@Jeff Phillips - I should be done Sunday morning. I plan to take Monday off and do full frontal on Tuesday.
I did the MGCC pursuit race on Zwift this morning and got a slight FTP bump. I am looking forward to seeing what I will do with rested legs.
I did not think Thin Air was too bad until the last 15 minutes or so of the 40’ climb. All of these workouts give us more recovery than what we are used to (IMO).
Like @John Stark said, these next 4 look tough! Let’s keep up the great work everyone!
I completed Stage 6 this morning then listened to the Self Talk video. Yes, self talk makes all the difference in getting through tough races and workouts.
I thought my legs were feeling strong until reading @Jeff Phillips and @Brian Hagan posts about it being rather easy. LOL. Actually, this Stage was mostly sweet spot training and I'm very comfortable at sweet spot and my HR agreed with the effort. The last 6 mins were hard but not the "I'm going to die" hard. 😀
@Brian Hagan - you're a beast doing a Zwift race in the middle of ToS! Well done on the FTP bump.
@Derrek Sanks - Definitely not easy! I remember doing this a couple of years ago and not being able to finish some of the wkos. Maybe I have a stronger threshold for suffering now. They are tough but doable.
I may pay the price for that race. My plan was to do the next stage tonight. We will see.....
I could tell this morning prior to the ride that I was fatigued. This is my 9th day in a row doing intervals on the bike. ToS was a spur of the moment decision the day it started and had already spun 3 days already. Needed some extra mojo after being sick for a week prior.
Did the first 17 minutes of the 40' @ 90% to test my legs and HR. Did the last 23' @100% but took a couple of micro-breaks along the way. I got it done but was definitely running on empty at the end.
@Derrek Sanks - Prior years of ToS I have seen nice bumps in fitness. Personally, it's good for my body to mix things up or else I start seeing diminishing returns on my fitness increases over time because it acclimates to the some ol' stuff. SF helps throw my body a curve ball and starts yelling at me again. :-). Well, more than it normally yells at me. :-)
@Jeff Phillips - Was thinking about this. Not sure if this is the perfect scenario but I am going to take Monday and Tuesday off and crush recovery - physically and mentally. Spin up on Wednesday and maybe do this weeks Thursday ride and then on Thursday do the 4DP.
A bit slick here this morning as well. Snow for the next 5 days starting tomorrow.
I’ve learned a lot through Stages 1-6. @Brian Hagan and @John Stark : Thin Air was not easy. @Derrek Sanks described my ride “I’m very comfortable with SS, but the last 6 minutes were hard.” It’s a good thing for triathletes to be comfortable at SS. I used to swim 42x100 with 5-7s RI at a SS pace as final prep for an IM swim. This year, I’ve been doing weekly short, high intensity intervals with long RI. They hurt bad, but I’m getting used to them, and my swimming SS is 5s faster/100. I know its only 3.5 min in an IM swim... but I have MUCH better overall swim fitness. I am NOT used to the repeated high intensity “shovel” intervals. If I want to CnC with you guys, I need to build anaerobic capacity so that I can go longer with repeated efforts above FTP. The benefit to TOS (and Zwift Racing in General) is that a major weakness in my LONG COURSE racing has been exposed. I can blast out some big 1min numbers for a 60 year old because I’m a relatively big guy, but being able to do that repeatedly during the same WKO and day-after-day is a weakness that needs to be addressed in my training. I don’t think that I could have accomplished TOS with a smart trainer calling the shots! There is a great thread in Power and Pace discussing the utility of FTP. I’m going to get WKO4 and do my “Full Frontal” so that I can put some numbers to my weaknesses. (I’ll use it as a VO2 WKO in a week or two). I dread FF more than an FTP test. (Have PTSD from The Omnium Kilometer). I’m also going to line-up three short course tri’s to start my season. We are Sufferlandrians!
@John Culberson - Interesting! I had a similar conversation with Coach P a few months ago. My power curve shows a weakness in the shorter harder stuff. I always lose Zwift races at the sprint finishes.
I think FF is tougher because you have to give legit efforts on the pre-work intervals. I usually cheat on the FTP tests and go a little easier on the 5 minute VO2 part.
The Zwift race yesterday me did me in. I bailed abut 15 minutes into mini-blender last night. I will do it tonight and maybe Vice Grips if I feel good. I hope do be done Saturday morning!
Stage 7 completed this morning, followed by 3-mile brick on the treadmill.
Good ride this morning, I liked the efforts above threshold and worked at those 20 and 40 second sprints. @John Culberson , I think Saturday's 14 Vise Grips is going to be fun for you!
I hear a lot of talk in the team about the benefits of Zwift racing and I have done a few. In my simple mind, the benefit is time spent in V02+. If so, have the more tenured team members seen a change in the prescribed OS, HIM, and IM bike plans? It would seem it would be easy to add in more efforts like this into the longer, steadier state Sweet Spot workouts.
@Jeff Phillips - I think Zwift racing is a great tool, but not always. If I fall off the pack in 10 minutes and spend 30 minutes in Z3/Z2 then no. If I can hang onto tho the pack and spend 30 to 45 minutes in Z4/Z5 with a little Z3 mixed in, than it is fantastic. I like the structured workouts, because I know I will get in the prescribed amount of zone work, but I also like to mix in races to see if I can push myself beyond.
I also completed Stage 7 this morning followed with a 3 mile brick on the TM. Started off a little sluggish but after a good warm up, everything was manageable. I liked this Stage and was glad it wasn't the full Blender version.
@John Culberson - Are you following a specific plan for your short high intensity swim workouts? What distances and RI are you doing? I've read about Ultra Short Race Pace Training but there seems to be a hundred variations of distances (25 - 150) and RI.
@Jeff Phillips - For me Zwift racing made me realize I can go harder for longer than I thought possible. There's something that makes you try harder when there's others/competition around you. I think the benefit in racing is from spending more and more time just above Zone 4, but not to much into Zone 5 (other than the start and finish sprints).
@Brian Hagan - Second time will be the charm. Fuel up and crush both Stages tonight!
Stage 7 DUN! It was almost too easy. I spent much time yesterday on self-care stretching and the like. I felt great this morning. Even during those last Vo2 intervals I was talking (sorta) with Tom Glynn during our regular Friday chat-n-ride via FaceTime. Don't want to sound cocky. Let's see how things go tomorrow and Sunday. :-)
Great convo from you guys. I have personally been hating all the OS SST stuff and Zwift riding in OS. I have been a full-time mountain biker (not simply a XC rider) for a few years now so the thought of long sustained rides bores the shit out of me. Saturday ABP rides in particular. I like varied terrain. @Jeff Phillips - More varied efforts during SST ABP rides would really be nice.
However.....
I spent some time with a local coach (MTB National Champ, etc) yesterday talking about Leadville, my plan for MTB races leading up to LV and so on (XC, MTB, Gravel). I showed her the EN OS plan and the Sufferfest ride graphs. She noted that based on my type of riding as a mountain biker I should most definitely be working more with Sufferfest WKO's. Specifically working on my weakness using Nine Hammers, A Very Dark Place and Blender. And on rides the The Trick for my strengths. These are more to the MTB style vs. SST type roadie/triathlete rides. And add in FTP work like The Way Out and Hell Hath No Fury along the way. Plus, with Moab camp in 4 weeks the SF vids will be better for getting me ready for the type of riding that is classic Moab.
So, in short, I will be modifying my OS starting next week for the next 4 week block up to the end of Moab camp. Which is good for me because another OS ABP ride would kill me. ISLAGIATT will be the replacement.
@John Culberson - Those swim intervals ROCK! Nothing beats being completely shelled after HI swim intervals. Note that it is one thing in the pool. I bet you will be surprised how much better you are during your open water swims as well.
@John Culberson - To clarify...I bet you will get a bigger bang for your buck than 3.5 minutes. If your form is good and you don't have to swim over/around people you will see a nice decrease in your IM swim time.
I did stage 7 late last night and stage 8 this morning. I even gave up a day on the ski slopes to get my workout in before my computer took over my life today.
I am definitely feeling fatigued. I have run after every stage 15-40 min on the treadmill. I think that has been a good thing for my legs, actually. Really looking forward to finishing stage 9 tomorrow and NOT getting on my bike on Sunday.
All in all, I know that my FTP is set a little low, as I have been able to do all stages at 100%. I haven't tested in a long time, mostly because I hate to test. But I am committing to doing FF next week to really see where I am. My next goal is to figure out how to use Zwift like all of you. I have been on Zwift since the beta release, but have never really figured out how to get the most out of it. #goals
Ok.. mini blender complete. Will do vice grips tomorrow.
Another thing about Zwift is it has really brought a lot of members of the team together. I love the Saturday and Sunday morning conversations even though it is mixed with heavy breathing.
Stage 8 DUNNN! Got off the bike and was doing air fist pumps and jumping for joy. I haven't felt this strong mentally and physically in a long time. That session wasn't easy. But t wasn't overly hard either. Good shit.
@Derrek Sanks - Ya, you called it. I have spent the last weeks trying to bend OS to my needs when in fact just needed to change my approach. I will stop complaining now. :-)
How is everyone feeling? Tomorrow looks tough. Let's all end strong and give virtual high fives!
Stage 9 done and DONE. The last 1/2 of Defender was brutal and I had to drop down the intensity in order to finish.
This is my seventh year of doing the Tour. It really has been the jump start to my season every year. I am hoping that I can sustain some of that this year as well as the motivation!
Finished Stage 8 this morning and thought about doing Stage 9, but didn't want to over do it. I agree with @John Stark , Stage 8 wasn't easy and not too hard. I was expecting a longer workout. In 2017 Stage 8 was over 2 hours. Afterwards I ran 6 miles on the TM.
Got Stage 8 done this morning. This felt like how a Sufferfest video should feel! The 2 min intervals and the 90 second one right after were painful during Set 1. Set 2, I had to work at both 90 sec intervals and the 2 min interval.
I've had a whole day of moving furniture, so tomorrow's last stage will be extra fun. The Minions must've got a hold of my weekend schedule.
Vice Grips gave me plenty of rest between short efforts... which I completed at or above target. I struggled more with Thin Air (which I may have sandbagged a bit). I’m concerned about There is No Try (never experienced, but looks like The Wretched, which killed me) and Defender (which has already killed me). That’s 1:45:00 of longer superthreshold intervals with short rest. My relatively scant endurance is going to bleed me. I did a 1500m LCM swim and 3mi run brick on the indoor track this morning. Felt sluggish, but seemed to ease into my normal easy pace. Looks like I’ll get 3 swims and 4 runs in this week... all short and easy.
@Derrek Sanks : My son had a coach that built an NCAA men’s team around sprint freestyle and an Ultra Short program. He went to the Trials in the 50 and 100Free while his relay teamates missed the cut times. He did a lot of extra distance intervals (200’s, 400’s), and drills. The standard program is 60x25 (or 50’s for 200-500 distance) with 15s RI. When you fail to hit the interval, you skip one and continue... when you fail a second time, you are done. You are not really supposed to make 60 repeats... if you do, you drop your target interval time. It’s hard to do 25’s by yourself, ‘cause you can’t see the clock. Serious swimmers will do a 2000 warm-up before starting. For intervals like this to really work, you have to go 100% of your current shaved and tapered, balls out time. That means 11s over and over for a 44s 100 guy. Anything less intense is not effective... even 99%. Personally, I’m training to break 60s at age 60. That means I’m currently doing up to 30x25’s at 17s with 15s RI. I need to get to 60x25 on 15s. It’s different, but given the limited swim volume of a triathlete, I have been doing descending sets (ie 3x75 with 1min RI, each faster... followed by 3x50 with 1min RI) at the end of my swim, a couple of times a week. 15x100 with about 7s RI... descending is a great SS set. 5x100 on 2min RI descending will make you fast.
@John Culberson How do you think a 1' 100 yd swim translates to a properly trained IM swim, recognizing it has to be followed by a respectable bike and run? I'm curious if you would be able to "swim your age" in an IM: 60'.
@Al Truscott : My IM swim and 100Free times have been correlated through the years. I’ve done a “could have” 56’ and wasted a lot of good training... and was able to run well after a 62’ several years in a row early in the 21st century. I’m a former sprint freestyler, and if I train appropriately, I believe that I can swim 60” at 60. If I was doing an IM the next day... I’d practice good impulse control early, and be happy with a 65’ swim. My 60yo training buddy is a distance freestyler and could probably go under an hour and still bike/run well.
@Derrek Sanks : I have really benefitted from “mixing it up” over the past year. Like the 4DP of Sufferlandria, strong swimmers do a lot of variety in their interval length, number, and RI... and therefore, energy systems. In fact, after thinking that “anyone can ride a bike fast” at my first triathlon in 1981, I bought a Racer Mate trainer and without any coaching or guidance, spent the winter doing “swim workout intervals” in my bedroom. I didn’t know it, but I was being trained to be a Sufferlandrian and had one of the top bike splits the next year. (It probably works better for sprint triathlons). While you MUST have good form and a solid base... superimposing the time/effort/RI sequences of Sufferfest workouts into the swimming pool could be very effective. Coach Von Agony would “prescribe” 5x200 descending on a 30” RI or 5x200 descending on a 3’RI and bring dread to any elite swimmer... although the training target is very different. Because stroke breakdown is an absolute to end the workout, shorter, and more intense intervals with longer RI are best placed at the end of the workout. For IM training, volume and an efficient stoke is still king, but I’d recommend you look at the Swimming Faster e-book in the Wiki. @Mike Roberts has everything you need clearly spelled out. @Coach Patrick has been very supportive of the Vasa Trainer as a way to improve ROI of swimming. Now that Coggan has changed his views on FTP, (@tim cronk in Power and Pace), and Sufferfest is touting their 4DP analysis, the swim may take on a new role as an opportunity to build fitness that will improve IM performance. Swimming permits “hard” nearly every workout... similar to the evolution of RDP for an activity that requires cautious use of “hard.” I’ve “named dropped” several WSM here so that once I finish Stage 9, we can get something going in the forums.
After competing Vice Grips yesterday, I turned on the TV and was fortunate to stumble on the Milrose Games indoor mile. Kejelcha missed breaking a 22-year old record of 3:38.45 by one-hundredth of a second. I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t appear to be suffering quite enough.
ToS is in the history books. Stage 9 was a great workout and left some residual fatigue in my legs/hips, first first time in the 9 days. I'm so looking forward to a recovery week and not getting on my bike tomorrow.
No Try was a bit better than expected. Defender became uncomfortable halfway through interval 2. I stayed on the gas, suffering interval 3, and aggressively bumping up the effort during the final 10 min. When my power started dropping with 4 min to go, I knew that it was either a flat or the worlds greatest bonk. Luckily it was a flat, and there is no way I was going to change a tire and get back on the bike for a final 4 min. The minions threatened my life, but I escaped in an unmarked team car. Overall, this was a great team effort, and I am happy with my effort. Using a new increased FTP, I spent 2 hours at Sweet Spot, 1.5 hours at FTP, and a half hour in Zone 5. Considering my level of bike fitness, it was a smart effort, and I held onto my run frequency. I’m going to use FF as my Thursday Vo2 workout in JOS. I really liked the NoTry/Defender pair, and still love Angels and Hell Hath no Fury to get in some FTP time. I’m looking forward (evil hahahah) to completing the Tour next year with a smart trainer. Today’s work was clearly easier in ERG mode. Great job and thanks for the support.
2019 ToS complete. I did myself no favors by having way too much wine last night celebrating a friend's new job. Woke up this morning with a throbbing headache and was more than a little dehydrated. Since this is Sufferlandria, I grabbed an espresso shot, slammed a couple big glasses of water and started to suffer.
There is No Try felt good. I really liked the 8 min FTP effort in the middle. Defender was just ugly, it was my first time doing this workout and it pushed me. Interval 1 was comfortable. The first two minutes of Interval 2 had me wondering how I was going to finish the workout. I took each interval in 2 minute segments and just pushed through.
I knew I was doing something right when my kids said, "Daddy, you don't look good" :) I have been running off the bike after every stage but I passed today.
Thanks for the great dialogue and shared suffering over the last 9 days!
Woke up late and missed the window to do the rides before a snowshoe trek into the backcountry with friends. Spent 2+ hours out on trails and tracking out trails that were snowed under. I paid for all that on the bike. But I had a blast!
Got through There is No Try pretty well but legs were tired at the end. When I looked at the profile for Defender I know it was going to be a mind numbing and boring ride. So I dialed the effort down to 75% and spun out the 59' keeping HR in high Z3. Also turned up the volume and just listened to the music.
Thanks to all of you for letting me rant and bitch and moan. And thanks for the mojo to get through ToS
Comments
@Jeff Phillips - I should be done Sunday morning. I plan to take Monday off and do full frontal on Tuesday.
I did the MGCC pursuit race on Zwift this morning and got a slight FTP bump. I am looking forward to seeing what I will do with rested legs.
I did not think Thin Air was too bad until the last 15 minutes or so of the 40’ climb. All of these workouts give us more recovery than what we are used to (IMO).
Like @John Stark said, these next 4 look tough! Let’s keep up the great work everyone!
I completed Stage 6 this morning then listened to the Self Talk video. Yes, self talk makes all the difference in getting through tough races and workouts.
I thought my legs were feeling strong until reading @Jeff Phillips and @Brian Hagan posts about it being rather easy. LOL. Actually, this Stage was mostly sweet spot training and I'm very comfortable at sweet spot and my HR agreed with the effort. The last 6 mins were hard but not the "I'm going to die" hard. 😀
@Brian Hagan - you're a beast doing a Zwift race in the middle of ToS! Well done on the FTP bump.
@Derrek Sanks - Definitely not easy! I remember doing this a couple of years ago and not being able to finish some of the wkos. Maybe I have a stronger threshold for suffering now. They are tough but doable.
I may pay the price for that race. My plan was to do the next stage tonight. We will see.....
Stage 6 done! F%$K that was hard!
I could tell this morning prior to the ride that I was fatigued. This is my 9th day in a row doing intervals on the bike. ToS was a spur of the moment decision the day it started and had already spun 3 days already. Needed some extra mojo after being sick for a week prior.
Did the first 17 minutes of the 40' @ 90% to test my legs and HR. Did the last 23' @100% but took a couple of micro-breaks along the way. I got it done but was definitely running on empty at the end.
@Derrek Sanks - Prior years of ToS I have seen nice bumps in fitness. Personally, it's good for my body to mix things up or else I start seeing diminishing returns on my fitness increases over time because it acclimates to the some ol' stuff. SF helps throw my body a curve ball and starts yelling at me again. :-). Well, more than it normally yells at me. :-)
@Jeff Phillips - Was thinking about this. Not sure if this is the perfect scenario but I am going to take Monday and Tuesday off and crush recovery - physically and mentally. Spin up on Wednesday and maybe do this weeks Thursday ride and then on Thursday do the 4DP.
A bit slick here this morning as well. Snow for the next 5 days starting tomorrow.
Back at it tomorrow.
I’ve learned a lot through Stages 1-6. @Brian Hagan and @John Stark : Thin Air was not easy. @Derrek Sanks described my ride “I’m very comfortable with SS, but the last 6 minutes were hard.” It’s a good thing for triathletes to be comfortable at SS. I used to swim 42x100 with 5-7s RI at a SS pace as final prep for an IM swim. This year, I’ve been doing weekly short, high intensity intervals with long RI. They hurt bad, but I’m getting used to them, and my swimming SS is 5s faster/100. I know its only 3.5 min in an IM swim... but I have MUCH better overall swim fitness. I am NOT used to the repeated high intensity “shovel” intervals. If I want to CnC with you guys, I need to build anaerobic capacity so that I can go longer with repeated efforts above FTP. The benefit to TOS (and Zwift Racing in General) is that a major weakness in my LONG COURSE racing has been exposed. I can blast out some big 1min numbers for a 60 year old because I’m a relatively big guy, but being able to do that repeatedly during the same WKO and day-after-day is a weakness that needs to be addressed in my training. I don’t think that I could have accomplished TOS with a smart trainer calling the shots! There is a great thread in Power and Pace discussing the utility of FTP. I’m going to get WKO4 and do my “Full Frontal” so that I can put some numbers to my weaknesses. (I’ll use it as a VO2 WKO in a week or two). I dread FF more than an FTP test. (Have PTSD from The Omnium Kilometer). I’m also going to line-up three short course tri’s to start my season. We are Sufferlandrians!
@John Culberson - Interesting! I had a similar conversation with Coach P a few months ago. My power curve shows a weakness in the shorter harder stuff. I always lose Zwift races at the sprint finishes.
I think FF is tougher because you have to give legit efforts on the pre-work intervals. I usually cheat on the FTP tests and go a little easier on the 5 minute VO2 part.
The Zwift race yesterday me did me in. I bailed abut 15 minutes into mini-blender last night. I will do it tonight and maybe Vice Grips if I feel good. I hope do be done Saturday morning!
Stage 7 completed this morning, followed by 3-mile brick on the treadmill.
Good ride this morning, I liked the efforts above threshold and worked at those 20 and 40 second sprints. @John Culberson , I think Saturday's 14 Vise Grips is going to be fun for you!
I hear a lot of talk in the team about the benefits of Zwift racing and I have done a few. In my simple mind, the benefit is time spent in V02+. If so, have the more tenured team members seen a change in the prescribed OS, HIM, and IM bike plans? It would seem it would be easy to add in more efforts like this into the longer, steadier state Sweet Spot workouts.
@Jeff Phillips - I think Zwift racing is a great tool, but not always. If I fall off the pack in 10 minutes and spend 30 minutes in Z3/Z2 then no. If I can hang onto tho the pack and spend 30 to 45 minutes in Z4/Z5 with a little Z3 mixed in, than it is fantastic. I like the structured workouts, because I know I will get in the prescribed amount of zone work, but I also like to mix in races to see if I can push myself beyond.
I also completed Stage 7 this morning followed with a 3 mile brick on the TM. Started off a little sluggish but after a good warm up, everything was manageable. I liked this Stage and was glad it wasn't the full Blender version.
@John Culberson - Are you following a specific plan for your short high intensity swim workouts? What distances and RI are you doing? I've read about Ultra Short Race Pace Training but there seems to be a hundred variations of distances (25 - 150) and RI.
@Jeff Phillips - For me Zwift racing made me realize I can go harder for longer than I thought possible. There's something that makes you try harder when there's others/competition around you. I think the benefit in racing is from spending more and more time just above Zone 4, but not to much into Zone 5 (other than the start and finish sprints).
@Brian Hagan - Second time will be the charm. Fuel up and crush both Stages tonight!
Stage 7 DUN! It was almost too easy. I spent much time yesterday on self-care stretching and the like. I felt great this morning. Even during those last Vo2 intervals I was talking (sorta) with Tom Glynn during our regular Friday chat-n-ride via FaceTime. Don't want to sound cocky. Let's see how things go tomorrow and Sunday. :-)
Great convo from you guys. I have personally been hating all the OS SST stuff and Zwift riding in OS. I have been a full-time mountain biker (not simply a XC rider) for a few years now so the thought of long sustained rides bores the shit out of me. Saturday ABP rides in particular. I like varied terrain. @Jeff Phillips - More varied efforts during SST ABP rides would really be nice.
However.....
I spent some time with a local coach (MTB National Champ, etc) yesterday talking about Leadville, my plan for MTB races leading up to LV and so on (XC, MTB, Gravel). I showed her the EN OS plan and the Sufferfest ride graphs. She noted that based on my type of riding as a mountain biker I should most definitely be working more with Sufferfest WKO's. Specifically working on my weakness using Nine Hammers, A Very Dark Place and Blender. And on rides the The Trick for my strengths. These are more to the MTB style vs. SST type roadie/triathlete rides. And add in FTP work like The Way Out and Hell Hath No Fury along the way. Plus, with Moab camp in 4 weeks the SF vids will be better for getting me ready for the type of riding that is classic Moab.
So, in short, I will be modifying my OS starting next week for the next 4 week block up to the end of Moab camp. Which is good for me because another OS ABP ride would kill me. ISLAGIATT will be the replacement.
@John Culberson - Those swim intervals ROCK! Nothing beats being completely shelled after HI swim intervals. Note that it is one thing in the pool. I bet you will be surprised how much better you are during your open water swims as well.
@Derrek Sanks - Good work. You are killing it!
@Brian Hagan - Go get 'em, brother!
@John Culberson - To clarify...I bet you will get a bigger bang for your buck than 3.5 minutes. If your form is good and you don't have to swim over/around people you will see a nice decrease in your IM swim time.
I did stage 7 late last night and stage 8 this morning. I even gave up a day on the ski slopes to get my workout in before my computer took over my life today.
I am definitely feeling fatigued. I have run after every stage 15-40 min on the treadmill. I think that has been a good thing for my legs, actually. Really looking forward to finishing stage 9 tomorrow and NOT getting on my bike on Sunday.
All in all, I know that my FTP is set a little low, as I have been able to do all stages at 100%. I haven't tested in a long time, mostly because I hate to test. But I am committing to doing FF next week to really see where I am. My next goal is to figure out how to use Zwift like all of you. I have been on Zwift since the beta release, but have never really figured out how to get the most out of it. #goals
Ok.. mini blender complete. Will do vice grips tomorrow.
Another thing about Zwift is it has really brought a lot of members of the team together. I love the Saturday and Sunday morning conversations even though it is mixed with heavy breathing.
@John Stark - You just described "specificity of training". Train for the demands of your key race/races. Smart move changing up your training.
Stage 8 DUNNN! Got off the bike and was doing air fist pumps and jumping for joy. I haven't felt this strong mentally and physically in a long time. That session wasn't easy. But t wasn't overly hard either. Good shit.
@Derrek Sanks - Ya, you called it. I have spent the last weeks trying to bend OS to my needs when in fact just needed to change my approach. I will stop complaining now. :-)
How is everyone feeling? Tomorrow looks tough. Let's all end strong and give virtual high fives!
Stage 9 done and DONE. The last 1/2 of Defender was brutal and I had to drop down the intensity in order to finish.
This is my seventh year of doing the Tour. It really has been the jump start to my season every year. I am hoping that I can sustain some of that this year as well as the motivation!
Carry on, team. Awesome Tour to you all.
Finished Stage 8 this morning and thought about doing Stage 9, but didn't want to over do it. I agree with @John Stark , Stage 8 wasn't easy and not too hard. I was expecting a longer workout. In 2017 Stage 8 was over 2 hours. Afterwards I ran 6 miles on the TM.
Vice Grips and There is no Try completed this morning. Only Defender left for tomorrow.
@Stephanie Stevens - Yes great boost. You are finished!
just a little more to go for the rest of us.
@Derrek Sanks ha I stopped running on Wednesday. I figured I will pick that back up after I do the bike test on Tuesday.
Got Stage 8 done this morning. This felt like how a Sufferfest video should feel! The 2 min intervals and the 90 second one right after were painful during Set 1. Set 2, I had to work at both 90 sec intervals and the 2 min interval.
I've had a whole day of moving furniture, so tomorrow's last stage will be extra fun. The Minions must've got a hold of my weekend schedule.
Vice Grips gave me plenty of rest between short efforts... which I completed at or above target. I struggled more with Thin Air (which I may have sandbagged a bit). I’m concerned about There is No Try (never experienced, but looks like The Wretched, which killed me) and Defender (which has already killed me). That’s 1:45:00 of longer superthreshold intervals with short rest. My relatively scant endurance is going to bleed me. I did a 1500m LCM swim and 3mi run brick on the indoor track this morning. Felt sluggish, but seemed to ease into my normal easy pace. Looks like I’ll get 3 swims and 4 runs in this week... all short and easy.
@Derrek Sanks : My son had a coach that built an NCAA men’s team around sprint freestyle and an Ultra Short program. He went to the Trials in the 50 and 100Free while his relay teamates missed the cut times. He did a lot of extra distance intervals (200’s, 400’s), and drills. The standard program is 60x25 (or 50’s for 200-500 distance) with 15s RI. When you fail to hit the interval, you skip one and continue... when you fail a second time, you are done. You are not really supposed to make 60 repeats... if you do, you drop your target interval time. It’s hard to do 25’s by yourself, ‘cause you can’t see the clock. Serious swimmers will do a 2000 warm-up before starting. For intervals like this to really work, you have to go 100% of your current shaved and tapered, balls out time. That means 11s over and over for a 44s 100 guy. Anything less intense is not effective... even 99%. Personally, I’m training to break 60s at age 60. That means I’m currently doing up to 30x25’s at 17s with 15s RI. I need to get to 60x25 on 15s. It’s different, but given the limited swim volume of a triathlete, I have been doing descending sets (ie 3x75 with 1min RI, each faster... followed by 3x50 with 1min RI) at the end of my swim, a couple of times a week. 15x100 with about 7s RI... descending is a great SS set. 5x100 on 2min RI descending will make you fast.
@John Culberson How do you think a 1' 100 yd swim translates to a properly trained IM swim, recognizing it has to be followed by a respectable bike and run? I'm curious if you would be able to "swim your age" in an IM: 60'.
@John Culberson - Thanks for the info. Sounds like very tough workouts.
@Al Truscott : My IM swim and 100Free times have been correlated through the years. I’ve done a “could have” 56’ and wasted a lot of good training... and was able to run well after a 62’ several years in a row early in the 21st century. I’m a former sprint freestyler, and if I train appropriately, I believe that I can swim 60” at 60. If I was doing an IM the next day... I’d practice good impulse control early, and be happy with a 65’ swim. My 60yo training buddy is a distance freestyler and could probably go under an hour and still bike/run well.
@Derrek Sanks : I have really benefitted from “mixing it up” over the past year. Like the 4DP of Sufferlandria, strong swimmers do a lot of variety in their interval length, number, and RI... and therefore, energy systems. In fact, after thinking that “anyone can ride a bike fast” at my first triathlon in 1981, I bought a Racer Mate trainer and without any coaching or guidance, spent the winter doing “swim workout intervals” in my bedroom. I didn’t know it, but I was being trained to be a Sufferlandrian and had one of the top bike splits the next year. (It probably works better for sprint triathlons). While you MUST have good form and a solid base... superimposing the time/effort/RI sequences of Sufferfest workouts into the swimming pool could be very effective. Coach Von Agony would “prescribe” 5x200 descending on a 30” RI or 5x200 descending on a 3’RI and bring dread to any elite swimmer... although the training target is very different. Because stroke breakdown is an absolute to end the workout, shorter, and more intense intervals with longer RI are best placed at the end of the workout. For IM training, volume and an efficient stoke is still king, but I’d recommend you look at the Swimming Faster e-book in the Wiki. @Mike Roberts has everything you need clearly spelled out. @Coach Patrick has been very supportive of the Vasa Trainer as a way to improve ROI of swimming. Now that Coggan has changed his views on FTP, (@tim cronk in Power and Pace), and Sufferfest is touting their 4DP analysis, the swim may take on a new role as an opportunity to build fitness that will improve IM performance. Swimming permits “hard” nearly every workout... similar to the evolution of RDP for an activity that requires cautious use of “hard.” I’ve “named dropped” several WSM here so that once I finish Stage 9, we can get something going in the forums.
After competing Vice Grips yesterday, I turned on the TV and was fortunate to stumble on the Milrose Games indoor mile. Kejelcha missed breaking a 22-year old record of 3:38.45 by one-hundredth of a second. I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t appear to be suffering quite enough.
ToS is in the history books. Stage 9 was a great workout and left some residual fatigue in my legs/hips, first first time in the 9 days. I'm so looking forward to a recovery week and not getting on my bike tomorrow.
Great job everyone and thanks for all the mojo!
No Try was a bit better than expected. Defender became uncomfortable halfway through interval 2. I stayed on the gas, suffering interval 3, and aggressively bumping up the effort during the final 10 min. When my power started dropping with 4 min to go, I knew that it was either a flat or the worlds greatest bonk. Luckily it was a flat, and there is no way I was going to change a tire and get back on the bike for a final 4 min. The minions threatened my life, but I escaped in an unmarked team car. Overall, this was a great team effort, and I am happy with my effort. Using a new increased FTP, I spent 2 hours at Sweet Spot, 1.5 hours at FTP, and a half hour in Zone 5. Considering my level of bike fitness, it was a smart effort, and I held onto my run frequency. I’m going to use FF as my Thursday Vo2 workout in JOS. I really liked the NoTry/Defender pair, and still love Angels and Hell Hath no Fury to get in some FTP time. I’m looking forward (evil hahahah) to completing the Tour next year with a smart trainer. Today’s work was clearly easier in ERG mode. Great job and thanks for the support.
2019 ToS complete. I did myself no favors by having way too much wine last night celebrating a friend's new job. Woke up this morning with a throbbing headache and was more than a little dehydrated. Since this is Sufferlandria, I grabbed an espresso shot, slammed a couple big glasses of water and started to suffer.
There is No Try felt good. I really liked the 8 min FTP effort in the middle. Defender was just ugly, it was my first time doing this workout and it pushed me. Interval 1 was comfortable. The first two minutes of Interval 2 had me wondering how I was going to finish the workout. I took each interval in 2 minute segments and just pushed through.
I knew I was doing something right when my kids said, "Daddy, you don't look good" :) I have been running off the bike after every stage but I passed today.
Thanks for the great dialogue and shared suffering over the last 9 days!
Stage 9 DUN and DUN! ToS DUN!
Woke up late and missed the window to do the rides before a snowshoe trek into the backcountry with friends. Spent 2+ hours out on trails and tracking out trails that were snowed under. I paid for all that on the bike. But I had a blast!
Got through There is No Try pretty well but legs were tired at the end. When I looked at the profile for Defender I know it was going to be a mind numbing and boring ride. So I dialed the effort down to 75% and spun out the 59' keeping HR in high Z3. Also turned up the volume and just listened to the music.
Thanks to all of you for letting me rant and bitch and moan. And thanks for the mojo to get through ToS
@Stephanie Stevens - THANK YOU!
@Derrek Sanks - THANK YOU!
@Jeff Phillips - THANK YOU!
@John Culberson - THANK YOU!
@Brian Hagan - THANK YOU!
Ride on!
Awesome work everyone! I completed the challenge yesterday afternoon. I am going to enjoy the rest day today for sure!
Thanks everyone for playing along these past 9 or 10 days!
Best of look with your year ahead!