@John- I agree, put the higher FTP in WKO. You'll know really soon if you made a mistake and can always back it down, but you've been working with power long enough that I'd bet your instinct is right on target.
@John - that may be one of the coolest things I've ever read in the forum! That was HARD CORE. I want the pix of the vomit on the chin, shirt and bike!
@John - NICE! The bar has been set for the toughest completion of an FTP test for 2010! (I recall someone last year working so hard they literally fell off their trainer)
I think you better chill for a little while and get yourself healthy
Michele: okay I like the idea of duct tape on the bottom of running shoes as Friday supposed to be 10 degrees and a high of 20 that day... tomorrow snow. so I might be getting out my duct tape that is in my seat bag on mt bike! and taping my shoes.
John, this morning I had on yoga sleevelesstop, underarmour base layer, nike thicker dry fit turtleneck then old fashioned sweat top with a fleece jacket and on the bottom, underarmour "bike shorts" tights and track pants with wool socks, and goretex gloves well no one pink glove and one black glove, in the dark couldn't find in my car! and a headband and bandanna over my face.. and remember I didn't do the run test?? so don't give me credit where none is due. not gonna do it and risk reinjury of piriformis, quad, knee or other! going to SWAG the VDOT at 38 - 39.
Matt: nice on putting the Garmin back on.
and now shoot can't see what others have written...... but y'all know who you are.
Finally the bike test: okay so I did the warm up for 20' and with the two tights on and warmers underneath my booties, my legs seemed okay in the 31 degrees, The gaitor covered my face and it was pulled up tight and only came down to drink some water! but I knew that the clothing was gonna work so warming up back and forth along a familiar trail and then thought of Mr Bean and started smiling.... and laughed at myself for being outside about to ride 40'! but thought of y'all and got it done and at the end of it all, made this video... and now that you asked what do you wear? you can see... that fashion is out and dorkiness is in! when trying to be warm! I rode over the bridge to a very familiar stretch of road like a runway that I knew would be too short for 40' and would have to turn around a couple of times, but figured that it was good enough.....the 7 mph winds that hit me head on felt like a bit more and intiallly into the testing... but instead of locking on to the time, I locked on to my route...with only my head popping up at intersections to make sure the cars saw me!! and then a U turn and then the wind was at my back! and one more U turn and with 7' left that same headwind but I had the route pegged that it would all be over at the bridge entrance so all I had to do was make it to the bridge! whew... I did it, a quick jaunt back to my car and no lollygagging!! except for a few pics and video!!
"Pics or it didn't happen!" Me and Lucky: for bike tests, take all the MOJO you got!! and I love this jacket!! it really is warm and great functionality and thanks to my hubby for insisting that I get it post IMLP "you need one, you ride all year, get it!". Long knee high wool bike socks, running tights, cycling tights, short bike shorts undernath, toe covers, booties and warmers stuffed under those, and same layers I wore running but instead of sweattop, too bulky put on running third layer and then this jacket!! beanie under the helmet and neck gaitor, basically cover up any exposed skin!! and put any of that on IN the car!! put the shoes & helmet on in the car and air up the bike at home and then when you get out of the car, you just pull out the bike from the back of the car, put in the straw and hop on! and I always pray "please don't let me get a flat!!" I saw absolutely nothing funny out there!! saw three guyz riding, but they seemed to be strolling along.. one nice thing about riding hard in the cold, it helps keep you warm. and it teaches you to ride aerodynamically too cuz you can literally feel the wind unless you get in the sweet spot!
not showing you the mileage but proof that I have the new Garmin and trying to operate it!! many of you can ride more than that in over an hour.. and see that lap button on left? I hit if after the WU and then after the 40' set and it didn't seem to do the trick! instead I have 1 mile splits!
[script removed]
1
00:04:45
1.00
0
23
heading out, brr12.6
17.4
33
[script removed]
2
00:03:55
1.00
26
3
15.3
17.3
44
[script removed]
3
00:05:19
1.00
26
3
phone call from son11.3
17.3
32
[script removed]
4
00:03:51
1.00
13
16
15.5
17.2
45
[script removed]
5
00:05:06
1.00
49
10
up the bridge11.8
20.4
37
[script removed]
6
00:00:18
0.11
--
7
down the bridge20.9
22.0
2
[script removed]
7
00:03:47
1.00
--
30
start into headwind15.8
20.4
41
[script removed]
8
00:03:53
1.00
3
10
15.4
16.9
39
[script removed]
9
00:04:08
1.00
--
33
a little rise in road14.5
18.4
35
[script removed]
10
00:03:43
1.00
13
3
then down and uturn16.1
19.6
40
[script removed]
11
00:03:18
1.00
3
7
wind at back18.1
19.9
42
[script removed]
12
00:03:14
1.00
--
36
18.5
19.5
31
[script removed]
13
00:03:10
1.00
10
13
18.9
20.2
47
[script removed]
14
00:03:37
1.00
23
3
the lull I mentioned16.5
18.9
50
[script removed]
15
00:03:23
1.00
10
7
17.7
19.7
38
[script removed]
16
00:04:16
1.00
36
0
Uturn into headwind14.1
16.6
48
[script removed]
17
00:01:34
0.38
7
3
14.6
18.0
10
[script removed]
18
00:05:15
1.00
56
39
over and back home11.4
16.6
33
[script removed]
19
00:02:41
0.59
--
43
13.1
16.7
28
IN a thermos in the car? red beans and rice! you can buy it in a can, and I microwaved it for 2' and then chunked it in the thermos... and yum, I inhaled it and then snarfed a banana! then on to the grocery store and errands for hubby and son.
Managed to grind out my first run test of the week. One of the perks of being University faculty is access to the athletic facilities. Pic above is from the University of Rochester indoor track. Slightly longer than 200m/lap. 5K is about 24.1 laps (distance is marked). Went out a little fast, but managed to hold on to stop the clock at 22:22 which is similar to when I tested on this track at the end of the last OS. Coughing up this evening with field house lung. Reminds me of running indoor track in college.
Second run test of the week is on Saturday when I'm racing the Disney Half-Marathon. Ran this plan by RnP and they wanted me to do both tests! No rest for the wicked.
way to go and 24 laps!! wow, reminds me of running on top of a cruise ship many many times around to get to a mile. 24 laps. okay you win and thanks for the pic.
Chad, get out in that 30 degree weather for the VDOT, I just got in from 19 degrees in the dark!!! a little smacktalk should help motivate you!
One of my favorite epigrams: "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."
That's what I tell people when I bike into work on a rainy morning; usually, by this time of the year (after 2-3 months for more or less daily drizzle), they are saying it to me.
I swear that I will not complain about our weather here in GA anymore. I could not imagine it being any colder and yet you guys tough it out in the snow and ice.
John, I've been there quite a few time with my test but it is not uncomon for me due to acid reflux. What is funny is if you are around people that see you spill your guts (like at the track) and you don't break stride. Love it when that happens!
That FTP number of 252 is low. Personally, I should be siiting at or around 260 based on how I felt. That last 15' of interval two my NP was 258. Should I change my current FTP to 259 instead to show where I am really at?
This is not an ego thing that I have to have a higher FTP. It is about the upcoming interval sessions. I think the IF's with FTP at 259 will show a more realistic number when I do them. 7 watts won't make a huge difference, but I also want to WORK to hit my numbers. Not have them exagerated.
Thoughts?
I say: Prove it! This weekend, do one of those 5 min/20 min FTP tests and show you actually do have a 260 FTP in you, and that the hurling was not your body's way of telling you to back off a notch.
Nice work Kevin. 24.1 and done! And Marriane, I love your posts. Simply entertaining. Love 'em.
And thanks for everyone's advice. I will bump my FTP in WKO to 259.
@ Brian, et al: Hard core? Nah, I just didn't want to have to do the test again next week.
Lastly a FYI - I am probably off the grid until next Monday. My nephew (the son of my brother who recently died) has been walking wounded since his dad's death and has come up from san Diego at my urging to stay with us for 5 to 7 days. He is 21 and been acting out in an inappropriate manner and he needs a male figure in his life right now. That would be me.
I will sneak in some workouts over the next few days but will be spending the rest of my free time being "that uncle" and not online.
Just did my bike test - haven't been on the bike since IMCozumel (AWESOME race by the way - highly recommended - though hard!)....I have a crappy Mag trainer that I'm using for now (waiting for my PowerTap PowerBeam Trainer to come in)...anyhoo, it only gives me instant watts and average - although it's probably not too accurate (as long as it's consistent)....anyhoo, how do I go about determining my FTP? I have the average watts for each minute of the 2 20' sessions as well as the final minute average wattage of the test....I'll post them below so y'all have an idea of what I'm talking about...any help I can get would be appreciated. Also, once my new trainer gets in, should I retest then or wait till the plan tells me to? Thanks!
All are average watts: First Segment (each # is after 1'): 167, 170, 169, 170, 171, 171, 172, 172, 173, 173, 174, 174, 174, 175, 175, 175, 176, 177 Ave watts after rest period: 173 Second Segment (after each minute): 172, 172, 172, 172, 172, 173, 173, 174, 174,174, 175, 174, 175,175, 175, 176, 176, 177, 178 (last minute average at 220watts)....
run on outdoor track at 8:30pm. in los angeles, so no temperature issues. ran shirtless in fact.
warm up mile #1: shuffle;
warm up mile#2: stride straights and side step and cross over strides through the curves;
stretch for 5 minutes and then did the test;
shuffle jog to cool down from track to my building.
felt good overall. probably good have gone a bit faster, but would have risked losing form and injury, so this is my strength now. i am happy. i also found my ergomo power meter monitor, so bike testing coming before start of week2!
the times i entered before were time per 4 laps, which on the track from lane 3, works out to first 4 laps (6:26minutes) being shorter distance than the final 8 laps (6:45 min x 2).
how do I go about determining my FTP? I have the average watts for each minute of the 2 20' sessions as well as the final minute average wattage of the test.... Also, once my new trainer gets in, should I retest then or wait till the plan tells me to?
Doug - I'm not a data guy, nor do I know anything about the details of the formula used to calculate normalized power. But, NP seems to be a a way to account for the things like cruising downhill, or being stopped at a light, or accelerating or decelerating when riding on roads. We don't do that with out FTP test or intervals. In terms of the power language, the closer the VI is to 1.00, the more Avg power will equate to Normalized power. To test this concept, I went to my recent power files, and looked at the intervals. I usually had VI of 1.01, and NP was either equal to or within 1 watt of average power.
So my conclusion: you can sum you avg powers by minute, divide by 42; and use that for your FTP. Once you get your new trainer, yes you do need to re-test to determine what FTP you should base intervals off of for that system.
Just did my bike test - haven't been on the bike since IMCozumel (AWESOME race by the way - highly recommended - though hard!)....I have a crappy Mag trainer that I'm using for now (waiting for my PowerTap PowerBeam Trainer to come in)...anyhoo, it only gives me instant watts and average - although it's probably not too accurate (as long as it's consistent)....anyhoo, how do I go about determining my FTP? I have the average watts for each minute of the 2 20' sessions as well as the final minute average wattage of the test....I'll post them below so y'all have an idea of what I'm talking about...any help I can get would be appreciated. Also, once my new trainer gets in, should I retest then or wait till the plan tells me to? Thanks!
All are average watts:
First Segment (each # is after 1'): 167, 170, 169, 170, 171, 171, 172, 172, 173, 173, 174, 174, 174, 175, 175, 175, 176, 177
Ave watts after rest period: 173
Second Segment (after each minute): 172, 172, 172, 172, 172, 173, 173, 174, 174,174, 175, 174, 175,175, 175, 176, 176, 177, 178 (last minute average at 220watts)....
I'll second what Al said. Quoting Andrew Coggan's book: Normalized Power is basically an estimate of the power that you could have maintained for the same physiological "cost" if your power had been constant. Without hills, stops, or wind you are left with a fairly even distribution (except for that last 220). In this case using your average power across these numbers should be within a watt of your normal power. My Pnorm, like Al's, was the same or within 1 watt of pAve.
Gilberto - I'm impressed. You've barely lost any fitness in the last six weeks. Me - I'm back at the beginning. I'm hopeful the gains will return quickly.
My 5k = 20:45 so 47 vDOT. Like the FTP test, the last portion was ugly. So I've gone from indoor FTP 285w-->250w and FTP 52-->47 in six weeks. Here's to a quick rebound!
Posted By Gilberto Hernandez on 07 Jan 2010 02:00 AM
cool. the data tool rounds up! so my vdot is 51 vs. 50!
g
Sometimes I find the rounding to be a blessing. Other times, I find it to be a curse! Great job!
Doug- I agree in principle with the others. Add up all the numbers (make sure you count that rest interval twice for each minute) and divide by 42. That would give you a rough number to work with until the PM arrives. However, you absolutely will have to re-test when you switch to the powertap. One side question- are you purchasing a power meter for your bike? Or is the PT you are purchasing a indoor bike only? Ideally you really want to be training on the same PT you'll be racing with (and if you are gonna train with power but not race with it- your missing a huge piece of the value of a PM).
As for me. Well with this calf strain resurfacing, I can't run and I'm afraid to bike and risk further aggravating it. So today I went to the pool for more water-running. Oh joy. Good tunes on the ipod make the difference though! I did 2 sets of 5x1:30 hard efforts. That probably doesn't sound all that tough to any of you who have never done water running, but let me tell you- it's a serious effort! I think the guard was more worried about me having a heart attack than anyone else in the pool (including the water aerobics ladies). Maybe I'll get brave and bring my camera next time and ask the guard to snap a pic for you all :-)
Brain, that is a good point. As this is my first OS with EN (I did the 20 wk Ironman plan for IMFL), how quickly do we rebound from our break? I went from a FTP of 232 to now 193 and a VDOT of 48 to now 43. I wasn't completely lazy during the last 8 weeks and actually was surprised to see my numbers drop that much. Do we bounce back pretty fast or is it a long haul like it was the first time to reach those numbers? Just wondering what all you experienced ENers that have been through an OS thought.
Chad - After taking 2 months off after 2008 IMLou and starting the OS in November 2008 I found that my fitness bounced back pretty quickly. Obviously everyone's different in their ability to hit every workout, dealing with injury, etc. but below was my progression (FWIW I hit every workout as prescribed, didn't add anything except some longer runs later in the OS and didn't swim until March):
FTP
Aug 2008 (Pre-IMLou): 290
Nov 2008 (OS start): 247
OS week 4: 267
OS week 8: 279
OS week 12: 295
OS week 16 (OS end): 306
April 2009 (end of Power Hack): 315
Vdot
Aug 2008 (Pre-IMLou): 53
Nov 2008 (OS start): 49
OS week 4: 51
OS week 12: 53
OS week 16 (OS end): 56
Also, I didn't swim from Sept 2008 to March 2009. I matched my best 1000m time by April (about 3 weeks after getting back in the pool).
Bottom line: don't be concerned about the drop in fitness. Actually, that drop is a very good sign that your body did some much needed repairing. The fitness will come back with the OS plan (believe me!) and you'll more than likely blow your old self out of the water!
Chad - After taking 2 months off after 2008 IMLou and starting the OS in November 2008 I found that my fitness bounced back pretty quickly. Obviously everyone's different in their ability to hit every workout, dealing with injury, etc. but below was my progression (FWIW I hit every workout as prescribed, didn't add anything except some longer runs later in the OS and didn't swim until March):
FTP
Aug 2008 (Pre-IMLou): 290
Nov 2008 (OS start): 247
OS week 4: 267
OS week 8: 279
OS week 12: 295
OS week 16 (OS end): 306
April 2009 (end of Power Hack): 315
Vdot
Aug 2008 (Pre-IMLou): 53
Nov 2008 (OS start): 49
OS week 4: 51
OS week 12: 53
OS week 16 (OS end): 56
Also, I didn't swim from Sept 2008 to March 2009. I matched my best 1000m time by April (about 3 weeks after getting back in the pool).
Bottom line: don't be concerned about the drop in fitness. Actually, that drop is a very good sign that your body did some much needed repairing. The fitness will come back with the OS plan (believe me!) and you'll more than likely blow your old self out of the water!
I'm just lurking form the Nov group, but wanted to say thanks for sharing this Jim.
We all work very hard to get our numbers up and when they drop it bugs us. But seeing data like Jim shared above and others have shared in the past just shows that the body needs a chance to recover before it can get stronger.
First ever FTP test on the drainer - DONE! I was just admiring the graph in WKO+, I love all those relatively straight lines! Interesting thing is that I was almost exactly where I guessed I would be and I'm not unhappy with that - I used everything I had and paced pretty evenly. When I tested for Nov. OS (before I came to the island of misfit toys and became an official NOSR) I was 168 outside so 151 on the drainer doesn't seem too bad (my high last year was about 180 going by the MMPC and bins method (didn't do any testing pre EN). Ready to go!!!!!
Wooohooo Robin! That first indoor test is always a bear. And good attitude on the indoor watts too- you know when you get back outdoors you'll see a huge bump from that old 168!
Comments
Now go get some chicken soup and rest. OK?
I think you better chill for a little while and get yourself healthy
"UPCHUCK JOHN"
.. has anbody else puked??? 
Michele: okay I like the idea of duct tape on the bottom of running shoes as Friday supposed to be 10 degrees and a high of 20 that day... tomorrow snow. so I might be getting out my duct tape that is in my seat bag on mt bike! and taping my shoes.
John, this morning I had on yoga sleevelesstop, underarmour base layer, nike thicker dry fit turtleneck then old fashioned sweat top with a fleece jacket and on the bottom, underarmour "bike shorts" tights and track pants with wool socks, and goretex gloves well no one pink glove and one black glove, in the dark couldn't find in my car! and a headband and bandanna over my face.. and remember I didn't do the run test?? so don't give me credit where none is due. not gonna do it and risk reinjury of piriformis, quad, knee or other! going to SWAG the VDOT at 38 - 39.
Matt: nice on putting the Garmin back on.
and now shoot can't see what others have written...... but y'all know who you are.
Finally the bike test: okay so I did the warm up for 20' and with the two tights on and warmers underneath my booties, my legs seemed okay in the 31 degrees, The gaitor covered my face and it was pulled up tight and only came down to drink some water! but I knew that the clothing was gonna work so warming up back and forth along a familiar trail and then thought of Mr Bean and started smiling.... and laughed at myself for being outside about to ride 40'! but thought of y'all and got it done and at the end of it all, made this video... and now that you asked what do you wear? you can see... that fashion is out and dorkiness is in! when trying to be warm! I rode over the bridge to a very familiar stretch of road like a runway that I knew would be too short for 40' and would have to turn around a couple of times, but figured that it was good enough.....the 7 mph winds that hit me head on felt like a bit more and intiallly into the testing... but instead of locking on to the time, I locked on to my route...with only my head popping up at intersections to make sure the cars saw me!! and then a U turn and then the wind was at my back! and one more U turn and with 7' left that same headwind but I had the route pegged that it would all be over at the bridge entrance so all I had to do was make it to the bridge! whew... I did it, a quick jaunt back to my car and no lollygagging!! except for a few pics and video!!
"Pics or it didn't happen!" Me and Lucky: for bike tests, take all the MOJO you got!! and I love this jacket!! it really is warm and great functionality and thanks to my hubby for insisting that I get it post IMLP "you need one, you ride all year, get it!". Long knee high wool bike socks, running tights, cycling tights, short bike shorts undernath, toe covers, booties and warmers stuffed under those, and same layers I wore running but instead of sweattop, too bulky put on running third layer and then this jacket!! beanie under the helmet and neck gaitor, basically cover up any exposed skin!! and put any of that on IN the car!! put the shoes & helmet on in the car and air up the bike at home and then when you get out of the car, you just pull out the bike from the back of the car, put in the straw and hop on! and I always pray "please don't let me get a flat!!" I saw absolutely nothing funny out there!! saw three guyz riding, but they seemed to be strolling along.. one nice thing about riding hard in the cold, it helps keep you warm. and it teaches you to ride aerodynamically too cuz you can literally feel the wind unless you get in the sweet spot!
not showing you the mileage but proof that I have the new Garmin and trying to operate it!! many of you can ride more than that in over an hour.. and see that lap button on left? I hit if after the WU and then after the 40' set and it didn't seem to do the trick! instead I have 1 mile splits!
[script removed]
IN a thermos in the car? red beans and rice! you can buy it in a can, and I microwaved it for 2' and then chunked it in the thermos... and yum, I inhaled it and then snarfed a banana! then on to the grocery store and errands for hubby and son.
Check your Garmin settings and turn "auto lap" to "OFF". That's why you have 1 mile splits instead of the 40 min interval.
Managed to grind out my first run test of the week. One of the perks of being University faculty is access to the athletic facilities. Pic above is from the University of Rochester indoor track. Slightly longer than 200m/lap. 5K is about 24.1 laps (distance is marked). Went out a little fast, but managed to hold on to stop the clock at 22:22 which is similar to when I tested on this track at the end of the last OS. Coughing up this evening with field house lung. Reminds me of running indoor track in college.
Second run test of the week is on Saturday when I'm racing the Disney Half-Marathon. Ran this plan by RnP and they wanted me to do both tests! No rest for the wicked.
One of my favorite epigrams: "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."
That's what I tell people when I bike into work on a rainy morning; usually, by this time of the year (after 2-3 months for more or less daily drizzle), they are saying it to me.
I swear that I will not complain about our weather here in GA anymore. I could not imagine it being any colder and yet you guys tough it out in the snow and ice.
John, I've been there quite a few time with my test but it is not uncomon for me due to acid reflux. What is funny is if you are around people that see you spill your guts (like at the track) and you don't break stride. Love it when that happens!
I say: Prove it! This weekend, do one of those 5 min/20 min FTP tests and show you actually do have a 260 FTP in you, and that the hurling was not your body's way of telling you to back off a notch.
Nice work Kevin. 24.1 and done! And Marriane, I love your posts. Simply entertaining. Love 'em.
And thanks for everyone's advice. I will bump my FTP in WKO to 259.
@ Brian, et al: Hard core? Nah, I just didn't want to have to do the test again next week.
Lastly a FYI - I am probably off the grid until next Monday. My nephew (the son of my brother who recently died) has been walking wounded since his dad's death and has come up from san Diego at my urging to stay with us for 5 to 7 days. He is 21 and been acting out in an inappropriate manner and he needs a male figure in his life right now. That would be me.
I will sneak in some workouts over the next few days but will be spending the rest of my free time being "that uncle" and not online.
John
First 5k time trial of 2010, VDOT of 37.4 down from 39. I am fine with that.
All are average watts:
First Segment (each # is after 1'): 167, 170, 169, 170, 171, 171, 172, 172, 173, 173, 174, 174, 174, 175, 175, 175, 176, 177
Ave watts after rest period: 173
Second Segment (after each minute): 172, 172, 172, 172, 172, 173, 173, 174, 174,174, 175, 174, 175,175, 175, 176, 176, 177, 178 (last minute average at 220watts)....
vdot: 50; down from 53 for IM AZ Nov.
mile 1: 6:26min/mile;
mile 2: 6:45min/mile;
mile 3: 6:45min/mile;
distance: 3.15miles;
total time 19:56.
run on outdoor track at 8:30pm. in los angeles, so no temperature issues. ran shirtless in fact.
warm up mile #1: shuffle;
warm up mile#2: stride straights and side step and cross over strides through the curves;
stretch for 5 minutes and then did the test;
shuffle jog to cool down from track to my building.
felt good overall. probably good have gone a bit faster, but would have risked losing form and injury, so this is my strength now. i am happy. i also found my ergomo power meter monitor, so bike testing coming before start of week2!
great job by all!
g.
g
overall time was correct: 19:56. vdot was correct: 50.9 or 51.0; overall avg pace: 6:20min/mile.
mile 1: avg pace: 6:20min/mile;
mile 2: avg pace: 6:21min/mile;
mile 3: avg pace: 6:20min/mile;
the times i entered before were time per 4 laps, which on the track from lane 3, works out to first 4 laps (6:26minutes) being shorter distance than the final 8 laps (6:45 min x 2).
not that anyone cares, but just to be accurate.
g
Gilberto,
Strong run. Glad you found your power meter, it nice to have those numbers to chase.
RB
Doug - I'm not a data guy, nor do I know anything about the details of the formula used to calculate normalized power. But, NP seems to be a a way to account for the things like cruising downhill, or being stopped at a light, or accelerating or decelerating when riding on roads. We don't do that with out FTP test or intervals. In terms of the power language, the closer the VI is to 1.00, the more Avg power will equate to Normalized power. To test this concept, I went to my recent power files, and looked at the intervals. I usually had VI of 1.01, and NP was either equal to or within 1 watt of average power.
So my conclusion: you can sum you avg powers by minute, divide by 42; and use that for your FTP. Once you get your new trainer, yes you do need to re-test to determine what FTP you should base intervals off of for that system.
I'll second what Al said. Quoting Andrew Coggan's book: Normalized Power is basically an estimate of the power that you could have maintained for the same physiological "cost" if your power had been constant. Without hills, stops, or wind you are left with a fairly even distribution (except for that last 220). In this case using your average power across these numbers should be within a watt of your normal power. My Pnorm, like Al's, was the same or within 1 watt of pAve.
Gilberto - I'm impressed. You've barely lost any fitness in the last six weeks. Me - I'm back at the beginning. I'm hopeful the gains will return quickly.
My 5k = 20:45 so 47 vDOT. Like the FTP test, the last portion was ugly. So I've gone from indoor FTP 285w-->250w and FTP 52-->47 in six weeks. Here's to a quick rebound!
Sometimes I find the rounding to be a blessing. Other times, I find it to be a curse!
Great job!
Doug- I agree in principle with the others. Add up all the numbers (make sure you count that rest interval twice for each minute) and divide by 42. That would give you a rough number to work with until the PM arrives. However, you absolutely will have to re-test when you switch to the powertap. One side question- are you purchasing a power meter for your bike? Or is the PT you are purchasing a indoor bike only? Ideally you really want to be training on the same PT you'll be racing with (and if you are gonna train with power but not race with it- your missing a huge piece of the value of a PM).
As for me. Well with this calf strain resurfacing, I can't run and I'm afraid to bike and risk further aggravating it. So today I went to the pool for more water-running. Oh joy. Good tunes on the ipod make the difference though! I did 2 sets of 5x1:30 hard efforts. That probably doesn't sound all that tough to any of you who have never done water running, but let me tell you- it's a serious effort! I think the guard was more worried about me having a heart attack than anyone else in the pool (including the water aerobics ladies). Maybe I'll get brave and bring my camera next time and ask the guard to snap a pic for you all :-)
Brain, that is a good point. As this is my first OS with EN (I did the 20 wk Ironman plan for IMFL), how quickly do we rebound from our break? I went from a FTP of 232 to now 193 and a VDOT of 48 to now 43. I wasn't completely lazy during the last 8 weeks and actually was surprised to see my numbers drop that much. Do we bounce back pretty fast or is it a long haul like it was the first time to reach those numbers? Just wondering what all you experienced ENers that have been through an OS thought.
-Chad
Chad - After taking 2 months off after 2008 IMLou and starting the OS in November 2008 I found that my fitness bounced back pretty quickly. Obviously everyone's different in their ability to hit every workout, dealing with injury, etc. but below was my progression (FWIW I hit every workout as prescribed, didn't add anything except some longer runs later in the OS and didn't swim until March):
FTP
Aug 2008 (Pre-IMLou): 290
Nov 2008 (OS start): 247
OS week 4: 267
OS week 8: 279
OS week 12: 295
OS week 16 (OS end): 306
April 2009 (end of Power Hack): 315
Vdot
Aug 2008 (Pre-IMLou): 53
Nov 2008 (OS start): 49
OS week 4: 51
OS week 12: 53
OS week 16 (OS end): 56
Also, I didn't swim from Sept 2008 to March 2009. I matched my best 1000m time by April (about 3 weeks after getting back in the pool).
Bottom line: don't be concerned about the drop in fitness. Actually, that drop is a very good sign that your body did some much needed repairing. The fitness will come back with the OS plan (believe me!) and you'll more than likely blow your old self out of the water!
Thanks Jim, that is exactly what I wanted to hear! By the way, those are some impressive numbers.
I'm just lurking form the Nov group, but wanted to say thanks for sharing this Jim.
We all work very hard to get our numbers up and when they drop it bugs us. But seeing data like Jim shared above and others have shared in the past just shows that the body needs a chance to recover before it can get stronger.
First ever FTP test on the drainer - DONE!
I was just admiring the graph in WKO+, I love all those relatively straight lines! Interesting thing is that I was almost exactly where I guessed I would be and I'm not unhappy with that - I used everything I had and paced pretty evenly. When I tested for Nov. OS (before I came to the island of misfit toys and became an official NOSR) I was 168 outside so 151 on the drainer doesn't seem too bad (my high last year was about 180 going by the MMPC and bins method (didn't do any testing pre EN). Ready to go!!!!!
FTP Test 1/7/09:
Duration: 42:33
Work: 382 kJ
TSS: 57.4 (intensity factor 0.9)
Norm Power: 151
VI: 1.01
Pw:HR: 7.54%
Pa:HR: 5.67%
Distance: 14.019 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 51 198 150 watts
Heart Rate: 143 173 165 bpm
Cadence: 63 156 79 rpm
Speed: 14.9 21.6 19.7 mph
Pace 2:46 4:02 3:02 min/mi
Crank Torque: 35 224 162 lb-in