We don't have anything in the works for a studio setting at this time. We do have the TrainerRoad Companion App, which you can run alongside the main TR app on your computer so 2 athletes can train simultaneously. :)

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad

That's awesome to hear! Music to our ears. :D

When it comes to missing a workout, you can pick up exactly where you left off (as in you'll complete the workout you missed). If you miss up to seven, even 10 days off, it's likely you can pick up right where you left off as well. But the phase of training will dictate that. Since the training stimulus increases a bit in the Build and Specialty phases of training, you may need to ease into the workload by completing a lower intensity workout (or two) to transition into the workload. The only catch here is your workout days may get shifted around a little and you'll need to pay attention to which workout is next.

You may also choose to skip the workout if you're pressed for time. You can get away with that and still maintain a positive training progression easier in the Base phase more so than the Build or Specialty phases.

When it comes to swapping sessions, we recommend going to the Workouts page on the site or the Workouts tab within the app and filtering by TSS/intensity/IF to look for other sessions similar to the session scheduled. If you need to find a workout that is lower-intensity, you can also filter in either of these places to find a workout that looks more suitable for that day.

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad

Tonight my wife was doing a workout on TR and it kept pausing the workout and then a couple of seconds later it would resume. Did this about 15 times over 20 minutes at which point she gave up on it. She was using virtual power but I️ have also had it happen to me while using my Powertap.
Any idea how to prevent this from happening repeatedly?

---

Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Turn off auto pause?

Thanks for the suggestion, that is the first thing that we tried.

---

Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Same thing has happened to me intermittently and some posters above have commented that sometimes your computer's Wi-Fi can cause it.

Yesterday it paused a couple times on me. I turned off the Wi-Fi to finish my workout, but it happened again AFTER turning off the Wi-Fi. I'm interested to hear more on possible solutions.

Hi Mike,

You probably have a bad connection to your device and the data is dropping out.

Here's what we recommend:

1) Put in fresh batteries
2) Use a Bluetooth Smart connection (rather than ANT) if possible
3) Make sure there's a clear line of sight between your device and your bike
4) Get your device and bike closer to each other
5) Check her cadence device to make sure it's properly placed. We've seen it where a little flex in the frame can be enough so it doesn't register a crank revolution.

---

CEO at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

thanks for the response Nate.
We are currently using an ANT connection with the Garmin so maybe that is the problem. Do you have a Bluetooth Smart connector that you recommend? Also if it matters, we are using a regular desktop PC to run the program.

---

Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

The bluetooth smart state on Windows is a bit of a mess. You could buy a special Windows bluetooth dongle (listed on the page below) then get a Wahoo Speed/Cadence sensor.

Instructions on that here:
https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/201377504-Bluetooth-Smart-Connectivity


You could also try replacing the battery first. That usually solves most of the issues. ANT can work well with a good battery and a room that's low in wireless interference. That would be the easier/cheaper solution.

---

CEO at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Do you have a USB extension cable? Getting the two points of connection under 3-4' seems to be crucial.

Hi,

I've been using TrainerRoad for about a year now with some good results (FTP from around 240 to 285w, up from prior season peak of about 260w), and worked my way through the sweet spot base 1&2, general build and then half specific plans (all high volume) before rotating between general build and half specific based on timing of races I was doing.

Following the season, I've just taken 2 weeks semi-off, but have lost minimal fitness in that. My question is whether when thinking about my plan for next year I should go back and repeat the base plans before moving back to the build plans, or just continue to rotate through build plans?

Thanks

Hi,

I am planning my 2018 season around the TrainerRoad Long distance (Base, Build, Specialty) plans.

'A' races next year are two Ironman's, 8 weeks apart. Of the two, the second is the more important and I would sacrifice fitness in 1 in order to be 100% prepared for 2 (even though I'd like to go well in the first as well).

I am not sure how to put the plans together with the following ideas:

1) Go though full Base/Build/Specialty through to Ironman 1, then after recovery week or 2 repeat the final 6-7 weeks of specialty again through to Ironman 2.
2) Start later so that Base/Build/Specialty goes through to Ironman 2, with Ironman 1 slotted in with a taper/recovery week before and after and accept this means being undercooked for Ironman 1.
3) Go though full Base/Build/Specialty through to Ironman 1, then do a mini programme through to Ironman 2 (say 2 weeks base, 2 weeks build, 3 weeks specialty or similar).

If anyone has any relevant experience/advice I would appreciate it!
Thank you.

Hi Wardy,

Great work on the FTP increase this year! And excellent job structuring your season. :)

Sounds like you've given yourself a little break, which is exactly what we recommend following the completion of your season. Depending on how long your macrocycle has been, we suggest 1-3 weeks of low-intensity riding or time off the bike completely. We want to provide the body a brief break from the rigors of high-intensity interval training before jumping back into another training block with full force. It comes down to giving the body's autonomic nervous system and endocrine systems a break before getting back to it.

As for the direction of your training, we recommend jumping back into the Sweet Spot Base plans before embarking on your Build and Specialty blocks. Even though your fitness level is presumably still pretty high compared to where you started base last season, you'll be training at a new FTP, so you'll still be getting a training stimulus that will keep your fitness trending in a positive direction.

Let us know if you have any other questions! Have an awesome 2018!!

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad

I had a problem with drop outs on my laptop. I have a USB-based ANT dongle. I removed the dongle and used a pencil eraser to clean the contacts (make sure to blow away any eraser debris). Since then, no more dropouts.

Does this mean that support of native BT-chips on Windows devices isn't likely to happen any time soon?

Dongle-life makes me sad : (

Howdy,

Sounds like you've got a great 2018 ahead of you! We're stoked to be a part of it.

Our recommendation is under the impression you're pretty experienced. I'm assuming this due to you targeting two Ironman events 8 weeks apart. ;)

Feel free to make adjustments based on your experience recovering from an event of this distance as well.

Of your ideas, we lean towards suggesting a variation of your third option. Since your second event is a bit more important to you, we think taking 2-3 weeks to include some low-intensity riding will give you the opportunity to establish an even deeper fitness base for the second event.

A great progression following the first event would be to spend the next 2-3 weeks in the third section of the Traditional Base training plan. This might be a light enough load that will allow you to shorten the duration of how long your originally intended to recover after the first event. If you think that's cutting things too close, feel free to include the extra recovery time.

We then suggest approaching these 4-5 weeks with what we refer to as a re-build approach. We suggest entering back into the your Build training plan; the first 4 weeks if you're carrying more fatigue, or the last 4 weeks if you're feeling more recovered. On that fourth and final week leading up to you event, consider swapping that week with the final week from the Specialty plan you completed earlier in the season before your first IM. This week 8 from that Specialty plan is structured as a taper week, so the workouts will hold off on a lot of the volume, but still maintain intensity to keep you sharp for the event. That is, unless you had another tapering strategy in mind.

Let us know what you think! Have a killer couple of races, and keep us in the loop on how everything goes.

Cheers

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad

The Windows BT stack has definitely given us a bit of a hassle. We can't give a definitive ETA on when it'll be ready to ship, so for now I'm afraid it is still dongle-life for BT on Windows :/

We'll be sure to notify everyone on updates! :D

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad

Dongle life makes us sad too! We're waiting for a Windows 10 update to solve a bug in the BT 4.0 layer.

As soon as we can get it working reliably we'll make it happen!

---

CEO at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Thanks for the reply. Goddamn Microsoft!

Nick/Chad I'll post this here for you;

Hoping you can clarify something about the Base Build Spec timeline and when to aim a peak.
Male, 32, Cat1/2 Road, 4yrs racing and on TR.
Race season starts basically start of May and goes straight through with few missed weekends until mid-August. I’ve always thought that 100 days (May-midAug) is a long time to hold peak form, so i’ve aimed to be coming out of my Build phase and starting specialty when the season begins, with the hopes of really perfecting that peak for the big race in Mid-Aug.
Am I understanding “peaking” properly? What is there is an A race in June and another mid-Aug? They are too far apart to ride a peak fitness but almost too short to do a build/specialty again.
Any thoughts would be helpful

Anybody having problems with ANT+ dropouts since the last update? TR on laptop is dropping out a lot but not with my Garmin 520. Using a Quarq Elsa. It’s also my HR so I know it’s not the PM.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

Thanks Nick, great detailed response and the steer I was looking for.

You were right on the experience, Ironmans 11 and 12 next year. Only really picked up Trainer Road partway through this year and followed Long Distance specialty through to two Ironmans 6 weeks apart.

Best performance so far in the first (6 mins off Kona), but did get a little lost between the two, hence the question for next year. Once again, thanks, will keep you posted.

Hey Nick,

I have a 100 mile mtb race in June. It's 95% singletrack with amour 9500 ft of climbing. What wpuld you recommend for training blocks

Howdy,

Happy to clarify.

Sounds like you've got a good grasp on the concept of "peaking". We typically don't recommend athletes try to hold their fitness peak longer than a 8 week duration — so we agree 100 days is too long to try and hold onto your high-end fitness. :)

Beginning the Specialty phase training plan when your racing season begins is an excellent approach to the season. In this case, you'd think of these races throughout your Specialty plan as C- and B-priority races, or "training races". Training races are a fantastic opportunity to tailor your training to become increasingly specific to the demands of your A-race. You'll target these higher priority races at the end of the Specialty plan in this case. Then you can maintain that fitness peak during your racing series coming out of the Specialty plan.

That is one approach.

Another way to go about it is what we refer to as a "re-build" approach; where you'll target two high priority events or racing series far enough apart where you can adjust the Base, Build, Specialty cycle to achieve your fitness peak twice in one calendar year. So in the example of having two A-races, one in June and one in August; following a re-build approach sounds very fitting! In this instance you will follow the Base, Build, Specialty sequence leading up to your first high priority event. After completing the event, we suggest 1-3 weeks of low-intensity riding (or time off completely) before following half of your Build training plan (either the first half if you're carrying some fatigue or the second if you're feeling more fresh). Once you complete the partial revisitation to the Build plan, you'll then revisit the Specialty plan leading up to the second high priority event.

To get a little more information on structuring your season based on your goal events, check the following article out: How to Adjust Your Training With More Than One Goal Event

Hope this gets you pointed in the right direction! Feel free to let us know what you think.

Cheers

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad

Shoot, sorry to hear about the connection issues!

We haven't seen any upticks in reports on ANT+ dropouts, so we'd like to look into this ASAP. Since both the HR and the PM are going out simultaneously it sounds like it could be some type of interference. It could be worth checking your training environment for any wireless devices that may be interfering.

Shoot us an email at support@trainerroad.com when you get a chance, and we'll get to the bottom of this. :)

Looking forward to getting this hashed out. Thanks!

---

Get Faster with TrainerRoad