I ended up taking a week off. I needed it. I disconnected from everything and did nothing but sleep in and play video games.
Back in action today, the bike felt good but I could feel my attention drifting with 15 minutes left. It’ll take some practice to stay focused for up to an hour.
@marcB I’m super stoked for the upgrades to the AI coach!
@Jesse I do the same thing! review the initial session comments then put mine in to see how it changes the feedback. Sometimes I ramble on about everything not directly related to the session (Weather, family, etc) and sometimes I keep it on point; it is very interesting on what is integrated into the second response and what it isn’t. Seems to be dependent on the day.
It has helped me a tremendous amount in processing the details of the session. Looking forward to future iterations of this part of the service.
We had yellow weather warnings (UK) in our area today for wind and rain. There was what I thought was a lull at 2pm, and I got changed, and headed out for a strength endurance session. Never seen so much water locally, it was flooded in so many places that I’ve never seen it before. Maybe I should have been on a pedalo. Then of course the rain returned just after my warm up and starting first interval. Quite inventive route today to minimise floods I had to negotiate and all completed. I’m going to have wind and rain on my events this year and being comfortable in all likely weathers is all part of the preparation.
Phil, you get the award for today’s hardperson riding! Nice work getting out!
I agree, Phil, great work getting out in the wild conditions 
I made the time for an hour today. I’ve been on vacation for 2 weeks now and didn’t do anything. Easier to make time for workouts when following the usual life schedule.
There were a couple of moments during the ride where my thighs were burning quite a bit. I pushed though each moment and got my “second wind”. Maybe it was because I’m indoors without a fan… It was pretty hot in the room
OG says: “Great job on hitting your workout targets, Jesse! Your compliance with the planned intensity and duration is spot on. The mWR of -6% indicates you really pushed your limits, suggesting you’re making solid progress. Your FTI at 70% shows you trained at a moderate intensity level, which is great for developing aerobic endurance. Remember, the efficiency factor (EF) of 1.17 suggests a good balance between your power output and heart rate. Despite feeling the heat, your RPE at 3/10 indicates you managed the effort well. Keep up the good work, and ensure you stay hydrated and cool for your indoor sessions!”
A tempo session today on my usual bit of road. Nigh on perfect load compared to what the AI wanted and a minimum workout reserve of -11%. I’ve seen personal records in VO2 max, Tempo, and Aerobic Development this week. Solid progress.
Cold wind and temps down to 3C. But dry and sunny and better than the warmer wetter weather of late.
Thought I would share my training weekend here.
I had a head cold during the holidays so training was a bit hit and miss. This time I was patient enough to let my body recover long enough before returning for full. Anyone else who thinks the most challenging part of returning to training is to know WHEN…? When are you really ready for it!?
I typically try some strength training, walk and a run and if I still feel ok, then I try to return to what is on the plan.
Friday I was ready to hit it.
Long distance over-unders felt great, and I surpassed what I thought I could run off the bike with 4K at 5:17min/km pace (a bit too hot to hold for full marathon I think). AI Coach was happy.
Saturday long swim (after a looooong break from swimming) and 1 hour easy bike ride and a track running drill session with my daughter.
Energetic throughout the day, and slept like a rock on both nights.
Sunday a short leisurely morning fasted 5K run with my doggie Oslo. Didn’t look at the pace.
Afternoon a long run - although I felt the training in the legs, I had incredible POP factor and I let my legs dictate the pace. I was curious. How long can I keep 5:20-5:25 min/km pace? Didn’t look at my heart rate as I was afraid I was pushing way beyond Mara pace. My breathing was well under control, and I felt really really good, so I let myself do what I love to do. 
Turns out 20K at 5:20-5:30 was not too much.
Sunday total 25K YAY
If you are curious about double run days.. you could try the longer one first, then go out again in the evening and do a shorter one. I did the longer one later, as during Ironman I will be running on tired legs in the afternoon, so that’s what I wanted to prep my body for. I’m running the Woodlands Marathon March 2nd, so I will be lengthening the morning run a bit and then keeping the longer one in the afternoon. or I will do a long slow in the morning and then mara pace (shorter 5-10k) in the afternoon. There is many ways to do this. As you start experimenting, you may find the second run tough, in which case, just do it easy.
Last night I woke up at 1am feeling hot and achy which I have learned is a sign I’ve pushed the envelope enough. Time to take it easy and recover. So this morning run turned into a lovely walk with Oslo and mobility work to start the day. Being intentional with my advice #TheAthletesCompass podcast and making my coach @Prof proud by listening to my body’s signs..
Here’s my race schedule:
7 weeks to Birkibeiner ski race 29K
8 weeks to Woodlands Marathon
16 weeks to Ironman Texas
I have set the training program to target IM TX as my A race, and not added the other two races as they will act as training, and I will not be truly tapering for them. Ski race will be for fun (although when the BIB goes on, it’s game on regardless how little skiing I’ve done here in Texas.. 
Here’s a pic from the afternoon run. It’s flat as a pancake here on the outskirts of Houston, but the evening skies are pretty spectacular.
Cheers for a great training week ahead folks! 
Bit of a treat today. Brought my son to my studio for some S&C. He’s 13 and interested in the roll of exercise in managing ADHD. Today I concentrated on fun: 8 exercises for time. It was a fun 15 minutes
LOVE THAT @Jesse ! Exercise is the best! My 9 year is hyperactive - and is always moving - if he doesn’t - all h#$l breaks lose. 
Some VO2 max today. A total of six long hiit intervals performed on a local hill outside. Waited till it hit a tropical 2C before heading out. A mWR of 11% which is fine as I set a new personal best last week when doing 4 intervals. Three of the intervals had exactly the same ascent time according to Strava, a couple 4 seconds faster, and one laggard a few seconds behind. Fairly consistent and happy with the effort.
I’ll have a taper next week for one of my C winter brevet events.
Turns out I needed the 2 weeks off of everything. Today’s bike session felt more like the threshold work I remember doing in the past. Contrast this to the bike sessions from 3 and 4 weeks ago that felt like a slog.
I kept the trainer in manual mode so that could find that familiar threshold muscle burn. I did a pretty great job keeping it in that range. mWR of -1% on the final interval means I nailed it. Tomorrow will be a really easy recovery ride.
OG summarizes: Your latest indoor bike session shows a stellar effort with a notable FTI of 90%!
Thought I’d jump in on this, just doing my Test Week for a Middle Distance Triathlon, keen to see how well Athletica works as a AI coach!!
Triathlon training plans scare me, coming from solely running plans generally although I did a full 140.6 in 2022. Hoping that the swim sessions really improve me!
Anyway - MAF Test on the bike this morning felt good, held 223W for the 30mins and then for the 10min test my HR was only about 5 BPM above normal.
@jockefc23 Welcome! I came from running as well, and truly enjoyed the entry to triathlon - I need variety!
Great job on the MAF test! What do you mean HR was 5BPM above normal? You held the 223 W average from 30 min and your HR was 5 beats higher than during the 30 mins test?
I had patients this morning during the Zwift time, so I hopped on the bike a lunch for a quick spin. I wanted to make sure Zwift was working for future sessions and get the blood pumping for a really easy 30 minutes.
Monitor is on an arm so I was able to swing it around. 32in of 4k Zwift goodness 
We’ve had a lot of rain and flooding up to this week. But it’s turned cold and dry this week. Waited till a little later for ice to melt but it was still lurking in the shadows. Glorious in winter sun but have to pick my roads wisely. This car driver wasn’t so lucky. Aerobic Development today.
Yeah I love the variety!
And yes, was happy with that result, basically 40 mins at 223W without my HR going above 140 (I’m 43 years old).
FTP test on Friday will be fun 
Maybe that driver, in the car, had a very brief desire to test out the 4x4 button that they had never used before 
Didn’t turn out like they hoped by the look of things. The frost looks pretty thick hope the ride was safe and sound.
the mystery buttons!
Brought both kids to the studio after school for a little EMOM. We had a great time!
This is the weather where I am for the next few days:
Temps are in Celsius
I have a split run tomorrow so am going to head out for one of the runs outside. There is nothing like the crunch of cold snow to appreciate the “here and now”. Treadmill see you later! (ok maybe later in the afternoon), but the fresh air will be for 75 minutes at least.
I listened to Zach Bitters HPO podcast:
Episode 377: Akshay Nanavati - 110 Day Arctic Crossing Project
A good listen around logistics and individual mental preparedness and process; with an added inspirational bonus of getting outside and doing hard things in the cold!
