Excited to be taking on my second FF test tomorrow after following the 6 week Power Builder plan - hoping for significant improvement on - 605, 325, 227, 183 posted 21 Nov just after joining SUF.not having done structured bike training before.
I am a 56 year old male new to bike (learnt to ride from scratch 14 months ago) but with a sub 3 hour marathon running background. I had major hip surgery in Sep 2017 and I am looking to fulfill a lifetime ambition and be competitive for my age group at IMWADEC21.
I intend to do the TOS prep plan and then the tour to lead me into a 70.3 training plan for a June race before building to full IM in December.
My main aim is to get stronger and faster on the bike!
Is my planning sensible?
I’ll post my FF results tomorrow.
David
… and here are the results -
650, 319, 228, 192
LTHR=151
Rouleur
Pleased that NM went up from 605 to 650 but disappointed that AC went down from 325 to 319.
MAP went up just 1 from 227 to 228 but pleased FTP went up from 183 to 192.
I guess given my Mt Suffalandria is Ironman I ought to focus on improving FTP and so should be pleased this went up?
Hoping the ToS prep plan will get FTP to over 200 
Any insights / observations would be most welcome!
Congrats on your numbers. You will definitely get to 200 FTP. Best of luck on the TOS!
Hi @fastboy64, welcome!
Congratulations on the new test numbers.
I wouldn’t be too disappointed about some of the numbers going down. At the moment, you only have two data points, and there are a lot of other variables, apart from your training, that could affect each one. A big one is learning how to pace the FF test properly, especially the 5 minute and 20 minutes tests. That’s something that comes with experience, and even the people who have done many FFs have days where they fail the pacing.
What weakness did Full Frontal identify for you? If you select any of the training plans from the SUF app, it will tailor the sessions to target your weakness.
Regarding the triathlon bike leg, this article may be of interest: https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/training-resources/why-focusing-on-ftp-is-making-you-a-slower-triathlete
Finally, you may be able to get an estimate of the FTP numbers for the competitive age-groupers by searching the web. But I wouldn’t get too concerned about reaching or matching those numbers. So many other things come into play in those long events. It will be all about doing the right preparation, and then making the most of that preparation and your fitness on the day. An example discussion is here: https://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Wattage_for_around_a_5:00_Ironman_bike_split%3F%3F_P6480077/
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with these insights.
I really liked the article - I am now convinced working on 4DP is the way to go - I am particularly convinced that improving MAP will help with FTP … so TOS prep plan it is!
The thread about power for a 5:00 bike split for Ironman was fascinating, particularly as I am new to bike. The take away here is that I have a LOT of work to do - clearly need to get my FTP up to well over 200 to be able to ride a 5:45 which I would be happy with!