Had to lower Leconte intensity to 90% after 1st set
Did that one yesterday, the first set was difficult but manageable. The start of the 2nd set was extremely hard to settle in to, but once the first 3-4 minutes passed it was fine all the way to end.
Why did you lower it? Too much fatigue, or was it mentally too draining?
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Leconte is just a hard workout relative to most at a given FTP.
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No shame in that. It’s a beast.
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It’s a very very hard workout. You need to be firing on all cylinders to nail it.
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Too much for all: legs, lungs, and mind
Tried lowering by 3%, then 5%, but still couldn’t maintain targets
Barely hung in at 90%
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You did it though. That’s what matters most.
Thanks to all for the encouragement. It was the 1st workout that I couldn’t complete at 100% and I wanted
some comment from others.
BTW, I checked my records from last winter and saw that I was able to complete Leconte without issue so I guess I just had a Bad Day.
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It is also positioned at a point in SSB2 where I think most mortals will be feeling pretty tired. I did it today and it was manageable mostly because I haven’t been on the bike in a week.
Resurrecting this thread, as I did Leconte (Le-cont? Ley-cont? Ley-con-tay?) and it was by far the most mentally debilitating workout I’ve ever done. Yeah, Spencer+2 was more demanding physically, but Leconte was just demoralizing – I kept thinking “I can’t do this, I don’t want to do this”.
I mean, I made it through the first rep of the first and second sets with no backpedaling (the second rep of each set had one), but at the start of the third set, I stopped and had to ask myself “how much do I want this?” I was seriously considering stopping. After about 30 seconds, I dropped the intensity 5 percent and started, again. The last two reps had two bailouts, each.
What would have been the “correct” approach? Should I have left the intensity at 100% and just backpedaled as needed?
Anyway, a total monster. I tried all the self-talk and mindfulness tricks I had, but in the end, it just ground me down.
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So I did Mary Austin last Saturday and thought I completed this one and then Spencer +2 earlier this week Leconte no sweat…Haha. I knew I was in trouble starting the 2nd set and when the first break started after 2nd set, I was looking to bail. Yes…mind games but didn’t have the legs, or lungs to continue or that;s what I kept telling myself. Started up the 2nd interval on set 2 and legs just stopped or maybe it was my head. Either way I bailed and now wondering if I am overtraining or just right it off to a bad day. Leconte is a monster!
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Lol, I thought it is just me. It was really tough in every aspect. Bailed out after the second set. I thought t’was gonna be an easy workout for I completed Lamarck with ease. Anyway, looking at the brighter side, I had an hour of quality and productive workout.
I’m strangely satisfied reading this thread b/c I just did Leconte and it kind of kicked my butt. I did it for the first time last year and I think I was really dialed in that time because I finished it all the way through even though it was really tough. This most recent time over the past weekend was my second go–albeit at a higher FTP this time–and I had to bail after the second interval. I definitely was not dialed in as much this time and it was my undoing.
Leconte, Mary Austin, and add some of the Elephants workouts are touuughhh.
A trick I used the last two weeks of SSBIIMV that helped my compliance, particularly with the 2 hr SS work on Sundays: I swapped the 90min over/under ride and the 60min threshold ride. This spread the TSS out throughout the week more evenly and let me come in to the more demanding over under workout more fresh. Then I had a day off, and I was fine for both Darwin and Lamarck, and Leconte was definitely manageable, and I still had gas in the tank for the longer sweet spot work.
Worked for me, but I have a lot of schedule flexibility.
This coming time through base, I’m going to make that same switch, but I may also opt for the longer zone 2 ride instead of the sweet spot just to give my legs a break from the beatdown while still stressing aerobic capacity.
Oh boy, I can see more pain awaits me in the future. I had to bail near the end of Frissell +1 which is similar to Leconte but with more rest. Hey, keep dropping the % until you can sustain the efforts, your body doesn’t know what workout you are doing but it will benefit from the effort!
- That’s not necessarily true. At least with regards to the energy system(s) targeted by each particular workout.
- Dropping Intensity adjustment is one option, but not the only one or even the right one in many cases.
I highly recommend reading this article for the other options and when it’s best to employ each one.
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I know this feeling, just lower the power and keep RPE high enough that you question your sanity for finishing. I like to go back after finishing a workout plan and hit those workouts I cut power on and show it goes, a good way to demonstrate progress.
A better option is often to backpedal for 10-30s in the middle of the effort rather than dialing back. Sometimes, you just need a mental break or a quick reduction in HR to sustain the target power. I’ve found backpedaling to be very effective in suprathreshold efforts. My body still gets to put out 108% of FTP for long periods, with just periodic 10s breaks to get through. As @mcneese.chad linked, reducing the power requirement a bunch of times can make a threshold workout into tempo, or VO2max into Threshold or sweet spot and that’s not training the correct system for that workout. You’ll just default to training where you’re comfortable and probably not get the adaptation you want, particularly if you’re training a weakness.
I’ll usually employ backpedals first. If I have to do too many or I can’t sustain, then I’ll dial back 3-5%. If I have to drop it more than 10% or the reduction changes the power zone I’m training in, I bail on the workout and will usually do some zone 2 spinning for the remainder of the time. If your body is telling you it doesn’t have it that day, it’s usually better to bail rather than grinding through a workout that’s not hitting the intended target.
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