Trainer Road Spring Challenge (Page 6)

Local Hero is the only Sufferfest vid you have to change the format of, i used a program called handbrake, you have to make it h264 or something.  If you go to the TR website, it gives instructions for that vid, it is the only one you have to modify.  That is probably why you could not play it.

That's right. Thanks. I seem to remember seeing something about conversion. I'll take a look.... great now I have to do it....

powerman - 2012-05-02 9:41 AM That's right. Thanks. I seem to remember seeing something about conversion. I'll take a look.... great now I have to do it....

Yeah I had to do this.  Make sure you do this awhile before you plan to ride, it takes like 45 min to convert the video using handbrake.  I didn't know this and tried to do it right before my ride and had to wait.  That sucked.

Possibly... went to the doc and they just said it was some kind of bacterial infection.  Not related to last nights festivities....  so could be something as simple as something on my hands taking my contacts in/out or maybe the water at MF.  I do remember seeing a dead fish next to me at the start... LOL

Haven't been on the trainer much, as we've had an early spring along the mid-atlantic.

Just did another 60 minute test, for new FTP of 265, with specific power coming up a bitl 3.79 W/kg

WOO HOO!!!

I'm so flippin stoked! 

April              May

FTP 219         239

Wt. 170.8      167

W/Kg 2.83      3.16

% change of 11.6% ??

Total TSS 1120

I was so not looking forward to tonights test. My legs feel dead from the incline. Walking a lot of miles at work. I thought it was going to be terrible. But I felt great as soon as I got on. I gave it all I had. Bumping those 6x4s really worked. Now I have to break 250!

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/52514

Man.. you just eeked by me! You won't be so lucky next month.

Awesome job!

Congrats!  That's a nice gain there.  Ok i'm in, I'll do the test tomorrow

nice work!!!!  That is awesome!!!

Well done!

OK so I just tested.  Damnit it pisses me off, because i know I could have gone harder and my head just wasn't in the game.  I kept backing off for a minute or so every 5 minutes.  Then the last 1:30-2:00 I go balls out.  Its just silly!  I know better, I just can't figure out why I didn't push it harder.  Bad mental day.

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/52845

All that aside, I have a new FTP of 265 and 3.40 W/kg (172 lbs).  The old was 234 and 2.96 w/kg (174 lbs).  14.9% increase if my public math is correct.

How do I figure out the TSS? Do I have to add up all the individual TSS's for April?  Or is there somewhere on Trainer Road that I'm not seeing that will do this for me?

WTF? ... and you didn't go hard enough???? Wow.. that is an awesome increase.

I just counted up all mine individual. I did mark down where I started but it is in decimal... so if you did that it does to the tenth.. meaning mine to start was 2.8K and I'm at 3.97K... like that. (not exact)

So how are you all doing percent? Because I looked at iron and saw how she got her #, but then Nate said something different. Dividing big by small or small by big still gives the same number, but I'm not sure we are using the same number.

My % change was W/kg change, not FTP change.

I know, i know! I shouldn't be about it, but i guess i'm just mad at myself for letting up every so often.  I guess I needed it at the time but I feel like I should have HTFU'd and sucked it up and maybe could have done better.

OK, so I added all the TSS's from the beginning of April to today and got 842.  I wish I had a powertap or other power meter so I could get those for my outdoor rides too.

As far as % goes, I divided the W/kg's.  For me, 3.40/2.96 = 1.1486, so ~14.9% increase.  I think that's how nate did it too, at least that is how I replicated his numbers.

Ya, same here with the %change. So that is cool. You smoked me. Fuel for the fire!

I see what you mean with your ride. I even thought about that too... doing "pulls" with let ups. Thanks for being the guinea pig with that. (NOTE: do not do what DJ did.)

Ya... I really try to stay steady. I mean I know where I should be.  I usually go out a tiny bit hard.... then getting close to the end I see my work and just try to hang on to match it.

But no matter what my thing is the "3rd quarter". Does not matter the duration or intensity... I always loose focus. I always start breaking down, thinking I can't make it... then I regroup, start seeing light at the end of the tunnel and can look froward to finishing. That's my cross... maybe one day I work on that.

Well my century ride was a success!  Not only did the FTP test on Thursday not hinder it, I think it helped.  I felt awesome.  the first 50-60 miles were the fasted I've ever ridden for that distance.  1st hour I put in 21 miles, at hr 2 I was at 42 miles, and I hit a 2:48 split for 56 miles.  But then the loop turned back south and I realized why we were going so fast.  We must have had an awesome tail wind because around mile 60 it hit me square in the face and the speeds dropped to the 13-15 mph range.  So I finished 103 miles in 5:49. Most of it solo too.  I didn't ride with any pace groups from about mile 20 on.   Not too bad, but I was tempted with a possible sub 5:00 century!  Too bad reality had to set in

Anyway, I'm really happy for this challenge because I can tell its working and I'm getting stronger on the bike.  Looking forward to tomorrow's TR ride

That's awesome DJ. A 5 hour century sounds so good... till I factor in the real world. My first one is June 3rd. I really need to get ready. The course has some elevation to it... so really anything under 6 hours I will be really happy with. I did a sprint up and down a mountain this Sunday with a friend and basically can't walk right now. That was outside of my normal training. I'm doing it again this Sunday because I think I can shave a minute or two off of it.... until you reminded me of my priorities... I need to get ready for the bike and not being able to move does not really help that.

I really smoked that mountain though...

I hear ya man!  Living in TX I have yet to ride any real hills, at least compared to CO or other mountain areas.  I'm still striving for that sub 5 century someday!

I did the "Guyat" ride on TR last night.  That's a pretty good sweet spot ride.  First one after my FTP change and my legs could feel it, especially after Saturday.  It was a good ride once I warmed up after about 30 min though.

One thing that is bugging me is my hands.  I was in the pursuit bars mostly during the century and I think the road vibrations may have damaged  a nerve in my hand as I'm still having trouble gripping and grabbing.  Its better since Saturday, but still difficult.  I'm getting sick of going to the doctor though and just hoping it will go away soon!

My century coming up is "relatively" flat. Some hills on the front range, some rollers, and some really fast sections. It isn't too bad.  I have only done that century once... the only one I have ever done. I basically got off the couch... took me 7.5 hrs of actual ride time and I bonked on the last 5 miles. Really windy that day too. Not a fun day. I'm looking forward to doing it again.

Bummer about your hand. That sucks. I hear ya about doctors. I have not comitted to putting the clip ons back on yet. I probably will for the century.

And it's day two after the run, I can barely walk. I have not hurt this bad in all my time training for tris.... that little run is not going to work for me every week. I don't know what I was thinking. 

oops

Come on.

Really?

Sorry