2016/17 NOS Week 12 Bike Thread - Almost there
Welcome to the week 12 2016/17 NOS Bike Thread! We are almost there with just 2 more weeks of good hard work before we test for the final time in the OutSeason plan. You all know the routine, and it is basically the same with with a few more minutes of Z4 and few more of the 30/30s. Let's hear how it goes!
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Drank Powerbar electrolyte product. Really like it - not sweet, nice line taste, low sugar and low price point. Not a lot of calories so would need to supplement for long rides.
Tues morning bad dream drill on the bike for me: https://www.strava.com/activities/834908140
SS
Ellen
Ellen
Ellen and Bill - Getting me fired up for 30/30s tonight!
Shaughn - That poor gorilla.....
@BH - a lot of work in that Tuesday set! nice job!
If you are leaving this OS soon and transitioning to another plan, it is likely that the weekly Threshold work will continue to be in your next plan, its just that important to maintaining and improving fitness.
Here's how I mentally get through a threshold interval, and it is 90% mental. Let's say I have a 15 minute interval I am going after, my legs are not fresh from the week's cumulative fatigue, it is early in the morning and I know if it is going to get done it will have be at the beginning of the day.
First I warm up those large muscles well which includes 12 or more minutes at Z3 effort.
I drink well before and go in hydrated and I use a small bit of coffee before the Z4 intervals begins.
Then, as I begin the set, I don't think about 15 minutes, I focus in the first 5 minute block and mentally tell myself I can do 2 minutes, then 3, then only 2 minutes left to hit the 5. Once I hit the 5, I am feeling the work and I am mentally telling myself I need to get to the 10 minute mark. I am focused on form, cadence, and the number (for me 300 or better). Then I tell myself that when I get to 8:30 I only have 90 seconds to the 10 minute mark. I push through to 10 and tell myself I can to anything for 5 more minutes. I break the 5 minutes left down to 1 minute intervals. At this point, things are and should be tough. But I dig through it, I fight for each of those minutes, I arrive to 13:30 and get it done for the next 90 seconds and it is over.......
My point is, break it down to manageable pieces, mentally play tricks on your body by doing so, go in hydrated, use some caffeine if needed, and celebrate your accomplishment, then move forward to the next block....
Thursday threshold work early: https://www.strava.com/activities/837095832
SS
I felt is was time for a change in bike focus and coach Patrick agreed that it was time for me to switch to longer rides @ 75-85% ftp which I lowered from 260 to 240 to allow me more recovery
so today I went long for the first time in quite awhile - riding by myself - doing 60 miles on a 30 mile out and back course with a goal of riding @ about 75%, which I held consistently throughout the ride
Results:
56 miles - 2:37 @ 21.4 mph, np - 182, if - .758, tss - 150.3
60 miles - 2:47 @ 21.56 mph, np - 183, if - .76, tss - 160.4
(the last 30 minutes I was riding > 23 mph)
for my first longish ride I am quite pleased with where my bike is now, (as well as where it was when I raced 2 weeks ago), as I now exit the November OS plan and switch to something more like 70.3 training
@arnold schmidt - Those are some extremely fast splits. Nice work.
@Ellen Sauter - Nice work on riding with the splint. I rode last year with a splint, and know how hard it is to get comfortable without being able to grip the bars. Hopefully, it has been a good core workout so far.
@Shaughn Simmons - I agree, the only way to get through those long intervals is to focus on small pieces at a time and use some incentive like sip of gel from the flask at different benchmarks. I count pedal rotations for alternating sides to pass the time and help me smooth out my pedaling - i.e., 5 strokes right, 5 strokes left, 10 strokes right, 10 strokes left. I go to 100 and start over. When I get really tired, I can only count breaths. However, the counting keeps my mind on the small steps needed to finish the interval.
Nice work everyone and thanks for the strategy SS.
@SS - Great explanation on executing FTP intervals. That's the only way I can get through them.
Keep up the great work everyone!
8x1'@ 1.10
4x2'@ 1.12
@Phil - damn nice sets!
Did a couple I IM watts intervals this morning - semi recovery set myself: https://www.strava.com/activities/838092844
Good luck with the Sat Gorilla all!
SS
Slept seven hours, which is a lot for me, so I felt well-rested. Consumed about 500 calories - two bottles of Accelerade (diluted a bit) and two ounces of Hammer gel - across the 2-hour ride and 5-mile run.
Interestingly, the 2-hour ride consumes all of my iPhone battery. Thus, I have to listen to music through an iPad and also charge the phone while I am riding. I need to find some type of stand for my iPad (or maybe even my laptop). Curious how others have set up their pain caves.
The new orthotics in the shoes are working well. I am no longer making concentrated contact with the cleat/peddle.
Only other thing to note, I think I am going to buy a Wahoo bluetooth cadence meter. I have a Garmin now for my indoor bike on the Kickr. However, the fob/dongle combo doesn't work well - my cadence gets recorded only about 50% of the time. I already moved to a bluetooth HRM for indoor riding. Think I will have to do the bluetooth cadence meter as well. I have all Ant+ Garmin accessories for my tri-bike.
Hope everyone has a good ride and brick run today.
Robert, ....all I know is that when you unleash that improved bike engine on top of that run weapon you already carry around, well......frankly it's going to be a like a man competing against boys!........mark my words!
DS - Having a great time watching the runner evolve into a bad ass biker!
Rough morning for me Saturday but decided to go ahead and get it done: https://www.strava.com/activities/839452925
SS
2x15'@.96 & .94
2x10'@ .95 & .96
Tried to cut the 2nd interval short, but managed to suck it up and grind out the last 5'.
@ Patrick M - Awesome! It looks like you are on your way to a second bump!
@ SS - Great advice man. I definitely used it on Saturday!
@ Derrek - That is a great example of how powerful a little rest is! Way to come back strong!
@ Phil - Great Vo2 sets and way to push those 4 FTP set as well!
@ Robert S - Nice work man!
This was a full week of work for me (900 TSS over 12 hours). Thursday I got through the 2 X (20 X 30"/30"). I really like that wko. At first I was really questioning whether this would be more effective that last years 4' to 5' VO2, because they seemed easier. When we started doing greater than 16 of these in a set, I realized that they are very hard, but also manageable mentally. I do them on Zwift and love trying to chase someone down during the 30" of VO2 work.
I ran on Saturday and did the FTP work on Sunday. I was time constrained, so I only did the 3 X 15' (.96, .96 and .98). I was happy with how I felt, especially since I had about 40 miles of running this week in my legs.