PatrickJohnMcCrann.com

On Monday 11/2/2009 I kicked off the 2010 Ironman season by doing my first Functional Threshold Power test in more than six months. It was harder than I remember (ouch!) and the experience really gave me pause to think about exactly why individual performance testing is so important to the self-coached triathlete.

The Test
It’s brutally simple: 2 x 20 minutes all out, with 2 minutes of easy spinning in between. Capturing all 42 minutes gives us a very strong approximation of one hour power, which is also known as your Functional Threshold. Pacing is critical, as you don’t want to “fly and die” and mess up your results. In general I advise you to peg a pretty good number in the first interval and then try to beat it in the second. Starting overly strong early on is a sure-fire way to end up under performing.

The Locale
I did it in my basement, what we inside Endurance Nation affectionately call the “Pain Cave” during the winter months. I tested here b/c this will be where I am testing all winter long and consistency is critical. I have an Ergomo Pro on my P3C and I ride on a Cyclops trainer. You can see the area, and my entire test in the video below. I recorded it via Ustream (live) and will do so again in the future. Be sure to follow me over on Twitter as @pmccrann so you get future info and updates on such riveting entertainment!

The Lessons
I had 42 minutes to think long and hard about my current fitness and the upcoming season. Here’s what I remembered…

• You _want_ to be less fit right now.  I firmly believe that you have to get faster (and stronger) in the OutSeason (read more in Our FREE Online Training Manual)
• You _will_ fade on that second interval. That’s part of the fitness you will be developing over the next few weeks.  And don’t forget you also need to get better a self-pacing the test, something easily lost when we don’t test frequently.
• Testing never gets easier. The fitter you get, the harder you work. And the higher you test, the more work you get to do in training! A vicious cycle for sure, but one that keeps you on track and keeps your fitness moving upwards.
• The only thing worse than testing is…thinking about testing. Just do it.

At the end of the day, testing allows you to look your current fitness right in the eye. No fudging, no guesstimating, no overestimating – things which we are all prone to doing (myself included).  This ability, like your fitness, is something you build and develop over time. It’s part of what I call the Mental Six Pack. Developing this clarity now helps you build a better season as you can no longer be wishy-washy about your improvement (you either did or didn’t) or your racing goals (either match your fitness or don’t).

So yes, testing is hard. Very hard. If you watch the first 3′ of the test above, then the last 3′, you’ll see how different my appearance is. And if you skip to the 47:15 mark, you’ll see me almost lose my breakfast. But I am mentally stronger today, and about to take care of the physical part. We’ll find out for sure in 8 weeks when I test again!

Are you testing?

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