Beer Drinker Appreciation Society - Open For Business (Page 74)

In Chicago, we got 4" of snow today.  Wet, sloppy, horrible snow.

In other news today, FTP test #2 of the year, yielding five new PRs on Trainer Road and 260w 20min power, for an FTP of 247, which is up ~23w from a month ago, and a gain of 10%.  Luckily, I'm still waiting for the first FTP test that actually does make me throw up - which also means I'm probably leaving a few watts on the table.

I also had a second-round interview today for a job that I really, really want - and now that I know more, I want it even more.  I have a phone interview tomorrow with their NY department head as well, so we'll see what happens.

Nice work! 10% gain is pretty significant. I've never felt like puking after the 20min test but I definitely have for the 5 minute test. And last year 2 days before IM, I was in the IM village and they computrainers set up so people could compete in a simulated ride to win a pair of sunglasses. I pushed so hard that I did in fact throw up. Twice. 

I don't particularly like the TrainerRoad plans (too long of an interval between recovery weeks) but they do have some great workouts for developing FTP. Look for any that include 12-20minute intervals of sweet spot work (88-92% of FTP roughly). Monitor, Tallac, Palisade are good for shorter rides (1hr to 1.5hrs) for longer rides Saint Elias, Fairweather, Pendleton, Hilltop and Logan. They're not easy rides but if you get at least three of those in per week, you'll definitely see an improvement in FTP. The longer the better too. I know time is always an issue but try to do at least one ride over 2 hours per week. 

Between October 27 and March 15th I've brought my FTP up from 200 to 283watts using pretty much only those workouts and some that I created myself. 

Very nice. Now you just have to slam those bars down and you'll be a rocket. 

I highly recommend training with HR. In fact, I'm of the opinion that if you're not training with at least HR, don't even bother getting out of bed (I'm being cheeky of course). I use the 310xt. It's a midrange Garmin but you won't grow out of it. I recommend avoiding Garmin's running watches with HR because as a triathlete you'll quickly find them annoying when you want to bike/swim with it. The 310xt is technically a running GPS watch BUT it is fully upgradable and capable of being an all round bike computer. It also has a multisport option so you can use it for all three disciplines in a Tri. I bought the quick release kit. It allows the unit to quickly snap off the wrist band onto your bike's handlebars. So during a tri I tuck it up under my swim cap (so that the GPS still functions) I set the auto lap feature to 250m or 500m (depending on the swim distance) that way it vibes every 250m (or 500m or whatever) I swim. Then I snap into my bike for the bike leg and then I snap it on my wrist for the run. I absolutely love it. 

As far as HR training goes, it will completely change how you think about your training. It allows you to pace better on both the run and bike. It also allows you to quantify your training and see improvements in performance. It has its downsides. Namely its variability (HR is affected my temperature, fatigue, diet, hydration etc) so it's a 'ballpark' metric. But it is SIGNIFICANTLY better than no metrics at all. It's also a good stepping stone to using power (for the bike), which is the pinnacle of training metrics. Now that I have power, I don't really even care about my HR on the bike. HR is still a cornerstone of my run training though and it always will be. 

Everything you need to know about training with HR can be found in Joe Friel's training bible (either the Tri bible or the Cycling one) and of course anything beyond that or if you need clarification, BDAS has more than the requisite knowledge to get you on the right track.