My bike workout today was designed to have me push sustained power.  It concluded with four intervals of six minutes each.  The goal was to sustain my best average power on those intervals, while maintaining a high cadence.

Going into the workout, I was not feeling super strong.  My legs have been tired on my recent runs, so I was not sure how much power, I would be able to push.  I ended up being able to push really good power.  I think this was mostly because of a couple of things.

For one, I paced myself well.  I didn’t go out too hard on the first interval, which would have caused me to blow up in the later intervals.  Looking at the four intervals, I was able to increase power slightly from one interval to the next. This is exactly what I like to do.

The second thing to notice, is that I was able to push more power, as I got near the end of each interval.  This is particularly noticeable on that last interval. My power increased dramatically in the last two minutes as a result of me dropping down into a harder gear.

What is it, about knowing that the end is near, that somehow releases the ability to push much harder?  I do it all the time.  Am I holding back too much?  The way I felt during the other intervals, certainly didn’t feel like I was holding back.

Regardless of whatever mental thing happens to allow that one final increase in effort, I finished this workout very happy.  The pool of sweat on the floor beneath my bike, was evidence of my effort.  That is always something I like to see.