Jan OS Week 1
Ok. I just did my first test of the season. Oh.... how fast the fitness falls off! That's a vDot of 38-which is huge drop from last year.
Good news in this is that I expect a huge jump in the next two month. I'm looking forward to that January OS! Woo Hoo!
Entire workout (179 bpm):
Duration: 25:14 (25:27)
Work: n/a
rTSS: 34.9 (0.875)
NGP: 8:05 (199.3 m/min)
Pa:HR: 6.23%
Distance: 3.109 mi
Elevation Gain: 249 ft
Elevation Loss: 253 ft
Grade: -0.0 % (-3 ft)
Min Max Avg
Heart Rate: 116 185 179 bpm
Speed: 4:14 0:00 8:07 min/mi
Altitude: 300 330 317 ft
Mile 1 8:04
Mile 2 8:08
Mile 3 8:11
0
Comments
Nice work getting it done. Nowhere to go but up!
I may do my bike test tomorrow.
I did my vdot test today also. I went to a local (very small) 5k race with my friend Jenny who is also part of Jan OS. Like many of you I started Nov OS, but the old injury didn't want me to continue then
so I backed off and have tried to go easy on the hip- just running on soft surfaces that last few weeks. I thought I was good to go for the holiday run challenge and on the 2nd day bailed on running outside in favor of my Mom's ridiculously old treadmill and paid for that to the tune of the next 4 days off 
. Anyway, we headed off in the dark for the race today and the first bank we passed said 9 degrees - IT WAS COLD! It was also windy and starting to snow 
. I know it's better to use the same course each time, but nothing like a race to make me work a little harder and FREEZING MY A$$ off to make me want to bring home a little faster 
. In typical fashion I started out too fast, but reeled myself in as soon as I got to the first hill 
. Interesting that my splits were almost the same from my last test, but I did have more at the end. At any rate - no vdot bump (well .4, but not enough to change my zones), but it was a tougher course between the weather and terrain than my home test so I'll take it. Jenny won overall female and I won my AG, which was pretty funny because they said the 40-49 women's group was "so big" they had to split it into 2 divisions! I think they did that so all 4 of us (I am estimating that is the number 
) could have trophies just for coming out 
. Notice I did not even bother to shed the polar fleece pants and resemble a turtle that is afraid to come out of it's shell and I was!!! I am grateful for my good friend that wanted to go so I would go too! 
Hey gang!! I am not doing the VDOT this next week... basically don't wanna risk setback on my running legs!! but I did run a nice 10k this morning (1year2ironman5.blogspot.com) and felt like my pacing is still good to go for estimated 38 - 39 VDOT. without a warmup and with a puppy attempting to heel, 3.1 miles was 26:00 and continuing on, 6.58 miles in 58:41 with perceived effort in zone 3 and that is good enough for me.... smile. last time in NOV OS I attempted the VDOT run test and had quad seize up and suffered small setback!! smile. the bike test??? yep will do it with heart rate monitor and outside....I am with AL, I don't use negative words... I don't say "slow" but instead use "steady", I don't say "Hard", I say "challenge" and my mantra is "no negative thoughts" when in training! I have done that too many times and just not gonna go there.....smile. and in fact, try to train my brain the same way... so if the physical workout is 2 x 10', I also have a brain workout of 1 x 10' = no negative thoughts or whatever ( I am not that specific but you get the pic, I do that in swimming and running too. I just train up the same way I am doing my mileage..... so like in swimming, since I wasn't a HS swimmer or other, I use mantras like "I love swimming, I love the water, you know it takes 20' for you to warm up so don't worry about your form!".... on biking..... first 20' interval: the first 4' seem like 14" and I tell myself that and give myself grace for even wondering how much longer!! in the 2nd 20', the last 5', I tell myself that this bike ride is almost at its end, to savour it. well gotta scoot!! m
Ya know, I keep forgetting that many of my brethren in here are in places where it snows and it gets really, really cold! I am such a wuss. If it is sub-35 degrees I will always opt for the Pain Cave and I whine like a little baby if it is below 50. You guys in the snow are my heroes and I bow to you. Seriously!
@Robin great pic! And good work. You, me and Chris are officially November OS Refugees.
NOSR!
@Geoff, good job on the test and you WILL get faster. Did you run solo?
I will do FTP test this week but hold off on the vDot. Like Marrianne, Robin and Matt I am concerned about injury. Gonna work on frequency for a couple of weeks first to get my legs ready.
I did do a ride today. Got a late start and wanted to limit it to 2 hours. Had to call my wife for a SAG cuz I was still 30+ minutes from home AND my legs were tired. Lotsa hills and I hooked up with my tri club group ride for a little while and sucked some wheel.
I am always amazed at my cadence.
Entire workout (183 watts):
Duration: 1:55:22
Work: 1269 kJ
TSS: 116.4 (intensity factor 0.778)
Norm Power: 208
VI: 1.13
Distance: 34.783 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 733 183 watts
Cadence: 30 212 100 rpm
Speed: 2.2 37.8 18.5 mph
Pace 1:35 26:49 3:14 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1548 157 lb-in
John--I did do it by myself. I was at Acalanes Track. I'm surprised my pace has dropped by 1 minute-but then again I've been doing nothing since October. And I'm world class at it. Great ride. I want to see you hold that 212 cadence!
Robin & Jenny-you guys look cold! Great work.
I am just about bouncing off the walls to FTT tomorrow. (FTT= Functional Threshold Test, which gives me FTP= Functional Threshold Power).
Watched the weather and possible flurries/snow next weekend. It's a week away, but so far they have been pretty good at getting it right for when it will snow. So I likely will not VDOT test at all and just go forward with current VDOT and hope to improve more. When it's like this I just run back and forth on the same 1.25 mile section of road. Folks that live there probably think I am nuts, but it's safe.
When testing on the treadmill for V-dot, should it be set on 0.5% or 1% grade? I've been told that a slight incline is necessary to simulate outdoor running on a treadmill, but it always seems harder to maintain a pace. I understand that as long as I'm consistent, it really doesn't matter. Work=Work. I would love to just stick to outdoors testing, but winter training will always be more consistent indoors.
John: I pulled this from the Outseason Guide:
The Run -- The Treadmill
The majority of "work" running in the OutSeason is done indoors simply due to daylight considerations and less than-ideal running weather. Weekend longer runs can be done outside as your schedule is presumably more -exible.
When you are using the treadmill, we strongly suggest that you do intervals / hard running on a pre-set incline of 1 to 1.5 degrees to simulate running outdoors. Otherwise treadmill running becomes quite similar to downhill running.
We also encourage you to use pace as your training and benchmarking metric.
Al,
I'm very curious if the OS will give you that speed to get under 20:00. I have a good feeling that it will. I saw big gains last year during my first OS. Nice work, by the way!
Matt
The Resolution Run Series goes 5-10-15-20 both Ks and miles , every 3-4 weeks ending about Mar 23. But the last race also has another 5K, and I might target that one (same course) for the big test, instead of doing the 20 K as I had planned. At the very least, I hope to see a lower heart rate for that one - I got up to 161 max, a number Ihaven't seen in years (averaged 156, also higher than the past few years), indicating I do have some training improvement opportunity.
Here's a link to a forum 3.0 thread covering this ground, in Oct/Nov:
http://www.endurancenation.us/en_forums/showthread.php?t=9539&highlight=Treadmill+Incline
Al, I would like to volunteer to be President of the "Al Is Going Sub-20" club. You are so close and I agree with Matt that it is most likely do-able for ya. Especially with your noted HR improvement opportunity. Always love to cheer fellow EN'ers on! March 23rd is the date I will mark in my calendar! No pressure, though.
GO AL!
Anyone doing the Beginner OS plan? I would love to see the run intervals/times for this week and next.
Thanks.
Al- you rock! I'm looking forward to watching you get that sub 20!
Al- with the work we'll be doing, I think you will get to your goal. Very exciting. We will all cheer you on!
As for me, since I will not VDOT test, I just checked my last test, done in August. I was at 26:09 for 3.26 miles. My course is a bit long, but I have definitive markers to start and end. My goal is to get around 25:00 for the test. It's a huge leap for me, but I want something specific to shoot for.
I DID MY FTP TEST! I am at 180, so only down 6 watts from October test. A very good place to be. I can't wait!
Michelle - Way to go! 180 and done! Great baseline! WOOHOO! Can't wait to see what others pull in for their tests as well.
Just went and did a Z1 3 mile run. The extra body weight is killing me. Average HR was 163 BPM. DOH! But I have been here before. After IM CdA I gained 10 and then lost 15 over the summer. So I know from experience that in 4 weeks I will be rolling along and in the right direction.
Let the games begin!
Sitting here fiddling with new Garmin 310XT Forerunner that DH got me for Christmas.....so bear with me.
1. for tomorrow's bike test (which might be done on Tues, both days a HIGH of 32 but I have PT tomorrow and legs still tight from yesterday's run)...I plugged in "60" for my resting heart rate although I am going off of a doc visit where I was already awake! so maybe a tad lower and Garmin has set up zones and seeing that 185 is the top#, that is about right cuz puking happens at about 180+.....
2. so on the bike test, I will ride 40' in the zone 4 (160 - 172) or zone 5 (172 - 185)? let me act like a newbie cuz my last Garmin didn't do all this as it was somewhat broken... (in the past, I have done perceived effort and just used this bike test as one hard workout). yes, I should know exactly where the podcast or other is explaining how to use my Garmin effectively....
and yes I understand the downside of training with HR as affected by dehydration, stress and the like,
3. and now when I do this test how do I set my garmin for the warm up portion and then switch it over to the 40' main set so I can prove to y'all and myself that I rode in my zones. just thought somebody would know off the top of their heads but yes will get the manual out. I am on Garminconnect.com figuring out all of that and have all of my last week's workouts uploaded. yes please refer me if this has already been discussed!! and if not, other new Garmin owners might be interested!!!
So if I understand the question, you're looking to figure out how to set the garmin to do the warmup and then do the main set and maybe even record the recovery. That way you can get the 'work' portion seperately?
If that is the case, there are two ways (assuming it works like the garmin 305). The easiest is to start the garmin to do the warmup. When you're done with the warmup then you hit the lap button. Then you start the 'fun' portion of the workout. After forty minutes of joy, you hit lap again. This way you can look at the second lap to figure out the effort.
The other way is to preset the work on garmin training center. That way you start the workout. When the warmup is done the garmin beeps/vibrates and you know that your main set has started. That's a little bit more complex. I'm sure someone on the forum has described this process--I can help find it.
Did I answer the right question?
Just a question, I assume both 20 min should be very similar as far as the normalized power? My first was 174 and my 2nd 20 min was 161. So, is that a valid test or are they too far apart?
@ John - I'm on the beginner OS week one is very light because of the test. You will probably want a modified version of week 2. If you need more detail let me know but here's week one and two.
Week 1
Wed - vdot test
Sat - Optional brick 15' z2/MPout z3/HMP back
Sun - 45' run MS:4X1/2 mile (3') @ z4/TP
Week 2
Tue- 15' brick @z1/LRP + 3X30" strides
Wed - 45' Run MS: 5X1/2 mile (4') z4/TP
Sat - 10'brick run as z2/MP
Sun - 50' run MS: 3X1/2 (3') z4/TP, 1X1 mile @ z4 /TP remainder run how you feel but try for z3.
Gordon
Did the FTP test today. Haven't been on the bike since August other than a completely embarrassing 'ride' on saturday just to make sure I could still generate wattage that my computer could monitor LOL
Felt good to get back on the horse however, and the test wasn't horrible. I mean my numbers are off the chart low compared to last year, however considering how little I have done I shouldn't be surprised
So, First 20:
NP: 194
Second:
NP: 204
Combined:
NP: 198
VI: 1.01
HR: 162 (avg) 181 max! (very high for me)
Cadence: 92 (avg)
Watts/Kilogram: a sad sad 2.5 hehehe
Chart looks good, gradual build up on the first. Some teetering on the second with a bit of an uptick at the end. No bonk, no doom just a very low starting point.
Next up? 5k test. That should at least do a bit better. Ran 2:30 minutes faster on a 10k on friday than I ever have. So shooting for a good run. Hope everyone else is pleased with theirs!
-Dave
Normalized Power: 224 (dropped 10 watts from pre-IMAZ)
Pace: 20.2mph
Cadence: 71/88/78 (little lower than I would expect)
The two set should be pretty close to each other. What is your testing tool? If it is a powertap or computrainer did you have any gaps that were not recorded? Also had you done either the rolling calibration or zero the torque? Me personally? I tend to take two or more attempts to get the 2X20(2') efforts nailed down. In fact I'm headin down in a couple of minutes....
Well, they "should" be close- if you had a good test and didn't blow up. Just looking at the NP above from both 20 min intervals, it looks like you went you too hard on that first 20 and then couldn't push the watts in the second 20. Pretty normal for a first time test.
However, NP of 176 on a 2.5 hour ride would seem to indicate something else is going on. I'm assuming that 2.5 hour ride was outside. Did you test outside as well or were you on a trainer? There is a world of difference between watts you can push on a trainer vs watts you can push outside. Most folks experience lower FTP on the trainer - this is why it's important to test where you are going to be doing the majority of your training (and hence my own reasons for wanting to wait to test until I can get outside later this week).
Tell us a little more about your test (where you were, what kind of route, how it felt, etc).
Ah, the first FTT of the season....always a very humbling experience! Here's my result:
1st 20': 276; 2nd 20': 273; 42' FTT: 271
42' FTT:
Duration: 42:03
Work: 676 kJ
TSS: 70.8 (intensity factor 1.005)
Norm Power: 271
VI: 1.01
Pw:HR: 4.99%
Pa:HR: 4.79%
Distance: 15.104 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 44 400 268 watts
Heart Rate: 132 185 171 bpm
Cadence: 61 173 90 rpm
Speed: 14.5 24.8 21.5 mph
Funny how quickly you forget the mentally toughness that's needed for the middle 10' of the 2nd 20' interval!
I've got a ways to go to get to where I need to be, but I was here at the start of the last OS (actually about 20w lower) and still made it to 315w by the end of the OS. Also found it interesting that this is my highest ever heart rate in all of the 2x20' FTTs I've ever done (I'm typically in the low 160s range) - ya think I've lost some fitness?!. I'm ready for the work ahead.
Way to go to everyone that has tested already, and for those who haven't GO GET 'EM!
Side note: anybody know how to get rid of the double line spacing?
FTP: 185
Last year at OS my FTP was 186 to start so just about the same. I hope for more increase than last year. I need to lose body weight though 'cause it was a killer this morning !
I did my 2x6' on the trainer this morning as promissed. That was the first time I've been on the trainer in- oh- gosh I can't even remember! Serious kudo's to all of you who have no other choice all winter!