Cycling Program v3.0 - 2010 - 2011 (Page 22)

A bit behind you guys, so haven't done the testing, and wanted to throw a CT calibration (maybe) question out there...

Monday evening I rode the CT in manual mode (where you can toggle between speed, power, etc). Not erg mode (where you adjust the power with the +/- buttons).  Did the rolling calibrtion after 10:00 of warmup, number was 3.something as I recall.  I did the 10 x 30" intervals, hitting an RPE-estimated power of 220-230 or so.   Other parts of the workout (i.e. 10:00 at 75%) seemed to work fine.

Last night went to get on the CT, found a flat (who gets a flat on a trainer???).  Changed the tube but too late to ride so rode this morning.  So, only difference is bike was taken off and put back on.

This morning did the 4 x 5:00 intervals.  Did the rolling calibration number was 2.4something as I recall.  Power numbers were way off, seemed way low.  At a gear/cadence that I was generating 175 easily on Monday, was 130 today.  I put it into 53 x 12 and hammered and barely got to upper 180s.

Is this a calibration thing?  I'll admit to being a new and not very knowledgeable CT user.  Until this morning I wasn't even aware that manual use was different than erg use...... 

Did I miss Week 6. Rats! I've been ill and didn't get the jpg. Can anyone point me to  a copy I can download.

Oops. Ignore me - found in the "Older Posts"  link on the blog.

Edited by billycairn 2010-12-09 2:25 PM

Chris, it most likely was calibration. I have a computrainer and I have to calibrate every time I take bike off and even if the bike stays on. It seems that between the riding which throws off the resistance a bit and tire pressure loss, I can lose significant power. This became obvious since I also have my power tap installed on the same bike.

Edited by JorgeM 2010-12-09 2:38 PM

Guys,

Between my day job, coaching, knee rehab and trying to develop new coaching projects, I won't be around much over the weekend or next week, hence I uploaded week # 7 already. Enjoy the sessions, specially the 2nd round of the 6x4 minutes of hell fun!

Any advice on where to start back in if I was forced to stop for a few weeks? Where I left off or back a week? Thanks!

What you're describing (power and RPE being *way* off from expected) sounds like a calibration issue to me.  Calibration is basically letting the computrainer figure out the rolling resistance of the tire.  If it's off, you're going to get errors in the power the CT is calculating.  

Warm up for at least 10 minutes before doing calibration.  Bring the speed up to at least 25 mph before starting the coast.  Make sure you're hitting the "Set" button after the CT has determined the resistance.

You normally want a calibration number between 2 and 3.  More toward 3 if you're going to be doing hard (very high power) intervals. Before you calibrate, the CT assumes 2.0, and from what I can tell, that seems to result in a power to overcome rolling resistance of about 100 watts.  As long as the tire isn't slipping, you're good.

If you're having these troubles and you're sure you're calibrating it correctly, try to borrow a powertap wheel so you can compare power levels.  If the CT is off by more than 5 - 10 watts, it may need service.

I generally do my workouts other than testing in Erg mode, letting the CT manage the load for me, allowing me to change gears to vary cadence when standing, sitting, etc.  I generally ride in a gear that allows me to spin about 90 rpm at 20 mph.  Be sure not to go too slow for long periods of time as the resistance unit can burn out with high loads at low speed (because its internal fan isn't spinning very fast.)

I love the computrainer for this kind of work.  You can let your mind wander and know that you're still doing the work, not slowly easing off.  It's perfect for workouts such as W6D2 where you're stepping power up 10 - 15 watts ever 5 minutes.

Thanks for keeping us going Jorge.  This is great stuff.

Thanks.  I've bolded probably the culprit      Turns out I was running in the exercise mode, with a pre programmed course, but running at zero load.  Definitely running something else the other night.

I follow the calibration protocol, 10 min. warmup, spin up to 25 plus, coast, repeat 1 or 2 times, number is similar, and set it.  I think I just have a lot to learn.

[sorry for the hijack... thanks Jorge!!!!!!!]

Edited by ChrisM 2010-12-09 3:05 PM

Gang,

As I mentioned, do to work and other stuff I am not spending as much time on BT as I am used to but I want to make sure I am keeping an eye on this thread. I don't have the email notification activated here on BT because I like keeping my email mostly for clients/biz and checking the site on the go can be tricky. Hence if you have particular questions that need some immediate attention, please feel free to ask through my twitter account (see signature below) or through our Facebook page.

That way I get notifications and I can reply a tad faster. Thanks and keep on enjoying the program!

Anyone out there have the mental fortitude to crank out these long rides?  And if so, how on earth do you do it?  When on the trainer, I have to be doing some sort of short intervals that require me to constantly switch it up, else my mind just keeps wandering back to my dropping power and the clock.  Movies and music don't help much because I find myself not paying attention after about 40 mins.

I listen to podcasts for the longer stuff on the trainer, but I can't get past the saddle pain for more than about 1:45.

I might have to try that.  I'm also going to try just putting tape over my head unit if I'm doing a long steady session and go by feel so that I'm not constantly watching the clock.  I'm also going to try playing video games or something for steady rides.  I'm also going to try rigging up some sort of shorter intervals that I can just do over an over or something.  I just need something that REQUIRES my attention.  I have no problem with most of the non-optional sessions. 

Jorge,
Week 7 day 2 HR version says alternate 5'@83, 5' @83, 5' @90.  The power version for that day goes 80,75,85, so I'm guessing that first 5' @83 is a typo?

Jorge-
I just retested and gained a whopping 1%.  If I understand what you just wrote (about using HR), as long as we are busting and following the plan as close as possible, a nice improvement is imminent.

I want a power tap

Well, it can be tricky for sure matching goals and one of the any challenges when doing triathlon training. Certainly this program is rather intense and specifically designed to help athletes from all levels improve their cycling. This can be a difficult plan to follow if you also have a very specific goal to race a marathon or half marathon and achieve certain level of performance. That's the downside of it, it doesn't necessarily account what goals each of you might have beyond becoming a stronger cyclist.

The suggestions about trying to follow the plan by just doing a few sessions a week is a suggestion that might apply to you or not based on many factors such as your current fitness level, your ability to handle training load, your ability to recover, time availability, etc. Doing 8 miles the day before 20MP test is probably not the best idea considering for testing it is recommended to be rested. but you have to pick your fights and focus on what means the most to you right now.

if the HM is the main goal then focus on that and keep cycling a few times a week. If the intense sessions are too intense you can do shorter less intense sessions. If that doesn't work you could do the less intense ones. If that is too much right now, then maybe the plan doesn't match your current goals and you can always add it later when cycling can become the main focus.

At the end of the day do what matches your own goals, needs, fitness levels and own limitations. Good luck on the HM, let us know how it goes!

Grr.  Had minor hand surgery, MAJOR annoyance b/c I found out I cannot work out AT ALL this week until bandage comes off.  I guess I just pick up where I left off and suffer through any fitness loss.
 

Week 5 day 4 long ride or skip to day 1 week 6 , 2hrs of steady pain or 55 minutes of all out pure suffering? I'm just not sure of what kind of pain I can endure today.
Darrell 

I'd say it depends on what you've done the past few days, but I'll include the caveat:  if you're not really psych'd up to attack those 6x4's from W6D1, don't even think about it!

I decided on the 2hrs because the 6x4's did look like they would have had me tasting my lunch for the second time today and I wanted to see what 2hrs on the trainer felt like. Surprisingly 2hrs wasn't that bad, but Ive been called sadistic.
Darrell  

I still have another week or so to go, but I think I would have chosen the 6x4s...

No way, 2 hrs is less painful.  Those 24 mins are torture.