How to proceed .. don't understand what happened

[iLLucionist]

FEB 2019: I tested FTP 209 after ramp after SSB2 MV

MARCH 2020: Started SPB MV, felt like a breeze. Until the first 2 weeks of March: I had a fever or cold. Not sure whether it was COVID-19, but I had a runny nose etc. Did not train for 2 weeks.

MID-March 2020: redid the week of SPB MV before I caught fever (with the idea that every week after one week means you loss one week). Was very tough, but doable. Still had a little bit of a runny nose. Until last rest week, most workouts were fine, but they felt considerably heavier than when I started SPB MV. Sometimes, I had to stop at the end of the last intervals or just in between. For example, if there were 6 intervals, sometimes I had to pause at 3rd and 6th. Did not had that before.

Yesterday and today: ramp test… advice: 206 watt. I quit arround 18:20-18:30. I probably could’ve pushed myself to 19:00-19:20, but really not further.

Shouldn’t I have made up for the “loss” of my fever by resuming SPB? Basically, I gained NOTHING from the first half of build. I only lost watts. What happened? How to proceed?

[jwellford]

Decent chance you just tested poorly, had a bad day. Keep going with your progression, keep FTP the same. Workouts will still be in the range you need, it really doesn’t matter much whether your ftp is 210 or 220, just a matter of a few watts difference in intervals. If workouts feel too easy you can bump intensity or up your FTP, but again the adaptations will happen either way.

Short answer: don’t worry about it, it happens to all of us, keep training!

[iLLucionist]

Thanks, got me really worked up. I try to do everything correctly… nutrition, discipline, sleep, no alcohol ,etc etc. Really a dip in my motivation. But I wll keep going!