Excellent workokut this morning...10 min. warmup 2x12min Zone4 HR...with 4 min. recoveries...folllwed by 2x15min. Zone 3..with 3 min. recoveries...finished it off with 2 miles on the TM in just under 15 min...started @ 8:15 pace progressing to 6:50 pace....more coffee now
Dino - definitely jealous of the Cali weather................
Bruce - good luck to you and the other EN'ers in Milwaukee!..TTT wow.
passed on the buddy call for the outdoor riding, felt guilty until I let the pooches out and felt the cold...
2 cups of joe, 1GranolaBar+PB+AgaveNectar, 1/2 Bottle of GuBrew for pre workout, 1 Bottle of GuBrew+Base for during.
wu 2.0, then 2x 12'(4') at .97 and .98, then 2x 15'(2') at .81 and .81
will add the run this afternoon.
Saturday Run:
not sure if I just felt pretty good or if pace is coming along. ran steady out and just a notch faster coming back, rolling hills. Usually make it to 'that stop sign' at 18' on a pretty good day, made it in 16:50 this afternoon. Ran a bit easier for about 6' then neg split that 16:50 distance down to 15:40. Therefore, calling the neg split the step from z2 to z3.
Best of luck to our EN team at the multisport expo up in Milwaukee today. I'm sorry I can't be there to support the team. Instead it was an early workout in my basement before tending to some family stuff today.
The short story on today workout was an awesome brick run after a long hard bike. I picked Terminator 2 for the movie…great call, a real classic. The workout was originally called for 60' with z4 intervals of 8, 10, 12 but given the Saturday norm of 75' or longer I added the usual 2x15'(2') of z3, which jacked the workout to 81' total. Pretty low HRs for my z4s today so I was pleased about that after a really hard go of it on Thursday. I think my fueling on junk food catering in the office yesterday (scones, muffins, etc) gave me the energy for today's workout.
The brick run was supposed to be z2 out and z3 back but after the first mile I got into a nice high-cadence groove and just let my pace be the output...
Overall 3.44 miles in 22:56 (6:41/mi). Current z4=7:01, z3=7:10, z2=7:26.
Great job @ Matt! Maybe I'll try to change my Fri. diet in preparation for Sat. workouts going forward!
Saturday Done! Extra 10' Z4 "make-up" from Thurs. added:
10' x 3 Z4: #1: 1.00IF, avg cad 87, avg bpm 159 #2: 1.005IF, avg cad 87, avg bpm 158 #3 (10' Z4 + 15' Z3): .883IF, avg cad 69 (I screwed up and my last Z4 merged with my first Z3- Crap!)
Bruce, most of the cycling literature suggests that we are most efficient (HR at a given wattage) at a cadence between 60-70. Sounds like you're seeing the same thing. The reason most coaches and elite athletes try to work in a 80-90 range is that it takes a lot more muscular tension, which tends to wear you out quicker (especially if you've got to run afterwards!). But watch some of the Tour riders go up the real steep grades, and 70 RPM is not uncommon when they're really at their limit.
I did an impromptu test this morning, as I'd been blowing away my wattage targets recently. Doing a 3' / 20' test protocol, and saw an outdoor-like 303 on the 3' section, and a strong 247 on the 20' section, for an FTP of 235 (up 25 watts from Week 1 test). I'm feeling very good about it! My all-time indoor high for a 20' test is 256, and I'm feeling good about knocking that one down soon!
@ Bruce Congrats on the deal. @ Mike nice rise in FTP already. I'm interested in my FTP as staying at 100% almost seems, dare I say it, easy for the 12' sets. @ Joseph, Chris, Matt, Enrique and Kim nice WKO's today.
As for me easy 30 min Z1 ride to warm-up for day. Then coached daughters soccer team to 8th win of season (8-0-0) Then off to PT for 90 ' of treadmill, leg presses, and exercises that I'm sure some were taken from torture texts. Knee is feeling better, still a little sore but all in all hope to be back running, all bet it slowly in March.
Matt, the protocol is, at it's simplest, put in Spinervals 27 (Threshold Test and Sufferfest), and hold on :-)
Basically, the flow is
W/u 12 min incl. 3 x 30s on/30s off 3' all out 4' recovery 3 x 1' on/1' off hard 2-3' easy 20' all out C/d
I've done it many times, and am kinda used to understanding the output of it. 95% of the 20' effort has matched up very closely to the results of the 2 x 20 (2') test for me (I've done both in close succession over the years in the OS), and the added benefit of getting the 3' effort gives a peek into what's going on in the VO2 max range.
I don't recommend going away from the 2 x 20'(2') protocol without a bunch of experience lining the test up against something else, as all of the EN race execution guidance is based on obtaining your FTP through that test, so it's good to be consistent. That said, knowing how it works for me, I like the ability to see the gap between VO2 and FTP. For instance, in this case, my FTP is about 78% of my 3' result. If I can push the FTP up to about 80-82%, I'll know that I'm starting to be VO2-limited (hopefully where I'll get to by week 8), and it's time to raise the roof.
Great day today! I got outside and did 45 miles with my Tri Club. I rode with the "A Group" which makes me a BOP on my best day. Today I was hanging on by finger nails. I was so spent, I passed on the run tonight. I just don't want to do it. I am, however, excited about run intervals tomorrow AM.
Great ride Dino. Those are the efforts that can really pay off later in the year. And I agree w Bruce ... the fastest way to get faster is to ride/run with faster people!
Survived the Sat ride, doing the 2x12 closer to 2x18 on a local ~7% hill. Ouch, but a gorgeous day for a ride in SoCal. A little disappointed that I was holding 280 W for those (vs 300 for the 2x12 earlier in the week), but perhaps it was an off day. Will find out when it's time to test in a couple weeks.
Likely will do today's run early and possibly go out for another ride -- just b/c the weather is so good. 80 degrees, I have to go out and ride at least a little bit
Run on treadmill @ gym this morning 2 x .5mi, 1 x 1mi. I realized how good I have it in my little "tri-room" in the basement. It has got to be at leasty 10 degrees warmer at the gym. (My basement stays about 62, plus I have wall mounted fans blowing directly on me) That said, my paces were a bit slow but managed to get 'er done, with a bit more sweat than usual. (I have been running faster paces vs. my plan anyway, at first by mistake but I'm sticking with them so I was able to slow down and still hit the "official" paces.)
Hey Dino - finishing with the A group is a huge deal. way to go buddy. Trust me...they knew you were there and not one of the usual suspects. And I guarantee you this, tho they might deny it....when a new face hangs on, they'd rather be shot than to have the pace back off and make it any easier for the new guy. Point is, you win.
Sunday Run - a little tired when hitting the treadmill at 1pm. cut the 60' run down to 45' but kept the main set, 2x 1mile, the same. Cut the volume due to time constraints AND today was the first day that I poked an ABP ride in this morning, 1:50 with an IF of .91.
15' wu at 9:00 pace, then 2x 1mi (4') at 7:53, then 6' @ 9:00 pace, then iced the calfs.
Saturday myself and 7 other ENers did a team time trial @ the Midwest Multisport Expo. Each rider gets 30' on Computrainer and see how far you go; add up the total miles for the team. Everybody gave a really stong effort, and we had fun cheering each other on. Our Team finished 6th out of 16 teams overall, but I think we were were the highest finishing co-ed team. Several of the teams that beat us were cycling clubs who I'm guessing wouldn't be able to swim or run worth a damn. Also, Jeff Linkus set a new PR for an indoor FTP. We capped the day off with a team dinner at an Irish pub for grub and brews. Mary Larson did a great job as coordinator (she rode a really strong leg too) and has pics.
Today I ran 9 miles in total in 73'. Did 3 mile warm up @ 8:40 pace, then did 5 hill repeats @ 8:00 pace. Then did 2 x 1 mile (3') @ 6:48 and 6:57 pace. The 2nd interval was really tough since it was directly into a 10-15 mph headwind with snow blowing right in my face.
Then did my Computrainer bike class. 1 hour 45 minutes in total. 35 miles in total with 8 x 20" mashers (all out in biggest gear starting from 50 rps and accelerating to 95 rps). Time for a beer and rest tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great Sunday.
@ Bruce, sounds like it was a great time...I'm in for next year for sure.
I had a good run today. Overall I was feeling a bit off but once I got through the warmup I hit my stride and hammered the intervals very nicely. Actually the warmup was a classic – I was z4 right out of the gate – so I took a 4' recovery after the warmup then went to town on the 10:30 intervals.
Overall 8.76 mi in 1:00:01 (6:51 pace). Current z4=7:01, z3=7:10, z2=7:26.
Man are killing your runs. Your WU is faster than your Z4 pace. You are heading towards a great next test. Just make sure you don't over do it and get injured.
@Mike, thanks for the detailed info. We should get a wiki entry with the testing alternatives. The article on alternatives are all about non-testing FTP adjustment. Documenting these alternative protocols would be useful.
@Bruce, yes, very good run today. Actually the run distance/time gives me a VDOT bump...but I stopped twice to go under a tunnel. I'm going to get some advice on VDOT adjustment in Power&Pace. And yes, agree on not wanting to get injured...
Today was good, but tough. I went to the local high school track which has good and bad attributes. The track is beyond beautiful, but I struggle with tracks. It just gets a bit boring, but the best place for intervals, I suppose. Weather was awesome. It was hot and sunny. Iprobably could have taken my shirt off, but did want to be "that guy".
I showed up with too much in my stomach and really struggled through the warm up. Things just weren't clicking. I felt full and still really worked after 45 miles on the road Saturday. Plus, I am lifting weights. Friday's Chest and Tri's had me really sore this AM. After the warm up I HAD to stop for a few minutes, had some water and started my stretch routine again while I considered how triage this workout. I just needed to reboot. I had the three steps from the Wiki in my mind and hated each of them.
After about 5 minutes of stretching, I convinced myself to just get started. If I could just start, I knew I could some how triage it. First 800 was a sufferfest. I was so freaked out that I came out really hot. 6:30 for the first lap was just not sustainable and way more than my Vdot merits. I settled down, got it finished. Took 3' in a light jog then came back for 800 #2 at 7:30. MUCH better and at the end I started to feel a bit of my mojo. Stomach seemed to be mellowing also.
Then the 1600.... I came out at 7:30 and was able to get 'er done. I cooled down with two more laps at 8:00 pace and ended with 5.5 miles in 47 minutes counting my little triage consult and rest intervals.
Took a nice nap. And, managed to get in Back and Bi's tonight. Tomorrow off will be nice....
I almost didn't get my workout in today. It got to be 7pm and dark outside. I didn't feel like running out there so I forced myself to get dressed and drive 15 min over to the gym and ran on the treadmill. Got 'er done. Week 4 is a done deal. Have a great week.
Haven't been running a whole lot lately, so I'm starting back up with mileage and intensity slow. With that said, I won't share my dismal short numbers with y'all, maybe next time around when they're more impressive.
I did ride my bike in the "hills" of Dallas yesterday, 1:45 at .94IF, on the road bike. Not bad, got that 'buzzed' feeling in my legs afterwards.
Nice ride on Sunday with overcast sky's and a stiff wind from the N/NE. Standard OS warm-up then 3X10' on 4' rest as 102% (89 RPM), 104% (70 RPM), 103% (82 RPM) then 2x15' @ 82% and 83%.
@ Scott I haven't ran since Nov. So I'm scared of where my run fitness is.
Comments
Excellent workokut this morning...10 min. warmup 2x12min Zone4 HR...with 4 min. recoveries...folllwed by 2x15min. Zone 3..with 3 min. recoveries...finished it off with 2 miles on the TM in just under 15 min...started @ 8:15 pace progressing to 6:50 pace....more coffee now
Dino - definitely jealous of the Cali weather................
Bruce - good luck to you and the other EN'ers in Milwaukee!..TTT wow.
Great work everyone.
Saturday Bike:
passed on the buddy call for the outdoor riding, felt guilty until I let the pooches out and felt the cold...
2 cups of joe, 1GranolaBar+PB+AgaveNectar, 1/2 Bottle of GuBrew for pre workout, 1 Bottle of GuBrew+Base for during.
wu 2.0, then 2x 12'(4') at .97 and .98, then 2x 15'(2') at .81 and .81
will add the run this afternoon.
Saturday Run:
not sure if I just felt pretty good or if pace is coming along. ran steady out and just a notch faster coming back, rolling hills. Usually make it to 'that stop sign' at 18' on a pretty good day, made it in 16:50 this afternoon. Ran a bit easier for about 6' then neg split that 16:50 distance down to 15:40. Therefore, calling the neg split the step from z2 to z3.
Best of luck to our EN team at the multisport expo up in Milwaukee today. I'm sorry I can't be there to support the team. Instead it was an early workout in my basement before tending to some family stuff today.
The short story on today workout was an awesome brick run after a long hard bike. I picked Terminator 2 for the movie…great call, a real classic. The workout was originally called for 60' with z4 intervals of 8, 10, 12 but given the Saturday norm of 75' or longer I added the usual 2x15'(2') of z3, which jacked the workout to 81' total. Pretty low HRs for my z4s today so I was pleased about that after a really hard go of it on Thursday. I think my fueling on junk food catering in the office yesterday (scones, muffins, etc) gave me the energy for today's workout.
Total 81' @ NP 213 (IF 0.919) – 10' steady warmup then:
- 8'(3') @ z4 – NP 239 (IF 1.030), HR avg 144 / max 154, avg cad 86
- 10'(2') @ z4 – NP 241 (IF 1.039), HR 155/162, cad 87
- 12'(2') @ z4 – NP 239 (IF 1.032), HR 159/167, cad 87
- 15'(2') @ z3 – NP 211 (IF 0.911), HR 152/157, cad 88
- 15'@ z3 – NP 210 (IF 0.904), HR 153/161, cad 87
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145203940
The brick run was supposed to be z2 out and z3 back but after the first mile I got into a nice high-cadence groove and just let my pace be the output...
Overall 3.44 miles in 22:56 (6:41/mi). Current z4=7:01, z3=7:10, z2=7:26.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145204156
Great run…although maybe I'll pay for it in tomorrow's workout…
Saturday Done! Extra 10' Z4 "make-up" from Thurs. added:
10' x 3 Z4:
#1: 1.00IF, avg cad 87, avg bpm 159
#2: 1.005IF, avg cad 87, avg bpm 158
#3 (10' Z4 + 15' Z3): .883IF, avg cad 69 (I screwed up and my last Z4 merged with my first Z3- Crap!)
Z3 run- 2mi in 21:12.
I did an impromptu test this morning, as I'd been blowing away my wattage targets recently. Doing a 3' / 20' test protocol, and saw an outdoor-like 303 on the 3' section, and a strong 247 on the 20' section, for an FTP of 235 (up 25 watts from Week 1 test). I'm feeling very good about it! My all-time indoor high for a 20' test is 256, and I'm feeling good about knocking that one down soon!
Saturday workout done. Need a long nap now.
MS1: 2 x 12' (4') @ .996, .998;
MS2: 2 x 17' (2') @ .848, .851 (supposed to be 2x15'... oops)
Brick -> 10 min @ MP (7:39) and 10 min at HMP (7:20)
Hey Mike, can you explain the details of that protocol? I know about Al's 5/10/20 but I haven't heard about a 3/20.
@ Mike nice rise in FTP already. I'm interested in my FTP as staying at 100% almost seems, dare I say it, easy for the 12' sets.
@ Joseph, Chris, Matt, Enrique and Kim nice WKO's today.
As for me easy 30 min Z1 ride to warm-up for day. Then coached daughters soccer team to 8th win of season (8-0-0) Then off to PT for 90 ' of treadmill, leg presses, and exercises that I'm sure some were taken from torture texts. Knee is feeling better, still a little sore but all in all hope to be back running, all bet it slowly in March.
Basically, the flow is
W/u 12 min incl. 3 x 30s on/30s off
3' all out
4' recovery
3 x 1' on/1' off hard
2-3' easy
20' all out
C/d
I've done it many times, and am kinda used to understanding the output of it. 95% of the 20' effort has matched up very closely to the results of the 2 x 20 (2') test for me (I've done both in close succession over the years in the OS), and the added benefit of getting the 3' effort gives a peek into what's going on in the VO2 max range.
I don't recommend going away from the 2 x 20'(2') protocol without a bunch of experience lining the test up against something else, as all of the EN race execution guidance is based on obtaining your FTP through that test, so it's good to be consistent. That said, knowing how it works for me, I like the ability to see the gap between VO2 and FTP. For instance, in this case, my FTP is about 78% of my 3' result. If I can push the FTP up to about 80-82%, I'll know that I'm starting to be VO2-limited (hopefully where I'll get to by week 8), and it's time to raise the roof.
Check out the ride.....
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145381394
Dino - Good job. Hanging out with the "A" group, even by your finger nails, is how you get faster.
Great ride Dino. Those are the efforts that can really pay off later in the year. And I agree w Bruce ... the fastest way to get faster is to ride/run with faster people!
Survived the Sat ride, doing the 2x12 closer to 2x18 on a local ~7% hill. Ouch, but a gorgeous day for a ride in SoCal. A little disappointed that I was holding 280 W for those (vs 300 for the 2x12 earlier in the week), but perhaps it was an off day. Will find out when it's time to test in a couple weeks.
Likely will do today's run early and possibly go out for another ride -- just b/c the weather is so good. 80 degrees, I have to go out and ride at least a little bit
Run on treadmill @ gym this morning 2 x .5mi, 1 x 1mi. I realized how good I have it in my little "tri-room" in the basement. It has got to be at leasty 10 degrees warmer at the gym. (My basement stays about 62, plus I have wall mounted fans blowing directly on me) That said, my paces were a bit slow but managed to get 'er done, with a bit more sweat than usual. (I have been running faster paces vs. my plan anyway, at first by mistake but I'm sticking with them so I was able to slow down and still hit the "official" paces.)
#1 .5mi @ .5 incline- 4:46, avg. bpm 163 ; #2 .5mi @ .5 incline- 4:50 avg. bpm 167, 1mi (.5 incline for .4mi) 10:07 avg bpm 164
Then I did a Body Works class, (light weights)
Looking forward to rest day and massage tomorrow!
Sunday Run - a little tired when hitting the treadmill at 1pm. cut the 60' run down to 45' but kept the main set, 2x 1mile, the same. Cut the volume due to time constraints AND today was the first day that I poked an ABP ride in this morning, 1:50 with an IF of .91.
15' wu at 9:00 pace, then 2x 1mi (4') at 7:53, then 6' @ 9:00 pace, then iced the calfs.
Successful week.
You guys and gals get some rest tomorrow!
Saturday myself and 7 other ENers did a team time trial @ the Midwest Multisport Expo. Each rider gets 30' on Computrainer and see how far you go; add up the total miles for the team. Everybody gave a really stong effort, and we had fun cheering each other on. Our Team finished 6th out of 16 teams overall, but I think we were were the highest finishing co-ed team. Several of the teams that beat us were cycling clubs who I'm guessing wouldn't be able to swim or run worth a damn. Also, Jeff Linkus set a new PR for an indoor FTP. We capped the day off with a team dinner at an Irish pub for grub and brews. Mary Larson did a great job as coordinator (she rode a really strong leg too) and has pics.
Today I ran 9 miles in total in 73'. Did 3 mile warm up @ 8:40 pace, then did 5 hill repeats @ 8:00 pace. Then did 2 x 1 mile (3') @ 6:48 and 6:57 pace. The 2nd interval was really tough since it was directly into a 10-15 mph headwind with snow blowing right in my face.
Then did my Computrainer bike class. 1 hour 45 minutes in total. 35 miles in total with 8 x 20" mashers (all out in biggest gear starting from 50 rps and accelerating to 95 rps). Time for a beer and rest tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great Sunday.
I had a good run today. Overall I was feeling a bit off but once I got through the warmup I hit my stride and hammered the intervals very nicely. Actually the warmup was a classic – I was z4 right out of the gate – so I took a 4' recovery after the warmup then went to town on the 10:30 intervals.
Overall 8.76 mi in 1:00:01 (6:51 pace). Current z4=7:01, z3=7:10, z2=7:26.
10' W/U @6:26
4' @7:29 (recovery from the warmup)
2x 10.5' @z4 – 6:33, 6:33
(4' recoveries –8:03, 8:00)
Remainder 6' @6:59, 11' @6:52
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145710825
Tuesday brick scheduled tomorrow due to some upcoming work travel, then some rest!
[deleting double post]
@ Matt - we missed you. Next year for sure.
Man are killing your runs. Your WU is faster than your Z4 pace. You are heading towards a great next test. Just make sure you don't over do it and get injured.
@Bruce, yes, very good run today. Actually the run distance/time gives me a VDOT bump...but I stopped twice to go under a tunnel. I'm going to get some advice on VDOT adjustment in Power&Pace. And yes, agree on not wanting to get injured...
[deleting double post...something wrong with my mouse button clearly...]
Thanks for the thoughts, insights and kind words.
Today was good, but tough. I went to the local high school track which has good and bad attributes. The track is beyond beautiful, but I struggle with tracks. It just gets a bit boring, but the best place for intervals, I suppose. Weather was awesome. It was hot and sunny. Iprobably could have taken my shirt off, but did want to be "that guy".
I showed up with too much in my stomach and really struggled through the warm up. Things just weren't clicking. I felt full and still really worked after 45 miles on the road Saturday. Plus, I am lifting weights. Friday's Chest and Tri's had me really sore this AM. After the warm up I HAD to stop for a few minutes, had some water and started my stretch routine again while I considered how triage this workout. I just needed to reboot. I had the three steps from the Wiki in my mind and hated each of them.
After about 5 minutes of stretching, I convinced myself to just get started. If I could just start, I knew I could some how triage it. First 800 was a sufferfest. I was so freaked out that I came out really hot. 6:30 for the first lap was just not sustainable and way more than my Vdot merits. I settled down, got it finished. Took 3' in a light jog then came back for 800 #2 at 7:30. MUCH better and at the end I started to feel a bit of my mojo. Stomach seemed to be mellowing also.
Then the 1600.... I came out at 7:30 and was able to get 'er done. I cooled down with two more laps at 8:00 pace and ended with 5.5 miles in 47 minutes counting my little triage consult and rest intervals.
Took a nice nap. And, managed to get in Back and Bi's tonight. Tomorrow off will be nice....
I almost didn't get my workout in today. It got to be 7pm and dark outside. I didn't feel like running out there so I forced myself to get dressed and drive 15 min over to the gym and ran on the treadmill. Got 'er done. Week 4 is a done deal. Have a great week.
MS: 2 x1 mile @ 7:20 (4') TP
2 x 10' (4') @ 7:30 HMP
60 minutes total
I did ride my bike in the "hills" of Dallas yesterday, 1:45 at .94IF, on the road bike. Not bad, got that 'buzzed' feeling in my legs afterwards.
@ Scott I haven't ran since Nov. So I'm scared of where my run fitness is.
You also still have the best signature line by far....
Thanks Dino!
@Scott, I love that BUZZED leg feeling.