Not happy - three seconds slower over same course - shouldn't change zones but wondering if anyone in the same boat would retest? maybe just for psychological reasons (don't want to think I'm getting slower)
IMO, 3" is not "slower." It's two blinks of an eye. It's going off a curb when you didn't last time, or a little more hesitation around a corner. Personally, I would not sweat that in the least, nor would I retest. I would only retest if I paced it terribly and blew it so badly, I could not finish.
Perhaps you need just a little longer to adapt. My new favorite line this week is--training is not a straight line. Plans have to be written in a straight linet, but one's body might have a different timetable. I would keep your current Vdot--maybe increase it by one in a few weeks--plug away at the workouts, and retest with the team again next time. In the scheme of a long tri year, you have plenty of time to rock that test. You did not get slower.
I've never tried FRS as pre-nutrition. I will give it a go with my vDot test. I have it scheduled tomorrow as life caused a bump in the road by a day. No biggie.
What Linda said. Don't sweat it. Look at our Kona-qualifying Coach Patrick as an example. Just keep training at the proper paces. Nothing wrong with you. Lots of season ahead. It'll come together. Ya-da-ya-da...
Linda: So glad to hear of your excellent training. I'm in the same boat - Better reaction to training in year #3 than previous 2. Waiting for that shoe to drop, but I really think that it's all about being smarter than before!
@Dan--you hit the nail right on the head! So glad to hear you're feeling the same! We've worked for it! After years of being stoopid, I think I'm a lot less stoopid now. To be where I am at the moment, the past three years of work have all been so worth it! A few keys points are:
Knowing it's a long season
Trusting in redemption--blow a workout or test, and there's always going to be a next time
Knowing that training isn't a straight line
Giving every workout 100%, but...
Being smarter about "less is more" when I need to be, before I have to crawl out of an abyss of over-reaching exhaustion
Tested yesterday in a pretty big wind here in Santa Monica. Short story went from 43 to 45 in the VDot department. Not a big jump but I will take it. Goal is to get sub 20min on the test. Yesterday was 21:06 and test at beginning was 22:32. Me likey!
No bike here on vacation, so did some running on the beach. Calves are hurting a bit!
Felt terrible during my 2 mi warmup, but once the 5k started I was able to hold a reasonably fast pace for most of the run, End result was bumping from 49 to 50, which puts me about 4 months ahead of where I was last year. Feeling awesome. Only downside is that I ran indoors vs all you tough guys/gals who are braving the 15 degree temps. Next test I will do outdoord regardless of the weather, time to get tough!
Shaughn you discovered my secret - vino before a test always results in higher #'s!!!!
Great job everyone - cant wait to "enjoy" our new zones for the next 8 weeks.
Dan and Linda - thanks for your replies - I know you're right, just would have liked to see a vDOT improvement similar to what I saw with my FTP - happy holidays to all
Well I tried to test this morning in out local tri club's first annual Tri-Fort 5k but I am just going to have to test again as the course was a nice paved trail loop around the Y but when you get snow, rain, then freezing rain on it the day before and it was cold (in the 20's I think) and windy (15mph). The trail to say the least had little stretches maybe 50ft where you could get blacktop traction and the rest was just a weaving to try and stay off the ice only and into the frozen snow area. I went down hard right after the 1st mile (Pete Rose style) and was in the lead of the race overall. This kinda shook me up a little and thought this is just not worth it to go too hard and get injured. I did slow a little just to watch my steps closer. But at the 1/2 way mark I saw my time was at 6:15 pace (which is TP to HMP normally) and knew this would not be a test run in these conditions. The 2nd place guy was catching me a little though and the competitiveness came out again and I picked it up and went down again around a hairpin corner ( not as bad this time though). Laughed it off as i did not hurt myself and went on to take the win in probably my worst 5K time in any race in 3 or 4 years. Finished in 19:37 on ice. I'll call it my ICE 5K PR.
I'll test agaiin Sunday on better roads or Dreadmill or Inside track not sure which yet. Should be around the 18:00 mark though. At least that is what I'lll shoot for.
Keep all posted when I find out where I'm really at.
Well, my numbers aren't as fast as others, but I did get a bump of almost 1 point on my Vdot. It was 26.2 and went up to 27. In November I had done 34:10, and today 33:35 on the dreadmill. Must admit I was hoping for a faster run and bigger vdot bump...But I'll take what I got. I'm sure my zones won't be changing any during the next 8 weeks. Is there any average percentage of bump for the first 8 weeks? Good job everyone, crushing it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I plan to run in the a.m. if it isn't raining or icing like today. Gotta get in my Holiday Challenge Run!
Just PR'd my 5k by 3 seconds from 3 years ago. I'm sure had I not been eating like a pig the past 2 weeks it would have been faster as the extra weight didn't help. Raised vDot 3 points from 42 to 44.6, which means 45 I guess. Painful to run hard solo. I'd like to start doing it at a track as my course is slightly rolling and oddly I'm a little slower downhill in spots than going uphill.
Just finished up the 40 minute recovering run. Im stoked that my Newtons seems to be finally breaking in and my body seems to be breaking into the Newtons. Been a painful few weeks. Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) everyone. Have an Eggnog on me!
VDOT unchanged. although if graded on a curve for holiday toxicity, I jumped 2 points. I feel like I'm running with an Olson twin on my back. Keeping the faith, doing the work, livin the dream, etc.
Thanks Greg. Legs were shot until today. Bailed on the Thursday trainer ride as I started but there was nothing there.
I tried a pair of Newtons. I liked them but they broke down too quickly for a shoe that costs that much. IF they were more durable for my running style I would continue to use them. Glad they are working for you. The calves take awhile to get used to them. Keep foam rolling or using the TP roller to get in deep on the gastroc and soleus.
After 2-1/2 weeks of being out of commission with the flu (and then bronchitis) it felt great to get back to training today. I went for a 6.5 mile run on the mill (as it's cold and snowy outside) and while my legs felt fresh, my fitness felt week. I was able to hold between a 7:35 and 8:04 min/mile pace for the whole run, so I was pleased. I'm going to hold off testing until next week as I need to get back into training mode.
I'm with you Aaron. I've been off of all training for a week with a sinus thing that I haven't been able to shake. I'm going to do an easy ride/run today just to get things moving. I'm really bummed that I have jammed hard for 8 weeks and now NOTHING for a week. I'm going to try and test maybe the end of next week.
Got mine in today. 21:00 at the track for Vdot = 47. Gain of 1. I'll take it considering my other test was in a race format and I did the bike workout yesterday. Think my goal of 19:xx is attainable by mid-March. I always respond well to the VO2max track work to come.
I did mine on Friday on the treadmill. I've always tested in races before, so this was a new experience. My previous 5K PR was 20:36. I started out at a little under 7:00 and then bumped the speed up one-tenth every 1/2 mile. That worked pretty well until about 2.5 miles when I was pretty sure I was going to puke. Rather than totally gross out the entire gym full of people, I shut it down to a walk for about 15 seconds, thinking the test was over. Then I got mad at myself for quitting and popped it back to 6:40 or so for the last .6. Total time including the 15 seconds was 20:51, so pretty good result considering. If I hadn't had the dang walk break I might have managed to PR it. Didn't pick up any VDOT points, but given that this was my first test since last spring, I'm calling it a winner.
Like Bill, I did my first test in a race, tried last Wednesday to test on the treadmill @ a hotel, totally crashed and burned, temp in "gym" room was about 72, I quit after about 1.75 miles
I'm heading to my gym to retry this wednesday.
Any words of wisdom from the crew as to the best way to do a vdot on the treadmill?
Same story here. Did my first test on dreadmill and could not mentally hold it together. Didn't start well. Went to the gym, but forgot my MP3 player, towel, and water bottle. Aborted about 1.5 miles into the test.
2nd attempt today - finished, but not quite the result I was hoping for. First test was 22:50; this test was 22:45. A 5 second improvement. I think my problem was that I started out too fast (gunning for a 22:00 which I did this summer, of course it was during an actual 5k race) and could not hold the pace. I think if I had started a bit slower I might have been able to do a 22:20-22:30. But it is what it is. At least my running paces did not get harder.
I also realize I have not been paying the same attention to the run as I have the bike. This was a bit of a wakeup call to put a bit more focus on the run.
Happy with my Vdot - late posting results but did it last week as planned on the treadmill. I improved by 20 seconds over the last test so I was pleased. I ran a 25:36, which is terribly slow compared to most all of you, but seeing that I've never been this fast before I was thrilled. Unfortunately, 20 seconds raised my vdot by 1 but did not change my paces... oh well... still pleased with the plan so far!
Lisa, congrats! 20s improvement is great, and it doesn't much matter where anyone else is, all that matters is where you are.
BTW, if your paces didn't change, there may be something funky happening with the data tool. A 1 point change in Vdot should correspond to some change in paces, even if it's small. You might try re-entering, just to be sure.
thanks, Mike - I entered it in the data tool twice. I went bak and looked at the data tool - I thought it raised the VDOT by one but I guess it really didn't - 20 second increase left my vdot the same at 37 - . Oh well, I'm ok with these paces for now!
@Trent- Good luck. Hope the weather cooperates better than our failed 5K. I have not re-tested either. Your announcement may be just what I needed to give it another go. Thanks for the inspiration.
And a little extra mojo your way... just think of Richardson bearing down on you that last mile...Go for it!
Well All thanks for the motivation, I would not have completed this without it. I am not sure how to feel after this because in one way I'm happy with the result (Not running this test in a race, in the dark cold streets at 5am, and road conditions were still not the best), and in another way i'm really pissed at myself. I wanted and thought I had it in me to go sub 18 but just did not have any kick in me at the end and ended up with a 18:06. Improved 20 seconds since Nov. and a 1 1/2 poiint jump so I'll take it. Must see 17:xx in the next test/race.
I'll give to all of you who do these tests all the time not in races and I think much tougher to push through the pain than just think about catching the next guy.
Comments
I've never tried FRS as pre-nutrition. I will give it a go with my vDot test. I have it scheduled tomorrow as life caused a bump in the road by a day. No biggie.
V
What Linda said. Don't sweat it. Look at our Kona-qualifying Coach Patrick as an example. Just keep training at the proper paces. Nothing wrong with you. Lots of season ahead. It'll come together. Ya-da-ya-da...
Linda: So glad to hear of your excellent training. I'm in the same boat - Better reaction to training in year #3 than previous 2. Waiting for that shoe to drop, but I really think that it's all about being smarter than before!
Oops... Last post was supposed to be a reply to Joe Priore.
@Dan--you hit the nail right on the head! So glad to hear you're feeling the same! We've worked for it! After years of being stoopid, I think I'm a lot less stoopid now. To be where I am at the moment, the past three years of work have all been so worth it! A few keys points are:
Wow. You are all crushing it!
Tested yesterday in a pretty big wind here in Santa Monica. Short story went from 43 to 45 in the VDot department. Not a big jump but I will take it. Goal is to get sub 20min on the test. Yesterday was 21:06 and test at beginning was 22:32. Me likey!
No bike here on vacation, so did some running on the beach. Calves are hurting a bit!
Way to go Bryan! 2 Vdot points is hard earned!!!
Felt terrible during my 2 mi warmup, but once the 5k started I was able to hold a reasonably fast pace for most of the run, End result was bumping from 49 to 50, which puts me about 4 months ahead of where I was last year. Feeling awesome. Only downside is that I ran indoors vs all you tough guys/gals who are braving the 15 degree temps. Next test I will do outdoord regardless of the weather, time to get tough!
Shaughn you discovered my secret - vino before a test always results in higher #'s!!!!
Great job everyone - cant wait to "enjoy" our new zones for the next 8 weeks.
Dan and Linda - thanks for your replies - I know you're right, just would have liked to see a vDOT improvement similar to what I saw with my FTP - happy holidays to all
Well I tried to test this morning in out local tri club's first annual Tri-Fort 5k but I am just going to have to test again as the course was a nice paved trail loop around the Y but when you get snow, rain, then freezing rain on it the day before and it was cold (in the 20's I think) and windy (15mph). The trail to say the least had little stretches maybe 50ft where you could get blacktop traction and the rest was just a weaving to try and stay off the ice only and into the frozen snow area. I went down hard right after the 1st mile (Pete Rose style) and was in the lead of the race overall. This kinda shook me up a little and thought this is just not worth it to go too hard and get injured. I did slow a little just to watch my steps closer. But at the 1/2 way mark I saw my time was at 6:15 pace (which is TP to HMP normally) and knew this would not be a test run in these conditions. The 2nd place guy was catching me a little though and the competitiveness came out again and I picked it up and went down again around a hairpin corner ( not as bad this time though). Laughed it off as i did not hurt myself and went on to take the win in probably my worst 5K time in any race in 3 or 4 years. Finished in 19:37 on ice. I'll call it my ICE 5K PR.
I'll test agaiin Sunday on better roads or Dreadmill or Inside track not sure which yet. Should be around the 18:00 mark though. At least that is what I'lll shoot for.
Keep all posted when I find out where I'm really at.
Good job everyone, crushing it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I plan to run in the a.m. if it isn't raining or icing like today. Gotta get in my Holiday Challenge Run!
Vince
Strong work Vince!
Just finished up the 40 minute recovering run. Im stoked that my Newtons seems to be finally breaking in and my body seems to be breaking into the Newtons. Been a painful few weeks. Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) everyone. Have an Eggnog on me!
Greg
Keeping the faith, doing the work, livin the dream, etc.
Thanks Greg. Legs were shot until today. Bailed on the Thursday trainer ride as I started but there was nothing there.
I tried a pair of Newtons. I liked them but they broke down too quickly for a shoe that costs that much. IF they were more durable for my running style I would continue to use them. Glad they are working for you. The calves take awhile to get used to them. Keep foam rolling or using the TP roller to get in deep on the gastroc and soleus.
Vince
I'm with you Aaron. I've been off of all training for a week with a sinus thing that I haven't been able to shake. I'm going to do an easy ride/run today just to get things moving. I'm really bummed that I have jammed hard for 8 weeks and now NOTHING for a week. I'm going to try and test maybe the end of next week.
Got mine in today. 21:00 at the track for Vdot = 47. Gain of 1. I'll take it considering my other test was in a race format and I did the bike workout yesterday. Think my goal of 19:xx is attainable by mid-March. I always respond well to the VO2max track work to come.
Like Bill, I did my first test in a race, tried last Wednesday to test on the treadmill @ a hotel, totally crashed and burned, temp in "gym" room was about 72, I quit after about 1.75 miles
I'm heading to my gym to retry this wednesday.
Any words of wisdom from the crew as to the best way to do a vdot on the treadmill?
Aborted about 1.5 miles into the test.
2nd attempt today - finished, but not quite the result I was hoping for. First test was 22:50; this test was 22:45. A 5 second improvement. I think my problem was that I started out too fast (gunning for a 22:00 which I did this summer, of course it was during an actual 5k race) and could not hold the pace. I think if I had started a bit slower I might have been able to do a 22:20-22:30. But it is what it is. At least my running paces did not get harder.
I also realize I have not been paying the same attention to the run as I have the bike. This was a bit of a wakeup call to put a bit more focus on the run.
Lisa, congrats! 20s improvement is great, and it doesn't much matter where anyone else is, all that matters is where you are.
BTW, if your paces didn't change, there may be something funky happening with the data tool. A 1 point change in Vdot should correspond to some change in paces, even if it's small. You might try re-entering, just to be sure.
Mike
Going to retest tomorrow. Going for broke. Sub 18 hopeful. Need MOJO
thanks, Mike - I entered it in the data tool twice. I went bak and looked at the data tool - I thought it raised the VDOT by one but I guess it really didn't - 20 second increase left my vdot the same at 37 -
. Oh well, I'm ok with these paces for now!
Knock 'em dead, Trent!
GO TRENT!
@Trent- Good luck. Hope the weather cooperates better than our failed 5K. I have not re-tested either. Your announcement may be just what I needed to give it another go. Thanks for the inspiration.
And a little extra mojo your way... just think of Richardson bearing down on you that last mile...Go for it!
Well All thanks for the motivation, I would not have completed this without it. I am not sure how to feel after this because in one way I'm happy with the result (Not running this test in a race, in the dark cold streets at 5am, and road conditions were still not the best), and in another way i'm really pissed at myself. I wanted and thought I had it in me to go sub 18 but just did not have any kick in me at the end and ended up with a 18:06. Improved 20 seconds since Nov. and a 1 1/2 poiint jump so I'll take it. Must see 17:xx in the next test/race.
I'll give to all of you who do these tests all the time not in races and I think much tougher to push through the pain than just think about catching the next guy.
Good Job Nov. peeps and go HARD!!
Way to go, Trent! 20 seconds is awesome, and you'll definitely crush 17:xx on the next one. I'm hoping to follow you there!
Mike