This weekend is my first 70.3 since 2009 when I was 270 pounds. I am 185 now and this will be my first time trying to pace using my power meter. I did a FTP test back in February using a Wahoo Kickr. I don’t think I did it correctly though. I got a 235 ftp. I say that I didn’t do it right because my Kickr kept trying to adjust the resistance when I got to high. But that’s what I have been going by.
Anyways. With that ftp what kind of NP should I be shooting for?
For reference, my last long ride of 88 miles I averaged 19.4mph at an average hr of 130. Average power was 175w and NP was 184w. I felt fine coming off the bike into a 3 mile run at an 8:15 pace. My stand alone marathon pace is a 9:20.
I know that I really need to do another test but with all the training time (9 weeks out from my first full Ironman) I have not had enough days off to do one on fresh legs.
there’s a point where you have the hay in the barn and you need to back off the volume, that’s when it makes sense to take a couple easier days and do your 20 minute test. You can even do it mid week on the taper for the half distance race you have coming up, it would make sense to test a couple times before your longer race.
Get this book. It has all the answers about power meters you need. This is my first year with power, and I spend a couple hours a week reading through it.
I have that book and a few others. I never seem to find the time to just sit and read.
there’s a point where you have the hay in the barn and you need to back off the volume, that’s when it makes sense to take a couple easier days and do your 20 minute test. You can even do it mid week on the taper for the half distance race you have coming up, it would make sense to test a couple times before your longer race.
I’m in the peak of the training. So taking days off is not really possible. I guess my best option would be to do one on a Tuesday night. As Sunday is my long bike and Monday is a long swim. That’s about as rested as the legs are going to get.
i guess that’s my point, there comes a time in your training when you reduce volume, either for an easier week or in preparation for a race, that’s when you do a 20 minute test because you are somewhat rested and it won’t leave you exhausted. You don’t need to rest all that much to do a 20 minute effort, do it like on a weds or thurs before a sun race
To late this week. I will do one a week after the half and see what it is. I do feel that the 175 average is a good number but don’t want to cut myself short is I could pull more. 😕
I know that I really need to do another test but with all the training time (9 weeks out from my first full Ironman) I have not had enough days off to do one on fresh legs.
As said above, this is easier to fit into your training than you think. Do you ever do hard rides? That can be the test. I do hard 2x20s throughout the year and it gives me a pretty good ballpark of threshold, certainly better than a test from months ago. Failing that, submaximal testing can be of value too. Up your long rides intensity, check to see if running and nutrition were OK. If so, that’s a good target power, if not scale it back.
Training is all about finding and pushing your limits. Testing is training and training is testing.
I have nowhere that I can push for that long without interruption. So trainer I think is the best option for a real test.
I will take your advice and push the long rides a bit and see how I feel. Being my first full I am so worried about going to hard on the bike and walking the run.
A sprint I did a year ago shows an average 20 minute power of 256 at an average of 21.4mph. I know that I am stronger than I was then.
Here’s the thing, if it were me. You’re 7 weeks out from your taper. An ftp test now is useless. You’ve been putting in the hours based on an ftp of 235 for months. You aren’t building speed at this point you’re building the final volume.
Go with what you’ve been working with and then spend the offseason doing regular from tests and doing hard efforts. Just my 2 cents.
I would think that seeing as this is all about the ironman for you, an estimate of your FTP from doing a 20 minute turbo test, being used to estimate the power that you can hold for 5+ hours doesn’t make much sense. You still have plenty of time and I’m assuming you’ll be doing more long rides of close to Ironman duration? Pick your power target, do a 5 hour ride at that target and then run 10 miles. How does that feel. You’ll certainly know if you’ve biked too hard.You can then look to adjust your power from there, rather than estimating from an estimate. Since it’s your first IM, biking a bit too easy is no big deal - far better than biking a bit too hard!!!
Here’s the thing, if it were me. You’re 7 weeks out from your taper. An ftp test now is useless. You’ve been putting in the hours based on an ftp of 235 for months. You aren’t building speed at this point you’re building the final volume.
Go with what you’ve been working with and then spend the offseason doing regular from tests and doing hard efforts. Just my 2 cents.
This. Absolutely. Go with the 175 at the IM. If it’s too low you’ve got 26 miles to make it up and frankly you’ll probably be better off than many people who tend to cook it on the bike
Well done on the weight loss. My high was 275 and race at 185-195 now. Much better without racing with a refrigerator on your back, eh?
For reference, my last long ride of 88 miles I averaged 19.4mph at an average hr of 130. Average power was 175w and NP was 184w. I felt fine coming off the bike into a 3 mile run at an 8:15 pace. My stand alone marathon pace is a 9:20.
I know that I really need to do another test but with all the training time (9 weeks out from my first full Ironman) I have not had enough days off to do one on fresh legs.
This is actually a better test for planning your pace for a 70.3 than a simple FTP test.
As has been said, training is testing and testing is training. The 20 minute is just one test and maybe not even a particularly good one, http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2008/05/the-seven-deadly-sins.html
Stop worrying about testing so much and look at graphs and data of workouts and races where you did well instead. And add small amounts or take away based on how your training has been going.
A 20 minute FTP test says one thing, but the watts you held for a long ride over terrain similar to your upcoming race + strong brick run result is far more accurate. A mix of both testing and real world is where you’ll get your best results.
I should add to that, get a pro account with Strava and look at the power curve for your last few month’s rides outdoors all the way out to a full hour. That’s the actual number you can really do in an hour, instead of an estimate from a shorter test.
Well my 70.3 Sunday got canceled due to the storm. So Monday night I did my normal long swim then jumped on the bike. Rode 10 miles out with the wind at my back. Turned around and used the head wind for resistance. Hammered it for 20 minutes. Recorded a new FTP. Put down an average of 279 watts. Going at 95% of that as the FTP the 175 to 180 watts that I have been doing my long rides at seems right on the mark.