@Al - yesterday was definitely a science experiment. I wanted to get HR into Z5 so upped the interval to 1'. But it was the "martini conundrum" for the recovery minutes: one was not enough; two was too many
HR climbed steadily through each interval, and power was fairly consistent, so I think it was a successful workout. But very hard - pushed 1.5x FTP for each interval. I'm still doing okay absorbing the heavier bike WKOs as my runs are all still in the Z1 to TRP range.
Vo2 workout is complete 65'@ .86 79.5 TSS. 2X(5X1) in the 1.25-26 IF range. I kicked in 7' at .86 to finish out the ride. I know I'm way up there for IF but given my expected FTP bump this is not really out of line. The last couple were tough but not insane so I'm okay to push the bike a little extra. I guess I'll have to prove it on Tuesday.
I plan to also stack two bike workouts together Friday/Saturday so we will get how I feel tomorrow. I want to ensure to get maximum recovery for the test.
2X16' today and I wanted to push the 2nd one to help me find the edge for Tuesday's test, which I think I've found.
First 16@ 219 watts 1.05 IF, which is very close to my week one 20' test. 2nd set @233 watts or 1.12. I eased up after 12 minutes when I was holding 236 watts. I would have been in a very dark place from 12-15 or 16' so this is pretty close to the edge for me.
I'm going to be pushing hard on Tuesday and brining the bucket with me as I really want to be north of 239. Why? A 240 watt 20' test will give me a 20 watt bump over the 8 weeks.
Still fighting the sore throat and sinus issues. I did manage to get the VO2 work Thursday which doesn't seem as hard as the FTP sets to me. I was to do a group kickr ride early today and bailed for more sleep. Finally felt decent enough to attempt the ride about 2 pm. Got in the whole workout and brick run post. Was tough, but doable. Hope I can kick the crud to the curb by Tuesday.
@Gordon Cherwoniak - you've made some good bike fitness gains from all that hard work! You have some new numbers coming up next week during the FTP test / well earned!
Did my saturday ride just now, and trying to figure out where to target for the next test. My week 1 test was 241/199 for the 5' and 20'. That put me at 189ftp. Did my 2x16 today hitting 192 and 189, and not really having to dig in to get it done. I think I've decide on targeting an 8-10% gain from week 1, and hanging on for dear life at 214-218w (203-207 ftp). When comparing that to 2013-14 OS gains, the gains are paltry, but thats likely due to general lack of fitness then, and improved testing technique.
Moved Saturday's bike to Sunday and made the mistake of running before the bike wko. Thought it would get me warmed up for the trainer, but not so much.
First set was just agony. Second set was not so bad, but not so good either. Third set was a sufferfest of pushing through calf cramps. Fourth set again agony, but with the PM readings fluctuating all over the place*
All performed below where I should have been had I not run before hand.
A day ahead -- I'm realizing that Sundays are too busy to reliably get that last important run in, so shifting everything by a day. So ... just finished the FTP test and exceeded ALL expectations.
Coaches predicted an bump in FTP by the end of the OS from 148 to 160. Yep, crushed that. 164w BABY!!!
VO2 interval: 199w (NP), VI = 1.0. FTP interval: 173w (NP), VI = 1.01 --> 164w for new FTP.
I was planning on settling in around 165w for the test, but 170 felt pretty good, and I got stronger in the last quarter. Not sure I'm bold enough to do the wko intervals at IF = 1.0, but I feel like I've earned this. Work works!
Comments
HR climbed steadily through each interval, and power was fairly consistent, so I think it was a successful workout. But very hard - pushed 1.5x FTP for each interval. I'm still doing okay absorbing the heavier bike WKOs as my runs are all still in the Z1 to TRP range.
Vo2 workout is complete 65'@ .86 79.5 TSS. 2X(5X1) in the 1.25-26 IF range. I kicked in 7' at .86 to finish out the ride. I know I'm way up there for IF but given my expected FTP bump this is not really out of line. The last couple were tough but not insane so I'm okay to push the bike a little extra. I guess I'll have to prove it on Tuesday.
I plan to also stack two bike workouts together Friday/Saturday so we will get how I feel tomorrow. I want to ensure to get maximum recovery for the test.
https://www.strava.com/activities/878084211
Saturday bike done. 3 X 11' at new Z4....90' total day after run test......not enough in the tank to do more than that today.
https://www.strava.com/activities/879101684
2X16' today and I wanted to push the 2nd one to help me find the edge for Tuesday's test, which I think I've found.
First 16@ 219 watts 1.05 IF, which is very close to my week one 20' test. 2nd set @233 watts or 1.12. I eased up after 12 minutes when I was holding 236 watts. I would have been in a very dark place from 12-15 or 16' so this is pretty close to the edge for me.
I'm going to be pushing hard on Tuesday and brining the bucket with me as I really want to be north of 239. Why? A 240 watt 20' test will give me a 20 watt bump over the 8 weeks.
https://www.strava.com/activities/879733744
@Trish Marshall - rest/feel better soon.
SS
First set was just agony.
Second set was not so bad, but not so good either.
Third set was a sufferfest of pushing through calf cramps.
Fourth set again agony, but with the PM readings fluctuating all over the place*
All performed below where I should have been had I not run before hand.
2x12'@ .95
2x9'@ .95 & .92*
Coaches predicted an bump in FTP by the end of the OS from 148 to 160. Yep, crushed that. 164w BABY!!!
VO2 interval: 199w (NP), VI = 1.0.
FTP interval: 173w (NP), VI = 1.01 --> 164w for new FTP.
I was planning on settling in around 165w for the test, but 170 felt pretty good, and I got stronger in the last quarter. Not sure I'm bold enough to do the wko intervals at IF = 1.0, but I feel like I've earned this. Work works!
https://www.strava.com/activities/881826947
VO2 test: 294w avg
FTP test: 269w avg for an FTP of 256 (Week one FTP was 203)
Run test will be conducted at a hotel treadmill.
Recovery bike this morning for me: https://www.strava.com/activities/881562687
Definitely felt the yesterday's run during this work this morning. Good to get blood flow moving to speed up recovery!
Good luck this week all!
SS