Interval Savers - What's Yours?

when there is 1:30 left I tell myself “bag of rice in the microwave”

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Anybody else throw their water bottles across the room whenever they’re empty?

Try it, you’ll like it

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I failed Whiteface mid week and used that for digging deep on Lion Rock today. Couldn’t have two failed workouts in a week. Unacceptable. Told myself you always have 4mins of 95% FTP whatever has gone before it.

I did that yesterday and it felt awesome!

Another one i tried yesterday, (during carpathian peak)

I asked myself why would i stop? Is the pain unbareable? Am i unable to breathe? The i looked at my HR and asked myself, why i would stop when i’m at least 15bpm away from where i top off during ramp tests?!

And then i kept going and going and going and finished

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I’ve used HR as a motivator - I know that most of the times I’ve blown up, it was after I’d reached a certain HR range (close to 95% of max). So as long as I’m below that, it’s a good motivator. But it’s a two-edged sword, since it gives me full license to quit if my HR does go that high…

triathlete midpacker here so visions of podium, beating or hanging on to competition aren’t relevant to me. I get dropped on group ride for sure as soon as we get on a hill.

Changing cadence to offload cardio and rely more on muscles and vice versa. Sitting up from aero position (but only when it’s above threshold).

Last 2 intervals aren’t the problem. Last 2min are just about hanging in there and not an issue as relief is near. I typically struggle in the intervals from 25 to 75%. The end is far away but fatigue has set in.

  • Postpone quit decision. So the negotiation within my mind starts and settle at i can complete at least one of these let’s say 20min block. Whether I go for the next block and the ones after will be decided AFTER the rest interval.
  • Once I’m in the 50-75% and doubt & fatigue creeps in, i tell myself: if I quit now, I’ll have to redo that workout so do I really want to redo Carpathian / Elephants / Bashful? or just check it off the list and move on. That works well.

In the short moments, I trick/ focus my brain on the present:

  • Breaking it down in small step and looking at immediate one (outdoor it’s that tree or hilltop, indoor is the current over/under step)
  • Counting belly exhales (without skipping) towards a large number let’s say 30, 60 or 100
    Count gets reset if my mind drifts away and I’m not absolutely certain this breath is number x in the count

Distracting my brain away from the suffering works too:

  • @chad pedaling exercises (and standing up smoothly in Tray Mountain 3x20)
  • remembering going through finishing chute of an ironman and hearing my name
  • Counting doesn’t distract enough so counting while doing a bit of math distracts brain better: Sequences of square numbers: 1,4,9, 16,… or x^2 +1 or sequence of prime numbers
  • Picturing images of my family members from youngest to oldest or vice versa
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Always!

I’m trying to ignore length of full interval and focus on 3min blocks instead:

  • 1min on drops
  • 1min on hoods, with 10sec out-of-saddle slow cadence jump
  • 1min upright, using 10sec window to get sip of drink
  • repeat

Works for me because I can always cope one more minute plus I don’t forget to hydrate

queue up a good song and see how long you can go before hitting play

I count songs rather than minutes, ESP for longer stuff. If I have 10 min left in an interval, that is whatever song I am listening to plus 3 more.
And @BlueHeron is right, throwing bottles is awesome. This winter I did several 4-5 hour trainer rides training for a November IM. I was doing 1 bottle per 45 min and so finishing a bottle meant another 45 min in the bank. In the later parts of the ride I was Gronk spiking those things. Same thing with gel flasks granola bar wrappers, anything. My wife came in and the end one time ride and just said “WTF happened in here?”
I victorious yelled “Highland happened in here!” then I promptly picked everything up as she gave me the death look.

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I’d like to see your playlists. :metal:

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So many times we, as endurance athletes, like to talk about suffering… What helps me push through my most uncomfortable sessions is focusing on the fact that I get to wake up and do what I do… I have the opportunity to climb on a bike and push myself into oblivion.

Suffering is a mindset. I think we often make sessions harder than they are by painting them in these horrific terms… It doesn’t matter how deep you go, you’re very unlikely to die. You’re not suffering, you’re voluntarily encountering very uncomfortable sensations.

Those dying of cancer, hooked up to chemo and undergoing radiation… or those who have gone through horrific situations in life (i.e., the Holocaust)… that’s real pain. But even still, as Viktor Frankl eloquently put:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

I used to be incredibly negative to myself and say the most degrading this I could. The problem with that is that you’re only using energy to make it even harder on yourself. I think in addition to just being grateful to have the opportunity to swim, bike, or run at least this one last time, positive self-talk is huge for me.

Another perspective shift I’ve used is really delving into what the sensations feel like. How do my lungs feel? What do my legs feel? Is it sharp? Dull? Burning? and I like to just observe it and let any judgment on those sensations go. Again, I’ve been guilty of “awfulizing” sesssions… getting caught up in my perspective/emotions rather than truly appreciating the sensations for what they are—sensations.

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#3, a good playlist, and accepting that I’m no different than Pavlov’s dogs.

Get some of my favorite candy (sour patch, gummy bears, etc.) and create mini 3-4 piece piles for every extended interval (within reason - no microbursts)

After every interval I get a “well done” treat, something to take the mind off how uncomfortable it was, and a little sugar boost to drive the next interval. Maybe it’s mental and I think I have more energy, maybe its real and I was using my carb stores too quick, maybe it’s looking forward to the reward and, maybe, just maybe, it’s simply an excuse to eat candy…

Either way, seems to be working on those 20 minute blocks!

I use #4 a lot, I can visualize where I’m on the local crit course and picture how many turns it is to the finish line.

How does this ramp test playlist work? It looks like around the hard part (18-20+ minutes), you’ll be in Cherub Rock the entire time. That works for you?

I use maths as a distractor. A common one is working out when I’m a tenth a ninth an eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, quarter, third, half way through something… Then back up the scale; only half to go, a third to go, a quarter, a fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth… Etc.

I need to get out more :grin:

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Only every single time. Great stress relief and makes me feel pro.

That’s exactly how I survive!

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