Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 62)

RunningYogini - 2013-02-12 9:15 AM Five years ago today, my Dad passed away.  Today is going to be rough. 

I'm sorry to hear that.  My Mom passed away over 5 years ago, but I'm fortunate to be a man and we cannot remember anniversaries of any kind.  But her birthday always brings me up short.

Dirk, enjoy your rest day.  I've had to take about 2 of those per month all winter.  Just in case this helps for future reference when you feel like this...Last Thursday was a bike/run morning and I felt the same way you describe with the legs all trashed, achilles hurting, double run and swim the day before, sleep deprived....Rather than not ride (which part of me was arguing was smart) I decided to just remove the resistance and do my ride at high cadence.  It wasn't supposed to be hard at all, just a technique day to help my muscles/brain learn to spin smooth circles at high RPM.  After just 5 minutes at 110 rpm, even without resistance, my HR was in my training zone! 

The thing with high cadence pedaling is that you have perhaps 20+ muscles that all have to contract and relax in perfect timing to each other as your legs go round and round.  To do this effectively and efficiently takes a LOT of training the brain to coordinate.  So I think that training day had some real value plus it gave my legs a break.

As for open water sighting, I see the pros do it by lifting their head up and forward during a quick breath cycle.  Kind of like a newby swimmer would do but it's only for about 2/100s of a second...so fast that the legs don't have time to sink.  You don't so much 'look' as you take a mental photograph and then evaluate what you saw after the glimpse is over. 

I've been practicing this and there is a way to do it without the legs sinking.  If you don't resist with your legs (by tightening your core) you can just lift at the NECK (rather than the low back) and any downforce that pushes would just push shoulders down rather than feet.  I don't know if I have communicated that clearly but just know that there is a way to lift your front without sinking the rear....the see-saw effect can be broken if you relax your core and make it hinge freely...(think see-saw broken in the middle).

Jen, what heart rate did you use to determine your workload during Jorge's program?  Whatever it was you estimated it wrong.  It shouldn't take a life or death effort level to complete the workouts.

Jonathan, I love seeing that snow!  I wish I could be there with ya.    This will sound funny coming from Tennessee, but I'm really drawn to the relatively new sport of winter triathlon.  How in the world can I compete at that sport?  Obviously I can travel to races (big $$) but how can I train to dominate???!!!

RunningYogini - 2013-02-12 10:15 AM Five years ago today, my Dad passed away.  Today is going to be rough. 

I am sorry. I hope that you can do something to celebrate his memory and who he was to you. Sending good feelings your way.

My dad just called me and my grandmother passed away in her sleep this morning. She was only 80, had mild dementia and alzheimer's and lost her zest for life about 3 years ago. I am going to miss her terribly. 

Oh, so sorry to hear that Tracy and Jen...

I didn't use heart rate - I used the critical power calculator. I would love to know if I calculated wrong and did better than I actually thought. Overall, the 45 minute session averaged a shorter distance then where I was a year ago, but was further than my current sessions. I know I am capable of much more and this morning was a wake up call.

My heart didn't feel like it was going to pound out of my chest, but my legs were struggling.

I think I am thrown off by the calculator - Is the interval 1 Average Watts: ____ the total watts I exerted over the 5 minute test?http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/cycling-zone-calc.asp. If I enter 132 lbs/500 watts in the calculator - the resulting table is exactly where I was throughout the workout today. Help? Did that make any sense?

Thanks for the siting feedback - going to see if I can see-saw while propelling myself through the water today.

I didn't realize you had a power measuring device.  How are you determining watts?

I'm not exactly sure what the distinction is between CP and FTP.   FTP is thought to be the highest average power you can make over 20 minutes.  I'm sure CP is close to that.

I can't imagine there's any valid way to determine CP from your weight because it's based on your current fitness level, right?  I will read that thread you linked and see what I can conclude.

Ah, Ok....I see.  So have you done the 5-minute test?  What was your average power over that 5 minutes?

And have you done the 20 minute test?  What was your average power over that 20 minutes?

Matt-

That does make sense. My first comp put my CP (247), 75% @ 185, and 95% @ 234.

My actual performance today was more like 75% @ 162-165, and 95% @ 200, which is overall 10% below the first computaed numbers. Should I stick with where I am now, or push myself to get up into next bracket. I am going to try to use my heart rate monitor next time, but my HR monitor is a Garmin so I think I will be using two computers basically.

The Kurt Kinetic wired computer has a reading for wattage. OMG.. I'm so confused. http://www.kurtkinetic.com/kinetic-wired-power-computer-p-152-l-en.html

The darn computer doesn't tell me how much I am exerting on an "average." The reading gives you your max/min exertion over he duration of your workout.

I did a 5 minute workout (crank out a steady 180 watts) amd a 20 minute workout (crank out a steady 160 watts). When I enter those #'s in the BT calculator I am totally thrown off.

I think where you went wrong is with the 500 watts.  I don't think you can hold 500 watts for 5 minutes.  I don't think I can.  I know you're an awesome athlete, but that might put you in the Tour de France winning mountain stages.

C'mon, 500 watts... now, how can I harness that energy to be reused in my house?

I'm so confused. I am going swimming...

One more thought.... in lay man's terms.... I generally ride 14 - 16 mph, and on race day, about 18-19 mph. That's how my brain genrally functions....

Alright, that device shows you 2 power values.  1 is the MAX Watts and the other is AVG Watts.

You should have zeroed out the averages at the moment you began your 5 minute test and when you were done, the AVG Watts value is what you would have used.  I will bet you used MAX Watts (500) which is reasonable for a good rider, like yourself, hitting it pretty darn hard momentarily.

Sorry for the confusing question, Jen.  What I was trying to get at is that when I read your sentence:

"I did a 5 minute workout (crank out a steady 180 watts) amd a 20 minute workout (crank out a steady 160 watts). When I enter those #'s in the BT calculator I am totally thrown off."

It didn't sound like you were describing an all out effort to determine your baseline ability.  It sounded like you set the clock for 5 minutes and then adjusted your effort to hold 180 watts (and 160 for the 20 minute test).

We will get this question worked out and armed with the right numbers you won't get crushed by Jorge's program....rather YOU will do the crushing of Jorge's program!

I don't go snowshoeing a lot, and I don't have the correct snowshoes for my weight, but I'm definitely going to buy some!  It was such a blast and an awesome low impact workout.  

I'm glad to see Dirk is taking some time to rest (or probably doing home projects like building an addition on his house).

Has anyone tried doing a LOCO swim workout?  If you are looking for something to pass the time, it's a really good choice.  For example, yesterday it was a LOCO 1000...1 lap fast, 1 lap slow, 2 laps fast 2 laps slow, 3/3, 4/4.  I managed to finish it up about 16:45....which I guess I'm okay with.

Heading out for my run now.  Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far!

Funny thing... I bought snowshoes a few years ago... I have never used them.  I even joined the USSSA (or whatever it's called - the national snowshoe assocation)!

RunningYogini - 2013-02-12 10:15 AM Five years ago today, my Dad passed away.  Today is going to be rough. 

Condolences.  Both of my parents are still alive but neither of them are particularly healthy and I am not looking forward to the day they aren't around. 

Think of all of the great memories of having a good dad.  An know that his heart was warmed by a daughter such as yourself.  The best memories I have from either of my girls can be summed up in one simple, easy word, and there is no other word like it in the English language; "Daddy."  My girls call me dad most of the time but it is "Daddy" that cuts me to the bone.  I am sure he had his own favorite words that you used.  Think on those words and remember.

Completed another 20 minute FTP test tonight for week 11 of Jorge's WCP. The results weren't bad I'm up another couple of watts on average so I continue to make progress. I thought I would do a little better but I can't complain I'm going in the right direction.

First test avg pwr 274, max pwr 314 - Week 1

Second test avg pwr 285, max pwr 375 - Week 7

Third test avg pwr 287, max pwr 392 - Week 11

500 watts is crazy! I think I cracked 400 once I hit 404 and that was pushing as hard as I could and feeling like I was gonna die afterwards.

Jen I think you probably figured it out but if you got the KK bike computer you should be able to get the avg and max power for the 5 minute and the 20 minute test and plug those into the calculator for your values. Like Jeff said you would have to clear the values prior to each test. You'd do the 5 minute first, get the power numbers and reset the values then do the same for the 20 minutes test.

Sorry for the additional post but one thing to add is both the 5 minute and 20 minute tests are all out efforts. So you go all out for 5 minutes and grab your avg and max power numbers and then you do the same for the 20 minute test.

Was that Mount Major Jonathan?  Here's the summer version:

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RunningYogini - 2013-02-12 10:15 AM Five years ago today, my Dad passed away.  Today is going to be rough. 

Sorry for the loss.  This never gets easier.