I really can't believe all this. I am stunned at how much stronger and faster I have gotten on the bike since I started training with Endurance Nation (EN) in October 2007 and their off-season program. Linking up with EN convinced me to dip into the world of cycling with a power meter, and it is the best, most effective thing I have ever done with my training. I did an Functional Threshold Power (FTP) last week, and was not really expecting much movement since I got a whopping 16 watt jump in July, only a month ago. The testing protocol is warm-up, then 2 x 20' with 2' rest in between. Then you plug the results into WKO+, and the results for the the entire 42' range gives you your functional threshold. In four weeks I got another 9 watt bump! Unbelievable.
During the workout, the numbers looked good as I rode along, and I felt pretty good even though this test came on the heels of a 3-week "build" block of training. I rode consistently and was aware to keep my power up on the downhills (now known as watt killers in my book!)
Here's the recap:
October 2007 FTP--152 watts
April 2008--EN Off-Season Training into half Ironman training brought it up to 167 watts
July 8, 2008 test--180 watts
July 15, 2008 test--183 watts
August 20, 2008 test--192 watts!!!! Get. Out!
If I can make these gains, anyone can! Over at EN we train smart, sharp, and hard. We talk a lot about our training as "drinking the Koolaid." Slurp, slurp, slurp is all I can say!
If your season is over, or will be in a month or more, do yourself a favor and check out the EN Off-Season Training Plans for this year. Do it, and "watch out 2009!"
