There are a bunch of new(ish) 30 minute workouts added to Zwift that I am yet to try. Prior to illness I didn’t have too much requirement for shorter, high intensity workouts. And when I did, Emily and Jon generally had me covered.
But variety is the spice of life. And given a thirty minute dinner break and a desire to do some cycling, it’s nice to have new activities to explore.
For today’s workout I picked the kiddy friendly titled Lavender Unicorn. However it wasn’t as gentle as the name suggests.
Essentially this one is three repeats of :
- 3 minutes, 85rpm, at 85% FTP
- 1 minute, 100rpm, at 105% FTP
- 30 seconds, 110rpm, at 115% FTP
With the fourth and final interval being similar, but with a finish of 30 seconds at 110rpm at 150% FTP.
My mistake today was to assume that there were only 3 interval repeats. So when I finished the third one I was feeling quite pleased with myself. Yes, it was a good workout but I’d fairly comfortably completed it. Now time for a nice ten minute cool down then back to work.
Not so.
Another fine lesson in paying attention when choosing a workout. Though I wasn’t punished too hard for today’s mistake.
What I liked about this workout was that it wasn’t too intense. A good dinner break exercise, with a slightly less intense schedule than Emily’s Short Mix, but still enough to make you feel like you’ve worked. And definitely broken a sweat.
It was a good workout to build back into harder, and longer workouts. I’m still very much building back up my stamina, so the length of this one was perfect.
What I’m personally less sure on is the higher cadence drills.
Sure, these ones are short. 1 minute @ 100rpm, and then 30 seconds @ 110rpm.
They certainly get the heart going, and the sweat flowing. But I can’t think I’ve ever used this “skill” out on the real roads. Maybe this is working the body in one way to help in another. God knows, I’m no sports scientist.
Was there anything I didn’t like?
No. Not really. I would do this one again. 30 minutes well spent, and if you’re “bored” of Emily or Jon’s workouts, this one is a similar (though very slightly lower intensity) workout to try.
I really think I need to take a bit of a recovery ride tomorrow. Ideally during my dinner hour (not 30 minutes), but I’m not sure if my calendar permits it. I know I’ll get in a longer ride on Wednesday, so maybe tomorrow will be short and sharp again.
I’m kinda feeling it though.
