Using workout alternates went for long HIIT for my VO2 past couple of weeks. Set a new Strava PB up my local hill, plus my second and third best times on subsequent repeats. I’ll likely change back to short HIIT come winter.
2 Likes
Strength Endurance followed by Threshold today. It was damp and windy out, but warmed up enough Ice no longer a concern. I did these sessions back to back as I use the same bit of road for them. Friday now freed up before long aerobic ride Sat.
3 Likes
Hey boys, Jesse thanks for starting this thread. I have enjoyed reading about your training, so thanks for sharing! Are you an AT? Sounds like you know what you are doing with your calf strain. Hopefully you are back in running soon!
My first time posting on this thread. This week, I have been struggling with a bit of fatigue sitting tight, so I’ve done very little and not really followed the plan. I am listening to my body and HRV, and adjusting training as I go. Today I was supposed to do run HIIT and Swim HIIT, but I have switched tomorrow easy Z2 to today, and will see how I feel later today to some speedier running if feeling good. Typically a bit of Z2 makes me feel better. I was feeling a bit playful on the bike and I was curious to see where my sprinting abilities were today, just a short 10s max sprint on zwift. Just for fun. Ironman training can be a bit monotonous sometimes.
Here’s a screenshot of my ride. At first the AI coach didn’t like me straying and maxing out, this was supposed to be a Zone 2 ride, after all. But when I inserted my comment about wanting to play and sprint a little, the comment came back a little more positive:" Fantastic work, Marjaana! Your actual load of 77 significantly surpassed the planned 53, indicating a strong performance. With an mWR of -29%, it’s clear you pushed your limits to a new high. Your peak power of 778w is impressive, especially at 11.8 w/kg! Remember, FTI (Fractional Training Intensity) shows how intense your workout was compared to your threshold; at 81%, you’re training smartly within your capacity. As HRV is trending down, listening to your body for recovery needs is wise. Keep up this momentum, but also ensure you’re balancing effort with adequate rest! 
"
I’m really impressed by the AI coach comments. IT has some sense of humor as well…
4 Likes
Welcome to the thread Marjaana!! The more the merrier 
I 
agree with you. Sometimes you just need to spice things up with a little sprint or two. Good job keeping OG updated with the feedback. It’s quick to scold unless you’ve given a good reason
3 Likes
I got told off by the AI yesterday! The load was meant to be 88 but I did 195 during my long aerobic ride. It warned me to watch my fatigue. It of course didn’t know I was riding to meet a friend who lives in a different county and it’d involve somewhat more duration. It’s knocked an hour off Saturday’s outing and it’s all good.
4 Likes
Upon first read through I thought you rode your bike to a different country 
3 Likes
Well I do that (ride to a different country) during some of my longer events but no usually during my training.
1 Like
I was planning on doing this session yesterday, but life happened and needed to postpone. I did not sleep very well last night, having a lot of difficulty falling asleep. Probably due to the early afternoon coffee. I seem to process caffeine much slower than I used to.
I started a little conservatively with these intervals. I needed to get the gearing right and it took the first 2 to do it. I was able to really crank it for the final 2 and I think the 4th one was the sweet spot. I’ve got a better idea which gear to be in for next time, so I’ll be able to get that WR down to 0 for sure.
Up late tonight again, need to pick up my son from a party at midnight so tomorrow’s ride will be interesting. I don’t think I’ll be able to get the full time in. But we will see.
Although I know that OG is an LLM, I do enjoy the creativity and positivity:
“Despite feeling the effects of caffeine and a restless night, your ability to adapt and finish strong—especially on the last intervals—is commendable.” -OG
1 Like
Aerobic Development today. The AI coach was happy that I hit the mark matching exactly it’s planned average HR, and minimum workout reserve -3.6%.
I’ve got a pretty good feel for these and could ride at the right intensity blind folded. Well I could indoors, but maybe not outdoors as this session was.
3 Likes
It’s pretty exciting when you have enough training experience to be able to ride Z2 / AD by feel. Feels like you’ve leveled up!
3 Likes
A tempo session today and finished just before the rain came in
The AI coach had this to say
Your normalized power shows solid tempo work, and an efficiency factor of 1.61 indicates a good balance between power output and heart rate. The mWR at -5% suggests you’re pushing boundaries, while a 70% FTI means you’re training smartly within your intensity zone. Your RPE at 4/10 aligns with your positive sentiment, signaling you’ve managed this session exceptionally well. Keep up the great work!
Some nice Christmas themed postbox covers about
Merry Christmas all.
3 Likes
I think I hit the intended duration. I know my local routes and how long they take approx The AI coach can’t complain.
Wet first half before rain cleared through. Good to get the ride in at the end of 2023, shorter morning outing tomorrow to finish off a solid year of cycling and training with Athletica.
2 Likes
Solid work @Phil … it has been a good year 
Final ride of 2023 completed. A little over a couple of hours with icy rain to finish. A minimum Workout Reserve of -4% (note Coach summary says -3%, analysis shows -4%) to finish off the year.
2 Likes
@Phil The AI Coach is uncanny in its ability to see your progress, even mentioning the icy rain. In one of the future Athletes Compass podcasts, Marjaana talks about how she is losing some weight and needs to go shopping. The AI Coach wished her luck on her shopping trip!
2 Likes
A couple of my favourite phrases this time of year are
-
Winter miles, Summer smiles
-
Winter miles count double
I might just put these in my feedback at some point to see the AI coach feed it back
2 Likes
That’s a good idea! We should “teach” it some great phrases like that.
2 Likes
Remember that we are only on version 1.0 of the AI Coach and have some exciting plans for 2024, including the ability to select the way AI Coach speaks to you (e.g. novice, pro, 5 year-old, etc.) and ideally incorporating voice AI in our mobile app when that gets rolled out. The real value will come when AI Coach is able to take a longitudional view of how you are doing - today it is only session by session, but I still love it!
3 Likes
That’s going to be amazing, Mark! To think the AI Coach is still early in its development shows the power of the platform. I’m loving it!
3 Likes
As you add more details into the session feedback, the ai will update it’s response to include those details in context. It’s fun to read version 1 of the feedback and then how it’s updated based on my comments.