Spending time training at appropriate intensities is important for developing your ability to ride at different paces or intensities in an event. For a half-Ironman event, you will spend most of the event riding at Level III (about 77-90% Functional Threshold Power). This session is great for a taper week leading into an event. Even though this workout is designed for a half-Ironman athlete road cyclists, especially those doing a century and mountain bikers can also benefit from it.
Each Wednesday I’ll post a Windtrainer Workout that you can do in about 60 minutes to enhance your cycling. See a previous post about training intensity (Levels) to know how hard to work. If you are working directly with Coach Ray he will in most cases prescribe either a Power Zone or Heart Rate Zone to work within if you are training with these tools.
The inspiration for this week’s workout comes from an Article by Gale Bernhardt in the May 2001 issue of Triathlete Magazine.
Gale Bernhardt’s Half Ironman Bike Intervals #3
- 10min WU Level II;
- 4-5x 90sec Level III, 3min Level II RI;
- 10min CD Level I-II;
- 10min Stretching
The warm-up (WU) should be done at an intensity that is steady but not overconsuming at Level II. Ride for a minimum of 10 minutes.
The main set: ride hard for 90 seconds at Level III, then ride easily at Level II for three minutes as your Rest Interval (RI). Repeat this set a total of four to five times
Conclude the ride with a cool down (CD) of ten minutes riding at Level II.
Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.
Here is my data having done this workout:
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up for my informative newsletter.
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