Author Topic: Base training  (Read 250234 times)

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1650 on: 24 June, 2019, 05:33:50 pm »
I did two 1h30 rowing sessions on the water on Saturday. Skipped breakfast.

Sunday was ECE of Bristol Randonnee 100k to 220k (212k for Auk purposes). The first stage of the 100k was pretty hilly (with more to come) and then on the ride home I had to do that bit again - hard going - and then ride over the Mendips to get home from Fome. Garmin recorded 2750m climbing overall, so it was pretty hard work.

Am I sore anywhere today? Nope. Tired, yes. But not sore.

Finally got some long distance fitness/resilience.

FTP at 240 doesn't seem unrealistic now. I think it should be 250 by PBP - so the same as last time. I'm still on track for a CTL of around 100 on the 18th August. Planning to do several more 200s between now and then as well as the midweek turbo stuff, and some rowing.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1651 on: 25 June, 2019, 04:51:05 pm »
It's all kind of fallen apart for me. 

I feel in reasonable shape when I'm on the bike but doing a couple of 400s at the end of May, then holidays has blown apart my turboing.  As a result I've only done 4 rides other than local errands since 1 June, a total of 250km.

Now I've got a chest infection and don't really want to push things too hard until it shifts.  Am on day 4 of the antibiotics but still coughing horribly.

June was meant to be a big month but it didn't happen.  I've basically tapered a month too early!

Re: Base training
« Reply #1652 on: 26 June, 2019, 04:52:22 pm »
Getting things going again: 4x20 sweet spot in Richmond Park this afternoon. 
Felt good and was able to c.10% higher power than TR told me to do. 
Not done a test for ages but feel power is probably up. 

Need to spend an hour planning my final month to TCR.  May skip one of the audaxes I entered for the next two weekends. 

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1653 on: 26 June, 2019, 05:27:05 pm »
That's good - I guess the cough is gone now?

I've been persuaded to do a bit more rowing on the basis that I'll be in a decent crew rather than a scratch crew. I've planned everything out to PBP and TrainingPeaks predicts I'll have a higher CTL at PBP than in 2015 => it's not going to derail things.

Weight is static but my waist has come down by 1.5 inches over the last few months => leaning out.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1654 on: 27 June, 2019, 10:57:00 am »
I think it is starting to go, but probably take another week or so.  Back to Doc next Thursday for follow up.  But can't sit around de-training for the next  4 weeks.

Funnily enough my weight is down.  I've not measured my waste but trousers feel tight so am paranoid that my muscle has turned to blubber!


simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1655 on: 27 June, 2019, 11:58:28 pm »
Tough one this evening in the heat. 4x12m over-unders. 1h30 in all and produced my highest 1h power so far in 2029.

Chris S

Re: Base training
« Reply #1656 on: 28 June, 2019, 09:18:53 am »
Tough one this evening in the heat. 4x12m over-unders. 1h30 in all and produced my highest 1h power so far in 2029.

You've been writing and testing code for time-machines again, haven't you?

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1657 on: 28 June, 2019, 09:58:35 am »
Tough one this evening in the heat. 4x12m over-unders. 1h30 in all and produced my highest 1h power so far in 2029.

You've been writing and testing code for time-machines again, haven't you?

 :facepalm:

Chanelling Lisa Simpson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV7HGsYWAkU


Re: Base training
« Reply #1658 on: 28 June, 2019, 10:18:48 am »
Good performance in the heat!  I was up at 5 this morning thinking of doing some under and overs in the cool air.  But started coughing like a 40-a-day man so decided against it.  Will see how I feel later on.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1659 on: 28 June, 2019, 04:50:28 pm »
Well into my so-called taper now, one week 'til blast off. I've kind of had enough of doing rock hard workouts for the time being, so the timing is apt. In fine warm weather I prefer cruising along on my bike rather than turning myself inside out too much.

My fitness (power) is good, so barring mishaps, the most likely upset to my jaunt down France will be from the wear and tear of sitting on and pedalling a bike every day for a couple of weeks. I could maybe have done more prep for this aspect, but as it is, my joints and "contact points" will have to learn on the job a little ;D


Re: Base training
« Reply #1660 on: 28 June, 2019, 05:21:58 pm »
Well done on reaching the lull before the storm!

I've just done a ramp test.  Tl;Dr, it was crap but not as bad as I feared and I've got excuses.

First one I've done for a couple of months. Was good to get back into it and Calibrate where I am.
Ftp was actually a couple of per cent up from last time, but still down by 5%on where I was around March.

Excuses
I'm recovering from a chest infection and have a cold, so it could have been worse and didn't really push it all the way at the end.
The ramp test is the wrong way for me to measure Ftp as I've not trained for high end efforts. I did a 4 x 20 two days ago at virtually the same power (outdoors, so different, but still) as this Ftp measurement

I've got four weeks, or 3 + taper, to try and push it up as much as I can. I'd like 10-12%. That depends on me shaking off my lurgis.

rob

Re: Base training
« Reply #1661 on: 28 June, 2019, 08:34:43 pm »
Still down to 1 or 2 turbos a week, squeezed between TTs.  I’ve just re-written my plans between now and September to try to fit everything in and still get appropriate recovery.  Something might slip.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1662 on: 29 June, 2019, 10:44:08 am »
Well done on reaching the lull before the storm!

Thanks.

The progressive structure provided by the TR plans has proved invaluable for me - as has TR's Calendar which I initially thought I'd never even use. There's no way I'd have managed such a consistent preparation without  a tool like TR (other alternatives available etc...) helping me along.

Good luck with the lurgy!

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1663 on: 30 June, 2019, 01:40:30 pm »
229km yesterday. ECEing the Avon cycleway 130 - which turned out to be a 138. Was late to start so no food until 90km at the first control (two Tunnock's Caramel Wafers). Avocado toast at next control, two packets of crisps at Saltford, and no food at the finish before riding home. Add to that 5 gels and two bars on the bike. Nothing in my water. Max temp 31 deg C. Light breakfast before I set off of yoghurt, banana, grapes.

If nothing else is proved by that, I think my fat burning is improved.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1664 on: 01 July, 2019, 11:30:56 am »
I did Spanish Needle outside yesterday. The instructions called for some warm up efforts, followed by 15 seconds >350W, 15 seconds rest, repeated 16 times, done 3 times with 5 minutes between each batch of 16. I guess I could have got my stopwatch to do a countdown, but I essentially just counted to 15 over and over. It meant that I lost count of the number of reps I did!
I guess I overdid it - on the turbo >350W means 354, but on the road it means varying between 300 and 450! It should have been 92 TSS and ended up at 129. Ooops.

https://www.trainerroad.com/career/duncanm23/rides/58348492-spanish-needle-outdoors-

Initially I found it hard to hit the Watts without looking at the headunit too much on the road, but after a while I was much better at measuring my effort - I didn't do many under 400W though. I think it would be better to do longer intervals on the road rather than these tiny ones, but it was seriously hard and I assume it would have the desired training effect.

Re: Base training
« Reply #1665 on: 05 July, 2019, 09:50:27 am »
Wow - well done in doing that on the road!

Yes, I find short, sharp efforts are much easier (and safer!) on the turbo.  OTOH I find it far easier to do intervals over 10 minutes outside.  What I would really love would be a long hill with a smooth surface and gentle, steady gradient for doing intervals.  I've not found one within an hour's ride of here.  The road through Epping Forest is good, but busy, and a few roads up the dip slope of the Chiltern Ridge

As my chest infection is abating, I tried VO2 max intervals this morning.  But I couldn't keep the power on and had to dial it back by 15%, essentially down to threshold, in order to complete the session, so probably not so much benefit from it.  Will tweak my programme to take out the VO2 max stuff for the next week and put in sweet spot instead. 

Re: Base training
« Reply #1666 on: 05 July, 2019, 09:57:35 am »
Makes sense to do sweet spot until your lungs are full back up to speed. I know what you mean about the ideal hill for a decent interval. There aren't many around here that are long enough, and loads have kickers in that really mess with the W.

I overdid that workout - my back has been complaining since, so I had to skip the scheduled workouts this week (and I also missed a club TT last night on a really fast course - pretty much everyone got a PB :( ). Hopefully it will be OK by next week as there's a summer CX series I want to try.

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1667 on: 12 July, 2019, 02:58:49 pm »
Did a workout down at the rowing club last night, which is 10x1m:1r. I didn't know quite where I'd be, I thought I'd aim for a 1:50 split. I did 1:45.

I dug out a pic of the rowing machine screen from almost exactly 3 years ago; 1:47.2 split and I died in the last few intervals.

Something is going right. Three weeks after that 2016 effort I did my 2K PB. That's got me thinking about whether I could go a bit faster now. It also makes me wonder if my threshold has increased by more than I think - this will be answered on Tuesday.



Re: Base training
« Reply #1668 on: 12 July, 2019, 03:28:13 pm »
Sounds good!

I've had a good day as well - completed a VO2 max interval set (Dade +6, 8 x 3.5mins at 115% of threshold).  First time I've managed that for a while, couldn't do it last week. 

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1669 on: 12 July, 2019, 04:54:23 pm »
Sounds good!

I've had a good day as well - completed a VO2 max interval set (Dade +6, 8 x 3.5mins at 115% of threshold).  First time I've managed that for a while, couldn't do it last week.

That sounds like a tough one. I've not done any of the longer VO2max ones for a while. I guess your lungs are back on point?

The racing tomorrow is potentially not going to be that good. Of the 4 in my crew, only two of us did the workout. One didn't have time because of work, fair enough. The other said he was too tired from our session on Tuesday. Given that to win the regatta we're going to have to row 3x1000m races, this doesn't bode well. Plus we're rowing in an 8 as well. If we lose in the first round of the 4+ I will be tempted to go for a ride in the evening - even though I'm racing again Sunday.



simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1670 on: 18 July, 2019, 03:46:21 pm »
Well made a final on Sunday so it wasn't a total write off. That was in a crew I'd never been in before. Huh.

Anyway, I did VO2max & aerobic base/threshold ramp test on Tuesday.

The bad: VO2max has dropped to 45 (may have gone a little higher as I stopped before failure, but no need to push that far as I was training later). Older, and heavier.

The mediocre: threshold at 240W. This is what I'd estimated myself already, so no surprise.

The good: aerobic base point 210W. Basically I can stay in the fat burning zone to much higher intensity than before (It was 140W last time, with a much higher threshold).

Bottom line is I can hopefully ride at a reasonable pace for PBP and stay fat burning. I'm pretty sure this is down to my recent training being focused on long rides rather than turbo time.


Re: Base training
« Reply #1671 on: 18 July, 2019, 04:22:40 pm »
How are you testing these?  Face mask and blood lactate? I'm really curious about the process of testing, though I'm not sure I want to do it myself!

I finally got around to trying out the free 5 day pass at the gym on Monday and Tuesday.  Not been in ages, so got quite a lot of DOMS, but hopefully I can join (at a reasonable rate) and then do some lifting during lunchtime in addition to my Trainer Road stuff. That should help my back in addition to helping maintain muscle and bone mass. I did Pettit yesterday as it's a "Recovery" week, but I'm hoping to get to race CX again tonight (depends on how late my daughter is back from her school trip). I loved it last week, and though I didn't crash I had a lot of "saves" where I washed out my front wheel, so I've changed my saddle and moved my position forwards and lower at the front - hopefully I will have fewer issues with front end grip. I also need to remember that it's basically a series of VO2 Max efforts with some cornering in between, not a time trial where you pedal at the same power for as long as possible! The MTB position still feels weird, so if I do the whole of the summer CX series and still like it at the end I might consider doing n-1, n+1 to get onto a proper CX bike. Should also mean I can do some of the local gravel stuff next year too.

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1672 on: 18 July, 2019, 04:45:56 pm »
How are you testing these?  Face mask and blood lactate? I'm really curious about the process of testing, though I'm not sure I want to do it myself!

Face mask only - both measuring O2 consumption and CO2 produced. The ratio of the two (respiratory quotient) changes as fat burning/carbohydrate ratio changes.

It would be interesting to compare a blood lactate test - I've only done this once, back in 2009. I think my LT1 was around 150W again there, and LT2 was 225W; this would have been in a fairly detrained state.

Re the test - it is basically just like doing a TR ramp test. I felt absolutely fine throughout, obviously at the end I was breathing hard and my legs were sore but nothing I didn't have three times at the weekend in rowing races. I didn't go to full exhaustion, as it's not needed with the RQ measurement. As it happens based on my maximal power in this effort, TR would have said 240W threshold as well. I could have gone into another minute, but I'm not sure how far. In 2009 I maxed out at 375W and completed the final minute; TR would show a 270W threshold based on this but it was actually 225W on blood lactate levels. That was brutal though and helped on with being egged on by the tester.



Re: Base training
« Reply #1673 on: 18 July, 2019, 07:11:10 pm »
Sounds interesting. Do you think that the data it gives you are valuable? Does it only apply to cycling, or does it inform your rowing as well?
School trip returned late enough I missed my 'cross race. :(  I will try to get out on the weekend and smash it around some paths and fields and stuff. Unfortunately I don't know anywhere around here where I can combine actual hard riding with cornering practise, so I'll keep the aerobic work on the turbo (or maybe the rollers - I'm learning to ride them!) and the technique stuff separate.

simonp

Re: Base training
« Reply #1674 on: 19 July, 2019, 10:54:25 am »
Sounds interesting. Do you think that the data it gives you are valuable? Does it only apply to cycling, or does it inform your rowing as well?
School trip returned late enough I missed my 'cross race. :(  I will try to get out on the weekend and smash it around some paths and fields and stuff. Unfortunately I don't know anywhere around here where I can combine actual hard riding with cornering practise, so I'll keep the aerobic work on the turbo (or maybe the rollers - I'm learning to ride them!) and the technique stuff separate.

That's a sham on the race. Having a good aerobic base will provide the basis for building higher level fitness later on. I performed pretty well on the rowing machine last week in the 10x1m workout we did. Better than 3 years ago - so probably it's beneficial. Good aerobic base helps with recycling lactic acid from high intensity work.