Good point in there, part of the focus is routine.  When you watch pro athletes getting ready, they often have what people call "superstitions" but really it is the "routine" they have developed that creates focus.

Thanks Tim.

Does that imply that those energy systems get up to speed purely as a result of heat? Would a sauna do the same thing (obv. not talking about sitting in there melting)

Jules,

For a warm up, the benefits are driven by tissue temperature increases.  A sauna hard to get that deep (and you body will work to cool).  Lots of research on the effects of warming and cooling happening now.  The "cost / benefit" thinking here important.  Warming from inside out better as you get all the benefits but know some people are really starting to look deeply at these topics.  I personally would never consider it, just not ruling it out.


Also the warming of the tissue promotes some enzyme (would need to go look up) that triggers hydrogen cell management something or other (going to have to break out a text book to get the exact facts) that drives the increase in available oxygen so that effect needs to be internal.

Hey All - Tomorrow a rest day and new plans will be posted by 9:00am.  Expect lots of speed work as race season full on now.  Are there any big events a lot of club members are doing in next 4 weeks?  Can add a few specific workouts. 

You don't know how happy a recovery week makes me.

Thanks, @TimCusick for the pre-race warm-up.  Worked so well that I won both of my races

FTP 2x15 w bursts and the 2x4 VO2, ouch! I couldn't do the VO2s for more than 1:30 each. How did others do?

The FTP bursts were a real struggle. Like they were touching straight up my weakness. Look forward to more of those, so I can improve this particular area -- felt very much like a hard CX race.

Gave up the VO2 in the middle of the second one.

vlad said:

http://tpks.ws/2Ihkk

I'm going to start calling this guy "Vlad"

http://tpks.ws/BIfYl  

JillSink said:

FTP 2x15 w bursts and the 2x4 VO2, ouch! I couldn't do the VO2s for more than 1:30 each. How did others do?

I managed two of the V02 efforts, the third I didn't do because I ran out of time. As my second VO2 effort was a climb, I found the effort to stay in the range I wanted much easier.  

Low FTP and Microbursts: #1, 15x, #2, 10x
VO2: 4 min, 2 min

Tough.

Looking at tomorrow's workout (5/24)

If doing 14 one-minute efforts, even with three minutes rest in between each maximal effort, that's 56 minutes in total of what is supposed to be an hour-long workout.  Combine that with 15-20 minutes warmup, 10 minutes cool down, and it's 90 minutes in total.

A bit confused.

With the baby growing older and developing into a bonafide child I like to spend as much time with her as possible which means I haven't been following the plan, like at all. I'm slowly picking it back up again, but my opportunities to train are limited to pre-dawn (5am) and usually later in the evenings (post-9pm).  Any benefits to training earlier or later?

@TimCusick

The training plan has been great. I don't own a power meter but I've always tracked progress with lap times in prospect park. Pre TP, I was at 10:10 lap, 9:50 at my best (solo). Now I'm pulling in times under 9:20 consistently and it feels great, which is rad.

My question for you: Hard crits and circuit races still feel out of reach for me. Unlike road races, they also feel a bit alien to the training plan, with HR in zone 5 for nearly the entire race. Maybe I'm doing some workouts wrong, or if not, would it be possible to get in more crit / circuit focused workouts in?

Some of the workouts -- like yesterday's FTP burts and VO2max, and next week's microburts -- are very much crit like workouts.

Another important consideration for crits is the technical challenge, being able to turn, position yourself correctly, stay out of the wind, and read the race. This stuff takes time to master, but will essentially give you free speed. 

Use the easy days, like Mondays or Fridays, to specifically work on those. It'll take some time, but will make you faster.

@RileyHoonan I'm not sure my insight it very valuable being so new to the racing/training scene but assuming you are saying this because of two hard weeks FBF in a row. I think FBF is a bit special and would need its own training plan...

@JamesShaw sure FBF and for me, Orchard Beach as well. I feel like our typical Tuesday workout 'crit sprints' are comparatively easy, so maybe that's part of the problem, I could be doing them wrong.

It's also standing out to me relative to park races knowing I will at least be mid-pack (unless there's a lead out). I'm sure Eloy is right and the technical challenge here is a big component. I'm wondering if I should be getting myself to track-hack levels of exhaustion more often during non-race workouts though.

Yeah, crit sprints should probably destroy you. I get the hack after I do them. Hurts!

The crit sprints are stupid hard.

Perhaps it takes a little while to get adapted to them and see benefits. Much like the PP lap times, give it a few weeks.

Either that or one of two things:

• You are doing the crit sprints way too easy -- these are ALL OUT, power or HR be damned, pedal stupid hard, get your bike up to 35+ mph 
• You are a crazy natural talent, and sprinting is easy for you.

@eloy Most likely the former. 35 is a good benchmark. Thanks for the wisdom guys

eloy said:

Another important consideration for crits is the technical challenge, being able to turn, position yourself correctly, stay out of the wind, and read the race. This stuff takes time to master, but will essentially give you free speed. 

^^^^^^^Wise words and Mr Crit himself (Marc Bertucco) would agree wholeheartedly.  Fitness is only half the story in successful crit racing.  The other half is getting that "free speed" that comes from everything Eloy mentioned.

@RileyHoonan come out for 6AM workouts on Tuesday. Lets all practice ripping each others' legs off in short bursts.

@Dan Reiners Down to shred.

Did anyone else cry after any of the 1:00 intervals yesterday?  

my tear ducts seal up at Z6 for aerodynamics.

I almost vommed on my top tube 

All - Today is a rest day, pushing plans up today just getting final counts together now.  

Tim,
     I picked up the strep virus.  Had it for about ten days.  I tried a little training, but it didn't go well.  

     I got a ten-day course of penicillin to knock it out.  I can ride, I even raced, but training hard is proving difficult.  I don't feel tired, I'm rested enough for going to sleep to be difficult, but I feel somewhere between stale and weak.  

     Any idea how long the penicillin takes to cycle out and I can go back to training hard?  There doesn't seem to be much research on the subject.