training questio

Plenty of factors could contribute: sleep, diet, running, stress blah blah blah.  I would keep plugging away and maybe lower your FTP if you keep having trouble getting through workouts.

Another question, if your best 20 min power is 186W (was this a 20min test?), how are you coming up with a FTP of 202?  I don't know the TR testing protocol, so maybe this is an obvious answer/foolish question.

Taking a quick glance at your 8 minute test you just completed (not real familiar with how that test calculates FTP) it appears your estimated FTP is way too high.  You averaged 233 and 225 with a 10 minute break in between.  The calculated FTP (207) is 92% of your second 8 minute test result which seems way too high.

If it were me...Recover from this test and try to re-test with the 20 minute test in a couple days when you have recovered.  In the meantime I would lower that number to where you can complete your workouts.

Thanks, no idea how the actual calculations are made.

Those are just the numbers it spit out at the end of the test.

8 min threshold would be quite different then testing for your FTP.  Try doing 20 min tests; then take 95% of that number to determine your FTP.  

8 min (and 3 / 5 min) are good tests for power, but again thats not really sustainable power.  Good if you plan on doing a lot of shorter road races, crits, mountain biking.  For most triathletes, the longer stuff is better. 

Thanks, I'll give it a day or two rest and try the 20 minute test.

Thanks!

I've been on trainer road for just over a month now.  I've been doing the Intermediate Base I and plan on moving up from there.  Ive had great success so far, and it has built up in intensity nicely.  Are you following any plan or are you just picking rides and doing them?  Maybe you might want to look at one of their preset plans.

Just looking over your rides and it seems your cadence is quite low.  Maybe your natural cadence is down in the high 60's or low 70's, but it seems to me that your pushing too big a gear for for long periods of time.  On some rides your intervals are supposed to be in the "sweet spot" power range but you seem to be pushing about 10-12 watts higher, up at threashold power level.  I have found that spinning at a higher cadence for the same power allows me to go much longer as my muscles don't fatigue near as quick.

Just a few points to look at that might make your rides a little more enjoyable.

Here's a link to one of the rides I did that has 3 similar intervals.  The instructions get you to ride one at 10 rpms higher than normal, one 10 rpms lower and one at normal cadence.  It was really intresting to see how differently I was fatigued after each one.   

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/109670

When I pick the cadence up I burn out even faster.  I am just slow, it's the same with my running.  It doesn't matter how big or little of a stride I take, when I pick up the turnover I burn out faster.

The bike is the same way.  When I ride with the club or friends, I hang with the better riders only by pushing a bigger gear at a lower cadence.

I believe I'm supposed to be spinning faster, but I just can't seem to do it.  The only way for me to hit the power goals on the workouts is to be pushing the bigger gears.

As for what workouts I have been doing, I have been using their Century plan (Novice Century High Volume) http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/plans/103

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I'm betting that with the 20 minute test, my power rating is going to be way down.  I can keep with the 8 minute tests, but I don't think I'll be able to keep that power over a 20 minute test session.