This was my first time following a structured long term training plan... even if it was done by me (no real experience or history making plans and "I stayed at a Holiday Inn" credentials). When putting it together I scheduled a few weeks of transition from the non-structure of the off-season or what some training books would call a prep phase. Preparing to train...
Prep Phase
For me the prep phase was 5 weeks at 10 hours with structure and consistency and a slow transition to some intensity. The first goal was to hit the 10 hours each week. After that, slowly build in intensity when it felt appropriate. The hopeful outcome was to be acclimated and ready to add more volume and intensity after 5 weeks.
By all accounts it was mission accomplished. I had to shuffle workouts in a few places because of holidays or other stuff but I stuck to the 10 hours/week and focussed on getting the time in over doing anything specific. I mixed in some intensity but nothing that felt forced or stressful. By the time week 5 was closing out I was feeling good with consistent training and I was ready to start doing more structured intensity.
Fitness Checks
As the weeks went on the second major deliverable from this period started to come into focus - some sort of early season fitness check. I knew the prep phase was working because at the beginning I wasn't mentally ready for that level of an effort and getting the time in was where my head was at. But by week 5 curiosity creeped in and I started to wonder where my fitness was. So what better way to answer the call than with an FTP test and some sort of running race? Conveniently, Danny was still doing some fitness checks with his new coach so we both fit in 20 min FTP tests along with a 15k race. Typically the 15k would be at a local race but this year because of Covid and threatening winter weather we ended up doing the 15k locally - just Danny and I.
So how did it go?
The FTP test was good but not earth shattering. My 20 min average was 316 watts which equates to a 300 watt FTP. Good for sure and in range of my max of 310. I think I undershot the middle 10 minutes and then compensated in the last 5 which kind of shows itself in the 5 min peak being at 330 watts. So maybe I could've squeaked out a few more watts by riding more steady but I'd rather end up with a slightly lower estimate so as not to go into races with outsized expectations. Despite being in the business of continuous improvement I'm happy with the result. I think it's a positive sign of good bike fitness while also being more accurately reflective of what's possible in a race. Last year when I hit 330+ watts for 20 minutes I was doing Zwift races and a lot of hard workouts. By the time the season had come all that had faded and I was running more. I went into REV3 thinking I was going to hold 240-250 watts and actually ended up at 235, which is probably a more honest and realistic power for me.
The running race was generally good news as well. The goal was to cover the 15k in an hour. An optimistic but also realistic goal. Danny and I had been doing a lot of hill work and some track workouts. I had a couple indicators that my run fitness was better than I thought (long runs feeling good and performances in track workouts). So while a one hour 15k would be a big PR for me, the signs were there it was in the cards. We plotted an honest course, did our warmups like we would at an actual race, and had a pace plan we swore to stick to - 3 miles at 6:30, 3 miles at 6:25, and then 3 miles and change at whatever was left. For the most part this is how it played out. I felt great for the first 6-7 miles. At mile 7 the hills got to me and I tried to pick up the pace at mile 6 but 6:15-6:20 didn't feel sustainable so I backed off to 6:25-6:30 to end up with 1:00:18 at an average pace of 6:28/mile. I faded a little on the last mile but still felt OK so I'm not too worried about it. I think I thought I was a bit further off from 1 hr so mentally I had checked out a bit. On the way to 15k we both managed a sub 40 10k and sub 20 5k... two things that were out of the question for me as of a few short years ago. Danny broke an hour and while I wanted to do the same I think the effort was good and the result was reflective of where I'm at.
The Take Home Message
So two positive indicators of early season fitness... Bike fitness is there and just needs to be maintained and translated into comfort at 70.3 and Olympic distance efforts. Run fitness is there too and now that we've had a good 15k it's time to start getting ready for Shamrock. We didn't plan it this way but the 15k actually gave a really nice picture of what our "threshold pace" is so we've got all the data we need to do the right work. I think I need to do some work on not fading mentally at the end of a race, especially when it's going well. The temptation to say "the race has gone really well, you can back off a little and it'll still be a good result" creeps in when the pain is starting to peak in the last 5-10 minutes.
What's Next...
Next phase is another build with more specific run work and a mix of longer efforts on the bike but still some shorter/harder efforts to keep things sharp. Maybe a 13.1 prep race before Shamrock. Also need to find some ways to work on the mental game - maybe it's as simple as being aware. So far I'm still feeling healthy and motivated. I'm typing this on a scheduled day off which is followed by a lower volume week. Something I'm doing my best to stick to this year!
Thanks for reading!
