~ 5 week out ~
This was the first week back after a deload, and it was a bit rough. I find that I always feel my best at the end of a big block and at my worst coming off a deload. This week ended up being 17 hours and 24 minutes of training. The plan is to do another 4-week build before tapering a bit going into the race. The last bike-packing race I did was about 8 months ago, and my performance and training leading up to it were very lackluster, so I’m very excited to finish off this training block strong and have a good race.
As far as standout sessions for the week, it was all pretty much business as usual. The only session that somewhat stands out to me is the 3×15-minute threshold reps on Tuesday. The session was going alright, but I was feeling pretty weak, and because I can be a dumbass, I overcooked my last rep in a weird attempt to prove to myself that I wasn’t feeling bad. It ended up being 15 minutes at 304 watts and around an RPE of 8.5. It really surprised me how easy 300+ watts felt and made me feel good about the progress, despite drifting away from the intent of the session. My estimated FTP on intervals.icu has been trending upward and is currently 283 watts. I’d love to get a couple of watts closer to 290 before racing, but I figure it doesn’t matter all that much in the grand scheme.
Weekly training total – 17 hours 24 minutes
Cycling – 16 hours 37 minutes
Running – 54 minutes
Lifting – 20 minutes
Monday: 45-minute recovery ride (indoor trainer)
Normalized power – 117 watts
Average power – 126 watts
Average heart rate – 113 BPM
Tuesday: 1 hour 43 minute ride with 3 × 15 minutes @ threshold (indoor trainer)
Normalized power – 240 watts
Average power – 212 watts
15-minute power – 275, 279, 304 watts
Average heart rate – 145 BPM
Wednesday: 20-minute strength training session and 55-minute run
Average pace – 10 minutes 40 seconds per mile
Average heart rate – 142 BPM
Thursday: 2-hour 11-minute ride with 3 × 25 minutes @ tempo power (indoor trainer)
Normalized power – 225 watts
Average power – 209 watts
3 × 25-minute tempo power – 247, 250, 255 watts
Average heart rate – 151 BPM
Friday: 1-hour 51-minute endurance ride (outdoors)
Normalized power – 177 watts
Average power – 163 watts
Average heart rate – 132 BPM
Saturday: Back-to-back long ride, day 1 – 6 hours 14 minutes (outdoors)
Normalized power – 173 watts
Average power – 165 watts
Average heart rate – 136 BPM
Sunday: Back-to-back long ride, day 2 – 3 hours 22 minutes (outdoors)
Normalized power – 170 watts
Average power – 159 watts
Average heart rate – 129 BPM
In addition to always feeling a bit off after a deload, my long rides felt a lot more mentally taxing this week. I think that during the middle of a training block, I get so mentally accustomed to spending a lot of time on the bike that when I pump the brakes for a deload, it takes a while for my mind to readjust to spending all weekend spinning the pedals.
Earlier in the week, I got a “1 year ago” memory on Strava, and it was from my first time trying structured intervals on the bike. The intended session was 4×10 minutes @ 240 watts, which I fell short of. I definitely get caught up in looking at the numbers and speeds of other racers, and I can get down on myself and feel like I’m not making enough progress. The Strava memory was a nice reminder that I’m still very new to bike stuff, and progress takes months and years, not weeks and days.
by Sam_is_cycling