SST "milestone"

postal_bag said:

No point to my thread, other than being pleased with how my training is going.

Yesterday I managed to pull off a 3 hr ride (on the trainer:eek🙂 with an AP of 90% FTP. I estimate a TSS of 244, since I don't know the NP for the ride.

Averaging 300w for 3 hrs gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.🙂
To think that just a few months back, I was aiming for ~295w AP on my 90' rides...

OK, next milestone - 400w for 4 hrs? I guess not! (4 minutes is more likely.😉 )

Never sure which is more impressive. The mental fortitude to do 3 hrs on the trainer or the strength to do it all at 90%. I'm not certain I could do either, and even less certain I want to have to try.

Congrats on doing both.

High temps for me this week are 48, 50, 52, 52, 55. Thank God.

VW

postal_bag said:

No point to my thread, other than being pleased with how my training is going.

Yesterday I managed to pull off a 3 hr ride (on the trainer:eek🙂 with an AP of 90% FTP. I estimate a TSS of 244, since I don't know the NP for the ride.

Averaging 300w for 3 hrs gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.🙂
To think that just a few months back, I was aiming for ~295w AP on my 90' rides...

OK, next milestone - 400w for 4 hrs? I guess not! (4 minutes is more likely.😉 )

how do u go in solo breakaways???

dm69 said:

how do u go in solo breakaways???

My guess is that he "goes" in them quite well.

postal_bag said:

No point to my thread, other than being pleased with how my training is going.

Yesterday I managed to pull off a 3 hr ride (on the trainer:eek🙂 with an AP of 90% FTP. I estimate a TSS of 244, since I don't know the NP for the ride.

Averaging 300w for 3 hrs gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.🙂
To think that just a few months back, I was aiming for ~295w AP on my 90' rides...

OK, next milestone - 400w for 4 hrs? I guess not! (4 minutes is more likely.😉 )

cool - sounds like you're the new SST cheerleader 🙂

That is a lot of power for a long time indoors or out but especially indoors. How many bottles of fluid did you go through?

rmur17 said:

How many bottles of fluid did you go through?

I was thinking that -- I'd need an IV hookup!

postal_bag said:

No point to my thread, other than being pleased with how my training is going.

Yesterday I managed to pull off a 3 hr ride (on the trainer:eek🙂 with an AP of 90% FTP. I estimate a TSS of 244, since I don't know the NP for the ride.

Averaging 300w for 3 hrs gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.🙂
To think that just a few months back, I was aiming for ~295w AP on my 90' rides...

OK, next milestone - 400w for 4 hrs? I guess not! (4 minutes is more likely.😉 )

Yeh.. 3 hrs on the trainer is a long time. I did 120 minutes once and was half
melted after. I'd be careful though, it looks like you might be peaking too soon, unless you can regularly knock off 330 w for 3 hrs.

-bikeguy

postal_bag said:

No point to my thread, other than being pleased with how my training is going.

Yesterday I managed to pull off a 3 hr ride (on the trainer:eek🙂 with an AP of 90% FTP. I estimate a TSS of 244, since I don't know the NP for the ride.

Averaging 300w for 3 hrs gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.🙂
To think that just a few months back, I was aiming for ~295w AP on my 90' rides...

OK, next milestone - 400w for 4 hrs? I guess not! (4 minutes is more likely.😉 )

t

What type of AWC do you have? 3 hours at a steady 90% sounds insane to me, but was thinking maybe it's easier if your AWC is exceptionally low.

postal_bag said:

Averaging 300w for 3 hrs gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.🙂

It certainly should! There are a couple of former domestic pros I know (one just retired, the other retired after 2003) who were 72-75kg, they considered being able to knock off 300W for 3 hours a good indicator of race endurance. These were "real" pros in the US, multiple national titles and NRC race wins between them.

Of course, they had other skills as well...but when I used to try and do tempo rideswith one of them, he'd humor me for a couple hours, then crank it over 320W for the last hour while I sat on and suffered.

dm69 said:

how do u go in solo breakaways???

I guess I'll have to try one this season.

joemw said:

t

What type of AWC do you have? 3 hours at a steady 90% sounds insane to me, but was thinking maybe it's easier if your AWC is exceptionally low.

I'm not sure. I haven't done structured workouts or tests above L4 since getting my powertap. I think it's probably about average, though.

The breakdown was more like 1 hr @ 88%, 1 hr @ 90%, 1hr @ 92%.

rmur17 said:

cool - sounds like you're the new SST cheerleader 🙂

That is a lot of power for a long time indoors or out but especially indoors. How many bottles of fluid did you go through?

I went through one bottle of gatorade, one bottle of water, and 3/4 of a powerbar. My Honeywell industrial fan really does the trick for keeping cool.

bikeguy said:

Yeh.. 3 hrs on the trainer is a long time. I did 120 minutes once and was half
melted after. I'd be careful though, it looks like you might be peaking too soon, unless you can regularly knock off 330 w for 3 hrs.

-bikeguy

I was wondering if that was possible - peaking with only L3/L4 training? I was going to try to keep this up until February, and then start with the higher intensities.

For the middle 90' i was ramping it up to 200% every 15', so I guess technically that's above L5.

postal_bag said:

I was wondering if that was possible - peaking with only L3/L4 training? I was going to try to keep this up until February, and then start with the higher intensities.

For the middle 90' i was ramping it up to 200% every 15', so I guess technically that's above L5.

Not sure what you're getting at... if 300 w for 3 hrs is near your max for 3 hrs, then you are "peaking", if it's a PB. If you can do 330 w for 3 hrs, then the workout is well within your limits. 200%? What's that like, 600 watts?

I've been taking it easy getting back to training hard, I did 15 minutes at 320 watts yesterday, and 20 at 240 w.

-bikeguy

Reminded myself of how much respect I have for anyone that endures 3 hours of trainer time. Just finished 45 minutes of rollers time and felt like quitting the sport. I'm only forced indoors a few times throughout the season. Sub-freezing and snowing weather does it for me, but tomorrow it's low 50's and sunny. Back outside I go.

bikeguy said:

Not sure what you're getting at... if 300 w for 3 hrs is near your max for 3 hrs, then you are "peaking", if it's a PB. If you can do 330 w for 3 hrs, then the workout is well within your limits. 200%? What's that like, 600 watts?

I've been taking it easy getting back to training hard, I did 15 minutes at 320 watts yesterday, and 20 at 240 w.

-bikeguy

It is a PB, but I have only done three, 3 hr steady effort rides since getting my powertap. I don't really know my limits or seasonal fluctuations in power yet. I certainly couldn't do 330w for 3 hrs at this point. My goal was not to do x watts, but rather to do 90% of my current FTP for 3 hrs. When I do my 90' TT's I shoot for about 95%. Normally, though I would train at ~3% lower for these durations.

I meant that I would ramp it up over the course of ~20" to 200% or 650w to 700w, and then drop back down to the "sweet spot".

I plan to start doing 20' intervals at 100-105% next month, and I will gradually introduce vo2 max intervals in February/March, and begin working on L6 in April/May....

So, maybe I am "peaking" in my 3 hr power....I just hope I can keep "peaking" for the next 6 months, or so.:o

NomadVW said:

Reminded myself of how much respect I have for anyone that endures 3 hours of trainer time. Just finished 45 minutes of rollers time and felt like quitting the sport. I'm only forced indoors a few times throughout the season. Sub-freezing and snowing weather does it for me, but tomorrow it's low 50's and sunny. Back outside I go.

Just think of it as 9 x 20', or 12 x 15'. That makes the time fly by.😉

88%, 90%, followed by 92% for an hour each is about as steady as you can get.

i still can't help but think your FTP is underestimated, although i really only say that because i can't imagine doing 88%, 90%, followed by 92%.

nor could i imagine the top guys in the world, with FTP's a few percent either way of 6.5w/kg, going at 5.85w/kg for three hours straight. maybe they can though. the only thing that consoles me is that you are a big guy relative to your FTP, so maybe you aren't burning through your glycogen stores as fast as somebody with a FTP ~50% higher.

what's your best 5 minute effort, or thereabouts (cherry pick a 3-8 min effort if you must)?

the mental fortitude to sit on a trainer that long, and at that effort, is astounding, and a bit sickening at the same time!

joemw said:

88%, 90%, followed by 92% for an hour each is about as steady as you can get.

i still can't help but think your FTP is underestimated, although i really only say that because i can't imagine doing 88%, 90%, followed by 92%.

nor could i imagine the top guys in the world, with FTP's a few percent either way of 6.5w/kg, going at 5.85w/kg for three hours straight. maybe they can though. the only thing that consoles me is that you are a big guy relative to your FTP, so maybe you aren't burning through your glycogen stores as fast as somebody with a FTP ~50% higher.

what's your best 5 minute effort, or thereabouts (cherry pick a 3-8 min effort if you must)?

the mental fortitude to sit on a trainer that long, and at that effort, is astounding, and a bit sickening at the same time!

I've done 0.90FT AP (and higher NP) for 3-hrs outdoors and 0.88FT on an NP basis for 5-hrs outdoors.

Indoors - well I think 0.90FT AP for 2-hrs is about my best last winter. Despite 12-13C room temps and a big fan, I still sweat too much and just can't keep up the fluid balance on longer efforts.

But just because you or I haven't done it doesn't mean it's impossible ....

rmur17 said:

I've done 0.90FT AP (and higher NP) for 3-hrs outdoors and 0.88FT on an NP basis for 5-hrs outdoors.

Indoors - well I think 0.90FT AP for 2-hrs is about my best last winter. Despite 12-13C room temps and a big fan, I still sweat too much and just can't keep up the fluid balance on longer efforts.

But just because you or I haven't done it doesn't mean it's impossible ....

I wasn't trying to imply it was impossible. Honest. It's just one of those things that because I can't do it, it seems impossible. I have done an NP of .9 for 3 hours in a tough circuit race; it's just the 3 hours of AP that is mind numbing.