Build Phase is Gone, Gone, Gone...

I finished my last VO2 session today. It's not that I won't do them anymore in training, it is just that I will not do them every week anymore in training. My training plan now ends the build sequence (building CTL) after this weekend and goes into the anaerobic phase of training. I really feel think my fitness from an aerobic standpoint has improved over winter.

I raised my FTP 8 watts on Saturday and today my 5 minute intervals were quite a bit higher than when I started these. My training plan calls for intervals done at 110% of FTP. The first one is usually pretty easy and the last one feels pretty hard. At 110%, at my old FTP, I should be doing repeats at around 322 Watts. Over the last few weeks, I have been lucky to hold 322 for three and fall off after that. Today, since my FTP had increased, my goal was to hold 325 Watts in all five (I know 3 watts means nothing, but I have a problem). I finally found the perfect place to do these... I imagine that helped as much as anything. I held 333 Watts for the first three, 340 Watts for the fourth, and went for 350 on the last... I almost had it when I burnt up at 4.5 minutes in and ended up dropping off to 340 again. I tried to do the last one on the way back to the office and blame the terrain for the drop off. You just cant hold the wattage when you hit a slight downhill, weigh 185 lbs, and have a tail wind coming off of the lake... it is impossible after 4 hard intervals...

The idea is that right now I am maxing out my aerobic system in preperation for anaerobic training. I want to maintain my aerobic fitness while increasing my anaerobic fitness quickly and working on race specific training over the next month or so. I will utilize the first few races of the season to polish my form and skills for the first block of my peak racing season.

This is my first time with anything that is close to structured training. I have no idea what the result will be... I just know that it will be better than last year...

Anyway, it was a good day. Now, I will take it easy and wait to see what happens in TN. Either way, it will be fun...