Author Topic: Base training (Read 251581 times)

DuncanM · « **Reply #975 on:** 02 May, 2018, 01:15:30 pm »

I'm not going to completely ditch this TT position, but I can't ride it unless I'm in the aero bars, and that's not allowed for the TTT. I'll try to mix and match until the 9 up thing is done, and then I'll go back to TT focus and work on this position. I would just stick with it if it weren't for the TTT rules.
I will probably get someone to take a few pictures of it and put them on the TT forum (will have to tidy up first!), I don't want to work towards a position and then discover that it's not aero anyway!

DuncanM · « **Reply #976 on:** 10 May, 2018, 10:11:26 am »

I started my new build today. I opted for the General Build because I felt that doing another sustained Power Build would be very samey. The FTP test is the 8 minute one - I wanted a workout so I stuck to the plan rather than going for the Ramp Test X like I have for the last few tests. As always, I paced it terribly - this time I realised towards the end of each effort that I had more available and at the end of the second effort I was able to do a minute at ~300W. The FTP came out at 239 (with my previous being 248), but I'm going to stick to my previous value thanks to my pacing ineptitude!
You can see it here: https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/34121711-8-minute-ftp-test

I'm going to skip the Thursday workout, do the weekend one, skip next Tuesday as I've got a 10 mile TTT, and then hopefully I'll be back in the swing of getting up and getting the power ~~down~~ up.

DuncanM · « **Reply #977 on:** 13 May, 2018, 08:15:40 pm »

That was how workouts are supposed to be! It was really hard, and on the suggestion of the workout text I turned the intensity down a little (97%), but I did all the intervals, and there were lots of them!
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/34373204-spanish-needle

It was hard to be precise, because to do 90rpm at 90W, and then jump to 350W (~110 rpm or so) and then repeat every 15 seconds meant I was always changing gear, and always not far from the next interval. 24 and a half minutes in the anaerobic section shows how tough it was.

Hopefully my legs are still good tomorrow - a 10 minute TTT race on Tuesday evening should be fun.

rob · « **Reply #978 on:** 17 May, 2018, 07:06:47 am »

Racing and audax taking up a bit more time now so down to 2 pretty brief but hard turbo sessions a week, on top of commuting.

About 8 weeks of hard work left.

DuncanM · « **Reply #979 on:** 19 May, 2018, 09:42:02 pm »

I rode a TTT on Tuesday and rode to/from the event, so to limit my TSS I skipped Thursdays ride (also slept terribly). Today I did the scheduled Saturday ride, and it was really good. Despite the requirement for repeated 30 second sprints I stayed seated the whole time. 170 rpm is a new cadence record (27:10 in)!
The ride in general felt good - didn't need to bail on anything, only real difficulties were when I dropped down after the the sprints and couldn't hold - I could build back up again after a brief power drop though. My right calf felt tight at the start of the third set, but it sorted itself out - I think it was more a back/nerve issue than a muscular one.
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/34673426-lion-rock

DuncanM · « **Reply #980 on:** 22 May, 2018, 09:48:14 am »

Bah. I got up early today to do a short under/over workout and make sure my position was OK with the TT bars and saddle. Sadly, my (P1) pedals wouldn't pair with my phone (or headunit). Eventually I decided to try replacing the batteries - they sprung into life but I didn't have time to do my workout.

Lithium batteries are hard to find in shops - I will have to put up with energisers for now and get some lithiums ready for next time.

DuncanM · « **Reply #981 on:** 03 June, 2018, 08:27:22 am »

I'm mixing a TR Build plan (General build) with club team time trial rides. I did a ramp test yesterday (rather than Tuesday morning), and my FTP has gone up again: 261W.

https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/35283732-ramp-test

While the gaps in my cassette (11-32) are quite large, I was doing OK and moving down the cassette makes the gaps smaller. Then, just as it was beginning to get tough (around 290W), I ran out of gears! Had to change into the big ring, back up the cassette and into the gappy bit. It's really hard trying to hit the target power when you're just starting to blow up and you've a choice between 95rpm or sub 80 (I would ride a 20 minute test around 85-90)!

simonp · « **Reply #982 on:** 30 July, 2018, 12:56:41 pm »

Well it seems I've not recovered from the 400k the weekend before last, yet. Failed on Mills -4 today. CV fitness not really the issue - legs just felt heavy. As long as I'm ok in time for Peterborough Regatta a week on Saturday, it won't matter too much.

DuncanM · « **Reply #983 on:** 06 August, 2018, 08:53:16 am »

I rode my bike with a TR workout yesterday for the first time since I hurt my foot (July 1 - torn ligament in foot due to landing on tiptoes falling over and bending the foot the wrong way). I chose Baxter, because it's low power, but after about 15 minutes my calf started to tighten up and I didn't want to push it so I did another 10 minutes super easy and then stopped. A whole 11 TSS!

The rest of the system (foot, leg, other leg, CV system) felt like it was easy, so hopefully I've not completely destroyed my fitness! The only time my foot hurt was when the time came to unclip!
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/37967290-baxter-2
The physio has given me calf stretches and raises, because the initial swelling, followed by limping and avoiding bending my foot has caused tightness in the calf and the plantar fascia. Possibly even some trauma in the original injury too. I'm thinking I'll ride a couuple more times this week, hopefully get up to 1 hour without pain, and then next week I'll drop my FTP by 30W and start a base training plan. The traditional base looks quite boring, but it'll probably be a good start - avoid applying too much force too soon...

simonp · « **Reply #984 on:** 06 August, 2018, 09:17:32 am »

Good luck with recovery and getting back into it.

No time for TR at the moment. Rowing water session on Saturday nearly finished us off. Stroke threw up by the 3rd piece of our 6x500m and I was dry heaving at the end of 4th and 5th. We called it at that point, had 45 minutes rest then went out again and did 11km of UT2 (rowing equivalent of endurance) with some bursts. Everyone was totally done in. So I had a rest day yesterday - back on the water tonight.

DuncanM · « **Reply #985 on:** 06 August, 2018, 09:50:39 am »

That sounds brutal. Is this some sort of training camp before a big event?

simonp · « **Reply #986 on:** 06 August, 2018, 10:24:40 am »

Quote from: DuncanM on 06 August, 2018, 09:50:39 am

That sounds brutal. Is this some sort of training camp before a big event?

We’re racing at Peterborough Regatta on Saturday and Sunday.

DuncanM · « **Reply #987 on:** 13 August, 2018, 10:31:26 am »

Quote from: simonp on 06 August, 2018, 10:24:40 am

Quote from: DuncanM on 06 August, 2018, 09:50:39 am
That sounds brutal. Is this some sort of training camp before a big event?

We’re racing at Peterborough Regatta on Saturday and Sunday.

How did the racing go?

I got through most of a TR workout on Saturday, and I only cut it short because I had to go deal with dinner.

I cut my FTP from 261 to 231 before I started it - given the threshold interval wasn't super duper hard, I think that may be a slight underestimate.
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/38225080-mount-goode-4
My calf muscle was pretty good and my foot was fine (during the ride), so I think I'm probably good to do a ramp test (tomorrow) and get back into TR properly (back to Sweet Spot base I think). I've got a club TT a week on Saturday, so I'll get to ride that, but my hopes of significantly improving my time from the spring are going to have to rest on faster equipment (I'm moving from a road endurance bike with clip-ons to my fixie with a lower front end, more aero wheels and faster rolling tyres) rather than more W!

simonp · « **Reply #988 on:** 13 August, 2018, 11:30:42 am »

Quote from: DuncanM on 13 August, 2018, 10:31:26 am

Quote from: simonp on 06 August, 2018, 10:24:40 am
Quote from: DuncanM on 06 August, 2018, 09:50:39 am
That sounds brutal. Is this some sort of training camp before a big event?

We’re racing at Peterborough Regatta on Saturday and Sunday.

How did the racing go?

I got through most of a TR workout on Saturday, and I only cut it short because I had to go deal with dinner. I cut my FTP from 261 to 231 before I started it - given the threshold interval wasn't super duper hard, I think that may be a slight underestimate.
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/38225080-mount-goode-4
My calf muscle was pretty good and my foot was fine (during the ride), so I think I'm probably good to do a ramp test (tomorrow) and get back into TR properly (back to Sweet Spot base I think). I've got a club TT a week on Saturday, so I'll get to ride that, but my hopes of significantly improving my time from the spring are going to have to rest on faster equipment (I'm moving from a road endurance bike with clip-ons to my fixie with a lower front end, more aero wheels and faster rolling tyres) rather than more W!

Nice work.

We had a decent result on Saturday. We came second in the masters A/B race. This was harder than expected. The two other crews (one scratched) had a 2-second start and we overtook one of them but the other basically held onto that advantage for the whole 1000m. That was our fastest row of the day.

Then we had the Open band 2 heat, which we won fairly comfortably. 1st and 2nd through to the final. In the final we had a really tough race with Peterborough City winning and us second. They were a really strong crew.

Coming second in this event gets us more ranking points than any previous event where we've won. We get points for all the crews in band 3 - we are assumed to have beaten all of them. I think it could be as many as 14 points as there were 8 in our band and 8 in the lower band. As the results are all timed it was the case that we were faster than everyone in the lower band and there was a clear distinction. Band 1 times were faster again, but with a smaller gap.

On Sunday we came third in our heat, behind Peterborough and Cambridge 99s. We looked at the times afterwards, and the draw was really unkind to us. Across the three heats the three fastest boats were Peterborough, That 99s crew, and then us. At least we didn't have to race again, Saturday was really hard work, I've never felt so knackered getting out of a boat as after Saturday's final.

DuncanM · « **Reply #989 on:** 13 August, 2018, 01:49:52 pm »

That sounds like a successful if extremely hard weekend - congrats...

DuncanM · « **Reply #990 on:** 16 August, 2018, 08:53:51 am »

I did my promised Ramp test despite waking up feeling crap. Bad idea!
My achillies tendon was sore between 120 and 160W, then my calf, then above 200 it all seemed OK. Felt comfortable around 230W, but didn't feel like I had any zip.
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/38412700-ramp-test

I gave up rather than failed, so I think that the suggested FTP of 209W is on the low side and I've ignored it! I did 12 minutes at 231W on the weekend, and that was hard but it didn't kill me. It feels like my base fitness is still OK but above threshold I don't have much extra. This weekend (assuming it stops raining!) I'm going to ride my favorite TT course on my fixie and see how that goes. I did 28:30 on the day when I mangled my foot - if I can ride it without (unusual) pain and go under 30 minutes then I'll ride the club event in a weeks time - if I suck or if the foot/achillies really hurts then I will just volunteer.

DuncanM · « **Reply #991 on:** 20 August, 2018, 12:01:06 pm »

The foot was only sore on low cadence climbing (the way to/from the TT course). The TT itself was OK, except for the fact it was super windy and I've definitely lost fitness. My bars didn't slip, but I found it hard to hold the aero position (my right shoulder was particularly painful), so had to have some short breaks on the base bars. 29:30 ish isn't too bad, given I was only a minute slower before my month and a half off the bike! Gonna ride the TT on Saturday and see how it goes.

TR file here:
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/38543107-stadhampton-foot-and-fixie-test

If I TT this bike next year I'm gonna have to practise putting power down at high rpm or get some bigger gears - I couldn't produce much power on the downhill part (with a tailwind).

rob · « **Reply #992 on:** 20 August, 2018, 09:22:46 pm »

When I approached my coach at the end of 2016 and said I struggled into the wind and on drags I suggested this was something to be worked on. He said we should try the opposite and to learn to spin faster. Turbo drills were all done at 100-120rpm in TT position.

Seemed to really pay off over time as I can spin a 94” gear at 34/35 mph on a tailwind dual carriageway.

DuncanM · « **Reply #993 on:** 21 August, 2018, 10:32:19 am »

I guess the difference is that while I can spin at up to 140rpm (I think my max is somewhere around 170 but that's more like hanging on than spinning!), I can't produce much force, so my power is really low. On the turbo I can produce force at that rpm - I think that there's very little flywheel effect, so if I stop pedalling then the wheel stops sharpish - obviously this is different on the road at 30mph! Do you notice that when you're on the turbo? I've not yet tried bolting my fixie into the turbo, so that's probably worth a go at some point.

simonp · « **Reply #994 on:** 21 August, 2018, 10:40:52 am »

If you use a smart trainer you can get the flywheel effect by using a bigger gear in erg mode.

DuncanM · « **Reply #995 on:** 21 August, 2018, 10:54:16 am »

Sadly I only have a dumb trainer. It's one of these I got secondhand: https://tacx.com/product/booster/ I suspect the "high resistance at low speeds" bit means that it's more resistive than flywheely.
I tend to run it with the level set to 4 (out of 10). The lever is so stiff I actually broke it - now if I need to change the level I use pliers! I vary my resistance during workouts using gears - I tend to be big ring, middle cog when >200W.

My daughter has been making noises about wanting to join me for garage cycling. Maybe that's an opportunity to get some rollers (her bike has 20" wheels, so it doesn't go in many turbos).

I'm assuming that spinning on rollers has a good flywheel effect (though learning to ride a fixed in a TT position on them might take a little while)?

rob · « **Reply #996 on:** 21 August, 2018, 11:28:37 am »

I have a basic Tacx magnetic turbo with 10 resistance settings. At the moment I do everything, apart from my warm down on level 4. For intervals I’m doing anything between 95 and 140rpm, recoveries are 50-60rpm. Warm down is 100rpm but on resistance setting 1, slowly dropping to 50rpm over 10 minutes. I never stop pedalling during a turbo session.

Nothing any cleverer than that.

DuncanM · « **Reply #997 on:** 21 August, 2018, 12:02:22 pm »

I'll try just picking a suitable ratio and riding it in just the one gear then. I don't stop pedalling when on the turbo unless I'm getting off!

DuncanM · « **Reply #998 on:** 04 September, 2018, 10:36:40 am »

I had a proper go at an FTP test today as I get back into base training. The banana before helped (I often struggle with high power efforts if it's before breakfast). Still riding my geary bike as the fix is currently in pieces (new cranks arriving soon).
https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/39245509-ramp-test

New FTP of 240W. That's not bad at all, considering that I've had a couple of months of almost no riding thanks to my foot (I tested at 261W just prior to that). The foot was pretty sore at the end (and for a while afterwards), but is OK now. Gonna settle in and see how much a few months of Sweet Spot base can lift that number up. This time last year my FTP was 171 - I've got to get used to the idea of getting up early and doing the work now though.

Might experiment with a hillclimb on the fix in a couple of weeks, so I've got to get going on TR before then!

simonp · « **Reply #999 on:** 05 September, 2018, 12:51:07 am »

Rowing has taken all my time this year. Last regatta on Saturday. We have the rest of September off. I won’t stop rowing but it will be a lower volume and chance to reset.

While that is going on I’ll do a ramp test and jump back into low volume sweet spot base.

Good work on the FTP test. Starting this training block much higher than last year.