CTL that is.
What a horrible time of year to be in a CTL freefall, one would think?
Well, the good thing is that even with a CTL now down in the 120's, I'm still solidly able to do 17 hr weeks without a problem. I expected a CTL weirdness once I re-adjusted FTP. When the TSS for a ride drops by 30-40 pts for the same wattage, the CTL does a bit of a re-adjustment.
The question is, "Why the CTL freefall in November?"
Last week's schedule was moving along nicely until Friday. I finished my Thursday ride with good, solid API intervals. 4+ minutes above 400 watts, and the first was at 425. The other two got me on the corners and some traffic, but were both still ~410 so I got what I needed to out of them. I was up ~2 points on CTL at that point of the week from the previous week. Good increase.
Then.. it happened. Twice a year I have to run these things called PFT's for the Corps. Pull ups, crunches and a 3 mile run (sprint). Friday was that day, so off we went. For the DC folks, that was us running in green sweats on Friday down at HP in the 20+ MPH winds. Yah, that was fun. Finished my 3 mile run, worst time in almost 5 years, I think. 18 min 38 sec. First mile and a half, 9 min 54 sec. Holy CRAP. Turned into the tailwind on the north side of the Point and flew back, but the headwind got me hard.
So, the problem with only running twice a year is that the violence of impact at a 6 min/mile pace does a HUGE number on my whole body, from feet (arches) all the way to the shoulders. So, I was supposed to do 4 hrs on Friday and 4 5½ hrs on Saturday. By the time I got home Friday, my body told me that wasn't happening. I woke up Saturday morning and rolled out of bed. I was coating my body in Zheng Gu Shui (google it, amazon - it works!) but it was still Monday before I was mobile again. Suckage. Small sacrifices for the Corps. Next Veteran's Day you can think of me and the three days off the bike I sacrificed in November 2008.
Back fluid this week. Three days strung together @ 3 hrs a piece. Endurance, LSD miles all this week. Next week starts block three of the winter training plan. After riding the TT bike on the endurance/recovery days, it's time to start hitting it on the 3x20 day. It's time. So, if you want to see me suffering, wander out to HP ~1:30-3pm on Monday afternoons. I'll be the guy bundled, fighting this god awful wind that has been with us for 2 solid weeks. But I'll be in the bars, hitting the intervals.
I'll start this coming week a little below what I was doing 3x20's at on the road bike. First week's goal is to get through all 3 intervals. I've got three full blocks to get that TT/road bike power difference closed.
PS - to the IM guy on the FFX PKWY the other day (the one that yelled "Lights are optional" while I was chugging down a banana): Maybe next time I'll hang the westbound on the W&OD and we can cruise. Time schedule to keep last week getting back to Burke.
What a horrible time of year to be in a CTL freefall, one would think?
Well, the good thing is that even with a CTL now down in the 120's, I'm still solidly able to do 17 hr weeks without a problem. I expected a CTL weirdness once I re-adjusted FTP. When the TSS for a ride drops by 30-40 pts for the same wattage, the CTL does a bit of a re-adjustment.
The question is, "Why the CTL freefall in November?"
Last week's schedule was moving along nicely until Friday. I finished my Thursday ride with good, solid API intervals. 4+ minutes above 400 watts, and the first was at 425. The other two got me on the corners and some traffic, but were both still ~410 so I got what I needed to out of them. I was up ~2 points on CTL at that point of the week from the previous week. Good increase.
Then.. it happened. Twice a year I have to run these things called PFT's for the Corps. Pull ups, crunches and a 3 mile run (sprint). Friday was that day, so off we went. For the DC folks, that was us running in green sweats on Friday down at HP in the 20+ MPH winds. Yah, that was fun. Finished my 3 mile run, worst time in almost 5 years, I think. 18 min 38 sec. First mile and a half, 9 min 54 sec. Holy CRAP. Turned into the tailwind on the north side of the Point and flew back, but the headwind got me hard.
So, the problem with only running twice a year is that the violence of impact at a 6 min/mile pace does a HUGE number on my whole body, from feet (arches) all the way to the shoulders. So, I was supposed to do 4 hrs on Friday and 4 5½ hrs on Saturday. By the time I got home Friday, my body told me that wasn't happening. I woke up Saturday morning and rolled out of bed. I was coating my body in Zheng Gu Shui (google it, amazon - it works!) but it was still Monday before I was mobile again. Suckage. Small sacrifices for the Corps. Next Veteran's Day you can think of me and the three days off the bike I sacrificed in November 2008.
Back fluid this week. Three days strung together @ 3 hrs a piece. Endurance, LSD miles all this week. Next week starts block three of the winter training plan. After riding the TT bike on the endurance/recovery days, it's time to start hitting it on the 3x20 day. It's time. So, if you want to see me suffering, wander out to HP ~1:30-3pm on Monday afternoons. I'll be the guy bundled, fighting this god awful wind that has been with us for 2 solid weeks. But I'll be in the bars, hitting the intervals.
I'll start this coming week a little below what I was doing 3x20's at on the road bike. First week's goal is to get through all 3 intervals. I've got three full blocks to get that TT/road bike power difference closed.
PS - to the IM guy on the FFX PKWY the other day (the one that yelled "Lights are optional" while I was chugging down a banana): Maybe next time I'll hang the westbound on the W&OD and we can cruise. Time schedule to keep last week getting back to Burke.
on November 27, 2008, 8:25 am
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