training log

[cyclightning]

In reply to Nigel Doyle: Fitness is improving so I'm moving to a 6 or 7 day a week training cycle. There's no need to ride hard all the time and the recovery rides increase overall volume while improving recovery. Rides near 1 hr power for 40+ minutes or rides over 2.5 hrs even at low power output are tiring.

Jan 25th, 2014

gym bike

65 minutes with a few intervals
legs felt rested

15 minutes 160-170 w
3:40 at 450 w @ 105-110 rpm fairly easy
12 min 170-200 w
3:00 at 480 w @ 100 rpm fairly hard, but increasing rpm's helps
13 min 170 w
1:30 at 490 w and 90 rpm very (but not extremely) fatiguing, rpm range too low
17 min 140-170 w
at the end of the ride heart rate was 125 bpm

AP 203 w

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by limerickman
This thread is a useful reference both for the OP'er and for anyone else interested in setting up a similar log.

When I was racing I used to keep a detailed training diary and race diary to record how much activity I was doing and to record how I felt afterward a session/race.
It was a very handy reference because after time, I could refer my recovery and performance to specific workloads and output.

Granted this was all done in less "scientific" days, but it worked well for me.

That's the beauty of a power meter. You download the ride data and add a description of the ride if there's anything out of the norm like overly tired, sore from last session or flying and well rested etc. Combine that with a program like WKO+ and you have a wonderfully detailed training diary with other added training aids crunching the numbers for you.

The other very cool thing is that you can use it to document changes in position on the bike too and set aside days for aero testing. Using the 'Chung method' (Robert Chung) or regression testing (ACoggan seems to prefer this method) you can use the power meter to test changes and document too. Doing such things on recovery days makes for a fairly easy and very productive session, especially if you're starting from a less than idea position.

 

[cyclightning]

Jan 26th, 2014

indoor gym bike

40 min warmup 75-150 w mostly at 75 w

2 hrs 40 min ride AP 196 w, started at 180 w and more or less raised it up to 205 w at the 2 hr mark
at 2 hrs in I rested for 3 minutes pedaling at 125 w
at 2 hrs and 20 min in an interval at 415 w for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, heart rate 158 bpm or so at end of interval but didn't
feel fatigued
drank 2 liters of liquids and 1 sports bar
last 7 minutes at 310 w

avg rpm about 100

20 min cool-down at 75-100 w

not fatigued at end of ride, slight leg heaviness but felt like sparky
felt much less tired at end of ride and felt like I could go on churning
325+ watts for 10 minutes or so but the objective isn't to near red-line except rarely during training, especially during a long effort

 

[limerickman]

Originally Posted by swampy1970

That's the beauty of a power meter. You download the ride data and add a description of the ride if there's anything out of the norm like overly tired, sore from last session or flying and well rested etc. Combine that with a program like WKO+ and you have a wonderfully detailed training diary with other added training aids crunching the numbers for you.

The other very cool thing is that you can use it to document changes in position on the bike too and set aside days for aero testing. Using the 'Chung method' (Robert Chung) or regression testing (ACoggan seems to prefer this method) you can use the power meter to test changes and document too. Doing such things on recovery days makes for a fairly easy and very productive session, especially if you're starting from a less than idea position.

Yeah, technology is really wonderful in that regard and anyone who I know from my era who has moved to using this technology swears by it.

I've considered investing. I just need to do so.

 

[cyclightning]

Jan 27th, 2014

gym bike

15 min warm-up 120-170 w
30 min AP 260 w, 2 intervals at 410 W for 4:45 or so spaced 8 minutes apart recovery 180 w
15 min cooldown 60-100 w

didn't feel sore but a bit tight hamstrings and glutes
definitely didn't feel good doing the intervals, it was a chore - not tired but not spunky - then again with almost 4 hrs total ride time including commuting
yesterday it's not surprising.

since last week's back to back intense rides fatigued me have to make sure to keep a gap between long rides - normally 2 hr 10 rides outdoors don't tire
me out and I hit much higher power outputs over 90 sec or so - always felt indoor rides are harder since I did them in winter '08, but poor ventilation
is the problem.

 

[cyclightning]

Jan 28th, 2014

gym bike

warmup 15 minutes 120-175 w

30 minute session

1 minute 180 w
8 minute interval 415 w - (setting a PB), at the end power was increasing to 435 W last 30 sec
6 minutes active recovery at 200 w
4 minute interval 415 w - and this felt tiring, not recovered from the previous interval
11 minutes at 200-300 watts

AP 294 W

20 min cool-down

body weight is 76.0 kg or so

 

[cyclightning]

January 29th, 2014

indoor gym bike

15 min warm-up 150 w

60 minutes at 280-295 w : at 45 min in HR was 149 bpm, at end HR was 150 bpm, chugged a liter of sports drink
and 1 chocolate bar at 30-35 minutes in, breathing rate nice and steady and fairly easy through to 60 minutes but
getting pretty overheated in last 10 minutes that definitely was very uncomfortable

rpm range 95-100

15 min cool-down at 100 w

 

[cyclightning]

Jan 30th, 2014

gym bike

15 min warm-up at 150 w

60 minutes at 301 W AP, started at 285 w increased to 300 at 30 minutes in and finished at 330 w for the last 5 minutes
this was a 96% effort.. close to max but just slight leg heaviness after getting off the bike.

this is the 9th training day in a row..

 

[cyclightning]

Jan 31st, 2014

indoor gym bike

15 min 160 w warm-up
31 min AP 317 w, going further involves pouring a bit of water on the head to cool down and I didn't have a bottle with me.. took it a bit easier today
15 min cool-down 100 w

feeling a bit fresher even after 4 consecutive days of fairly intense cycling

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 1st, 2014

gym bike

15 min warm-up 160 w
32:30 328 W AP 95 rpm, 1st 15 seconds sprinted up to 485 w
15 min cool-down 125 w

this was a 97% effort, had some some cold water with me this time

tomorrow is the long ride..

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 2nd, 2014

no cycling. I couldn't bring myself to cycle for 3 hrs indoors.. that would be triple anything I've ever done during the winter ever.

Feb 3rd, 2014

gym bike

40 minutes at a low power output maybe like 150 w
walked 6 km

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 4th and 5th, 2014

gym bike

45 minutes cycling 150-175 watts

Feb 6th, 2014

15 min warmup 140-160 w
20 minutes three 2 minute intervals of 425 w with 5 minutes recovery at 200 W

15 km on the beater bike outdoors

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 7th, 2014

2 hrs on the MTB clunker - ride includes about 700 meters of hill with 9-10% grade so power output near 400-450 W for a few short
sections - just supposed to be a fairly easy ride

-3 C outside

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 8th, 2014

15 minute warmup at 170 W

31 minutes, AP 254 W, 4 intervals of 2 minutes at 435 W with 3 minute recovery at 195 W and then cycled at 220 W
breathing rate steady on all intervals, but very hot
30 minutes cool-down at 150 W

 

[cyclightning]

Sunday, February 9th, 2014

gym bike

2 hrs 41 minutes, started at 195 W : (ride average power 216 W), 1 interval at 430 W average for 2 minutes at 2 hrs and 10 minutes in
last 7 minutes at 300 W
drank 1,3 liters of liquid and no solid food, the drink just had a few calories in it

breathing rate steady throughout ride, but legs were tight and sore mainly
through quads, should ease off within 3-4 hrs

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 10th, 2014

gym bike

40 minutes 175 W

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 11th, 2014

gym bike

as a note all these workouts are on a bike with platform pedals and running shoes

15 min warmup, 110 W ap

30 minutes, AP 268 W
4 two minute intervals at 445 W within 20 minutes with 185 W recovery

heart rate getting way up on last interval but I have to wait until I can retrieve the heart rate strap

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 12th, 2014

no intense cycling

Feb 13th, 2014

gym bike


15 min warm-up 170 W, avg HR 115 bpm

30 min cycle - AP 283 W, 4 intervals of 2 minutes at 450 W /w 190 W recovery within 20 minutes at start, remainder at 260 W

max HR 168 bpm at end of 4th interval, avg HR 149 bpm

HR remained high after ending each interval and after ending the training ride

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 14th, 2014

gym bike

15 min warm-up 170 W

31 minutes, AP 286 W consisting of the following :

4x2 minute intervals at 410 W in 19 minutes, then 255-310 W to end

average HR 143 bpm, max HR 161 bpm at end of last interval

hair is pretty long again

 

[cyclightning]

Feb 15th, 2014

28.5 km on the heavy MTB outside, 0 C, 1 hr 37 minutes
a bit slow in sections because of corrugated ice, icy in general