ws/IX6K
Thanks everyone! This was BRUTAL. I was dumb though at about 17 minutes in I dropped to a higher gear and my cadence sank like a rock so I downshifted and scrambled to recover.I should have known better because I spin! I was holding around 330 before that so it will give you an idea how bad I dropped!
My heart rate has always been weird. I can quickly recover and then run it right back up. If you go by the traditional max HR calculation my max should be 220-56 or 164. I was at 181 today and can see 187 quite often while running.
Today I got off the bike and laid on the floor until my dog came over from his bed and started licking me because he thought something was wrong! Smart old guy there was something wrong I WAS DEAD.
Dear Ray Brown your description today I must say is interesting !
x 3 ! Doggy CPR ,
!
"Today I got off the bike and laid on the floor until my dog came over from his bed and started licking me because he thought something was wrong! ".
Got home late this morning from work at 0100 Hrs. In bed by 0200 hrs. Ottawa sleeper gang coming over in the morning for a 1000 hr group ride. Dragged my butt out of bed, coffee, and joined the gang downstairs in the pain cave.
In all with the motivation from the team ride was better than expected !
1 x 20 1.00 IF, 89 cad.
1 X 20 0.96 IF, 89 cad, toned it down, worried about a downward spiral as the second set progressed.
1 x 12 0.97 IF, 89 cad, this was redemption to push a little to show I was not giving in to circumstance (spiraling downward).
There was no run today "just plain tired". Tomorrow is another day as they say. Not testing in my last week. I am going to repeat Wk 14 of OS next week.
My plan is last week of NOS repeat week 13 as per schedule. Enter the get faster plan of week two see what I am up against, and at week two do a testing protocol week. For me I feel it is not my time to take my foot off the pedal and not get the gains I know I am capable of ! Time will tell I guess.
@Mike - negative splits. Well done!
After a week on the bike after a week off, I am back to where I was two weeks ago:
20' - (IF/Pwr) 1.02/295
20' - 1.05/304
12' - 1.01/292
NP of 276 for entire workout. Now to relax finally!