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Re: Trainerroad.com [Hughes34] [ In reply to ]
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Hughes34 wrote:
Thanks Nick.

I am looking forward to getting faster!

Heck ya, we're stoked you're stoked! :)

Looking forward to hear how the season shakes out for you as well. Keep us in the loop.

Cheers

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Nick,

I posted this earlier, but it could have been lost in the shuffle.

When the plan calls for a run at RPE 6, how does that correlate to race pace/pace zones? I've been doing a lot of these runs around my goal run pace off the bike (around 6:45/mile – Z3), but my typical Z2 pace is around 7:30–7:45... I did a 14 mile run last week w/ 10 miles at 6:30/mile and it left me pretty beaten up. Am I running these too hard?

@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks a lot, Nick. I'm also going to try to follow the entire tri plan. Seems like a good template to crank out a quality race effort.

Nick Kanwetz wrote:
mjpwooo wrote:
Nick, just to be sure, here's what I've got:
- 10/23: 1/2 Build LV, W1
- 10/30: 1/2 Build LV, W2
- 11/6: 1/2 Build LV, W3
- 11/13: 1/2 Build LV, W4
- 11/20: OFF for Traveling
- 11/27: 1/2 Specialty LV, W3
- 12/4: 1/2 Specialty LV, W4
- 12/11: 1/2 Specialty LV, W5
- 12/18: 1/2 Specialty LV, W6
- 12/25: 1/2 Specialty LV, W7
- 1/1: 1/2 Specialty LV, W8
- 1/7 = RACE DAY!!!

Look good to you? MANY MANY thanks for your assistance.


That looks pretty freaking great! :)

One thing we would recommend changing is the progression of the Specialty phase of training. Coming off of that week traveling, it's likely you'll be better off transitioning into the Specialty plan starting with the first week. It's actually what we'd recommend in pretty much all cases, travel or not. So it'd look something like this:

- 10/23: 1/2 Build LV, W1
- 10/30: 1/2 Build LV, W2
- 11/6: 1/2 Build LV, W3
- 11/13: 1/2 Build LV, W4
- 11/20: OFF for Traveling
- 11/27: 1/2 Specialty LV, W1
- 12/4: 1/2 Specialty LV, W2
- 12/11: 1/2 Specialty LV, W3
- 12/18: 1/2 Specialty LV, W4
- 12/25: 1/2 Specialty LV, W7
- 1/1: 1/2 Specialty LV, W8
- 1/7 = RACE DAY!!!

Have a killer remainder of the season! Let us know if you run into other questions.

Cheers
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Kentucky Mac] [ In reply to ]
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Kentucky Mac wrote:
Hey Nick, Chad, Jonathan! I have a recurring issue with Sweet Spot base. The past few seasons I've tested and then followed Part 1 and Part 2 (Sweet Spot Low Vol) and this is the sequence of events that seem to happen to me:

1) I feel good throughout Part 1 and into Part 2
2) I feel like I'm getting stronger until I reach the last few weeks and virtually kill myself trying to keep power on Leconte
3) A week later, I murder my legs trying to hold power on Mary Austin
4) I take the final recovery week and all 3 workouts feel like torture (even though they have a low IF)
5) I test and completely bomb

Needless to say my FTP has plateaued the past several seasons. I'm wondering what is going on. There are no other obvious issues: I'm doing my normal base-building runs and regular Masters swims, haven't been sick, get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, diet is pretty much on point.

Do I need to add in an extra recovery week btw Leconte and Mary Austin, and TWO recovery weeks before I test? Should I skip those two workouts?

I had planned on going into the Sufferfest Build but not sure if I have some hidden fatigue in my legs. Maybe skip Sufferfest, do a recovery week and go into Sustained Build plan? My next race isn't until February...

Thanks as always, guys!

Age?

Have you tried following Chad's advice (and their blog posts) on what to do if you bomb (or feel you underperform) a FTP test?
Listen to your body, if you think its telling you it may need some additional time, you may need some additional time.
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Re: Trainerroad.com [RONDAL] [ In reply to ]
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RONDAL wrote:
Kentucky Mac wrote:
Hey Nick, Chad, Jonathan! I have a recurring issue with Sweet Spot base. The past few seasons I've tested and then followed Part 1 and Part 2 (Sweet Spot Low Vol) and this is the sequence of events that seem to happen to me:

1) I feel good throughout Part 1 and into Part 2
2) I feel like I'm getting stronger until I reach the last few weeks and virtually kill myself trying to keep power on Leconte
3) A week later, I murder my legs trying to hold power on Mary Austin
4) I take the final recovery week and all 3 workouts feel like torture (even though they have a low IF)
5) I test and completely bomb

Needless to say my FTP has plateaued the past several seasons. I'm wondering what is going on. There are no other obvious issues: I'm doing my normal base-building runs and regular Masters swims, haven't been sick, get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, diet is pretty much on point.

Do I need to add in an extra recovery week btw Leconte and Mary Austin, and TWO recovery weeks before I test? Should I skip those two workouts?

I had planned on going into the Sufferfest Build but not sure if I have some hidden fatigue in my legs. Maybe skip Sufferfest, do a recovery week and go into Sustained Build plan? My next race isn't until February...

Thanks as always, guys!


Age?

Have you tried following Chad's advice (and their blog posts) on what to do if you bomb (or feel you underperform) a FTP test?
Listen to your body, if you think its telling you it may need some additional time, you may need some additional time.
46. Yes, I definitely think I need some sort of recovery. The problem is this happens every time I complete Sweet Spot Base I/II. So I'm asking if I should alter the plan that they wrote, and how (see my specific questions about the last two weeks of the plan above). Since this is the third time it's happened, I'm starting to believe I'm doing something wrong in my training.
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Nick - quick hardware question:

After a beautiful summer of outdoor riding I've headed back to the trainer for some punishment and can't locate my Ant+ stick. I'll need the motivation of Trainer Road and would like to avoid making another purchase if possible. Is it possible to detect power on my Edge 800 and link that up with my laptop during my workouts in order to use Trainer Road?

Thanks!
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Hey Nick!

Quick question: there is two of us training in the house (usually at the same time), do we both need an account or can this be done from one account?

Thanks!
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Frenchietries] [ In reply to ]
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My husband and I do this; we have two TR accounts and the TR companion app.
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Help! On second half of low volume Sustained Power Build. FTP test at beginning of week 5 went well - smooth and evenly paced. Every workout since has been a disaster, even when choosing the options that give me additional rest/adjusting down. I'm getting really discouraged now - what should I do?
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Scheherazade] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks!!
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Nick, has something changed recently that would cause the power to fluctuate more than before in erg mode? About one week ago I started noticing that the power constantly fluctuates between roughly -15w and +15w around target power. I'm using a Tacx Neo (bluetooth) and a Power2max NG (ant+) with powermatch. Or maybe it's just in my head.
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Re: Trainerroad.com [nchristi] [ In reply to ]
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nchristi wrote:
Hi Nick, has something changed recently that would cause the power to fluctuate more than before in erg mode? About one week ago I started noticing that the power constantly fluctuates between roughly -15w and +15w around target power. I'm using a Tacx Neo (bluetooth) and a Power2max NG (ant+) with powermatch. Or maybe it's just in my head.
My experience trying out the 'Auto' setting for PowerMatch (with a Neo and P1 pedals) is that it's just not smooth. The PowerMatch is constantly over-correcting, bumping resistance up and down. It's too aggressive, which makes intervals really frustrating and more difficult to complete unless you can hold a perfectly constant cadence.

I found the 'manual' setting for PowerMatch works better if you can find a setting that works well. Unfortunately, being only able to set the offset as a specific number of watts means you probably won't be able to get accuracy at all power levels. It would be better if the Manual mode let you set the offset as a percentage.
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Kentucky Mac] [ In reply to ]
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Kentucky Mac wrote:
Hey Nick, Chad, Jonathan! I have a recurring issue with Sweet Spot base. The past few seasons I've tested and then followed Part 1 and Part 2 (Sweet Spot Low Vol) and this is the sequence of events that seem to happen to me:

1) I feel good throughout Part 1 and into Part 2
2) I feel like I'm getting stronger until I reach the last few weeks and virtually kill myself trying to keep power on Leconte
3) A week later, I murder my legs trying to hold power on Mary Austin
4) I take the final recovery week and all 3 workouts feel like torture (even though they have a low IF)
5) I test and completely bomb

Needless to say my FTP has plateaued the past several seasons. I'm wondering what is going on. There are no other obvious issues: I'm doing my normal base-building runs and regular Masters swims, haven't been sick, get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, diet is pretty much on point.

Do I need to add in an extra recovery week btw Leconte and Mary Austin, and TWO recovery weeks before I test? Should I skip those two workouts?

I had planned on going into the Sufferfest Build but not sure if I have some hidden fatigue in my legs. Maybe skip Sufferfest, do a recovery week and go into Sustained Build plan? My next race isn't until February...

Thanks as always, guys!

Howdy,

Sorry to hear about the speed bumps you've been running into here!

It sounds like this comes down to the progression of the plan not fully suiting your individual rate of physiological progression the best it could. The good news is TrainerRoad training plans are totally flexible. :)

We'd recommend shifting the recovery week to Week 4 or 5 in Sweet Spot Base I and something similar in SSB II. It can add a week or two to the 12-week base plan, but it's time well spent since it allows the necessary compensation we're after.

So you'll follow weeks 1-3 as normal, then schedule in Week 6. Then you'll complete Week 4-6 before following the same progression through SSB II. You can also apply this same idea to a 4-on/1-off format.

The former is more of a 3-on/1-off format that you'll find in the majority of the plans we offer.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things outside of training, so I don't think anything there is impacting your progress. I think this adjusted schedule will accommodate your training progression best, but we'd still like to hear how things go. Give this schedule a try and keep us looped in on how it works for you. Our aim is to create training plans that help all athletes get faster without any changes, but there are times when athletes will need to make adjustments to best suit what works for them.

Let us know how things go! Thanks again

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [SBRED] [ In reply to ]
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SBRED wrote:
Hi Nick - quick hardware question:

After a beautiful summer of outdoor riding I've headed back to the trainer for some punishment and can't locate my Ant+ stick. I'll need the motivation of Trainer Road and would like to avoid making another purchase if possible. Is it possible to detect power on my Edge 800 and link that up with my laptop during my workouts in order to use Trainer Road?

Thanks!

Welcome back!

Bummer on the ANT+ stick... Unfortunately you will need the ANT+ dongle to enable ANT on your computer. That's because TrainerRoad acts as your "head-unit", so using your Edge won't relay that data to TrainerRoad. You'll need to pair your devices directly to TR.

The good news is they're not terribly expensive. Here's a good priced one we use here in the office: ANT+ USB stick

Hope this helps! Feel free to give us a shout at support@trainerroad.com if you run into any other questions or concerns.

Cheers

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Nick Kanwetz wrote:
Kentucky Mac wrote:
Hey Nick, Chad, Jonathan! I have a recurring issue with Sweet Spot base. The past few seasons I've tested and then followed Part 1 and Part 2 (Sweet Spot Low Vol) and this is the sequence of events that seem to happen to me:

1) I feel good throughout Part 1 and into Part 2
2) I feel like I'm getting stronger until I reach the last few weeks and virtually kill myself trying to keep power on Leconte
3) A week later, I murder my legs trying to hold power on Mary Austin
4) I take the final recovery week and all 3 workouts feel like torture (even though they have a low IF)
5) I test and completely bomb

Needless to say my FTP has plateaued the past several seasons. I'm wondering what is going on. There are no other obvious issues: I'm doing my normal base-building runs and regular Masters swims, haven't been sick, get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, diet is pretty much on point.

Do I need to add in an extra recovery week btw Leconte and Mary Austin, and TWO recovery weeks before I test? Should I skip those two workouts?

I had planned on going into the Sufferfest Build but not sure if I have some hidden fatigue in my legs. Maybe skip Sufferfest, do a recovery week and go into Sustained Build plan? My next race isn't until February...

Thanks as always, guys!


Howdy,

Sorry to hear about the speed bumps you've been running into here!

It sounds like this comes down to the progression of the plan not fully suiting your individual rate of physiological progression the best it could. The good news is TrainerRoad training plans are totally flexible. :)

We'd recommend shifting the recovery week to Week 4 or 5 in Sweet Spot Base I and something similar in SSB II. It can add a week or two to the 12-week base plan, but it's time well spent since it allows the necessary compensation we're after.

So you'll follow weeks 1-3 as normal, then schedule in Week 6. Then you'll complete Week 4-6 before following the same progression through SSB II. You can also apply this same idea to a 4-on/1-off format.

The former is more of a 3-on/1-off format that you'll find in the majority of the plans we offer.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things outside of training, so I don't think anything there is impacting your progress. I think this adjusted schedule will accommodate your training progression best, but we'd still like to hear how things go. Give this schedule a try and keep us looped in on how it works for you. Our aim is to create training plans that help all athletes get faster without any changes, but there are times when athletes will need to make adjustments to best suit what works for them.

Let us know how things go! Thanks again
Thanks so much for the response, I'll definitely follow what you said. It's great to hear that putting in an extra recovery week won't compromise my training.
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Frenchietries] [ In reply to ]
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Frenchietries wrote:
Hey Nick!

Quick question: there is two of us training in the house (usually at the same time), do we both need an account or can this be done from one account?

Thanks!

Like scheherazade mentioned, you sure can. :)

Here's a little more info on the TrainerRoad companion app: TR Companion app

Please don't hesitate to give us a shout at support@trainerroad.com if you run into any questions or concerns getting everything going.

Thanks!

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Scheherazade] [ In reply to ]
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Scheherazade wrote:
Help! On second half of low volume Sustained Power Build. FTP test at beginning of week 5 went well - smooth and evenly paced. Every workout since has been a disaster, even when choosing the options that give me additional rest/adjusting down. I'm getting really discouraged now - what should I do?

Sorry to hear you've been having a bit of a rough time since your last test. :/

If you're still struggling with the new FTP, we suggest reducing the intensity of your workout 5-10% and incrementally lifting it as you progress through your training. Sometimes it's necessary to make small reductions to accommodate your body becoming used to the increased workload.

After taking a look at your career, it looks like you kept the intensity at 100%. On your next workout, try reducing the workout intensity to 90-95% and see how you feel at this reduction. It's likely you'll just need this little transition period to get yourself adjusted to your new FTP.

Let us know if this helps get you back on track! We want to make sure you're able to get back to it! :)

Cheers

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [nchristi] [ In reply to ]
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nchristi wrote:
Hi Nick, has something changed recently that would cause the power to fluctuate more than before in erg mode? About one week ago I started noticing that the power constantly fluctuates between roughly -15w and +15w around target power. I'm using a Tacx Neo (bluetooth) and a Power2max NG (ant+) with powermatch. Or maybe it's just in my head.

We haven't made any changes to PowerMatch recently, so I'm not sure what may be causing above normal fluctuations in power. :/

Jsk's advice has been known to keep power/resistance a bit more consistent with certain power meter + smart trainer combos. Though you may miss out on some accuracy like mentioned.

Keep your eye on it over the next few rides, and if you're still thinking there's an issue, give us a shout. We'd be happy to look into it with you.

Thanks!

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the advice; I'll adjust the intensity and let you know how I get on!
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Re: Trainerroad.com [cloy] [ In reply to ]
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cloy wrote:
Nick,

I posted this earlier, but it could have been lost in the shuffle.

When the plan calls for a run at RPE 6, how does that correlate to race pace/pace zones? I've been doing a lot of these runs around my goal run pace off the bike (around 6:45/mile – Z3), but my typical Z2 pace is around 7:30–7:45... I did a 14 mile run last week w/ 10 miles at 6:30/mile and it left me pretty beaten up. Am I running these too hard?

I'm not sure what system you're using for your running paces/zones, but you definitely shouldn't be feeling thrashed after those RPE 6 runs. RPE 6 should be an easy-moderate pace, so it sounds like you should back it off a bit. :)

Try cross checking your run system with our RPE chart to get those paces dialed in a bit more:


Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Scheherazade] [ In reply to ]
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Scheherazade wrote:
Thanks for the advice; I'll adjust the intensity and let you know how I get on!

Of course!

Keep us in the loop. :)

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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I'm just making a start with TR and looking for some guidance on which training plan to begin with.

My next IM is not until summer 2018 so looking to put a few focused blocks together before beginning race specific sessions in April. Im 34 and my current FTP is circa 360w, but this hasn't gone up much over the last few years. Would like to add 20-30w to this before race season.

I swim with a masters club and my running is covered. Would it be worth following the middle or full ironman plans? Or would my time be better spent on a bike specific plan? If so, which one?

Thanks in advance
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Re: Trainerroad.com [Nick Kanwetz] [ In reply to ]
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Alright so I got a Kickr and im loving training indoors for trainerroad. I am a pretty bad cyclist but I feel like I can really improve using trainerroad. I started with the build Olympic and had an ftp test score of 204 then after that program I jumped to the Specialty Olympic and now currently at 239. I am excited and feel stronger using it so I have decided to do trainerroad for my A race next year and I was wondering how I should plan for the race.

My race is on August 5, Ironman Philippines 70.3

I wanna start as soon as possible but I am getting married next year and will be going on a honeymoon (from feb 14 to march 14) so I can probably start my plan mid March. I can train before and after that honeymoon period. My soon to be wife will probably divorce me if I even talk about triathlon during that period.

So any suggestion to which plan I should follow? I have about 4 months and a half. Thanks
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Re: Trainerroad.com [ In reply to ]
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Hi,

I'm currently following the Sweet Spot Base Plan and plan to do the 3 Full Distance Plans to prepare for IM Lanzarote next spring. For all of these plans, I'm sticking to the low volume versions. I do have the time to train more, but only in terms of hours, not in terms of the number of sessions. What would be the advice to go about increasing the training time, without increasing the number of sessions? Just go for the +1 or +2 version of the specific workout each time? Or is there another way to do this? Optimally, is any such plan on the horizon?

Rgrds,
Tom
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Re: Trainerroad.com [TriathlonVR] [ In reply to ]
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TriathlonVR wrote:
I'm just making a start with TR and looking for some guidance on which training plan to begin with.

My next IM is not until summer 2018 so looking to put a few focused blocks together before beginning race specific sessions in April. Im 34 and my current FTP is circa 360w, but this hasn't gone up much over the last few years. Would like to add 20-30w to this before race season.

I swim with a masters club and my running is covered. Would it be worth following the middle or full ironman plans? Or would my time be better spent on a bike specific plan? If so, which one?

Thanks in advance

Thanks for posting, and nice numbers! You must be fast! :)

If your goal event in Summer '18 is a full-distance IM, we'd suggest following the Full-Distance Triathlon plans. We recommend progressing through three separate training phases leading up to your event that we refer to as Base, Build and Specialty. This sequence typically lasts 28 weeks: 12 weeks devoted to Base training phase, 8 to Build, and 8 to Specialty.

The goals of the race-specific sessions you mentioned are the exact goals of the progression of workouts included in the Specialty phase of training that we offer. These workouts further the degree of specificity by prescribing efforts that closely simulate the efforts that will be expected of you during your event. I'm not sure if you plan on using your own race-specific training plan, but following our Full-Distance Triathlon Specialty training plan after the Full-Distance Tri Base & Build is our recommendation considering the plan's design and overall progression.

The reason we suggest the triathlon plans over a cycling-specific plan, even with your run and swim covered, is because the schedule of cycling workouts takes into account your run and swim work. We structure the triathlon training plans like this so athletes can prevent the build up of fatigue by stacking too difficult of workouts too closely together. Following your own run and swim workouts in the schedule that we suggest in the plan is what we'd recommend.

Depending on when you'd like to begin training, you may need to make some adjustments to our training plans to make sure you properly "peak" for your event as you come out of your race specific training in either the plan you design or the Specialty plan we recommend. If you were to begin training in the next couple weeks, we suggest extending your time spent in the Base training phase by a few weeks to properly fit your event schedule. Dedicating more time to aerobic conditioning will especially benefit you as a triathlete where you're used to doling out power over extended durations—so there's a plus.

Once you know how many extra weeks you have beyond the typical 28 weeks, spend that time in our Sweet Spot Base training plan. Once you reach the point where you're 28 weeks away from your goal event, begin the Full-Distance Triathlon Base, Build, and Specialty progression.

Hope this gets you pointed in the right direction! Have an awesome season, and feel free to let us know if you run into other questions.

Cheers

Get Faster with TrainerRoad
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