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I hope I've got this right. Based on the first FTP test to begin base training back in week one of January, my FTP was 281. So Level 4 for me based on the test is 253 – 294 watts.
Yesterday's scheduled workout called for a warm-up and then 4 x 6 at Level 4 with 2 minute recoveries between each in Level 1. Fine.
Warmed up well and launched into the first 6 minute interval. Legs felt great and off I buzzed and held it in the 270 – 277 range. Wasn't real positive I would recover in just 2 minutes, but decided to stay down around 253-255 for the 2nd interval. The third had me struggling to make it, but I made it once again by keeping it on the lower side of Level 4. The last one was nearly impossible with me clawing, begging for mercy, and the power drifted south of the goal a few times with me struggling with everything I had using whatever cadence/gear I could make work to get it back into Level 4. Dang that was hard. Really hard.
Is this normal to start out fresh and have the final interval or two be so stinking hard that it is next to, or nearly impossible? Or is it possible that my zones are set too high? The first L4 session of this base period which called for only 3 x 6 – I made it through those. But the last L4 and this one both called for 4 x 6 and I am really struggling on the 4th. I worry because next week it moves to 5 x 6.
Is it possible that the 20 minute FTP test could yield an average power score that is a bit high in the range? Would a range of 88-93% of average power during a 20 FTP test be considered normal for one's FTP? I believe this calculater uses 93% of the average power to calculate the FTP in a 20 minute test. It seems the numbers I am hitting and able to hold in the latter two L4 intervals above are more at the 88% level than the 93%.
Thoughts?
302 was the average power in the 20 minute FTP test at the beginning of January coming off a week of skiing in Colorado.
Can't say I've had the best nights of sleep this week, but I'm not sick now (was in the middle of January with a head cold for about 10 days) and have been seemingly hydrated this past week.
It does seem odd that I start out like gangbusters on interval one and two of the L4 session and fade by the last interval of four – especially since I felt so good during the FTP test putting out more power for a solid 20 minutes. The glycogen depletion may be the culprit as I am in weight trimming mode and did feel pretty drained after the first 2 weeks of the Masters XC Base plan in January. I will put a little more attention into my nutrition choices this entire week leading into the L4 work on Thursday which is calling for the 5 x 6 intervals in that zone.
The other culprit could be the weights. I seem to be having trouble recovering from the weight lifting after Monday sessions (legs) with the 2 x 20 reps even though I'm keeping weights pretty low (by my standards). I forgot to back off a bit on the reps for the leg session that called for 2 x 15's last week and did 2 x 20's instead.
All in all, I do feel a cummulative effect throughout the week and may not be as rested as a 52 year needs to be come Thursday for the intensity session. Here's to a better week and figuring the proper balance out for everything.
Be diligent with your nutrition timing ensuring adequate carbs after bike training sessions and sufficient carbs and protein after strength training. Supplementing with 5g of glutamine after strength training sessions can speed recovery.
Review this article Tools to Speed Recovery to see if there is anything you can add to your routine to enhance it.
Lynda
Lynda said:
Be diligent with your nutrition timing ensuring adequate carbs after bike training sessions and sufficient carbs and protein after strength training. Supplementing with 5g of glutamine after strength training sessions can speed recovery.
Review this article Tools to Speed Recovery to see if there is anything you can add to your routine to enhance it.
Lynda
Thanks Lynda. Will do. I do believe I did the L4 work this past Thursday about 5 hours after I had eaten, so I should try to add a snack between lunch and the work this coming week as well as using some HEED in my water bottle during the intensity session.
Trying to figure all of this out…I reviewed the files from the FTP test and the recent L4 interval sessions. Seems I averaged a cadence of 77 rpm's in the FTP test where I just let my body sort of self-select a cadence that felt good and went with it. I was trying to keep the Thursday L4 intervals in the 95-100+ rpm range and my heart rate was quite a bit higher than the FTP test with the lower cadence. I do know that during a cross country mountain bike race, I am rarely spinning as fast as 95-100+ rpm – at least based on my perception (I don't have any power files from an actual race as the power meter is new to me this year). I've got long legs and use 180mm cranks on the mountain bike (I like the leverage). The only time I feel comfortable using 95-105 rpm's is doing Zone 2 and Zone 1 work where it feels really good to me spinning along and I maintain it for the 90 minute, 2 hour, 2.5 hour, etc… sessions. Should I go with the “let the body decide the cadence” for the L4 intervals even if the cadence is down in the 70 – 80 rpm range?
Completed all five 6 minute L4 intervals on Thursday without a problem. Same bike/power meter as always with no adjustment in calibration needed (it seems to be fine).
What changed from last week? Not really sure what it narrows down to this week.
•Ate good complex carbs on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday
•Two floor fans blowing on me with a bit higher gale than before.
•Less time between my lunch and the post work L4 session with a snack in mid-afternoon to keep the tank topped off.
•Had a scoop and a half of HEED in my water bottle during the session.
•Heart rate stayed below my FTP HR.
•Better show on television to keep me entertained?
To make sure, I tried all sorts of cadences – especially including doing three of them in the 95-105 range. The lowest I did was the first one at 85 rpms. And that sort of felt 'slow' as my warm up included some 110, 115, and 120 rpm spinning as well to fire up the revolutions. I had also been doing some higher spinning in the Zone 2 rides leading up to Thursday.
Go figure. My legs felt like lead the week before on the 3rd and 4th L4 interval and the day afterward. Not this week. In fact I felt quite energetic the next day (Friday) after Thursday's workout. I guess my takeaway is to time my nutrition better for such a session and keep experimenting with using higher cadences for the trainer work.
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