Do I have to choose between Vdot OR FTP improvement?
Just wondering if what I noticed this outseason is typical or not
For quick background, this is third OS. The first was like getting a drink of water from a fire hydrant....learning about Vdot/training with pace, FTP/training with (after getting!!) a PM. Noticed gains in both, but this was also coming off several years of inactivity.
With the second OS I was really getting into the training with power, and while I didn't consciously set out to focus on the bike, I think I definitely put more emphasis there, doing more the minimal runs prescribed. Saw nice gain in FTP, while run Vdot didn't really improve very much until after a HIM training block (had pretty good 5K TT/vdot improvement at start of training for IMFL....after the HIM).
With this OS, while I didn't slack on the bike at all....did (or attempted
) the prescribed wko's....I definitely went into it with the goal of improving the run. Per coach P's advice, one thing I did was to keep track of (and gradually increase) miles run at HM pace. I was amazed at first how much I really slacked on hitting these miles until I starting keeping track of them (I think I would mostly hit them at MP in the past, with the rationalization that it was the TP miles that counted).
Results this OS?? Happy with the run gains....5K PR last year was 21:25 (this was at beginning of IMFL build...at end of OS last year it was 22:22), and this morning I hit a new PR of 21:01 (goal was to break 21:00
). And while I'm doing the FTP test later this week, I know it will be about the same, and I'm starting to get in the mind-set of having the bike goal be to hold a slightly higher percentage of FTP at IMMD this year....so that even if the FTP is the same, I'm still improving (held .69 IF at IMFL, have goal to be able to hold .71)
So it seems like you have to focus on one or the other, or at least expect a gain in only one ...is that typical?
Comments
This is a great question, and I have noticed similar. Will be lurking....
My 15+ years of serious triathlon training has shown me that one of the disciplines is always the weak link, and that's the one where I put my attention. I have cycled through putting emphasis on each of the three over the years, and find it useful and part of the benefit of being a triathlete - there's always something to work on, and something to take a little break from. I've learned it's not possible to apply the same level of emphasis to all three at once.
For the record, this year I am most worried about my cycling, and intend to add extra days/volume (not additional intensity) to deal with that. In the last 4 years, I've seen more of a decline (at my age and level of experience, there are no more gains to be had) in my cycling than either running or swimming. That's because I have: stopped mountain biking, bike commuting, tandem riding, and multi-day trips during the past five years, all of which, while not specifically "training", I'm sure had a + effect on race day. So I will dabble a bit in all of those, in addition to doing the regular S/B/R EN workouts.
Generally, as you're in the sport longer, train more consistently, and therefore reach more and more of your potential, incremental gains in each sport become more and more difficult to achieve. Add in aging, periods of perhaps jumping off the wagon for whatever reason, having your fitness decline and then having to build it back up again, etc and you have more contributing factors to decreased/harder and harder to achieve gains.
This is why (1) we created the Bike and Run Focus plans and (2) last year tried to better engage everyone on "what now" conversations after their races, so we could hopefully minimize the off the wagon effect and point you towards a block of single-sport focused training while you have end-of-season fitness.
Just did end of JOS FTP test and not as bad as I thought...relevant stats:
end JOS 2014 FTP-274....todays test 268. I think it's also significant that while I was at 274 at end of JOS 2014, I was at 265 when last tested in Sept. 2014 when in IMFL build (BOTH beginning and mid-point JOS 2015 tests were failed...I know the mid-point one was due to fatigue). Sooooo, with running at what I think is significantly better(see above), and FTP not too far off (I'd say a little gain from beginning of JOS, but hard to tell for sure with 2 failed tests), I'm not feeling as bad about where I'm at as I was a week or two ago.
Everything seem about right?