An FTP boost, negative for COVID-19, and my first SPRINT in 2 months!

Coronavirus antibody test

Let’s start off with the biggest news: I tested negative for coronavirus and coronavirus antibodies.

So, while I’m happy I don’t have it, I am bummed I’m not one of those people who got it with no symptoms and now I don’t have to worry about it. (Even though we still don’t technically know if that’s how it even works, but hey, I want to believe it, OK?)

That’s really the end of that. It does still make me nervous going in public places, for sure, but I think the gym is a relatively low risk for now. There simply aren’t that many people there. Spinning in the summer was always pretty slow as people made their way outside to do stuff instead. But then again, there were lots of kids sports then, too, and we all know that ain’t happening.

I’m keeping an open mind, but I am going to be cautious. The spinning room is the perfect place for the virus to spread. The pool I’m less worried about.

FTP boost

My recovery week went well. My resting heart rate got down to 53 on one of those days, which is a new low for me! And then I did the ramp test on Tuesday. My legs were fresh. I was feeling confident. My training has been going great.

New FTP: 200!

Woah. That took me from 192 to 200, or 3.6 w/kg to 3.8 w/kg. What a bump!

If you are unfamiliar with FTP, it stands for Functional Threshold Power. This is the amount of power a rider can sustain steadily for about an hour, measured in watts. It does not correlate to speed or anything, it is merely effort. Biking up a hill will take more power than biking down a hill, which is why speed isn’t a factor. But you can sustain the amount of power you are pushing to the pedals regardless of what the slope looks like.

My first week of training at this new FTP has been super rough. Your body gets used to doing a certain thing for a while (192 FTP) and then when you change it up, it’s no doubt harder. But if you get too comfortable at one place, you never grow. That’s how you get better.

I have to figure out a new training schedule now that SPRINT is back on for Saturday mornings. I was doing 60 minutes on Tuesday, 60 minutes on Thursday, 90 minutes on Saturday, then a fun endurance ride on Sunday (3-4 hours), and some core and strength work on Wednesday.

Now I have class to teach on Wednesday evening and Saturday morning. And the Build phase turns one of those workouts into a 75 minute one. I did the 75 yesterday and 90 today, and my legs are toast. I don’t think it’s sustainable.

I think for next week I’m going to move the 90 minute workout to Tuesday, the 60 minute to Thursday and the 75 minute to Friday. That way I can get some extra recovery in on Saturday after class. There’s always the option of trying the 60 minute in the morning before class. I guess I will just have to try different things!

SPRINT is back, baby!

Class is back on!! I missed teaching a lot. I missed teaching SPRINT a lot.

Something about SPRINT just makes me feel so alive. I knew that it would be the perfect fit for me, and that’s why I picked it to train in first. I love to bring that intensity to class, and I am super happy to be back up on that instructor stage again.

We won’t be able to floor coach, and I have mixed feelings about that. I will definitely say that it’s not my strong suit, but I did always at least try to do it. You never get better at something if you don’t try. Now that option won’t be available, so it will be different.

To be honest, floor coaching let me breathe a little bit, so I could pronounce my words a little bit better! But I guess I will have to manage my fatigue a little bit better on my own.

Regardless, we all haven’t done it for a long time, so I hope you come and hang. Let’s go easy for the first day so we can remember what it’s like. And then we will have something to build toward!

I hope to see you there. Saturday, 9 am, Gold’s Gym! Let’s get sweaty!