It's killing me but..........

Sillyoldtwit

Geez Alex, you sure have a lot of adversity to overcome. I admire your tenacity, given your circumstances. Having said that however, you're definitely making steady progress and I'm sure that in 3-6 months from now, you will be an entirely different animal. It's also great to see that various people are making an effort to help you on the road to recovery.
You certainly are an inspiration.

As for my training prior to the Lake Biwa "race"; I have experimented over the last 2 and a half years with a variety of intervals. Finally I've opted for the following with regard to L4.

The main problem I found with L4 intervals, was to motivate myself after the first interval, so now all my L4s are done @ 45 minutes non-stop. I find that although the during the first 15 minutes or so I think of stopping at 20 mins or thereabouts, if I keep going and concentrate on pumping the quads, it becomes easier. In fact today, I went bananas in the last 5 minutes upping the cadence by 10-25 strokes.
Incidentally, I purposely keep the wattage low in the L4s (in keeping with RapDaddyo's philosophy) at 290 Watts. I could quite easily increase the interval wattage to 300W +, but I think this would be counterproductive.

I don't know what difference it makes, but today I forgot to pump the tyre up when using the CT to 120pps and found out afterwards that I'd done 45 mins @ 90pps!!! Tyson

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Alex Simmons

Just a bit of an inconvenience really.

Yes, people all over the world have been great and I am grateful and thankful for their help and words of encouragement.

What's great is how you have found a method that's effective for you, stuck to your guns but have not been afraid to experiement as well.

End of the day, we simply have to execute against a good plan that is suitable for ourselves. Do that and we'll all improve.

Now if 290W is low L4 for you ....

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Sillyoldtwit

You didn't finish Alex, so I'll finish it for you.

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Alex Simmons

No.....
I mean if 290W is low L4, then your FTP is ~ 320W, maybe more if you are, as you say, easily able to go harder.

(and I very much doubt my aerobic "genes" are better than yours).

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Sillyoldtwit

As ridiculous as it sounds, after 2 years 8 months from when I started structured training, I still don't know where the ceiling is for my L4, L5 and L6 intervals.

L4 has got to be 320W+

L5 have done a final interval of a workout @ 370W (hope to better that next week on my last VO2Max workout before Biwa)

L6 540W and still climbing. (Where will it end?)

Surely age has got to be a factor soon, as I'm not getting any younger.

After Biwa I'm going to do an FTP test and settle on a regular 90% of FTP for the L4 intervals and 120% for L5. As for L6, I'm not saying because I feel I have a lot more in the tank. Tyson

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Ade Merckx

I'm a little nervous for you dude. How are you gonna ensure overzealouness doesn't get the better of you on the day? And (1) remain on course (don't get lost!) and (2) don't leg Mr Ego get in the way and begin posturing by droping younger peeps unnessarily and burnin through half a box of matches in the process. Oh by the way have you done any warm up competitive events?

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Sillyoldtwit

LOL In answer to (1) I'm going to stick with someone all the time, except for the last 6 km of the first stage where even I couldn't get lost, then I'm going to blow them all away. (Remember this is a staggered start) In stage 2 (a long stage) I just want to see how long I can stay with the Nagoya City Racing Team. Last year it was only a short distance before I chickened out.
Btw, I met the Smoker the other day for the first time in ages and he says he's in pretty good condition and with a smile on his face said he will be up ahead of me. (we always start in the first group to set off)


(2) Young peeps don't bother me, I blew 296 out of 300 of them away in June until I went the wrong way at the 32KM point. In fact at that point I was on my own in front. As to whether I could have held the lead for the remaining 38 KM - who knows. Next June will give us the answer.

So Ade, stop worrying - what ever will be will be. Who cares, at my age it's just fun to be up there. Am now setting off to climb the 15% and come back. Short of time today. Tyson

P.S. Back after 2 hours. Unbelievable - after an L4 workout yesterday, I blasted it all the way from start to finish, and wherever the road permitted it, I was doing 36-40kmph. I'm expecting a quantum leap in power soon - I feel it coming. Give me, give me, I've just got to have more power before I'm too old. Tyson

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PaulMD

Wooohaaa!! Put the power to the wheels! When are going for a powermeter on your roadbike? Just don't tell the wife your new rear wheel is $$$$.

Today I did my third timetrial. Last few weeks my CTL dropped from 85 to 60tss/day due to lack of motivation (the summer is over and it's getting cold and early dark) and my girlfriend hit the road hard with her head last week (45min amnesia and a broken radius). So I can be very proud about the results:

9.8km in 12:57 (45.4km/hour or 28.2MPH) with 342 watts at 66.7kg (180cm).

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My latest power profile: 5SP: 16.3w/kg | 1MP: 7.7w/kg | 5MP 5.8w/kg | FTP 4.7w/kg
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Sillyoldtwit

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend Paul , sounds nasty, hope she has fully recovered. It will probably put her off riding for a while.

Don't think I could get anywhere near your TT figures, but maybe with a TT bike, who knows. Anyway, well done!

For those who have been following this thread from the beginning, you will remember my first "cycling" dream with the naked maiden beckoning me off my bike, and the guy hammering downhill with the brakes on and flames belching out from his back tyre. Well this morning had "cycling" dream No. 3.
Sorry to disappoint you if you are expecting naked nymphs.
Back to the dream. I was leading the field with no one in sight behind me, when just before the finish I came to house, but unlike the first dream I didn't have to cycle through the house.
You're not going to believe this!
I had to lean my bike against the outer wall of the house and scale the wall to a point where my head was just under the eaves. Then, employing a series of footholds, drainpipes and grabbing on to the eaves, I had to work my way around the outer wall looking for an open window to climb in through, rush down the stairs and get back on the bike to the finish. I remember looking down at the concrete ground below and thinking, there's going to be a few cracked heads today.
Anyway, after navigating around to the other side of the house, I could see that the race organisers had forgotten to leave a window open. I thought sod this, slid down a drainpipe, got back on the bike and raced off to the finish.
There were a few welcoming beauties at the finish, so I slowed right down and pretended my quads were in agony from the effort of demolishing the field A few minutes later the 'Smoker' and another guy came in and said well done, and the 'Smoker' had the exact same smile on his face to the one he wore the other day when he said he was going to kick my butt at Biwa.

Anyone care to analyse that dream? Tyson

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Alex Simmons

What happened to the toolkit?

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Sillyoldtwit

LOL It was RapDaddyo's toolkit - he probably took it with him when he left the forum.

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Ade Merckx

Cool, I'm loving your swagger and I hope everything goes alright on the night. Can you smoke the smoker? I guess we'll have to see?

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Sillyoldtwit

Swagger? Moi?!? It's actually what I think the Americans call 'trash talk' or something to that effect. To give you an example: I could smoke the 'Smoker' on my shopping bike with the basket full of groceries, my daughter on the back, and wearing slippers.

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wiredued

Maybe... if you don't get lost this time.

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