Awww, dangit! I forgot to hit record on my phone camera at the start of the ride—I remembered about 7 minutes into it. So make sure to warm-up first, gradually moving from easy to moderate over those 7 minutes. You’ll see me get back on the bike (after turning the camera on!) and then ask you to increase to just below “hard” for one minute…then we ease up again before starting the intervals.

In the missing warm-up, I described the intensity we’ll be working at in these longer intervals, just a little bit above the tempo zone we’ve been working at the last few weeks. It’s an intensity known as “sweet spot” that lies in the upper part of Zone 3 and lower Zone 4. (Power zones, but you can also think of them as “perceived effort” zones if you don’t have power.) It’s still below your threshold, still aerobic, but will require more focus and commitment. For those using heart rate, you’ll eventually be in Zone 3 HR. It will take a few minutes to reach your target, so go by perceived exertion first, targeting just above moderate. Be careful, though, don’t go too hard that you reach your LT—it’s hard to bring it back down once you get it up there.

I am going to REDO this session this weekend!