FTP Test - 2x20

Steve Prefontaine once said, “I sweat blood in training so I don’t have to in the race.”

I had been dreading this since last Friday.  Considering the previous day I had tried to do a workout on FTP with a 2X10min and couldn’t hang for the last interval.  Granted, my cold had been taking its toll for the week leading into it and I wasn’t as recovered as I was today, but it definitely demoralized me and I knew that this test would result in pain, with hopes of success in that pain as opposed to defeat.  My mind wasn’t right about this.

Not looking forward to this all week was unnecessary.  Based on last week’s session, I didn’t have a good feeling about how to pace at that power for that long.  Matt helped me work through the mental pieces yesterday and some tips to get through.  His experience proved correct and his projections are right on.

I got up and grabbed something to eat.  Then set up the fan right in front of my face.  This was a lot more helpful than I had given it credit for before.  The first ten minutes were a struggle just getting into the rhythm, but the second ten is where the pain started to creep in.  HR was elevated well into the 170s, breath was short and rapid and the quads burned.  I just couldn’t get comfortable in my positioning.  I was able to muscle through it with an avg of 272W for the first set. 

The two minute rest interval went by in an instant.  With Running on Sun playing in front of me, I started seeing guys lying on the road and throwing up overcome with heat exhaustion and dehydration from running in the middle of the desert in summer for 135 miles up mountains.  I didn’t feel like I had anything to fear sitting in my basement sipping on a water bottle, so it put my effort into perspective.

Started out on the second set and spiked right back up.  Matt said this would be the most difficult quarter of the effort, but would improve after 10 left, and it proved 90% true.  This segment certainly was a struggle.  Seemed like the 7:00-10:00 markers were an hour long, but I didn’t notice anything getting easier after 10.  Right in the middle of this interval, I could feel my cadence failing me.  This seems to be where the deterioration begins.  My 93-95 rpms start dipping around the 90 rpm point.  Power dips follow.  The last 4 minutes were tough, but I knew I had it at that point.  Time virtually stood still and comfort never returned for the entire 42 minutes.  My attempt was to get those rpms up in the mid-90s for the last couple minutes to boost that interval’s overall average power.  I was successful in taking it up a couple Watts in doing so.  I ended up finishing strong, probably a small amount left in the tank, but glad I was able to end it strong.

Recoverite to follow, and soreness to follow that.  The quads definitely burned, but I love the burn!  Makes me feel alive and like I have diesel fuel powering the motor….I was worried about it for nothing.  I should’ve had more confidence in my capability and my mental toughness to duke it out at 4:00 in the morning.

From here we take Normalized Power over the 42 minutes to set a new FTP of 265 (reduced 5W) and a reduced LTHR to 178bpm.  All reduced from the sub-20:00 Indoor Time Trial.  Next step, continue to raise the FTP by training in the right zones.  Still won’t look forward to the next one of these, but won’t feel as consumed by it.  Good times…