Also you should reframe this away from it being a “failure” to not complete the workout.
Especially with MAP workouts, intensity is key. The stimulus you’re after is as much time at that intensity as you can handle, and when you get to the last Hammer and blow up, well, you achieved exactly that. Pat yourself on your back, you achieved the goal, and the fact that the time at intensity you could handle was < duration of video is irrelevant. Peteski said something similar.
4DP is definitely a good test, but it can’t assess repeatability. Yet workouts have to use multiple intervals at certain intensities, so, in a way, they can work as a test of/proxy for repeatability at defined intensity.
If I can finish Defender only in 50% cases but have no problem with Tool Shed, it says something about my strengths and weaknesses with respect to repeatability.
I can then either work on my strengths (and tear peloton appart with repeated short bursts) or on weaknesses. In my case (TT) I should focus on Defender and do my best to finish it in 100% cases in future and don’t be overly excited about Tool Shed (which does not mean I underestimate it and dont think it provides a good training stimulus. I believe it still does.).
That’s my lesson I take from finishing/not finishing certain workouts
I did 9H during the tour the day after cobblers and joyride. All 3 rides were at 100%. 9H yesterday after a days rest was awful, I was failing during the warm up and cracked on hammer 2. I believe my body /mind retains a memory of the previous days workout, and is happy doing the same effort and cadence the following day. After a rest day anxiety creeps in as soon as I start breathing heavily, as I did during the workout. The tour 9H av cadence was 89 and yesterday was 69, I just could not turn the pedals over
Thank you for all the words of encouragement and wisdom. I’ve stuck with it so far and I’m just completing week 5 and managed to do all the subsequent work outs and at 100%. I just finished the attacker which I thought was going to be a lot tougher than it actually was. The mental aspect is definitely part of it for me. The Bat helped a lot with that. Next week is recovery and then the HF so we will see what that shows.
@Gordo62 Great to hear! The mental aspect of these workouts is a big part and The Bat does a great job assisting with those cues. It is amazing what your mind can get your body to do - help you excel but also bring you down even when you have what it takes.
@alchurch Sorry to hear it wasn’t your day. You are still strong and will “nail” it next time!
I can relate pretty well to many things said here. I’m also on the all purpose road plan, which is my first structured bike training plan ever, after being a runner for 2 decades. I finished each and every workout, until I found myself on the road to the tool shed. The shovel part destroyed me, I suffered and pushed through it, the 8th hammer smashed everything that was left of me, and hammer 9 was the end. 60 sec into it there was simply no way I could keep this crank turning.
It was a cooler when it happened, but hey, work harder and get through it next time.
That said, I did 9 Hammers last week, just a few days after a Half Monty i.e. with fresh numbers, and I made it all the way to that 9th hammer again. Even 120 sec into it. But that very last minute, with that massive step up in power… with 50 sec to go my cadence again dropped to a zero, I took a 10 sec break, decided to battle on and pushed through the remaining 40 sec. But again, with that 10 sec break I cannot see this as a pass. So, still more work to do…
@RenAn Same for me this week - 1 minute to go in the 9th hammer and I hit the death spiral but I am feeling very good with my effort on fresh numbers and will get closer next time.
That’s a blast from the past.
I always though there was NIN influence to the Downward Spiral playlist, perhaps @David.McQuillen.KoS was a fan but couldn’t afford the royalties back then? In the days before the Sufferfest NIN’s Downward Spiral was one of my favourites album to listen to while smashing myself on the turbo.
workouts hard? maybe the app could be renamed sufferfest or something similar