What have you been doing?

I think TrainerRoad is great, but the last 7 weeks of the specialty plan assumes you’ve done their base and build plans and are prepared for those last 7 weeks (which are hard AF - especially the Tuesday workouts).

Regardless, I think it’s a good idea, but don’t be a knucklehead and think you need to do these workouts based on a certain “FTP”. I’d suggest starting out 5-10% lower than where you think you are then work it back up if you’re able to complete the workouts without killing yourself.

I have been fairly consistent with base work (typically :45 to 1:30 on the trainer at a fairly steady tempo. A few interval sessions in there, but not too many. I've slacked off the last couple of weeks, but prior to that I was pretty consistently at 5-6 hours per week on the bike, just grinding along watching Netflix...

I've been following their podcast quite a bit (another source of entertainment when I'm on the trainer and Netflix doesn't interest me) and that's a big reason that I like the idea of going to Trainerroad. They've pretty consistently warned against overestimating FTP for their workouts, so I will be starting out with a good test anyway to see where I'm at. Last test was about 8 weeks ago, so I'm due for another one.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I would use TR. I really like TR and the workouts and weekly plans ave very good, regardless of where you are. I was on and off training through most of 2018 due to a lot of stuff. I was back "on" five weeks before my 70.3 last week. I just did the final optimize plan starting 3 weeks in. I had to dial back some of the intensities due to lost FTP, but it worked great. I biked very well, considering.

no reason to not do it. Just post in the massive TR thread to whoever they have responding on here right now and ask what they suggest doing 7 weeks prior to a race (I think its Bryce Lewis). They'd probably say 5 weeks of a build plan and 2 weeks specialty or something along those lines.

Amazingly enough, I honestly got slightly better tri results from just doing those 4-5 hours of steady riding on a trainer at a specific Kickr power than I did when I did the TR HIM program, but that was likely because I went too hard on the TR bike training (despite pegging my FTP exactly to the tests, no cheating). In retrospect, it was just too much for me to run and swim hard while hammering the bike, and I would have been better off doing those same workouts at FTP -20, especially as race day approached, as I was slightly overcooked on race day - really noticed it on the bike where I did 'fine', but had no special sauce in my legs, even with a good taper.

Sounds good, but even if you re-test I still wouldn’t expect you to be able to do some of these workouts at 100% intensity (mainly tuesdays). You will absolutely be better prepared by doing it starting now though. I definitely recommend doing the bricks when they have them scheduled, but I always just ran 2-5 miles (built up over the weeks) off the bike at race pace instead of what they said. It prepared me very well for race day.

It's fairly easy to move workouts around within the plan, right? Tuesdays I have a group workout with the tri-club that I like to do, but it sounds like the TR Tuesday ride is a pretty key workout, so if I could move that to a different day that would be ideal.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

For sure use TR.

"The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, the second best time is now." or something like that.

You won't become "fully trained" in 6 weeks (+a taper week) but you'll get a huge benefit from the focused training and you'll know what you need to do for your next race..

Tuesday is VO2. As far as it being a key workout, I’m not sure about that. As far as specificity to a 70.3 it’s not key. I think it’s in there to just keep your ceiling high and make tempo feel way easier. I think it would be fine to substitute the Tuesday ride for your club workout. (This advice is most likely worth what you paid for it 😜)

But if you do the TR Tuesday ride, it’s hard and I always needed to be pretty fresh to execute it. I will say it make me feel like I had tiger blood flowing through me when I crushed Sonora a week and a half before the race. Loads of confidence after that.

You can do the workouts whenever, so you'd get credit for a Tuesday workout if you did it on Thursday.

In the TR tri plans, the Tuesday workout is usually intervals and the Thursday workout is usually more sweet spot. I'd definitely do the TR FTP test, as my training FTP is quite a bit lower than my outdoors FTP, and the TR workouts are hard enough even with the lower trainer FTP (as Sean says).

I think I have a free month of TR to give away, PM me your email address if you want it.

Yeah you can move them around, there's a week to week progression but if you've been training for a while you'll be able to spot easy/hard vo2/threshold etc... days & integrate them into your schedule.

There's no harm in starting a subscription now, but personally I waited until just before the start of a training block to sign up (mainly for motivation/interest)

Reading ST, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that still rides outside.

I ride outside when I can ;-) had a good one on the weekend in the pissing rain

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Are you following a training plan right now? If so stick with that 7 weeks out. If you are winging your bike work at this point, then yes join trainerroad. I would start the HIM build plan today and then start a taper 1-2 weeks out (don't jump into a specialty plan now, if you have listened to their podcast long enough you will know why).

If your bike plan today is get on the trainer and pedal at whatever intensity you can muster at the moment twice during the week, and go outside for a long ride on the weekends, then I am sure trainer road will help you. If you have a cycling plan that is well planned and properly periodized, then starting a TR plan will get in the way of that at this stage of the game.

All my weekday rides are indoors.
Long rides outdoors on weekends when weather cooperates.

I use Zwift, but using any smart trainer and a solid platform should result in improved efficiency assuming your training is appropriate.

Do it. :)

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

Totally agree. Few weeks of TR will help you even with the taper at the end. I also agree that the Tuesday workouts are ridiculously hard. With swimming and running, there is no way I can do vo2 work and even when I do, it screws my legs for a few days. So I usually replace it with either Eclipse or Antelope -4.

Probably on the HIM plan those workouts are a bit too much. Mount Field is good. Or Eichhorn.

I jumped straight into specialty phase for a sprint race and i put down my best performance. Just be prepared to fail some workouts and don’t let it get to your head when you do fail.

Tuesday workouts will make you want to kill yourself, you really have to find a power number that is sustainable otherwise you’ll fail very early in the workout.

+1

LOL - at my last tri, I think the majority of the guys I talked to in my AG in transition said they did all their weekday bike training indoors, and only occasionally rode outdoors on the weekends (I fall into this category.) Times have changed!

I can give you a referral code for a free month of TrainerRoad, if you're interested. Send me a PM with your full name and email address.

No wonder these dumbarses can’t road ride in races. I was blocked by several packs this weekend up climbs in Chat. I’d be rolling at 24-27mph off a roller and they were out of the saddle yellow to white line wide. Had to full on stop once and was pushed onto the center rumble strips another time.

Seriously OP, get outside. That’s what summer is about. Group rides, club rides, TT’s, solo long rides and thresholds. Way too much fun to be had and skills to polish. Use TR only January through early April here in Kentucky. I was riding in 15 degrees Fahrenheit with flurries. It can and should be done.

You offering to babysit for me???

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

You’ve been vocal that you don’t have a powermeter or a smart trainer. I have both and I am contemplating getting rid of TR. i am coached & don’t use their plans, so I am simply using it as a fancy recording device, which is what my Garmin can do.

Haha! Thanks for shedding some additional light on your circumstance. In that case, use TR and go hard. Get out when you can.