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@crosshair If you have no reason to doubt the accuracy of your power numbers, I think you might be surprised at your FTP estimate.
What does https://intervals.icu/ , a donate-ware site, suggest your eFTP and eCP are?
Where is eCP? eFTP for the last 42 days is just 300w as it has nothing high intensity to use in the model. (eFTP is 357w for this “season”).
You can add a load (12+?) of custom date ranges and whether it looks at indoor/outdoor/both power numbers to show in the table and graphs at any one time. 😉
Under "options" you can choose 2 parameter CP; 3 parameter CP; eFTP with 3 parameter (default); eCP with 3 parameter.
If you haven't tried them already, you ought to try introducing some sub 20min sprint races like the Zwift Insider Tiny Races on Saturdays.
I’m trying to stay patient 😀
What a lot of the Poalrised discussions miss is that it is a description of a season’s worth of training. I don’t think the 80/20 split needs to be weekly or even monthly. And as Dylan pointed out in his great graphic- certainly not daily 🤣
And even Tempo work technically falls into the 20% side of things (if vt1 is the easy day/hard day cut off).
I am definitely a little flat on my top end. I do notice it. But I’m telling myself that vo2 work plateaus in just 3 months so that still gives me two more months for Base 3 and Build 1 until I need to start worrying 😀
How many hours a week?
I’m averaging 9h20 on the year at the minute.
I did that same Tempo ride in a very similar fashion back on September 11th ‘22 so that’s a good example. Back then my power for the entire ride (warm up, 2h tempo, quick cool down) was 240w at 158bpm. On Tuesday it was 250w at 155bpm.
My eFTP at that time was something silly like 347w thanks to the chaingang’s, so on paper my Z2 went up to 257w but the HR from that tempo ride shows that was a lie by probably around 20w.
ISM Z2 vs Trad Z2 -
It's really noticeable what upping your 'Z2' limit by 5% or so does for a ride. I've done 2 x 2hr loops at the ISM sort of Z2 limit Vs trad Z2 (Trad as in 60-70% of max or ~66 to 77% of LTHR) so far this week.
Using that talk test after watching the GCN episode (talking to myself on country lanes, they'll say I'm finally losing it) I can go to 145bpm maybe up to 150 without struggling to talk, just the odd pause or deeper breath. At 150bpm or more I start to get into more exertion type breathing and I know I can only average 155-156 for 60 or 90 mins as a tempo/sweet spot ride (150-165 range) and that leaves me pretty well finished.
So what ISM is saying about Z2 in his terminology makes sense, it's simply above riding easy and it does go into lower trad Z3 which I'd always thought was the junk miles zone. Riding 132-145bpm range doesn't feel like it's pushing me into the 'effort' range but it makes hills much more enjoyable compared to gearing down and staying below 135bpm / in trad Z2.
I do think my 5-6hr Z2 rides at this revised upper limit would be much harder than trad Z2 though. I'd usually stayed in the upper end of trad Z2, this would add 7-10bpm to that limit. Interested to see what riding to this new upper limit does for my perceived base fitness as I've been riding to trad Z2 limit (approx) during winter road miles for many years.
I think the difference between ISM Z2 and junk miles for me, is in treating it as an intensity day.
I reckon when it comes to build/race time- too much ISM would inhibit your ability to hit the high numbers on interval days just like “junk miles” do.
^ Agree. Junk miles would seem to be more varied intensity so no Z2 build value nor enough HI to make a difference.
For me it's Z2 ish base time with SS MTB providing the unfocused HI in the background, or turbo trainer interval sessions over 8-12 week blocks if I actually want to get quicker for something specific. I generally use the same interval session for that.
I do find at the start of blocks of these interval sessions that it takes 2-3 sessions before I can hold the efforts fully, like training for the training or shock to the system to get into it. As you say, a lot of base pace and a general lack of HI time outside of MTB.
It’s really noticeable what upping your ‘Z2’ limit by 5% or so does for a ride. I’ve done 2 x 2hr loops at the ISM sort of Z2 limit Vs trad Z2 (Trad as in 60-70% of max or ~66 to 77% of LTHR) so far this week.
It's amazing what a small difference power can make for sure.
I did a 'Tour of Zwift' ride..
205w 214wNP
Couple of days before i did a race.
222w 229w
But the HR average on the tour was 141bpm, against 166bpm for the race.... even though a small difference in power, the overall HR was massively different.
Can't see how anyone can do anything more that 60 minutes on a turbo at zone 2, even 30 minutes is a chore/bore.
Would rather ride in heavy rain, or go for a walk or swim.
Zone 2 outside can be rather enjoyable. Zone 1 can do one though.....
Can’t see how anyone can do anything more that 60 minutes on a turbo at zone 2, even 30 minutes is a chore/bore.
Netflix
Think people are discussing 2 different levels of Z2 (just to complicate things further) though.
ISM Z2 is at the top end of the zone, even pushing into lower z3 power. Friel calls it "aerobic threshold", about 30 beats below your lactate HR, +/- a couple of beats. Takes some concentration IME.
^ yes, that was what I took from the GCN talk with ISM.
My trad Z2 upper limit is ~5-7% lower than where I'd ride based on the talk test and the mid talk test level is actually right on 30bpm below my (relatively) trained 20MP LTHR level. 'ISM Z2' for me goes up to about halfway into trad Z3.
(all fwiw or for comparison value, seems that the talk test and HR are a fairly good guide in all this and it lines up for me as accurately as I'll need for generally polarised riding)
No you are right, upper z2 does require some cocentration. I am churning away at mid-low z2 now purely to allow me to watch telly whilst I am doing it. Right now it's a means for me to get calories out of the door* although it is certainly helping my endurance at the same time,
* ideally faster than the Tesco van delivers them
tried that intervals.cu gave me an eFTP of 161w while wahoo half monty gave me 169w. Not done a continuous 20min FTP since 20th of December.
It's a handy site, tomorrow I'm hoping to do a short outdoor ride to test the direct ride upload functionality and analysis.
It looks like it could be a good enough tool for me this year to look at any outdoor efforts, rather than pay £55 on Strava.
I'm a sucker for graphs and numbers. Given that it automatically uploads from garmin makes it easy to look at.
Forgot to write earlier that in Intervals site settings, you can tweak the minimum duration length for an eFTP estimate. Personally, I've changed mine to 600 seconds, because I've lost far less under 5mins than 5-10mins over the past four months of long Covid.
You can also specify the minimum heart rate at which Intervals will give a HRRc figure for an activity, that is the heart rate drop over a minute duration after hitting the specified heart rate. At the mo it's typically 25-32 for me, but 45-55 was pretty common before last September.
Intervals.icu is way better than Strava.
Strava is crap for analysis, can’t even read/display the correct watts in lap data…it’s just a social platform, nothing else.
That intervals.icu is brill. So easy to compare numbers and see improvements.
Zwifting Z2 for 2:40 with AJ and the ZZRC crew at 9:25 tomorrow if any one feels like joining.
Talk test - for those, like me, who've never really gone into training nerdy stuff, this is a good outline of the talk test and what to do with it. Only requires a HRM, though easier indoors and with a power meter.
Talk test
It then suggests the 'pyramidal' training that Dylan J talks about. My domestic/work situation and living in the Lakes makes Z2 outside quite tricky, so I'm aiming for 2 or 3 Z2 indoor sessions a week. I quite enjoy it, with Netflix or podcasts and with HRM and power recorded, you know you've done it right.
"So now what do you do with this information? Well, a portion of your training needs to be below this VT – perhaps 70-85% (how much depends on a lot of things, such as your goals, how fit you currently are, and where you are in the year). Below your VT, it will feel Moderate to Somewhat Hard – but still conversational. When you train there, you are using predominantly fat as your fuel source. Please don’t misinterpret that to mean you need to be way below your VT, in the so- called “Fat-Burning Zone”. Don’t listen to those silly charts ever again. An aerobic workout does not need to be “Easy”.
Then 10-20% of your training can be right at your VT – this is very effective training and really helps build your aerobic system and can actually raise your lactate threshold. But don’t go there all the time – it’s too much for the body. Even elite cyclists are smart about how much time they spend at or above their VT/LT. For most of you, 1-2X a week.
And then finally, 5-10% of your training can be above your VT – in that Very Hard range. That’s where you cannot talk! Don’t be afraid of that zone, anaerobic training is also important, just don’t do it more than 1X a week for most people, or 2X a week if you’re more fit or are training
for a specific goal. And always do it in intervals with sufficient recovery in between hard efforts."
Knackered now, 2:40 average 212w/2.6wkg. I think two 14hr days at work adding 220 miles of driving and only 10hrs sleep since Wednesday night wasn't the best prep...
Well done Kryton 👌🏻
We went out and beat up on the slower of the two group rides going out today. It was in an effort to be disciplined so we can ride again tomorrow but, actually, it was a mega confidence boost for the last four months of work.
As the ride went on, the differential grew larger and more obvious until we were being ushered to ride on alone.
What was most striking was how it wasn't just at Z2. My mate (another Z2 covert) and I both found our HR's were on a string- Up and Down almost instantly with the power required to hold the leaders up the climbs. And even after 4hrs out, we felt we could have done another 3hrs.
Very rewarding and gives me plenty of confidence to keep going with the process.
4hrs of ISM Z2 outdoors* today and it felt great ride compared to strict trad Z2 limits. The increased upper range means the Cotswolds hills can be ridden fairly normally, if slow + steady. And along the flat it's a decent enough pace.
Does feel like the talk test is sound guide. In the past I'd go over trad Z2 upper limit on a climb but not feel like I was putting in more effort. At the point where my breathing is getting a bit quicker I'm 15-20bpm over the trad Z2 limit. Can't say it felt more fatiguing compared to 4hrs of trad Z2 though - 8-10bpm higher av HR but same RPE.
I'd say my long non-HR monitored rides where I'm at what I'd call audax pace (pace suited to 300-400k) are generally at this ISM Z2 level with a few more efforts on the hills here and there.
*OT technically but the ISM Z2 stuff is interesting at the mo, plus no way could I do 4hrs on a trainer.
We went out and beat up on the slower of the two group rides going out today
Was good to see you at the cafe. I saw you go when you got to the A4 after that climb but decided to wait for the others.
I missed a ride this week so I have to do 4hrs this weekend to meet my 6hr/week target. About to start hopefully a 90 min session now.
6hrs a week isn't really a lot, but I am working in consistency first which I've always lacked.
6hrs is better than 5. I’m outdoors tomorrow for hours 9-11.5 First time on Pirelli Velos on G1800s as a winter option.
I really enjoyed it 😀 The tiffin was AMAZING at that cafe too.
I wish I’d been on the Diverge though- it was definitely the right choice for the state of the roads.
We intended to do the fast group but I keep reminding myself it’s only February 🤣
We intended to do the fast group but I keep reminding myself it’s only February
Yeah, I am not doing that till I get back on the road bike!
We you with Bernie when he came past up the hill whilst I was having a piss?
I was so far off the back I have no idea who was on the front, spent the first 30km trying to convince the slower riders not to chase the faster ones as the group was too big.
Not sure- possibly.
I did have the route saved but hadn’t bothered to load it so we all went wrong and ended up going to Lambourne 🤣🤣
Then a passing cyclist told us everyone was up the road once we were back on route so we drilled it and caught up just after White’s Hill.
Oh yeah that was White’s Hill where you were peeing I remember now 🤣
Another good group ride today. Easy to Town and Back and then a 38mile loop at 222w/141bpm/19mph in between. It was more like Z2 Under/Overs rather than perfectly steady but I think that's a worthwhile compromise for the chance to ride with others and have a chat.
Again, it was nice to compare favourably to the other riders. Just hope I'm not a 'Xmas Star' as Friel calls them 🤣
That rounded off a pretty tasty week of 13h15, 10800kj's and 791 TSS.
Next week is pretty daunting. I want to attempt to move my Tempo progression on to 120min at 270w but I reckon I might need extra recovery from the weekend and so might move it from Tuesday to Wednesday. (It sounds silly but I'm already nervous about how that's going to feel 70 minutes in 😮💨🤣)
Then, I want to finish off the 3 week block with a solo century so will probably do that on Saturday. The goal will be to match my best one from last year (207w/17.8mph). Carrying that fatigue into the Sunday group ride will give me even more benefit as I then roll into a blissful recovery week (as long as I survive it) 😎
I cannot remember what I read here on on the TR forum Crosshair,
you say you didn't feel the need to retest as the zone for 2 is large so an incremental bump in ftp wouldn't swing the zone too much, so didn't bother,
wattage wise, I'm riding about smack in the middle of what my Z2 power is, if I nudge it towards the top of Z2, my hr will go into hr zone 3, is this a non-issue? and did you vary the watts in zone 2 to achieve different stimulus, or doesn't it matter?
I’ve kind of given up with FTP, it just no longer seems relevant 🤷🏻♂️
Basically, I wrote a Friel type plan starting Boxing Day.
The first three weeks had 2x ISM Z2 sessions where I looked to ride quite high up in Z2 HR as I knew that was about where my talk test was from rides I’d been doing. Because they were done on ERG, I actually just guessed a wattage that would get me there. Those were literally just 1x120min @235w with a small warm up and cool down. I think I started with 100mins wk1 and then jumped straight to 120.
Then two days a week were ‘old fashioned’ zone 2, where I was probably 30w lower than those ERG sessions and then the fifth day each week was z1 with high cadence drills.
Where I’ve had a 💡 moment is how ISM’s ideas are complimentary to a Friel plan. In Base 2, Friel adds a Tempo session. So what I did was, used that session as a way to progress my ISM work- so I just added a few watts on. That became 1x120@ 250w.
I don’t even really care where the HR/RPE/Lactate are for that session either as it’s supposed to be muscular endurance rather than aerobic endurance but actually, I’m only just tipping into Tempo HR (although I’m probably out of ‘talk test’ by the end).
Then the rest of the week is a similar mix of another stricter ISM z2 ride (lower than the tempo ride), more old fashioned z2 and a recovery spin.
Im going to carry that tempo progression all the way to my “120min @ 300w” target hopefully.
Base 2:
250,260,270, recovery week
Base 3:
260,270,280, recovery week
Build 1:
270,280,290, recovery week
Build 2:
280,290,300 🎉
They are pretty scary mind- I’m already planning a long enough stretch of road locally for tomorrow and fretting over whether I can ride that far and back at 270w 😱 🤣🤣
I’d not sweat the detail too much on HR/Power zone- just make sure you’re pushing that boundary each ISM ride.
One of the reasons I like mentioning my training in a forum is accountability. Even though none of you care- if I’ve said out loud I’m going to do something, it’s slightly harder to bail.
So despite my legs feeling tight and it being chuffing freezing, I set off to at least start my effort and see what happens.
After a few pedal strokes, it seems unlikely you can hold it for ten minutes let alone 120 but one thing the steady progression of Z2 has given me is confidence and sure enough, my body settled into a kind of uneasy steady-state. Nothing like an ftp effort of course but just that nadgery feeling that your kind of trapped into the pedal tension and even a moment easing off will encourage your body to quit
And then stayed there for two hours 🤣
Whats depressing about being 95kg still is how little speed you get solo, so the effort was just 40 miles and change at 20.3mph.
That’s clearly not the point this time of year though and it’s just super exciting to start imaging how good this kind of endurance is going to feel once the chaingangs and hard group rides start up.
I’m really really pleased right now at how all the discipline and structure is translating into tangible results. And what’s even better is that I’m not even wasted afterwards (I did eat a lot in anticipation but only took one 750 bottle).
One or two for fans of intervals.icu please:
Does "free" strava get you enough data ?
Is it easy to work it directly via Garmin ?
I'm still experimenting with this, but directly uploading GPS unit activities to Intervals works great, including power data. My premium Strava expires in a few days and I'll continue to use the free option for basic info, but besides segments, Intervals is the winner for me.
My premium Strava expires in a few days and I’ll continue to use the free option for basic info, but besides segments, Intervals is the winner for me.
Thats exactly what I did about a year ago. I would pay anything for Strava TBH, and if I had to, I'd ditch it.
Nice work Crosshair.
so basic strava gives enough data to Intervals for it to work properly ? (I'm on paid Strava currently and want it to work "just the same" with Intervals)
I've never had premium Strava & have used Intervals for a couple of years now.
It works perfectly well & all data that I think you could ever want to be uploaded ends up in there.
Obviously if you are riding outside & don't have a power meter, you get no power metrics so the info isn't as detailed as you'll get from a ride with a power meter; whether that's Zwift or a bike with power meter fitted.
magic - thanks stumpy
Re. intervals.icu apart from Strava it uploads directly from Garmin, Wahoo, Polar, etc. if you want to go that route.
If you decide after a while you like intervals (you will ) do consider becoming a "supporter" at £36 pa. to help keep it running.
Yeah I do like Intervals (and whatever the other one is - golden cheetah) and do support - just that strava was such an easy way to get data on, so I'm happy that the non-premium will do it too
So crosshair, if you stayed in zone two on your ride today I think we can say the trainings paid off!!! How was it?
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Yeah was good thanks. It’s my last week of Base 2 so I’m looking to properly fatigue myself into recovery week so I have something to recover from 😀
6 miles noodling into town, then an hour sat on the back, a couple of hours properly smashing myself, including a full send solo break on the b4000, then 6 miles noodling back to Herm and then 25 miles endurance at around 200w.
Not a bad days work 😀
Good effort tyat
how did you structure and how often did you have recovery weeks crosshair?
Before Christmas they were more like little blocks of easy rides or an extra day off here and there. Since then it’s been 3 weeks of progressive overload followed by a week of half volume and nothing harder than mid Z2.
What I will do this week though is a few short easy spins in the week and then take next weekend by feel. If I am already fresh and raring to go, then I’ll probably do the quicker group ride again and if still tired, drop down to the easy one or ride solo.
I have been trying to do more structured training this year and have been following this thread for tips.... one of which was to try intervals.icu (thanks to whoever suggested it). My question is how to address discrepancies between how it defines Z2 for power and HR. Intervals.icu defines my top Z2 HR around 153bpm and my power around 191w. If I’m pushing 191w my HR will be around 130bpm, conversely if riding at 153bpm my power will be nearer 250w?
Maybe I need to edit my threshold HR? This has been auto populated at 172 based on my max HR of 190?
If you go to settings, you can customise your HR zones as you like. There's a list of presets (Coggan/Friel/CTS/80_20 etc) to choose from or you can pin them to ThHR or MAX HR as you wish.
Intervals will notify you of HR threshold improvements based on 98% of a 20min effort and tell you in the activity where you exceeded the current value.
I had notifications twice yesterday in the Zwift Insider Worlds Experiences trio I did yesterday morning, still feeling rough this morning, first time I've done more than one 19min+ race in a day for months... Nevermind three in under 80mins.
Just checked settings tab and it doesn't auto-update, you need to manually change it.
cheers crosshair, just finished a progressive set of 4 weeks, did 4 as half term next week so some of the days I'd fit it in I have the kids, and legs are deffo feeling like they need a rest
It sounds silly given how little training I do compared to some people, but I more like the mental break for a couple of days. Just chilling in between jobs at work rather than rushing to get 2hrs in on the bike at lunchtime. I usually take it as a good sign if I'm missing riding or get back off of a recovery week spin wishing I could do more.
My next 'breakthrough' workout is Tempo on Tuesday 21st and I'm hoping to get a nice surprise on the HR front. If I can do that session at Z2 HR, tightly coupled all the way through, I'll know recovery week went to plan. (It's at last week's wattage)
I'm more ready for a mental break from breaking bad 😂 3 episodes and 2hrs done,
In another thread I spoke about moving the turbo somewhere it was in sight, makes such a different, like a reminder to get it done rather than lock it away, still got to want to do the work, but you'll know
Another 3hr was scheduled for me today but I bailed at 2:05. I joined the ZZRC ride again, lost the pack and ended up helping to pull the chase group for an hour at a contribution of 3.2wkg average with 5 min efforts at 4.2wkg.
In summary, I was ****ed and didn't stick to plan because mentally I didn't have it within me to ride solo for 3h.
Well done Kryton 💪🏻
Still a great session and presumably you’re adding more intensity around now anyhow?
I asked on the local WhatsApp if anyone was going out but got tumbleweed in response 🤣 So I had a lie in.
Then I went to see Weeksy and Weeksy Jnr on my MTB as they were doing a photo shoot / training session just up the road and then ended up with Weeksy and his mate on e-bikes attacking me in turns on the way back to his house 🤣
A nice cup of tea at Weeksy towers and then seeing as I was there, set off into Oxfordshire on the byways and back via the Ridgeway. 3hrs at a nice 150w to round off base 3.
I found out that the power graph on the bottom of the Zwift screen is ten minutes' worth of readings. I managed to get ten perfect minutes in the blue zone without any spikes or interruptions in pedalling on Saturday.
Bloody headunit packed up this morning so no power for todays group ride.
Some cunning chap plotted a route with a couple of steep climbs so I couldn’t even stay in Z2 HR 🤣 😉
It’s actually pretty fascinating how everyone’s w/kg and raw watts shake out over varying terrain and I’d say the best thing anyone who wants to do a local group ride can do is be in the middle of the bell curve for weight in your local scene 🤣🤣
At times I had to let gaps of 20-30s open up or I wouldn’t have survived the course. A quick aero tuck and a bit of power on the flats brings it back together though.
Really enjoyed the ride- it would have been cracking views on a clear day.
A quick aero tuck and a bit of power on the flats brings it back together though
Only because I waited at the top of Coombe!! 🤪
It’s actually pretty fascinating how everyone’s w/kg and raw watts shake out over varying terrain and I’d say the best thing anyone who wants to do a local group ride can do is be in the middle of the bell curve for weight in your local scene 🤣🤣
I thought the long draggy climb was the interesting one, I started it a bit far back as I had to wait for a car at the junction at the bottom but I could not bring you back unless I went seriously into the red, on the steeper climbs I could ride away. It is a bit annoying though when on a false flat descent I'm out the saddle sprinting to catch the front guy and you come pat not even pedalling 😟😟😟😱
Lol!
Nestor said once “ooo there he goes, divebombing the descents!” yet doing the opposite UP the hills is deemed one of the most impressive feats in cycling 🤷🏻♂️ 🤣
Yeah, I wish I’d had power up Vernham Dean. I averaged under Threshold HR so perhaps 320w or 3.3w/kg?
Edit- Strava actually guesses 322w so not far off.
Latest GCN vid says 7w extra per kg on grades above 7% so that means when I try and match Rich, I have to do 140w more!!!
So then downhill, provided I close most of the Aero disadvantage of being built like a bus, I can use all of that potential energy to go fast for almost zero cost.
My biggest enemy is having to brake 😱 🤣
doing the opposite UP the hills is deemed one of the most impressive feats in cycling
The biggest problem with cycling is that if I get dropped on the flat I get get dropped but then I have to wait for a re grouping at the top of the hills
when I try and match Rich, I have to do 140w more!!!
He is very strong and pretty light though
I got on the Z2 on a turbo bus in December... mostly because I didn’t think I could do Z2 on my local hills (the Quantocks). Have done a solid 8 weeks of Z2 with the occasional VO2 max session (Gorby or a race) and numbers seemed encouraging. I couldn’t resist the sunshine this morning and was surprised to be able to do a 2+ hour ride in Z2 despite >800m of climbing. If I can get up my local stuff in Z2 then the turbo stuff was definitely worth it
Yes! I do wonder if just concentrating on drafting and weight loss wouldn’t be a better strategy for me to keep up on local group rides. It would be interesting to give everyone a long hilly loop and set off together and see how it shakes out with nobody waiting for anyone.
Today, the 8am lot dropped me at Baydon. A ten second gap at the top of the climb took me over twenty minutes at 290w (all the way to Aldbourne!) to close back again solo!
Yeah Rich is a beast, he very very rarely lets it all out though- he’s too nice 😇 🤣
@Sheck Well done! It’s definitely a very rewarding form of fitness. I just like getting back from rides that used to leave me on the sofa all afternoon and feeling as fresh as a daisy.
Today, the 8am lot dropped me at Baydon. A ten second gap at the top of the climb took me over twenty minutes at 290w (all the way to Aldbourne!) to close back again solo!
Look on the bright side, I could hardly walk this morning😄😄😄
Not enough recovery doughnuts 🤣🤣
Not enough recovery doughnuts
Yeah, that must have been it!!
Actually my calf's were twanging right from the off yesterday, I think it was riding that bike for the first time in ages, it felt all wrong from the start. Saddle felt too low so I raised it a bit at the shop before we left.
First ride back after recovery week today. Picked up the tempo progressions but back at 260w.
I was going to just repeat the process but then I suddenly realised, I could add time to the power levels I’ve done before.
So instead of doing 120mins @ 260w again, I shot for 150mins @ 260w instead.
The first five minutes felt horrendous, with a short warm up, but soon I settled in and after a while, I’m not so sure I wasn’t under the talk test 🧐
I’d have loved to have known the lactate level.
The effort ended up at really consistent 267w for 150mins at 20.8mph, 51.8 miles, 2200ft climbing. Even better, I didn’t even drink a whole bottle of carbs!
I’d also love to know my fat/carb ratio! Just not enough to pay to go to a lab 🤣
I know Tempo is a bit out of fashion but I’d highly recommend it as a way of of taking your Z2 once it hits a plateau and moving things forward once more.
I feel awesome on it 😀
Seeing as this is becoming my un-official training blog, I'll post here 😀
Nice hillier group ride today with the birthday boy @anagallis_arvensis 🥳. Things are progressing into Base 3 now and instead of mainly 'intense' upper Z2, I had a 'form sprint' day on Thursday which was just an hour spin with 10x sprints done on downhills so there wasn't too much torque.
Then today was the 1h easy Z2 I skipped from yesterday (the time spent riding to town and back) and "Moderate Hills (Force)" as Friel calls them- which was the group ride itself.
I was just looking to ride steady on the flats (although I did press on a bit here and there too) and then aim for Threshold up the climbs.
I don't actually know my Threshold so I kind of guessed it at 350w. I rode Hungerford Hill for 5 mins at 375w and my HR went out of Threshold by the top so I definitely don't think it's 375...
Another hill was 348w for 4m30 and that did feel pretty stable HR wise. It doesn't really matter I don't think and I'm still determined not to test my FTP, just in case I'm disappointed 🤣
Time to chill and eat lots of food to do it all again tomorrow morning.
I've decided to ride steady upper Z2 regardless of the dick-swingers who may or not turn up so it could be a solo podcast ride 🤣
I rode Hungerford Hill for 5 mins at 375w and my HR went out of Threshold by the top so I definitely don’t think it’s 375…
Which one was Hungerford Hill? Was that the one I was on your wheel trying to fathom how you were in the small chainring and I was in my 53 pedalling like the clappers to keep up 🤔🤔
Nice hillier group ride today
I thought it was flat 😄😄😄
Did a gentle post donut 25km to try and help my legs recover a bit better than last week.
Yes that’s the kiddy ⛰️ 😮💨 🤣
Ah nice one- yes it can be a bit of an abrupt stop 🤣🤣
Nice, and happy birthday AA, exactly a week before mine.
A steady 3hr for me today https://www.strava.com/activities/8619497875
Well done Kryton 💪🏻 A cracking dose of Z2 that 😎
All the sharp stuff is in the week. Combo of threshold, sweet spot, Zwift racing and 40/20’s leading up to the Southern XC.
Another 3h z2 on the race MTB tomorrow for specificity. Just spent an hour revitalising it from being left in the shed from last October 😀
Nice!! That’s a tough old week 👍🏻 Fingers crossed you’ll notice the payoff for all your hard work.
Had a really nice group ride today. Started with the expectation of joining the 15’s for a long one. But the fast lads were riding the same route initially. So I decided to loiter at the back of their ride for a tow and then double back for the long route gang when the two courses diverged.
But as it was, another chap had the same idea. So we carried on along the long route together. 3 others had since decided to do the same and caught us up.
So then we were 5-up for the rest of the entire route. After feeling awful all week with a bad toe and nausea from the pain, I was pleasantly surprised with my legs. The route helped as it was only 3000’ climbing in 73 miles.
We ended up at 18.7mph including the dawdle to town and power was 227w/265np for 4 hours.
This is where genuinely lifting your actual Z2 (as opposed to raising your ftp and imagining your lower zones have scaled concurrently) pays off because as long as the hard efforts even out to Z2, you can still cope with the workload.
Now to eat and recover for the 8am smashfest tomorrow 😴
Swapped the Sunday ride for a 3hr Z2 gravel bike spin so I could ride later in the day and have a cheeky lay-in 🤣 Then Monday was recovery day.
Back to tempo today. I was aiming for accruing 2hrs at 280w. Had I gone outdoors I’d have probably split it up into 4x30 as finding enough road gets stressful 🤣
But with the forecast as it was, I made the decision early to go indoors. But my motivation wasn’t really there for intervals so I decided to just keep doing Zwift races until I hit my goal 🤣
2.5 races later and we made it. It wasn’t remotely high quality as it was vo2 up the hills, threshold chasing back attacks and Z2 in the bunch but meh, let’s not let perfect get in the way of good hey.
What’s depressing is how little these rides nudge my fitness score on now 🤣 But cool how a 2500kcal session is now just pretty standard.
That's not bad Crosshair.
I did 2hrs z2 on Saturday and a 3.5hr very hilly road ride on Sunday. And I felt pretty good. It works.