Recovery Week means Fitness/Baseline Tests

This past week was a recovery week for me which means shorter durations of all my workouts. Yay for recovery week! However, this week was also an opportunity to see where I am in terms of my fitness level in 2 of the 3 disciplines, essentially baseline tests. 

I scheduled my Swim Fitness Test on Thursday with my swim coach. The test would consist of a timed 1000yd (20laps) swim in the pool. After a quick warmup, I began when my coach started her stopwatch. I didn't know it at the time but she was writing my splits for each 50yds. After I finished my T1000, I did a quick cool down and then went over to talk to my coach. I told her I felt like I was swimming in molasses. But, my splits showed that I started out fast (which people normally do in a race), then I stayed consistent for the majority of the laps. With about 3 laps to go, I slowed down. Hmmm--I knew exactly why I had slowed down. Somehow, I had managed to swallow some water which was causing me to have trouble breathing. I just needed to cough but I didn't want to stop until I finished. Eventually, I lifted my head during one of my final turns and coughed. Ahhhh, I should have done that sooner. After that, my time splits resumed to my normal speed. Overall, my swim test results were no surprise. With continued practice on form and stroke, I should be exactly where I need to be on race day.

FTP Bike Fitness Test: A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from the Tri club sent out a message looking for someone who wanted to do a bike fitness test using his new trainer with power meter. Surely, I thought plenty of people would jump on the chance to get this sort of data. However, when I saw him at our club meeting, he said he didn't have any takers. What? No takers!?! "Sign me up," I said. We scheduled my test for Saturday. 

A few days before our meeting, Bill (who I've nicknamed "gadget guy/BAM" because in my opinion he knows anything and everything about the sport), sent me a schedule as to what I would be doing:  FTP TEST: 15 minutes warmup including a few 30 second to 1 minute power bursts above 100 rpm.. Recover for several minutes then perform a 5 minute effort in zone 4 at about 95% effort. Recovery for 10 minutes. Finally perform a 20 minute time trial all out.  This test will be used to determine your functional threshold power or CP60.

Yikes, maybe this is why no one volunteered?! A 20 minute all out TT sounds extremely painful!

Here's me on Celo

Once the test started at each 5 minute interval, Bill asked how I was feeling. Honestly, cardiovascular wise, I felt like I could go on forever. However, my legs felt like they were on fire from the get go. At one point, all I could think of was that I would be lucky to make it to the 10 minute mark. I just wanted to quit because my legs hurt so bad. However, Bill kept talking to me and reassuring me that I could do it & to keep going. The only way I could keep my power output from dropping too much when I started getting tired was to shift down one gear for a few peddle strokes then return to the previous gear. This technique seemed to help the time pass a little quicker  because I was not longer focusing on every second of the 20 minutes. Whew, once I hit the 15 minute mark, I felt more confident that I would be able to successfully finish the test even though my legs felt like they were on fire. Ahhh, at the 20 minute mark, I was D O N E! The trainer automatically stopped the test and I was able to start my recovery. After my recovery, Bill and I discussed what my results meant. Though, the test itself wasn't pleasant by any means, it was definitely worth knowing where I am in terms of power output when pedaling. 

Smiling because it's over

Thanks Bill for your help! I'll see you in about 8 weeks for another test. Did I just say I wanted to endure this test again?!?!