PIG Week 12

As I complete the recovery workout for week 12, this week is now completed with a day to spare. Now I can ring in the new year without worrying about tomorrow's session.

The hardest part with a recovery workout is holding the wattage below the limit, in my case, 160 watts. It's so easy to spike when you hit a little hill. I have to work on that a lot more.

PIG Week 12 Endurance Session

Two hours and forty-five minutes on the trainer. If that doesn't drive you crazy, nothing will. That's today's session: 2:45 @ 65 - 70% of my critical power threshold which works out to be about 170 - 175.

Not only is the session long, but I started before the crack of dawn so that I didn't spend most of the morning on the trainer. It only took three bottles of Clif Shot lemonade drink and a few Honey Stinger waffles. Now it's time for a big breakfast.

PIG Week 12 Session 3 Tempo

I think tempo workouts have to be my favorite. The intensity is a little lower than the interval sets and the duration is long enough to get into a comfortable rhythm. They allow you to get into that zone where you're just cruising along. They're not easy enough that you can zone out but you can just focus on the ride.

PIG Week 12 Session 1 Intervals

After two days of celebrating Christmas and a few glasses of wine, it's time to get back to the bike.

Today is the start of week 12 and I'm starting with the regular interval set. Since I round the wattage a little, this week's set is the same as last week, 6 x 5 minutes at 260 watts. I shifted to a harder gear this week but I don't know if that makes a difference since the computer sets the resistance.

The set was tough but overall, I think I completed the set easier than last week. A few times last week I had to stand on the pedals to get the cadence back up and I was able to stay seated the entire workout this week.

I guess it was okay to have a glass or two of wine and a good glass of beer.

PIG Week 11 Session 2 Long Intervals

Did I say six inches of snow yesterday? I went out to shovel and it was closer to twelve inches. It took over an hour to clear the driveway and I only have a two car garage.

Today's workout represents the change from the first ten weeks to the last ten weeks. In the first ten weeks, there was one interval workout and two tempo workouts. The last ten weeks start with two interval workouts and one tempo workout.

The second interval workout it a long interval workout and it's similar to Daniel's cruise intervals except the time between reps is long than I would expect. For a cruise interval, I would have looked for a set that looked like twenty minutes @ 235 and five minutes recovery. As it was, the set was two by twenty @ 235 followed by ten minutes recovery. A very tough set.

Now it's time to finish the Christmas shopping.

PIG Week 11 Session 3 Tempo

The nice thing about the tempo sets is that since my wattage didn't change, the tempo sets didn't change from weeks 6 - 9. The big difference between weeks 6 - 9 and 11 - 14 will be the second interval set which is tomorrow's workout. Hopefully shoveling six inches of snow won't tire out the legs too much.

PIG Week 11 Session 1 Intervals

After terrible weeks 8 and 9, and with doubling the recovery week to two weeks, the first session of week 11 went good. 6 x 5 minutes @ 260 with 3 minute recovery. The last two reps were tough and with the last two minutes being real hard.

After weeks 8 and 9, it felt good to complete a tough workout again. Now it's time to get some recovery going since there's another tough interval session this week.

Critical Power Test 3 - part 3

After a second week of recovery, I was rested and ready for the critical power test again. Thirty minutes hard and steady to establish the training threshold for the next four weeks.

The plan was to start out and hold 240 for the first fifteen minutes and then pick up the average five watts every five minutes. The first fifteen went just as planned and I went through fifteen at 240. The second fifteen didn't quite go as planned. I was only able to raise the average five watts over fifteen minutes. Not exactly as I planned it.

I struggled with the 245 watt threshold the last four weeks so maybe this is a good indicator that I didn't get as much improvement as I thought. Starting Monday, it's 245.

PIG Week 10.5

Since my foot is still bothering me and since my performance on the test wasn't so great, I'm repeating week 10 which is a recovery week. The main reason is to give my foot another week to heal. I don't really want this foot problem come race season so it's better to rest now and train later.

Critical Power Test 3

With the recovery week coming to an end, it's time for the third critical power test to set the levels for weeks 11 - 14. I'm using the 70.3 CA course so it's mostly flat with a few climbs to keep switching up the leg muscles.

The start felt pretty good and after a few minutes I settled into my target wattage of 255. My goal was 255 for 25 and then if there was anything left, try to raise it to 260. After about 20 minutes, things started to fall apart. I don't know what it is but it's taken two test to get a good performance.

For now, since I had trouble with the interval workouts from weeks 6 - 9, I think I will continue with the old results and then retest.

PIG Week 10

I love the recovery weeks. After four hard weeks of intervals, tempos and long rides, it's nice to sleep in a little and get some rest. The next 30 minute test is coming soon and then the hard work starts again.

PIG Week 9 Session 2 Tempo

Another strong tempo set, 50 minutes at 221 watts. I think I'm better suited for the slightly lower watts with a longer duration than the shorter more intense interval sessions. I seem to get through the tempo sets easier than the interval sessions. I guess that means I should work on the intervals harder.

PIG Week 9 Session 1 Intervals

Still slugging it out with the 3 x 10 minute, 5 minute recovery sets. Struggled through rep 1 but I made it. Broke cadence on rep 2 and 3 at the 5 minute mark, recovered for 1 minute and then finished strong. Tough set.

The skiing legs responded pretty well. The calves are still a little sore from Sunday but the quads are feeling good.

PIG Week 8

Week 8 was another tough week especially with Thanksgiving, an allergic reaction and a flu shot. It's a wonder I finished the week. One more hard week and then time for a recovery week which can't come too soon.

PIG Week 8 Session 2 Tempo

My head feels like I was drinking all night which would be fine if I had been but I wasn't. I think I got a little cross contaminated food with my allergen last night. The sinus were stuffed and sleep was lousy. It almost kept me from doing this morning's workout.

45 minutes tempo at 221 watts. To think 8 week ago I could barely hold 224 watts for 30 minutes. Today I averaged 226 watts, stuffed head and all.

PIG Week 7

I just finished the last required workout of week 7 and I'm glad this week is over. The interval set was a disaster and my legs never had a chance to rest after that. It might have been easier if I hadn't done the interval set again but I didn't want to leave the set undone.

Now it's time for some rest so that I can get back on track with week 8.

PIG Week 7 Session 1 Intervals The Sequel

Tuesday was definitely not my day, the workout kicked my butt. So what am I supposed to do? Get tough, dig deep and do it again. I'm not going to let some little interval set beat me. Eat half a pizza for dinner, get a good night's sleep and get back on the saddle.

I know the workout plan says don't do back to back hard workouts but that's what I'm doing. That workout is going down.

After an hour, that interval workout is done.

PIG Week 7 Session 2 Tempo

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday's workout was a disaster. I just couldn't hold the power output for ten minutes. Who could know that ten minutes could be so long.

Today was completely different, a fifty minute tempo workout. I just picked out a course, 70.3 California, set the power on cruise control and just let it flow. Maybe it was the breakfast that I had for dinner last night, scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. It probably had a lot more calories than Monday night's dinner.

PIG Week 7 Session 1 Intervals

Ouch, this set kicked my butt.  It was supposed to be 3 x 10 minutes @ 255 watts. The first rep felt pretty good, hard but I still felt good. Half way through rep 2, the bottom fell out. The brutal thing about coaching mode on the computrainer is that the computer adjust the resistance no matter how much you are suffering. You can't drop the wattage. It's like riding up a hill and bonking. The hill is still there but your going backwards.

Maybe I should eat more than just grilled cheese and tomato soup?

PIG Week 6 Session 2 Tempo

Six weeks ago, I did the CP30 test and averaged 224 watts for thirty minutes. I just finished the first tempo workout of week six, forty-five minutes, average watts 220. If you had told me at the start that I would be holding 220 for forty-five, I would have thought that impossible.

I can't wait to see what week nineteen holds.

PIG Week 6 Session 1 Intervals

I've decided that no matter how hard you thought the last session was, the new session is even harder. After completing the first four interval sessions, I thought I had it down and then I had the next interval session after the second CP30 test.

I don't know if it was the resetting the level but the 3 - 10 minute intervals were brutal. The third one was really tough and I could definitely feel the effects from the first two.

I can't wait for next week's interval session.

Critical Power Test 2

I just finished the test at the end of week 5. It's actually my second attempt at the test. I tried the test on Friday but my stomach wasn't happy and my head wasn't in it. I also think I hammered too hard too soon. By minute twelve, I knew I was going to crash and fade of the last half.

This morning went much better. I made sure I had a good warm up, fifteen minutes, and started nice and moderate, building all the way through. The average for thirty minutes was 246 watts which is up from 224 watts for the first test. That's a 9.8% improvement in just five weeks. The guarantee is that you will improve by 10% but they don't say if that is wattage based or miles per hour.

If I can continue on this improvement rate, I might just make 300 watts by the last test.

PIG Week 4

I just finished the first four weeks of the Performance Improvement Guarantee program and it was tough. When you start, it says it's going to be hard and it was. This week will be a recovery week followed by another test to reset my CP30. I'm excited and worried at the same time. I want to see how much I've improved but I'm scared because the CP30 will reset the level of effort for the next four weeks. The last four were tough, how much harder will the next four be?

PIG Week 4 Session 1 Intervals

This had to be the hardest interval workout yet. The 20 minutes at 225 Watts wasn't too bad but the 2 x 10 minutes at 240 were tough. I almost didn't make the last minutes of the second interval.

Cycling Peaks

If you're going to try the Computrainer PIG, I think you have to buy Cycling Peaks ERG software. It makes creating the interval sets a breeze. I tried to create an interval set using notepad and it was painful. In about five minutes with Cycling Peaks ERG software, I had created the first four interval sets.

Ouch

I don't know what I did but while delivering cat shelters, I tweaked my foot. Sitting at home with ice and elevation.

PIG Week 3 Session 2 Tempo

I'm finally motivated enough to do the first workout on Monday instead of Tuesday. I'm still starting with the second workout first but I like to start the week with the tempo workout.

Another good workout but I have to work on holding back just a little. The tempo was supposed to average 205 for 45 minutes but I averaged 213. I'm also having trouble with the silver man. I set his average to 205 and when I average 205, he keeps getting away. Maybe it's time to slow him down.

PIG End of Week 2

So far, I am impressed with the PIG training plan. It has me working harder than I have in the past. I need to work on the scheduling a little more and insert a recovery day or two into the week. I have a gap between the first workout but then the last three are back to back. I think if I can put a recovery between the second and third workout, it's going to be easier.

PIG Week 2 Session 1 Intervals

This week's interval set was a little easier mentally than last week's set. It was still tough and it makes killer minutes seem easy. 2 x 10 minutes at 225 and 4 x 5 at 240. Looks like the second set is to push the limit.

PIG Week 1 Session 3 Tempo

Two hard workouts down and one more hard workout to go, another tempo set. This time is a little easier with 45 minutes @ 180 watts.

It definitely felt easier than session 2 tempo. I'm glad I have the rest of the day off.

PIG Week 1 Session 1 Intervals

And I thought the tempo session was going to be hard. Not when you compare it to the interval set. 2 x 10 minutes at 203 watts followed by 4 x 5 at 225 watts.

Talk about sweating buckets.

PIG Week 1 Session 2 Tempo

I wasn't modivated enough to start with session 1 intervals so why not start with session 2 tempo.

What was I thinking? 45 minute tempo set at 191 watts?

Well, I made it but it wasn't easy. This could be a long 20 weeks.

Critical Power 30 Test

After thinking about it for over a year, I've finally decided to take the Performance Improvement Guarentee challenge. The first step, the critical power 30 test to measure your average power over thirty minutes which will set the training levels for the first 5 weeks.

After a rather pathetic and half-hearted attempt on Friday, I decided to give it another try. Friday I averaged 195 watts and didn't feel too bad. On Saturday, I averaged 225 and definitely felt it at the end.

Now it's time to get ready to work.