Uhl in Eagle, ID – It's been a while since I've done microintervals. Actually, come to think of it I haven't done them since last winter, so it's about time to add them into the mix.
I started out with a nice 20-minute warm-up with a couple pushes. Then I did two LT intervals, with 30 seconds above FTP, then 30 seconds below. As my FTP is about 300 watts right now, the first set I alternated between 350 and 250 watts. It wasn't too hard, but the interesting thing is that the worst part of the interval is during the "off" portions. That's when you really feel the prior 30 seconds and you can't believe how fast the "rest" interval is over!
For the second LT interval I alternated between 320 and 280 watts. Even with less variation, it felt harder, probably because the first interval took it out of my legs! Not to mention, this has been an intense week of workouts! Ideally I try to do these at 450 and 150 watts for a bigger ratio, but I figured I'd start conservatively.
After that was done I spun easy for five minutes then did an hour at low- to mid-tempo. Ended up a 2:15 minute ride and 176 training stress score (TSS). Watching the 2008 men's Olympic road race with my music in the background definitely helps make the time go by quicker. Looking at the ride graph, you can see the microinterval-induced Bart Simpson heads in it.
