Training to Enhance 5 Hour Power
There's some discussion in OS threads about how to increase five hour power. Rather than waylay those weekly threads, I thought I'd introduce a new one to carry on that conversation.
FIRST, it might be useful to review an excellent thread on this topic from 2015: http://members.endurancenation.us/OldForums/tabid/57/aft/17648/Default.aspx
SECOND, Why worry about 5 hr power (5HP)? Simply, it is the best predictor of one's performance on race day in an IM. And appropriate bike execution - staying within ones capability - is a primary key to successful overall IM performance.
THIRD, why talk about this now? Well, if you're in the Jan OS, maybe it's best to just have this all be theoretical; you should be working on enhancing your FTP through traditional means, building your FAST, so that you can work on your FAR in three months. But there are things you can do during the OS, specifically during the weekend ABP ride, to prepare yourself to better manage your 5 hour power training in the IM build. If you are in the Nov OS, that day is fast approaching...
FOURTH, what is 5 Hour Power? To repeat what I wrote in 2015, "I propose that "5-hr power" as a metric be defined as the watts which appear at the five hour point on the TP/WKO+ Mean Maximal Power Curve."
It's my belief that the EN full IM training plans are designed in the last ten weeks or so to be specifically working on enhancing ones 5HP, and the Race Rehearsals therein are the best way to produce the 5HP you need to know to get ready for race day. But how do we get from the OS to those long IM build rides?
It's not simply a question of trying to go longer and longer @ your FTP. There must be a step-down progression to get from the 60-75 minute FTP workouts and weekend 2.5 hour ABP rides (with their 60-120 minutes @ 0.8-0.85 IF) to the much longer IM rides.
While I like BS'ing about theory, and working out over metrics and data, I actually prefer practical ideas and simple tactics. In that spirit, I'll offer up my simple plan from last year, which helped me significantly improve my four hour power ( I was training for a triathlon with a 120 KM bike leg, which took me 3:5x to complete). Once a week, I went out riding with my local buddies, all aged 58-73 and strong bikers, in the Cascade mountains. This gave me an opportunity to build from intervals of 45' (5') to an uninterrupted 135' riding up 4-6% slopes @ 0.8-0.85%. That both pushed my FTP from below, and raised my 4HP from above (speaking in IF terms.) I didn't consciously set out to do that, but having done it, I discovered how much it helped. Also, slogging up a grade does wonder to keep one at a steady VI.
I HATE doing long rides, especially by myself, on flat roads. Having a mountain top as a goal, and others around to pull or push me during the ride, made a big difference.
FIRST, it might be useful to review an excellent thread on this topic from 2015: http://members.endurancenation.us/OldForums/tabid/57/aft/17648/Default.aspx
SECOND, Why worry about 5 hr power (5HP)? Simply, it is the best predictor of one's performance on race day in an IM. And appropriate bike execution - staying within ones capability - is a primary key to successful overall IM performance.
THIRD, why talk about this now? Well, if you're in the Jan OS, maybe it's best to just have this all be theoretical; you should be working on enhancing your FTP through traditional means, building your FAST, so that you can work on your FAR in three months. But there are things you can do during the OS, specifically during the weekend ABP ride, to prepare yourself to better manage your 5 hour power training in the IM build. If you are in the Nov OS, that day is fast approaching...
FOURTH, what is 5 Hour Power? To repeat what I wrote in 2015, "I propose that "5-hr power" as a metric be defined as the watts which appear at the five hour point on the TP/WKO+ Mean Maximal Power Curve."
It's my belief that the EN full IM training plans are designed in the last ten weeks or so to be specifically working on enhancing ones 5HP, and the Race Rehearsals therein are the best way to produce the 5HP you need to know to get ready for race day. But how do we get from the OS to those long IM build rides?
It's not simply a question of trying to go longer and longer @ your FTP. There must be a step-down progression to get from the 60-75 minute FTP workouts and weekend 2.5 hour ABP rides (with their 60-120 minutes @ 0.8-0.85 IF) to the much longer IM rides.
While I like BS'ing about theory, and working out over metrics and data, I actually prefer practical ideas and simple tactics. In that spirit, I'll offer up my simple plan from last year, which helped me significantly improve my four hour power ( I was training for a triathlon with a 120 KM bike leg, which took me 3:5x to complete). Once a week, I went out riding with my local buddies, all aged 58-73 and strong bikers, in the Cascade mountains. This gave me an opportunity to build from intervals of 45' (5') to an uninterrupted 135' riding up 4-6% slopes @ 0.8-0.85%. That both pushed my FTP from below, and raised my 4HP from above (speaking in IF terms.) I didn't consciously set out to do that, but having done it, I discovered how much it helped. Also, slogging up a grade does wonder to keep one at a steady VI.
I HATE doing long rides, especially by myself, on flat roads. Having a mountain top as a goal, and others around to pull or push me during the ride, made a big difference.
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in 2016 & 17 I went into LP with great fitness as measured by FTP. That said, my 5 hr power as calculated by Strava was much lower in 2017 than it was in 2016 as a % of FTP. I credit this for my perceived "overbiking" of the LP bike this year vs last year, despite having a better run this year.
my plan for this year is to swap my 12 weekends prior to taper (starting 14 weeks from IM) and alternating weekends as a bike focus and run focus.
Bike focus weekends(BFW) will have Saturday's long ride in upwards of 6 hours, and Sunday's ride at 3-4 hours with a Sunday run of 4-6 Miles
Run focus weekends(RFW) will have Saturday's Long ride as 4 hours and Sunday's ride at 1.5 hrs with a Sunday run of 8-10 Miles.
Saturdays will have 4-6 mile runs on both weekends.
The Saturday rides on both weekends & BFW Sunday rides, will all be modeled after @Paul Curtin's "Inside out" rides, or as @John Withrow put it to me once, last hour power must be higher than the power for the ride up until then. The trick is not to pad it by going too easy in those first 2,3,4 or 5 hours!
BTW how do you show 5hr power in TP? My mean maximal power curve tops out at 3hrs and I don't see a way to change that.
I’ve found that extended IF .80-.85 alpine climbs at 4-6% build muscle endurance which is always my key long course limiter. My individual body type (including genetics), experience, and personality clearly favor short course racing. Interval work comes much easier to be than long rides. I try to load up a season of supported century rides... which I ride solo with a goal of increasing power through the ride. In fact, this season, I’m including weekly long swims in order to try to shift my perspective. In the past, I’ve had FOP IM swim efforts by building to 42x100yds on a short RI. Great physical preparation, but my mind was not at all focused while I spent an hour or so blowing bubbles and looking for the next buoy. If I’m honest about it, while my power meter usually shows good execution on the bike course, my mental focus stinks... and probably costs me significant time given my physiological parameters on race day. The IM bike leg is a looong TT with many distractions. Really, quite the opposite of a TR interval workout, Zwift race, or even a group traing ride. It sounds like inside out rides can be valuable long before a specific race prep final build.
@Scott Alexander: Good question. I figured that individuals advocating 5 hour power were splitting near 5 hours. HIM is so different than IM, that I am looking forward to a few WSM comments on this. Of course, I’d prefer to work on my 2-hour power rather than 3-hour power
• HIM? I;ve never given this any thought, nor, with much less HIM racing experience compared to IM, do I have practical experience. But I think that the critical power would be however long it takes you to go 56 miles in training. mostly because that's a lot easier to fit into ones schedule than frequent (weekly) 112 mile rides, at least for us slow pokes.
• @John Culberson Your approach resonates with me. Even though we may have different physiques, I'd much rather go fast than long, but I like the challenges of Ironman more than short-course racing. So many puzzle pieces have to work, and there is really no way too effectively practice all of them except on race day. I've learned to love dissecting Ironman execution and nutrition, and like them (almost) as much as just putting the pedal down and hammering for an hour or so in an Olympic. There's also the external rewards - IM seems to carry a bigger cachet both within our sport and in the population at large - I get more strokes from IM success than shorter distance.
@Al Truscott
Do you feel that at some point increasing FTP is not going to happen? I know that with running my AT has pretty much held constant. Since doing intensity on the run sets me up for injuries I do my intensity on the bike with the goal of maintaining my FTP ... not so much to expect it to go higher.
This is a great thread.
My conclusion is the same as yours: I run fast at great risk to my joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments. I have to be very careful with that. I might just limit it to one or two sessions of strides each week, and the occasional 5K race (like 3-4 a year). Otherwise, it's all-TRP all-the-time. Which is a disappointment, as I like to run fast!
But I seem to be able to handle very hard efforts on the trainer, and out on the road, although not with the frequency of those ENers who are 15-20 + years younger. So I'm learning to get my feelings of inner power, and endurance mastery (that's the way I talk about what others term "suffering"), which I used to get thru running, from the bike.