burnthesheep

I forgot I had added a set to a TP workout I loaded to Zwift last night. Point being that you can skip reps and sets. I was like "why I suck??!!!". Then figured it out.

Basically endless 40/20 sets of 8min with last two sets at 4min. I skipped a middle 8min set and did most of the rest. It was terrible. It was time.

Hang 5

I had the first shot of Moderna. Knocked me out the day after and a bit the day after that. Had a few more days off due to family and other commitments. Went to do an easy ride today to get going again and about 30 min in, my glutes started to feel like someone took a 2x4 to my butt. In agony riding home and almost called my SO to pick me up. Have never had anything like that coming off a break of any duration.

Very strange, not looking forward to 2nd dose, except for the immunity part.

hubcyclist

Kicked off sweet spot base 1 HV (again lol, it's a common theme with me). Today was 3x12 ~ 90%, which is a relative breeze considering I did 2 rides this week in which I did 90+% over 36mins straight.

So the 13 mile loop I did Sunday and Tuesday is actually used for a tri/duathlon held in that area each September, albeit my version of the loop starts and ends at a different point, it's effectively the same. Looks like some of the better competitors at the event did the loop in 31-32mins, so my time of 35:36 isn't too bad considering I have an entry level road bike with entry level wheels (I was wearing my long sleeve CX skinsuit, because when the heck am I going to get to wear that thing in real competition lol). If I ever were to really launch a youtube for bike stuff, I'd want to A/B times on that loop between my stock wheels and aero wheels, if I were to ever get my hands on some.

Hermes

Finished ski block. 46,000 vertical feet with 17,000 vertical feet Wednesday which, FWIW, was the most vertical in one day since we started skiing in 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio. We talked about doing and Everest 29,000 and felt like we had maybe another 3500 to 5000 in our legs. Next year, we have 5 ski trips planned.

It seems like it takes about 10 ski days over a month to get ski legs. Maybe do an Everest on week 4 next year.

My legs felt so good on Wednesday, I told my wife I was ready for helicopter skiiing.

I had been renting skis but last trip I purchased Salomon 182 with 90 under foot all mountain. I like these a lot and great for harder pack on expert slopes.

In years past, we did not ski much do to bike racing and training. With the pandemic, we opted for more ski events and planned more for next year. Bike racing is in the picture but will be more focused with less races.

And SpO2 is interesting but my readings with the Apple Watch are all over the place but in general better than previous trips. I do not think that SpO2 is with worth much and how one feels and performs is a better indicator of acclimation.

waterrockets 

Good stuff. We went to Beaver Creek for spring break last week. Last day my daughter and I got 25,000 feet just ignoring all the other people in our group targeting steeps. Just stayed on black and double black diamond as much as possible. Really adds the vertical feet quickly -- even all the mogul runs we did. We're not quick on moguls, but can get down most of a run without pauses, so still lots of descending there. Somehow technique really improved for me on this trip -- probably through instructing turns with some intermediate kids on our trip -- sometimes teaching is the best learning.

Was a lot of fun. Always loosens up my knees though! They are always swollen after day two, and stay that way for about four days after we get off the slopes.
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caloso

Another great ski day for us on Wednesday. Was even able to coax my wife down some black diamonds. She's a good skier but normally likes to cruise, so this was a fun challenge.

hubcyclist

So I'm in the adaptive training thing with trainerroad, kind of just putting faith in their machine learning and see where it takes me. I'm wrapping up the first week of SSB1 HV and today I did the first substitute workout. Generally, the first Saturday workout for SSB1 is 2hrs with 3x20 @ 88-92-90% for 121 tss. This is rated a 6.6 sweet spot workout and I generally find this quite doable, especially since there are 15min z1 between intervals. But I did a 98tss workout rated a 5.5, this was 3x20 @ 88% for 90mins. I may do a vlog type thing showing how the plans change, don't know if people would find this interesting.

Anyhow, for tomorrow, initially I was suggested a 5.6 level/95tss workout for 90mins and after today (which I marked as a moderate effort), I was given a 5.7 level/116tss workout for 2hrs

Overall, I'd say the adaptive training is trying to keep things productive without pushing folks too far/too soon in the plans.

caloso

3 sets of 1’ on/offs, 8 repeats per set. I really struggle with these on the trainer but on the road like today, I feel like I can do them all day. 148tss, and 20 minutes at anaerobic.

furiousferret

Did a bunch of cornering on descent drills; on Tuesday I was losing about 30 seconds every lap on the downhills. Mainly because I wasn't cornering as fast and going out at a decent speed. Since 2 are corners that go into small rollers the more speed you go through the faster and less power you need. One of them has a sand patch right at the apex and it was definitely affecting my smoothness. In my defense, this corner takes out about 5 riders a year mainly because of that patch. When I did hit the corners perfectly, it just seemed underwhelming like, 'really, that's it?'

TBH, I don't think there's anything wrong with my cornering; I've never been Sagan and I'm not one of rail them on the final turn for a winning move but these issues are more because of what's occupying my headspace than the actual technique. I know I haven't ridden outside in a year and I want to be safe, which imo is part of the issue. Obviously we want to be as safe as possible but imo that entails focusing on riding and not every little element in the road because for the most part they're out of your control. Its like when you are walking on a balance beam. Its easy at 3 feet, but that same beam at 100 feet somehow becomes more difficult because of what's in our heads.

Hermes

Back at it on the bike. One hour of easy peasy riding cruising the coast. My god are there a lot of cyclists on the road.

TMonk

"PRL Full" on Zwift. First 100 mi indoor ride (nearly 6 hrs) on Zwift. 11 laps completed for the longest route badge on Zwift. I had a few other riders in my private meetup and we chatted on discord to pass the time. It actually wasn't too bad and I felt pretty decent, riding the last way up box hill (~9 min) in z4/5. We used the "keep everyone together" function to make it more of a shared experience. I think it slows things down slightly for the faster riders, but def. speeds it up for the slower ones.

Despite feeling strong through the end, I'm a bit drained and perhaps behind on calories and hydration. Still, it's too nice out to not ride outside, so I'm meeting a friend for 2hr of MTB soon (PQ/Del Mar Mesa).

hubcyclist

did my TR assigned workout today, it was 3x20 @ 85% with 30ish mins at 65% tacked on. I made a youtube video (hopefully the first of a weekly series) showing this adaptive training thing in action on a real person over time. If anyone is interested in this, hit me up privately and I'll give you the link

Hermes

100 miles on Zwift aka, the trainer, is badass.

Doge

My Camp Pendleton DBIDS badged expired. I heard they are not renewing. You go one? I was waiting for junior to escort us Easter Sat, but he is off climbing Baldy again.
Wife and I just turn around at Pulgas in the morning, but I was thinking riding to the PX would be nice - again.

I doubt you get to Trestles trail (San Diego-OC line) often. Seems 2-3X as crowded as 2019. Most the surfers have electric bikes now - many going skaggs/fins out 20mph faster than those riding near them. A lot of strollers too - with kids and dogs in them. I just gave up trying to go any speed through there now.

Hermes

Doge We got ours renewed last year around September. They even used our old pic. It took about 20 minutes. Go for it.

I have been on the path past the fence where all the surfers are. Lots of electric bikes rigged for carrying surfboards. However, the amount of conventional bikes on the road is amazing. Today, it looked like the pandemic was over.

furiousferret

62 miles on my usual outside course...first time in over a year. I forgot how much time you waste at stop signs, etc.

18 hours on the week, though I don't feel like it was an effective 18 hours, on to the rest week!

guachi

Last two weeks were my top two weeks for time on the bike in, well, ever. I'd topped 10 hours only once before and I've done 12:23 and then 12:24.

3/16 3:04 non-stop riding Tick Tock route on Zwift while watching Back to the Future (in 4k!) and all the extras. 86% Z1, 14% Z2.

3/17 3R Tick Tock Race - 2 laps. I didn't know what to do so picked whatever the very next group ride was. I'm a B group rider. Race, including lead-in, was 48:20. 277W avg, 279W normalized for an intensity of 101%. All I remember of the race is slowly moving up with my blob and picking off riders that got dropped. Finished 72/485 (mass start race). Felt pretty good.

3/19 3R Sand & Sequoias Race - 2 laps. Probably my favorite course so I did another race. 59:58 seconds hard riding. I don't race or do group rides that often on Zwift but this race had something I've never done before. I bridged a gap with a small group chasing a large group. Three other guys took off from the blob I was in to catch the blob (~25 riders) of riders about 15 seconds ahead of us on the long desert stretch on lap one. I took off with them and after six minutes at an average of 117% of FTP we caught them. This effort, combined with the first KOM set a new 2021 high for FTP (280). Stayed with the blob and recovered on the next pass through the desert. Got dropped 30 seconds before summit of next KOM. The blob fractured and I rode alone until the end of the race, which is just as well as I have no sprint. I caught no one and I was far enough ahead of the next blob that I wasn't caught. Zwift Power had me at 21/52 for the B group but it was honestly the most fun I've had in a Zwift Race ever. Average power was 272 and Normalized was 276, which is the most ever for me for an hour.

3/20 2:28 on the local MUP. 61% Intensity but more Z3 than I'd like. Most notable thing was I cleaned/lubed my bike and the chain was so quiet!

3/21 4:45 100k ride with the wife. Previous 100k attempt was aborted on account of her knee hurting. A bit of sun, a bit of clouds, and a tiny bit of rain. Fun day! 46% Intensity so nice and leisurely.

3/23 1:59 Same MUP as 3/20 but with my wife. First out and back was easy pace. Second was moderate. And the "back" part of number three was a hard push with a guy from the local bike shop who I ran into. Set a PB for 5 minute power.

3/24 2:00 Zwift ride. 68% of FTP with very little variability. 80% Z2.

3/26 2:45 Zwift ride. 67% of FTP. 82% Z2.

3/27 3:00 outside. LOL. The pollen was so bad it caked into the crook of my arm. I had to leave the areas near trees so I could at least keep my eyes from watering. 59% Intensity. 28% Z1, 55% Z2, 14% Z3.

3/28 2:40 outside. Same ride as the 100k ride on an old, lightly used road. It has a 10 mile stretch of road with no lights and no stop signs. AND about 1/4 has been newly paved in the past month. The rest is poor quality chip seal. 58% Intensity. 38% Z1, 55% Z2, 7% Z3. The best part was getting bombed with rain in the last 15 minutes while fighting a nasty headwind. That's where most of the Z3 and above riding came in.

TheKillerPenguin

I am enjoying vo2. I mean I hate it while I'm doing it, but I am happy I did it after completing a workout.

Hermes

VO2 and above are the only power levels I am actually good at. I have thrown everything, including the kitchen sink, at my 130 HR power and yes it does go up a couple of watts but it remains at best a tall midget. Whereas my glycolytic and neuromuscular power has increased a lot over the last 10 years steepening my power curve. It would be really nice to pick up about 50 watts of 130 HR power. IMO, it is all genetics. So be it.

TheKillerPenguin

When I train it, vo2 is by far the strongest part of my power curve. I just prefer the mild nut tap that is an ftp workout to the full on kick in the groin that is vo2.

burnthesheep

Warmer yesterday. Hookie from work at lunch to TT bike. Man, going to need to heat adapt. HR was up but legs felt good. Did 30mi at 24.2mph on country roads. Nonstop excepting the u-turn.

I put the "triathlon" Trinity front aero bottle onto the bike. I won't run that to race but to train that is nice. It holds a LOT of fluid. Just lean over a hair and drink like an animal. I'll be using that for my personal 50mi workout try this year.

But 24.2mph on mostly flattish not great pavement country road on 225w AP. No disc or 90, no tt helmet, old slower cyclocross suit, huge saddle bag hanging behind seatpost in wind......etc.... I'd say those watts/mph is pretty darn good. I'd bet I'd be at 25mph on the 225w with the disc/90 with race tires and TT helmet and suit. Meaning the 50mi at 25mph should be possible.

It was windy also. Constant cross wind pushing me.

Now, gotta find the power. Need to heat adapt and do some work.

I also reset my ftp in TP. I feel that my stellar one-and-done 20min and 8min range of power still doesn't represent well what my hour power really is. As much as I've worked that long range engine lately, I'm still a lower volume rider that will suffer from a bigger drop off.

So, I while the reset hurts the ego..........you have to do what's right. I can always modify workouts as I do the work.

TheKillerPenguin

Pfizer shot #1. Was hoping for sweet spot afterward but legs were charley horsey even at recovery pace. Also sort of feels like a minor head cold. At least I got in vo2 the day before!

rubiksoval

I can't seem to get my Vo2 to budge. I've tried the long aerobic 8-12 minute intervals route, I've tried the Hunter Allen vo2 route (3 and 5 mins at 118% and 115% ftp). I've tried the 95% of actual VO2 route(about 128% FTP for me), and I've tried just unstructured group ride type things. I always seem to top out within a few watts. Two years in a row (trying the Allen methodology the first year, and 95% the second year) I got the exact same 5 minute powers to the watt.

It's kind of interesting for me, but the suffering during the workouts is such that I'm not too bothered chasing it if I can get there with shorter and longer intervals and group rides. 30- 90 sec power and 30-40 minute power seem to be my best indicators of racing performance, and I find them much more pleasant to train.

wktmeow

Have you tried 110+ RPM hard starts/positive split for 3-6 min efforts? Those seem to do something for me, but I hate actually doing them.

The tricky thing is that supra-threshold power improvements do not necessarily correlate to vo2max improvements. E.g. if your vo2max actually improves but your anaerobic capacity decreased then your power might be the same for 5 minutes, and vice versa. Not sure how you determine what your 'actual' vo2 power is either, as you can achieve vo2max at a wide range of wattages. Sooner at higher power (e.g. 125-150% FTP) but you can't stay there as long, later at lower power (e.g. 105-110%) but you might be able to hold it longer. There's an important difference between improving your 5 minute power and actually improving vo2max. One is not necessarily indicative of the other. Ideally, for an endurance sport at least, we should probably prioritize improving actual vo2max and not 5 minute power, as this would increase the ceiling for FTP, whereas improving 5 min power via increased anaerobic capacity may not.

Speaking of which, it was so nice out yesterday I opted to leave work early and ride Fiesta Island for a little bit. I should probably have done vo2max efforts, but racing is coming up, and I don't get to ride outdoors often mid-week, so I did 30/30s. I don't like doing those on the trainer, and figured I haven't done anything in those anaerobic zones in a while. They hurt and I felt nauseous after so I guess I can count that as a success.

Also took Tuesday off and did a 4 hour hilly ride with a slower friend. Haven't gone that easy on a long ride in a while, NP was just at the bottom of z2/top of z1. Somehow it still felt productive though? Mythical LSD gains? I usually push mid-high z2 at least for this sort of duration.

If I can get an hour or two in today, and my usual 4 hours sat and 1.5 sunday, then this should be my longest week on the bike in recent history

rubiksoval

I just go off of what WKO4 says it is. It frequently seems to be within a couple of watts (or exactly the same) as 5 minute wattage when my PD curve is robust enough. Could be I just rarely do max 6-8 minute efforts, though. There's also an interesting chart called "Relative VO2 Max Chart" that provides the amount of time at a certain percentage of VO2 max, and it shows pretty well on the graph what you mention above with starting at higher power and getting into vo2 max territory sooner, etc.

But also according to that chart, I have to go really, really hard to build up any significant time at 100% vo2 max, which is where my 128% FTP comes from. In the past my very best workouts for accumulating time at 95-100% have been ~4 x 3:45-4:00 getting up to 9-10 minutes at VO2 max based on that number. At my roughly 340 FTP or whatever it was at that time, I think it was over 430 watts for 100%. It's very, very tough for me to mentally dig in after a couple of those when on my own.

In the past, for race prep/maintenance, I've done intervals like 30 secs very hard, ~110% ftp for 3 minutes, 30 secs hard for a few sets. Sounds pretty similar. But I always felt those were more mental conditioning than physical at that point, since 110% isn't that tough for 3 minutes. I might investigate that a bit more.