* Mar 09 Trng Log - Jordan

BikeWorks Boot Camp

Rolled into historic F'burg this evening and had a good time with the rest of the team on the TT gear. The evening meeting was a great opportunity to meet some of the guys I haven't met yet, enjoy a few laughs, and get motivated about a great team effort this season. I am really looking forward to riding tomorrow, drinking some good coffee, and in general having some quality time to bond with my team. With 4 guys riding in 2 categories, we could really make an impact in some races this season!

Hammerfest

Had to get outside today and get some hours in since there was no school and it was in the mid 50's. Was feeling good starting the first high-end tempo rep so decided to hammer for a full 60 at threshold pace, with a little more juice on the hills. End result was a full 60 minutes at a normalized power of 330 watts, 15W over FTP. I'm going to bump the road bike FTP up to 325W at this point. It's good to know that training on the TT bike is translating over to the road bike, I don't think it works as well the other direction, at least from my experience.

5 x 10s

Since we are still relatively buried under snow, which tuned to ice overnight, school was closed again today. It also meant staying indoors for the wonderful FTP intervals. I took a full rest day yesterday, instead of the usual short active recovery ride, mostly because the YMCA was closed so I didn't have to teach my class. I generally tend to feel “clogged up” when I ride the day after a full rest day, so I was a wondering what today would hold. Having upped my FTP 10 watts after last week’s test, I switched the cassette on my trainer wheel so that I had a 16-tooth ring, which would allow me to hold a more comfortable cadence at 300-310W.

Mentally, I struggled more than I usually do, but I think being indoors had a lot to do with it- well, that and the fact that these intervals were 10W harder than previous FTP workouts. I found myself thinking, “How does one ever string all of these intervals together with no rest?” To help cope during the middle intervals, I decided to recall the pain I was in after a crash last July, which gave me instant perspective, and I started encouraging myself out loud the way I do to my students in spin class - positive self-talk always help, even if it just distracts you from how slowly time is passing. I even pushed a bit harder during the 4th interval, just to build my mental toughness.

The numbers: 303W, 303W, 302W, 309W, 304W. Interestingly, the consistency of the efforts shows my body was up to the task, even if my brain wasn't wholly convinced.

FTP Testing

Well, that was the hardest 20 minute effort I have put in this season. Being indoors and on the TT bike didn't make it easier. Nor did the Chinese buffet dinner from Saturday night, methinks. I think I may have started about 5 watts harder than I should have, but I was able to average 319 watts for the 20-minute test, although I had to come out of the aero bars a couple of times just to keep my effort up and maintain my focus. I'm going to penalize myself 4-5 watts for that and ballpark my FTP at about 300W. It's a 10W improvement from 6 weeks ago, so I'm not complaining, but you always hope for that transcendental test where you simply amaze yourself by cranking out something 5-15W higher than you expected. In good time, in good time.

I was also riding on my new TT saddle, I picked up an ISM Adamo on Saturday and so I've only used it twice. I would never change equipment the day before a race, so why did I do it the day before a benchmark test? Just like the Tootsie Roll Pop, the world may never know. Regardless, it is now my favorite, if only because it is called the "Adamo". I am seriously thinking of breaking out my blue pen and making the final "o" into an "a". Since Steve has a lock on "The Old Man", the bike will have to be nicknamed "Apollo". Or maybe "Liam".