An Epic Day - 70 miles of Spectacular Cycling
Great sky, smooth roads, quiet bike, fit/fast wife, and fantastic scenery.
My wife and I had an absolutely EPIC day of cycling on Saturday. It was a day where the temperature was perfect. The scenery was spectacular. The route was familiar. Traffic was low, except for the myriad other cyclists with whom we shared the day.
The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor suggested 170 XSS for the day, with an.......
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My first mistake was in preparation. I needed to make some changes in the warmup, but I'm not the biggest fan of the Xert Workout Builder. The changes I wanted were made, but I also ended up making 8 warmup intervals, instead of 8 starter 30-second intervals. That meant that I had to dance around in the workout itself, jumping here and there, to get the warmup I wanted in.
Here's the workout. I had no problem achieving the first 6 intervals. It was trying to hit my goals for the next several intervals that blew me up completely.
The next problem I encountered in setup was that the 30-second warmup intervals were just too hard. I set them based on % of FTP, instead of % slope, and they pulled my SmO2 values down to SEVEN PERCENT. I only performed five of these, but they really hurt.
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The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor appears to be a reward system. I’m enjoying the fact that when I wake up, I can look at the ATA and the Training Pacer, realize just how hard or easy I need to ride, and then GO DO IT. I’ve said it before, but it’s like Eating an Elephant – One Bite At A Time.
I just need 52 points to keep my needle on the Training Pacer at 12 O’Clock. FOCUS is at 10:47. I feel good, so I’m going to take advantage of the beautiful day and go ride my mountain bike.
To keep the needle pointing “North”, consistency is the key. The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor is looking at previous Tuesdays, and offering a workout that fits within my schedule. I’ll ride for points and FOCUS. I DEFINITELY feel “Fresh”, and I may bend the ride rules a bit when I get out there.
However, remember – if I choose NOT TO RIDE, the needle won’t point “North”. It will slide. The Blue Triangle shows where I’ll be on my progression if I stay off the saddle.
I’m going to go for a ride. I’ll be back with some results in a bit.
I like to ask myself - "What's the 'Fastest' way to get to my XSS goal, while keeping FOCUS infinitely aerobic, and keep fat burning at or ahead of Carbs?
I set my trainer to ERG mode, and rode 190 watts the entire ride....
Today's ride was about fat burning and XSS. I made my points for the Xert Training Deficit, and kept my needle between 11 and 1 o'clock on the Training Pacer.
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The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor and Training Pacer built me up to a higher level of preparation, for sure. This week, I will transfer over from "Build", to "Peak" in the Xert Adaptive Training Program.
The Target Date is still November 14th. That's when Tracy and I will attempt to summit Truck Route 341 yet again - this time, with a breakthrough in the 20-25 minute range in mind. I'm not worried about time. We both just want to set 20MMP Records that coincide with the Power-Duration Predictions at those levels.
The Xert Adaptive Training Advisor has helped me stay on target. The Training Pacer remains between 11 and 1 O'clock. I've had few days off, but I'm ready to see what the Xert Adaptive Training Program has laid out for me as I transition from "Build", to "Peak".
It will be interesting to see what Xert's Adaptive Training Program lays out. I'm looking forward to the intervals, but I also want to build my own.
Take a look at the Xert "Weekly Stats" page, inside of the "Xert Planner" menu.
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