Bike and run test updates

This was the last week of my first “Build” period leading up to the Spring Classic Duathlon. It’s a short race and my bike threshold is relatively low. Increasing threshold on the bike has been my top training priority. Most weeks I fit in two near threshold workouts, either crisscross thresholds or cruise intervals.

This last week has been a lighter week focused on resting and testing. It’s a chance to recover relative to previous training load and to see what progress you’ve made.

How did it turn out?

At the end of the bike ramp test it wasn’t immediately clear if I improved at all. Trainer Day told me my new FTP was 227w. Intervals.ICU told me much lower, 214w. Both were higher than a month ago.

However, precision is an illusion with these things. It’s more interesting to compare inputs to outputs. Output in this case is watts. Input, the body’s exertion measured in heart beats per minute.

Comparing the average watts and average heart rate for each minute of the two ramp tests things are clearer. Power around threshold HR has improved. Not by leaps and bounds, but enough to know that the training is working.

For the run test, I’m struggling to get reliable heart rate data. My first test was, I forgot my chest strap and watches are not to very accurate as a rule. For my most recent test I didn’t forget the chest strap. However, reviewing the results there were flat lines everywhere. The data was clearly bad.

All I have to go off of for the run is my pace and the breath markers I noted.

Comparing between the two tests it’s not clear what has improved from the training so far. However, things look similar. So, I think I can say I’m not losing fitness at the very least.

At the end of the day, I’m happy to see that my bike training seems to be working. Now to figure out how to measure HR in the run…