CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Sport

Strava Training Plan

(32 posts)

12

  1. Klaxon
    Member

    So I've signed up to the premium free trial to give one of the Strava training thingies a shot in October.

    My motivation is to actually get some decent ski legs and lungs on me before January.

    It begins Monday and having given the plan a once over, I think it would achieve any short term cycling goal for a beginner due to the increase in hours on the saddle.

    It's definitely structured around somebody who works regular Mon-Fri office hours which isn't me so I'll have to swap around a couple of days to keep post-work training to reasonable levels.

    I shall use this thread to report back as I go and to prevent cheating. GL me :)

    Posted 7 years ago #

  2. Greenroofer
    Member

    I used the Gran Fondo intermediate Strava plan to prepare for the London-Edinburgh ride I did a couple of weeks ago. It definitely worked: the combination of interval sessions 'after work' twice a week and a longer ride at weekends made a substantial increase to my speed, endurance and hill-climbing ability. The measure of success for me was increasing my average speed to Carnwath and back along the Lang Whang from 13mph to 16mph over a couple of months.

    I think that you can get the same plans from 'The Time-crunched Cyclist' book (new edition out next year) if you don't want to sign up for Strava

    Posted 7 years ago #

  3. dessert rat
    Member

    I find Strava one of the best motivators I've had in ages. Not so much all the times and KOMs etc... but get in a league and compete on distance or climbing.

    I'm in a couple and its really addictive. I'm always looking for ways to make my commute a little longer or the odd detour to get a few extra kms in - its not about speed.

    don't need premium acct.

    isnt there a CCE strava group ???

    Posted 7 years ago #

  4. fimm
    Member

    CCE Strava group here:
    https://www.strava.com/clubs/city-cycling-edinburgh

    Posted 7 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    137 members!

    Sounds like quite a lot for a local group not associated with a racing club(?)

    Posted 7 years ago #

  6. nobrakes
    Member

    Just joined!

    Posted 7 years ago #

  7. dessert rat
    Member

    in!

    Posted 7 years ago #

  8. Klaxon
    Member

    Day 0

    So the plan suggests to get the most out of it you take a baseline level of fitness before you start. The way it instructs is to do two eight-minute efforts on a flat course or a course that is a consistent climb of about a 6 percent grade. The first from a standing start after warm up, the second from a rolling 10 minute rest. The plan is to max your HR without having to stop for rest.

    So of course that describes Queen's Drive nearly perfectly and I went away and claimed my free personal best banked up from a year of training on a much heavier bike.

    I maxed my HR at 176 and this gives me the following hr zones to work in for the various routines that seem to be saved up.

    "Endurance Miles"
    Basic aerobic development
    50–91% - 90-160BPM

    "Tempo"
    Improved aerobic endurance
    88–90% - 154-158BPM

    "Steady State"
    Increased power at lactate threshold
    92–94% - 162-165BPM

    "Climbing Repeat"
    Increased power at lactate threshold
    95–97% - 167-170BPM

    "Power Interval"
    Increased power at VO2 max
    Max effort
    100%–max hr - 176+BPM

    Posted 7 years ago #

  9. Klaxon
    Member

    Side note - when I get up to the heady heights of 175bpm i start feeling nauseous really quick. It's not a new thing, I remember being sick a few times from overtraining back as a teenager.

    I've always taken it as 1) unfitness and 2) a normal sign to dial back but if it's not then I wouldn't mind finding out now.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  10. Greenroofer
    Member

    As I moved into the later stages of my Strava plan, I found it really hard to keep the more complex intervals (Under/Over in particular) really crisp. A Garmin 520 proved good for timing and tracking the intervals (I built the detailed workouts in Garmin Connect), but I never really found a good bit of uniform road for riding them on. The slightest change in gradient used to change my heart rate, and I found it a constant battle to read the road and adjust my effort in good time so that I stayed in the right zone without overshooting or undershooting.

    ...It would be much easier with a turbo trainer, I reckon.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  11. dessert rat
    Member

    top 10 this week - best i could hope for - some serious mile munchers in that group.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  12. Klaxon
    Member

    Day 2 ('day 1' was rest)

    1 hour spinning ride in the 90-160bpm range

    Went out to Joppa and back, a nice flat off road route I'm familiar with.

    Uneventful but refreshing.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  13. Klaxon
    Member

    Day 3

    5 x 2 minute intervals + warmup/cooldown

    2 mins belt it - 2 mins rest - repeat.

    Picked a course in Holyrood Park in the dark. All colour of cyclist and runner out, I was surprised, but I had a hard time seeing them for being blinded by car headlights. Wasn't going fast so no problem apart from one cyclist with a red blinky on the front.

    First four laps passed easily. The rest/downhill came at just the right time. Fifth lap I kept going up to the roundabout (an extra 2 minutes) and nearly keeled over for nausea. Not fun - a glimpse at the hr chart on strava tells me I wasn't really working any time in the 170+ range on the previous four laps. I couldn't have done 5x2 mins like that.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  14. Klaxon
    Member

    Swapped day 4 (long intervals) and day 5 (rest) as I was feeling exhausted on Thursday.

    I found the ride yesterday quite... easy compared to what I thought it would be. I can see my HRM so I'm doing it 'right'

    I'm really not a fan of the 'motivational' tips that are coming in with the emails. They speak in terms of punishment. It's like they're trying to sap all the fun out of cycling - you shouldn't be riding with your friends today, get out and do intervals.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  15. Klaxon
    Member

    Did another rest/workout swap yesterday and today

    Am keeping my 'endurance' miles deliberately light as the days of intervals are leaving me mentally and physically drained the day after.

    In a way looking forward to them again.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  16. Klaxon
    Member

    I'm not sure I did the pre-plan assessment right.

    It says my 'power intervals' workouts should be sustained effort above my test level. But that level is way too high to do the sort of workouts they are throwing out without 'cheating'

    Either that or I need a personal trainer with me telling me to buck up.

    Today's plan was 5 intervals of 3 minutes at this level. My HR was above 170 for about 2 minutes total. The rest of the 3 minutes it was just climbing back up there.

    Suppose I'll just plod on with my best efforts. Tomorrow is 6 x 6 minute climbs at a lower rpm, 70-80 rather than 100+

    Posted 7 years ago #

  17. fimm
    Member

    I'm slightly confused - you say back in your early post that your maximum measured heart rate was 176 and then you say that you are supposed to do efforts above that heart rate? Or was 176 your average heart rate over the 8 minute climb?

    I find it much harder to get my heart rate up on the bike than I do when I'm running.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  18. Klaxon
    Member

    Oh. The zones are supposed to be based off average heart rate and not maximum. I just re-read the instructions. I've been doing it all wrong after all.

    Thanks, fimm, you're a star.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  19. Klaxon
    Member

    I went back and checked on Strava - my HR averaged on the two test climbs at 160. Ahem. That puts my training ranges down to a much more achievable area..

    "Endurance Miles"
    50–91% - 80-144BPM

    "Tempo"
    88–90% - 142ishBPM

    "Steady State"
    92–94% - 148ishBPM

    "Climbing Repeat"
    95–97% - 152ish BPM

    "Power Interval"
    100%–max hr - 160+BPM

    Once again thanks for saving my sanity.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  20. fimm
    Member

    No problem.

    I've done similar tests myself, so I had some idea of what you were aiming for, and you did seem to be saying that you were being asked to do something at above your maximum heart rate, which didn't seem right...

    Posted 7 years ago #

  21. steveo
    Member

    I find it much harder to get my heart rate up on the bike than I do when I'm running.

    I'm the same only time I can get max hr is pushing too hard on climbs.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  22. Klaxon
    Member

    Well after both Thursday and Friday at the pub I felt a bit brighter today and did the ride I should have done yesterday.

    Idea (in my words) was to ride easyish ascents at a lower cadence than usual to simulate a harder ride. Did 3 reps of Lanark Rd out of the lights at Slateford as suggested by fimm at the pub.

    Nice gradient for it but the road surface was terrible. There's a tramline seam between the inner and outer road lane for most of the length, both ways, which is exactly where I want to be passing parked cars and it is really spooky on skinny tyres. Even in the lanes the surface is really rough. I won't be making it a regular spot for laps.

    Then for last lap headed up to Kirkgate which is a climb in which my cadence is limited by my lowest gear - exactly what I think the the drills are for. Made it up without a breather which is a victory.

    Good day all in all.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  23. fimm
    Member

    Well done.
    I hadn't thought of the nasty road surface on the Lanark Road descent, sorry about that.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  24. Klaxon
    Member

    No sweat. It was a good suggestion and nice incline :)

    I won't be able to do the 'longer' ride on Saturday so I did it today instead. Training plan called for 5x 6 minute hill ascents at a spirited pace.

    Went out and did laps of Carberry which is near enough dead on six minutes. It's a shame it's more two mini-ascents rather than one consistent grade but the perfect hill really doesn't exist.

    Really nice for lapping, high quality surface, the only negative was the very large amount of Hamilton Recycling trucks to and from their sortation centre half way up the hill. Probably 1 HGV or skip truck per 2 minutes!! Still probably the best alternative hill I've tried so far as I'm trying to avoid Queen's Drive so I can go for the big win in two weeks.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  25. Klaxon
    Member

    Also, that the A7 between Dalkeith and Danderhall is as awful as it is, is a travesty. Really not enjoyable at all. Route past Dobbies in the future methinks (which is also bad)

    Posted 7 years ago #

  26. Frenchy
    Member

    It's a shame it's more two mini-ascents rather than one consistent grade but the perfect hill really doesn't exist.

    If I understand right, you're looking for a ~2km stretch of road with a gradient of 3-4%? The climb from Edgehead Road, past Limekiln Wood, to the top of the hill which is just east of Mayfield might suit. Not the nicest surface, but it's a very quiet road. The climb to the same hill from Mayfield itself is also fun.

    Route past Dobbies in the future methinks

    Has a shared use pavement too, which I always take nowadays. Then turn left.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  27. Klaxon
    Member

    Edgehead looks good, thank you :) Suppose I shouldn't be surprised that to find a 2km moderately graded climb with a good surface, light traffic and no traffic lights I need to be looking outside the city.

    Could be worse and live in Norfolk

    Posted 7 years ago #

  28. fimm
    Member

    Nicely paced, Klaxon (getting faster as you went on).
    If you ever need a very short power climb, shout, as there's a good one just near the top of the Lanark Road.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  29. steveo
    Member

    The NCN route back into Balerno from the Long Dalmahoy road is "good" one.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  30. Klaxon
    Member

    Didn't post this week..

    The workouts bar one were all just 'go for a medium paced ride' which I did pretty begrudgingly and half heartedly as my work routine kicked the energy out of me.

    Proof was in the pudding today where I took 20 seconds off my Arthur's Seat PB 5.30->5.09 set before day one of the programme. :) This puts me... 2213 / 5857. Middle of the pack. Hot competition. (Beats hank_chief by 3 seconds tho muahahhaha)

    My recovery off hard climbs is a lot better now as well, even off a max effort type thing I wasn't needing to stop and die for a little while before carrying on.

    Don't think I'll be going for another 4 week plan soon but it's given me some good ideas on how to structure short rides in terms of effort.

    Posted 7 years ago #

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