Outdoor TT/new FTP test. PLEASED!!!

It hit 45 degrees today with sunny and windless conditions. Score! aka perfect time trial conditions :)

And boy did I take advantage of the conditions! I went out to Time Trial heaven and did an 8.5 mile TT to put up some solid #'s, especially for this time of season. I feel like I have redeemed myself from Wednesday night's FTP test.

I was SO HAPPY to get outside on the bike today, that I had to take a picture of my bike prior to doing battle:

*WARNING, I am about to totally NERD OUT!*
So the time trial was 8.5 miles, took me 22:39 for a speed average of 22.37 mph for an average wattage of 230 watts. MUCH better performance than Wednesday night. Subtract 5%, and my new FTP is 218.5 watts, which is in line with last year, but I am 7 pounds lighter (currently 158), which makes my power to weight ratio @ 3.05. So in reality, I am ahead of this time last year. SCORE!


So now to talk about reality. That power to weight ratio # is OK. Its not super great. But thats ok! It gives me something to work towards. According to this chart, I am at the middle-bottom of a CAT 4 cyclist. A goal that I would like to work towards in time for Timberman next August 22nd, is to lose 10 pounds and increase my FTP to the low 230's. That would bump me up into the low end of Cat 3. Its a goal!

8 months to lose 10 pounds? Is it possible? (hide the chocolate basket!)

FTP test and a pyramid swim

I train with power on the bike. In fact, I use a PowerTap as the rear hub on my rear wheel. It can be a really nifty (and expensive!) bike computer, or it can be used correctly to give you improvements on the bike.

Since training with power is based upon watts, you need a base. That base is your FTP, or functional threshold power. In human terms, its a wattage # that you can hold for 60 mins. To improve that threshold, you need to not only ride a lot, but also ride above that # to increase your threshold.

I did my first FTP test of the season today, and my magic number came out to be 200 even. Sweet! Even number!

Not so sweet that it is 20 watts lower than this time last year :(

No problem, its something to work towards to improve. So this number will determine what watts I need to ride to recover, go smooth, or go hard without burning a match. Last season, I found that I used it to limit myself during races, to save the legs for runs. I can take that number and use it to base what my wattage should be for the half ironman races I am competing in this year.

Here is the test via graph:
and specific 20 min test:
So the test consists of a 20 min warmup, 5 min @ an intense level to "open" the legs up, 10 mins EZ, then the 20 min test at a level you think you can sustain. Then a cool down.

After the 20 min test, you take the average watts (of only those specific 20 mins) then subtract 5%, because that is the estimate of what you would have done over a 60 min period. 211 watts - 5% = ~200 watts.

Ok, nerd stuff DONE! haha!

Earlier I did a pyramid swim today. Did everything on a 2 min base.
500 WU
100 EZ
200 EZ
300 EZ
400 (harder)
400 (try to beat the last 400)
300 (go hard if you can)
200 (go hard if you can)
100(fast!)
50 to get back and forth
------------
2550 total in 50 mins

So the intensity basically built throughout the entire swim where you were going your hardest (and possibly) the fastest by the end of the swim. The swim hurt like heck, but I could feel myself getting stronger as the swim went. This time last year a 1000 yard swim took 30 mins and was a long swim for me. I feel like a completely different swimmer!