To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

I think I figured it out. The power meter wants my weight + the bike weight, not just my weight. Thus it was over estimating my watt output. Now to figure out how much my bike weighs...

 

[garneska]

It was long run day. I had been dreading it because it was supposed to rain all morning. At 9 am I bucked up and said I just have to do it. Thankfully it was 50 outside and rain. I started at the hardest part of the rain. The first 45 minutes it rained and then finally got lighter or I was so wet and cold at that point I did not care. I had purchased a pair of my current running shoes but in a goretex version. I had done some walking in them but not really breaking them in. I had no choice I was going to wear them. They did great. I did notice my toe bothering the last 2 miles so I might have a blister but the shoes did not make me give up. The first two miles were bad small sidewalks, lots of puddles. I missed my paces because I was stopping to get over some puddles without drenching my whole foot. Then I hit the Beltline, no cars and wide sidewalks so much easier to dodge puddles. I decided at that point the best thing to do was loop it. I did 2.5 loops and headed home. Not my ideal but better then getting soaked from cars and puddles. After the first two miles I hit all my paces.

The hot shower was fabulous. My back/right leg is a little sore. Need to hit the foam roller but my knee feels ok.

Glad you are enjoying the bike. I can’t wait to get outside on mine but even here in Atlanta it is not great bike weather yet. I had to bust out the cold weather stuff last week and will need it this week too, lows in the low 30s.

 

[DopeyBadger]

It was long run day. I had been dreading it because it was supposed to rain all morning. At 9 am I bucked up and said I just have to do it. Thankfully it was 50 outside and rain. I started at the hardest part of the rain. The first 45 minutes it rained and then finally got lighter or I was so wet and cold at that point I did not care. I had purchased a pair of my current running shoes but in a goretex version. I had done some walking in them but not really breaking them in. I had no choice I was going to wear them. They did great. I did notice my toe bothering the last 2 miles so I might have a blister but the shoes did not make me give up. The first two miles were bad small sidewalks, lots of puddles. I missed my paces because I was stopping to get over some puddles without drenching my whole foot. Then I hit the Beltline, no cars and wide sidewalks so much easier to dodge puddles. I decided at that point the best thing to do was loop it. I did 2.5 loops and headed home. Not my ideal but better then getting soaked from cars and puddles. After the first two miles I hit all my paces.

The hot shower was fabulous. My back/right leg is a little sore. Need to hit the foam roller but my knee feels ok.

Glad you are enjoying the bike. I can’t wait to get outside on mine but even here in Atlanta it is not great bike weather yet. I had to bust out the cold weather stuff last week and will need it this week too, lows in the low 30s.

Sounds like a good run! Made the best of a rainy day.

 

[garneska]

Sounds like a good run! Made the best of a rainy day.

Some days that is all you can ask for. I like to think while this run was not so much fun, it will make me tougher!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Functional Threshold Power (FTP) Test

I did some sleuthing last night to try and solve by bluetooth sensor drop-outs and discrepancy between the power meter and Zwift. Re-read the instructions and realized the weight on the power meter was suppose to be my weight + the bike weight. It did bring them closer, but it was still drastically different. My UIL confirmed that the power meter is rather untrustworthy and that in his experience he found Zwift to be more realistic. So I'll go with that!

The next issue was the bluetooth sensor drop-out. I read online about some potential issues. The phone to close to an LCD, wireless internet interference at 2.4GHZ, physical obstruction between the phone and sensor, and three bluetooth devices might be too many (RPM, cadence, and HR). So to alleviate these issues:

-I moved the phone to the ground (away from the LCD, closer to the sensor, and without physical obstructions).
-I changed the phones wireless to 5GHZ instead of 2.4GHZ.
-I chose not to use the HR monitor for this ride to ensure higher accuracy on the FTP test.
-Restarted my phone

The first hiccup of the day was a poor connection between the Apple Lightning HDMI connection to the TV. After a few attempts, I was able to get it to work. Since Steph was at work, G was going to be my spectator for the ride.

So, the plan was to do a FTP test. This will help setup training zones for my upcoming short 6 week training plan. (Link)



I uploaded Zwift and was on my way.



Cadence was around 70 rpm for most of the warm-up. Didn't really know what to aim for since this was all new to me. G kept yelling at me throughout the entire WU because other riders were passing me. She thought it was pretty cool to have a workout video game. But seriously Dad, they're passing you! Catch up!

After the WU was done, it was time for the real test. A 20 min ride effort that was to be at a maximal effort for the entire 20 min duration. Try and hold a consistent wattage from the beginning to the end.



So I shifted the bike into a gear with more resistance and started to pedal hard. I wasn't really sure what I could keep up for 20 min. So I just kept pedaling hard. For the first 6 minutes, my cadence was relatively consistent (85-90 rpm) and the power increased from 200-333 watts.

After about 6 minutes, things started to level off. I held about 330-350 watts for the next 10 minutes (6 to 16 min) at about a 90-95 cadence. With about 4 minutes remaining, I could tell my cadence was increasing towards 100 rpm. So I decided to kick it up another notch and switch to another higher resistance gear.

Immediately, the wattage jumped up to 400-420 watts with the cadence holding steady around 90 rpm. I was really starting to feel it here at the end. I didn't have much left. I started to fade a bit and settled in at 380-390 watts. That clock was tick, tick, ticking down. And G was constantly yelling at me to keep it up. Wasn't having to worry about getting passed at this moment since I was doing quite well. Wrapped it up and I was exhausted.

Finished with a FTP of 299 watts (average power during the 20 min test was 315 watts). This gave me a 4.09 watts/kilogram assessment on my FTP.

Per this chart, that puts me around a "Good - Category 3".

My thoughts on the test overall. I did a pretty poor job of having a consistent wattage from the beginning to the end of the test. Ranging from 200-420 watts is a really wide range. But I think having a baseline like this will give me a good place to work from. I think I didn't have enough warm-up and will need to do the full FTP test next time (more WU). I also think having the knowledge of how the test went will allow me to perform better the next time around. I've got a feeling I'll end up somewhere closer to a 350 watt average (or FTP of 332 (95% of average of 20 min) and ratio of 4.55 or Very Good - cat 2), but I'll stick with 299 since that's what I earned.

The power meter was WAY off as I was consistently in the 600s for wattage which would be insanely high.

Now here's the thing. My plan is to only indoor bike. I'll use the same setup, same bike, same trainer, etc. So what I need is the setup to be precise (consistent), but it doesn't have to be accurate. My real FTP could be 200 or 400, but as long as I stick with the same setup then I can stick to the values it gives me. It just requires a consistent output from the setup. Which means I'll be training at the correct effort level (% higher or lower than FTP) appropriately regardless of the accurate value.

I didn't have any drop-outs during the 20 min test which was nice, but I did have several during the cool-down. Still working through that.

Overall, I'm happy with how this went. It was a good strong workout. Now time to keep building from here. G had a great time as well which is nice given we'll be doing this a few times a week. I'll add the HR monitor back and see if I can keep the drop-outs down. Excited to see how this plays out over the next few weeks.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm not going to pretend to understand any of this bike stuff, but I'm glad it went well.

Also, I've had a lot of issues with Lightning-HDMI cables. It may just be that the cables I was using were crappy, but ... it also might not be a bad idea to have a backup way of getting things onto the TV (whether that's a chromecast or an apple tv or anything else like that).

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'm not going to pretend to understand any of this bike stuff, but I'm glad it went well.

Also, I've had a lot of issues with Lightning-HDMI cables. It may just be that the cables I was using were crappy, but ... it also might not be a bad idea to have a backup way of getting things onto the TV (whether that's a chromecast or an apple tv or anything else like that).

Thanks!

I've got a chrome cast, but it doesn't appear to work with Zwift. The Apple TV was a more expensive option (150/180 vs 50 for the cord). So it's an option, but not until another time. The Apple TV is the end goal though.

 

[DopeyBadger]

How DopeyBadger plans to get his groove back

I'm writing this with the idea that I'll get the all clear tomorrow. I feel relatively confident about it, but of course I don't actually know 100%. But I figured it would be easier to put pen to paper now, then waiting until after tomorrow afternoon. So the following is what I plan to do for the next 6 weeks.

I covered The return to running and determining current fitness after an extended break prior. I anticipate I'll be about 161 pounds on Tuesday when I return to running. I was able to shave off 3 pounds over the course of the last three weeks. It wasn't easy because I originally was at 164 when I posted that. I slowly eased up to 165.5, but then something finally clicked and I was able to drop weight. So I'm happy with the progress I've made and confident I'm on the right track.

After today's Functional Threshold Power test, I'm moving into the Beginner FTP Builder training plan on Zwift (link). It's very much like a Daniels 5k/10k type running training plan with it's focus on power and threshold pacing. So my hope is that this training plan will serve as a good base for introducing Daniels running pacing after 6 weeks.

In addition to the biking, I will continue on with the McMillan Core Routine two days per week (Tuesday and Thursday). I'll let it naturally progress along the way.

Lastly (and most important/exciting) is the reintroduction of running. I'm taking an estimated guess that my VDOT will have dropped from 54.2 to 47.9 based on the Daniels data and my current weight. So since the first six weeks of running will be solely easy, then I'll be sticking with pacing between 8:33 and 9:11 min/mile. I'll slowly build up the mileage in order to be prepared to attack the last stretch of training. My hope is I'll be able to compete in the Hot2Trot HM in June. Then another HM in August. And then something something in October.



So the plan is to run 6 days per week. But the duration of the run is kept very low. After the run is over, I'll come in the house and jump on the bike to finish out the workout. The core routine will be in the morning. So for Tuesday (3/13) the plan is MCR in the morning, then 3 miles easy running + the first Beginner bike. The purple total is "running duration", blue is "biking duration" and red is "running + biking duration". The yellow value is the mileage per week. I'm capping the days with back to back workouts at 36 min of running.

By the third week, I will drop the 4th bike as the running starts to pick up. I tried to maintain balance and not push too hard. I'm going to listen to my body throughout this process and pull back if necessary.



The running training load will be relatively low, but continuing to build. The total training load will be close to what I know I can handle. This should hopefully put me in the position to succeed come late April. I'll give myself a birthday present by being where I want to be ready to attack the last segment of training. With 8 weeks to go, I'll shift my focus to Hot2Trot.

That's the plan. I'm ready to pull the plug if things don't feel right. But I'm ready to get started and excited because of how I feel today.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Plan #133
Name: @avondale
Race/Distance: Rock n Roll DC Half-Marathon
Training Plan Duration (weeks): 17 weeks
Continuous or Run/Walk: continuous
Days per Week: first 4 weeks at 4 d/wk, last 13 weeks at 5 d/wk
# of Hard Days (per week): 1
Peak Week Duration: 7:08:48 (actual value; predicted 7:24:48)
Peak Week Mileage: 37.79 mi (actual value; predicted 40 mi)
Peak Single Run Duration: 2:33:09
Peak Single Run Mileage: 14.00 mi
PR at Distance Going into it (including when it occurred): 2:07:16
Expectations Going into it: hoping to PR; looking forward to running a max of 2.5 hr for long runs but still making gains!
How closely were you able to follow the plan as written: I missed only 3 runs in the entire 17 weeks. 1 was scheduling problems. 2 were immediately after pulling my glute in tennis. I added 2 EA runs on days when I didn't have tennis or another run scheduled. Within each week, I often had to shift the weekday runs around to fit in with different scheduling issues. I executed the EA, EB, and LRs very well, generally hitting all miles but 1 within the target pace window. The speedwork runs were done only on the treadmill, and I didn't execute them as well - fading or slowing down the speed, which I think was mostly mental. I also played a lot of tennis during this time, which I'm sure affected my training because of additional fatigue and using different muscles, but it's hard to say exactly what the effect would be.
Testimonial: I enjoyed putting on a lot more miles than I thought I would. The EA, EB, and LR paces were very do-able and I felt like I was really building on them. @DopeyBadger did a great job of working within my scheduling constraints.

 

[FFigawi]

Functional Threshold Power (FTP) Test

Now here's the thing. My plan is to only indoor bike. I'll use the same setup, same bike, same trainer, etc. So what I need is the setup to be precise (consistent), but it doesn't have to be accurate. My real FTP could be 200 or 400, but as long as I stick with the same setup then I can stick to the values it gives me. It just requires a consistent output from the setup. Which means I'll be training at the correct effort level (% higher or lower than FTP) appropriately regardless of the accurate value.

This is key. Zwift's zPower estimation is just that, an estimation. As long as you don't change your setup, it doesn't matter what estimation it gives you as long as it's consistent.

 

[SarahDisney]

I hope you get the all-clear to resume running tomorrow!

To my "just starting to learn this" eye, the plan looks good. Looks like you're doing a good job slowly increasing the mileage and the % hard training. Good luck - I hope all goes well with the reintroduction of running!

Also ... is it weird that I'm already thinking about what I'm going to write in my post-plan testimonial? Assuming things don't go terribly next week, it's probably going to be a mix of my usual sarcasm and praise for the plan.

 

[DopeyBadger]

This is key. Zwift's zPower estimation is just that, an estimation. As long as you don't change your setup, it doesn't matter what estimation it gives you as long as it's consistent.

Exactly. Precision not accuracy matters for how I plan to use Zwift.

I hope you get the all-clear to resume running tomorrow!

To my "just starting to learn this" eye, the plan looks good. Looks like you're doing a good job slowly increasing the mileage and the % hard training. Good luck - I hope all goes well with the reintroduction of running!

Thanks!

Also ... is it weird that I'm already thinking about what I'm going to write in my post-plan testimonial? Assuming things don't go terribly next week, it's probably going to be a mix of my usual sarcasm and praise for the plan.

Asking the guy who wrote a 63 page write-up before the race even occurred?

 

[Andie16]

The return plan looks great - I'm excited for you!

 

[DopeyBadger]

The return plan looks great - I'm excited for you!

Thanks!

 

[lhermiston]

I hope you get some good news today!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I hope you get some good news today!

 

[KSellers88]

Fingers crossed for good news today!!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Crossing my fingers and sending good vibes for great news for you today!!

As a note, it's a good thing you are taking up biking! I heard on NPR this morning that cyclists, even casual ones, age better.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Fingers crossed for good news today!!

Crossing my fingers and sending good vibes for great news for you today!!

As a note, it's a good thing you are taking up biking! I heard on NPR this morning that cyclists, even casual ones, age better.

Interesting! I once got asked if I was a teen dad, when G was a baby (so like 3.5 years ago). I would have been 29 at the time. So I'll keep adding on all the anti-aging variables I can find.

 

[canglim52]

Got my fingers crossed you get the all clear today!!