I’d done a Half Monty the week before the taper week in the Pre-ToS program and had seen gains there.
I did a FM on Saturday and saw those gains mostly stay (everything was within the expected margin of error where I’d call it “unchanged”) with the exception of the MAP estimate. My MAP came back 16w below the HM estimate, but 11w above the previous FM. I do think that the HM overestimated my MAP.
Current numbers (w/kg based on this morning’s weight):
Now that I’ve got my new 4DP numbers, it’s time to test them out.
My new MAP is 289w. Yesterday I did an individual TT (same trainer, different app) and held 273w avg for 10 minutes. I think they balance out.
Since yesterday was my birthday, tomorrow morning I will be doing ISLTA which based on my previous experiences should get me at least 45 (maybe more) SUF miles. And then Saturday I’ll do Half Monty just for comparisons and giggles.
Whee!!
For my birthday, my daughter gave me a homemade paper “medal” that says “Yay! You are almost half way through your life race!” I hope she’s right and I’m not yet halfway through my “life race”.
Well, that worked out. Barely. My FF results weren’t applied which was a blessing and a curse. It used my old FTP of 228 instead of 230 so a tiny blessing. But it used my old MAP and AC which were both over 20w higher. So all the sprint efforts hurt extra.
The Columbians attacking before Mt Apocalypse really hurts because it’s right where I need a real recovery. Same with the 2 short efforts before the final 40 minute climb. Really wish those were true recoveries. The start of the final 40 minute climb ripped my legs off and I barely kept myself from hitting the bottom of the death spiral. Dropped it down to 95 then 90%. Still ended up around 40-60rpms for the second half the the climb. Finally kicked it back up to 100% when I hit the last 2 minutes. Hit 45 miles plus 1 to grow on. Happy birthday to me. What I really want now are a new pair of legs since my current ones were ripped off, this morning.
It would be amazing if there were a crowdsourced list that rates workouts on a scale of difficulty. I see that Nine Hammers is apparently the worst, by consensus. Maybe I’ll try to organize something at some point.
Butter was fine with my new numbers, but I utterly failed at The Best Thing In The World and Long Scream.
@hackr In the app you can the videos by intensity factor. The Tool Shed is highest (it includes parts from Nine Hammers and The Shovel). Nine Hammers is near the top. Team Scream is number 2 - love that video.
I know you can order by intensity factor. It’s not a great measure of difficulty, though. As a thought experiment, assume you rearranged the segments so that all the hard parts are in a row and all the recoveries are in a row. The workout has become impossible. IF hasn’t changed.
There’s some correlation between IF and difficulty, but I don’t think it’s that useful for me. I don’t find Team Scream that hard, because all the hard efforts are short.
EDIT: I think you meant Long Scream, not Team Scream.
New trainer tire came last night and after wrangling it onto the rim I excitedly did Cash Register, which felt great.
Decided this morning that I could squeeze in FF – so three weeks after TOS I finally have updated numbers!
FTP +16%
MAP +13%
AC +7%
NM +21%
Some of that (maybe especially the NM numbers?) are from just understanding how to put out power on the trainer better, but I knew I’d gotten fitter so it’s nice to see that reflected.
Rider Type is unaltered – still a Pursuiter, which fits other classifications I’ve seen that my sweet spot is ~5 minute efforts. Since my FTP increased by more than my MAP, it’s nice to see that my fractional utilization of VO2Max/MAP is trending up, something I can feel as I get more comfortable with longer sustained efforts.
Did my post-TOS FF this morning and saw my rider type switch from Attacker to Sprinter, and sadly numbers dropped a bit…I really thought, during TOS, that my numbers must still be pretty close to bang on, as the workouts felt just about right for what I’d expect. So a bit of confirmation seeing FTP and MAP almost the same.
BUT, my previous FF was all the way back in 2019, and despite the fact I am all rested up from the TOS, did the FF prep plan with no problems, I am happy with today’s result.
It’s the first FF I haven’t had to throw up during! Also, I was just not as fresh/energetic this morning as usual. Didn’t quite “feel like it” and had a bit of niggle in one of my knees this week. So all things considered I’m chuffed I got through this and am feeling pretty good right now, despite only a couple hours after!
I’m adding a note to myself to only do FFs on Sundays. I notice that physically and mentally, Saturday mornings are kind of a work-week hangover effect for me. Also, I didn’t have the right gear sorted for the NM effort, so I was really bummed not to get close to my record. I also burned out FAST in the last 1 minute effort, which I wasn’t expecting. I went too high in the initial peak and then just crashed! LOL.
I forget who posted it, but the best advice ever in this forum helped me through this one. “Pretend it’s just another workout.” Helped bigtime in the mental game! Aiming for another one in fall and we’ll see what’s changed after an active outdoorsy summer! “Next time, Gadget.”
NM is pretty sensitive to fatigue. So yeah it’s possible that it dropped because it reflects yoru recent training (vs. what you did in 2019) but it’s also possible that you were just tired and with more rest could have done more on the five second. Lots of coaches advise to do sprints at the end of a rest week to test if you’re rested enough to get training again, they’re like a bellwether of sorts.
an easy way to test it is just do a few max five second efforts after you recover from FF. See what you can hit.
Post Tour of Sufferlandria 4DP Full Frontal Fitness Test - 2021
The Tour is done.
It is now time to re-evaluate my current fitness.
Did I make some gains? Did I lose fitness?
Let’s see…
My
Peak power (NM) went up by +72w
1 minute power (AC) went up by +33w
5 minute power (MAP) by +8w
and finally, my FTP increased by +19w
I also go a new All-Time best 5 min power
and new All-Time best 20 min power.
I never felt so good and strong during a Full-Frontal 4DP.
I knew during each single effort that I will improve my signature.
Since all 4 metrics clearly increased, the suffering was really worth it during the Tour and the preparations for it.
Even if the outcome wouldn’t have been so good I would have been satisfied because I was feeling great and knew I gave everything. There was no holding back.
Off to the next challenge. Whatever it may be…
I hope you enjoy the video, meaning watching me suffering…
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See you next time.
Stay safe, stay strong.
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Yeah - I would call that a win! Congrats on the numbers. With high intensity exercise - on the bike or otherwise - sometimes your nervous system gets out of whack. More time training in those uncomfortable zones should help.
I’m fairly new to the world of the turbo trainer, coming from a field hockey background, so was intrigued to see what difference the ToS would make.
I did a half-monty in January, so first FF this morning. Results as follows
NM: 543 - 709
AC: 293 - 316 (struggled to find a gear on this one, so messed it up)
MAP: 229 - 249
FTP: 177 - 186
Now I’m a pursuiter!
Not decided where to go next, but looking at a climbing plan to help me conquer the hills near my home.
Nice job! It’s hard to get the gearing right for the NM especially, and the AC. The nice thing about FF is it’s always waiting for you to do it again, so even a “mess-up” still helps in some way or another! (such as research for the next time we have to do it…)
Thanks, that’s what I am thinking made the difference. My “real world” stresses have dropped dramatically since my last attempts so I figure all around I am actually healthier, despite the numbers staying close.
BUT, I had a couple of lightheaded spells during FF that are worrying. I’ve not had that before until recently (couple of times during TOS, and now in FF). Have ordered a higher-output fan as I know I was exceptionally overheated during the effort. I think I can rule out not being properly fuelled ahead of the effort, so I will give the fan and more sugars immediately prior to the FF or other high-intensity workouts a go. I am curious if getting light-headed is a common thing for those working out indoors. I know I have seen a few posts about it on here.
I hope she’s right and I’m not yet halfway through my “life race”. 
My FF results weren’t applied which was a blessing and a curse. It used my old FTP of 228 instead of 230 so a tiny blessing. But it used my old MAP and AC which were both over 20w higher. So all the sprint efforts hurt extra.
Happy birthday to me. What I really want now are a new pair of legs since my current ones were ripped off, this morning. 
