Hi Bryce and TR,

Asking for some of your awesome assistance again. I used TR to successfully train for my 2nd. IM 3 weeks ago. Having done 2 weeks of mostly nothing, and about a week of leisure activity (social ride, some running etc.) i got my eyes on a new target. Half Ironman 3 nov. Having vacation comming up over the next two weeks with only running available i will look at having 12 weeks of training (including race week) for the 70.3.

How do i best structure that as I dont feel like I'm all the way back at base training, but have also read several time that e.g. specialty is purely the sprinkles on the cake.
Do i do:
1) 4 weeks base 8 weeks of Build?
2) 8 weeks build 4 weeks specialty
3) Something else
4) something else etc.

The one thing I'm worried about is that the base/build does not have too many longer rides in them, but i guess a plan could be to subsitute some of the sat. rides with longer outside rides for endurence but stick to the midweek rides as per base/build, looking forward to what you would think is a wise way forward.

Seeing as you have just come off of a full IM training plan (congratulations!), there is not much use of revisiting the Base Phase in preparation for your HIM.

Your option 2 will be your best bet. 8 weeks of Build, then 4 weeks of Specialty will be perfect preparation.

The four weeks of Specialty that you do will be one of the following options:

- Week 1>2>3>8 : Choose this option if you are feeling pretty fresh and feel that you only require a one week taper

- Week 1>2>7>8 : Choose this option if you are feeling a little beat, and would prefer the full two week taper leading into your event :)

Good luck and feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.

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I just installed an update for my Favero Assioma (duo) power meter. For the first time ever, I had problems doing a workout in TR. The power kept dropping to zero and the TR workout pausing itself even as I continued pedaling. I’ve never had an issue in the ten months I’ve been on TR with this power meter. Has anyone else had trouble? Is there anything I can do?

I know it's bad form to point to other forums (TrainerRoad's own forum in this case), but there is a thread about the recent firmware update, and the issues that TR is reviewing to address them. When in doubt, an email to support@trainerroad.com will get you a quick answer as well.

As Chad said, our Support Team would be happy to help you work through any technical problems that you may be experiencing :)

We're sorry for the inconvenience, hopefully we can get you up and running shortly.

Update: We've been in touch with Favero and all you need to do is reach out to their Support Team and they will send you a firmware that will work for you. Here is the link to their Support Page:
https://cycling.favero.com/support

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Thanks!

Hi Bryce
I just finished up my A race for the year. A 70.3. I am very pleased with the results using the Base,Build, Specialty, Half Distance plan. Mid Volume.
My next A race will most likely be about a year from now. So I am looking to maintain my current fitness as well as increasing my FTP before starting a half or possibly a full distance build.
What plans would you recommend to bridge the gap for the next 6 months or so?
Thanks
Mike

I am in a similar situation. I finished my 70.3 A race in June and I won't be able to race much more this year due to family circumstances. After taking a month off from structured training, I would like to jump in and get a head start, my next A race will be in June of next year. I have a pretty good base and an FTP of 340 (on the heavier side weight-wise, around 205lbs).
Should I do a short base build to refresh and then multiple cycles of Re-Builds?

Thanks,
Andre

Hey guys,

I would recommend taking a look at this article from our Help Center, particularly the section regarding off season training:
https://support.trainerroad.com/...alf-Ironman-Training

This article could also be useful as it advises what you should do with the additional time you have to train.
https://support.trainerroad.com/...56952-Too-Much-Time-

Generally, I would recommend spending time on Build in the offseason, and then doubling up on the Base Phase, possibly doing Traditional Base the first time through before jumping into the full triathlon training progression :)

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Thanks Bryce

What are your thoughts on this approach?
12 weeks of traditional base
12 weeks of sweet spot base
And then the 24 weeks of Base, Build ,Specialty
Or maybe the Sustained power build is in there somewhere?

That appraoch has a LOT of Base in it. I would likely throw a Sustained Power Build in there durirng the off-season to keep it interesting.

For example:
Sustained Power Build (8 Weeks)
Traditional Base 1 (4 Weeks)
SSB (12 Weeks)
Base/Build/Specialty (24 weeks)

Good luck with your season!

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Hi,
I have been a user of Trainerroad for 4 or 5 years and I use it regularly to train for Ironman distances. I am 51 years old and have been doing IM for 5 years, and have slowly improved my bike times. However, I believe that I have reached a plateau from which I would like to move. I have been following the Build and Full distance specialty trainings (not doing all of them but choosing and picking from those plans).
My FTP has got to around 268 but I have been having problems getting to around 70 to 72% of that FTP on the IM races. When I train for IM I am aerobically fit (VO2Max = 62 and resting heart rate = 38) so I somehow believe that my FTP is "fake" in the sense that my recoveries are fast and they hide the fact that I cannot hold to low cadence and hard riding efforts. For reference, I managed 2 months ago before my A race to do "Sonora" at an average 128 bpm (heart rate).
Could you please recommend some training plan I could do during the winter season in order not so much improve my FTP (that could also come in handy) but to get stronger on the bike (low cadence, long intervals, whatever)?
Thanks.

I would recommend checking out this article on Full Distance Triathlon training, specifically the "Off Season" section:
https://support.trainerroad.com/...771-Ironman-Training

In short, the Sustained Power Build Phase would be a great phase to choose to focus soley on improving your bike leg in the offseason.

Also, you mentioned that you have been "cherry-picking" the Build and Specialty Plans. To maximize your gains, I would recommend strictly adhering to the Full Distance Base, Build and Specialty Plans. This will improve your ability to hold higher percentages of your FTP for more extended periods of time :)

Cheers, and good luck with your training!

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Hi Bryce,

Thanks for the quick reply. I will definitely check the link and the sustained power build phase during the winter months. You are 100% right as for my "cherry picking" from the Full distance plans is due to the fact that I cannot fit in enough training during the week as my work schedule makes me reach home at 8 pm and cannot fit in a week 4 or 5 day´s worth of bike training and that is why for the last weeks prior to an IM I pick a couple of 2 hours intervals (Eg Polar Bear + Stromlo + 4) followed by a long bike ride of aprox 6 hours on Saturdays (aprox 12 long rides of this distance). I know it´s not enough to get the results I am chasing but... The long bike rides I normally mix hilly terrain of aprox 1500 metres altitude difference and flat courses where I try to be 100% aero...

Lozarate, what volume plan are you doing? If not LV, why not?

I think you are correct. The low volume one could be what I need for the week workouts as I will maintain the Saturday long bike rides. Thanks for pointing out.

Iozarate wrote:

I think you are correct. The low volume one could be what I need for the week workouts as I will maintain the Saturday long bike rides. Thanks for pointing out.

A combination of Low Volume on weekdays and Mid Volume on weekends could be the ticket for you :)


In general, perfectly executing a Low Volume will yield more gains than partially completing a Mid-Volume Plan. Getting faster is all about consistency.

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Hi Bryce,

I haven't fully tested this yet, as my issue might just be my weak legs. I previously used both the Garmin ANT+ dongle and the TR recommended BT dongle (App on Windows 10 and Vector 3 pedals calibrated before riding). I've never really had a problem hitting power targets for the prescribed duration (in weke 8 of Olympic mid-volume plan), some can be hard, but doable. Now I can barely hit FTP for any appreciable time.

Two weeks ago I unplugged the BT dongle to plug something else in. I also noticed riding over the last two weeks I've been having a really hard time hitting power targets at or above my FTP, even as low as 105% of FTP I can't hold for anything longer than 2-3 minutes and feel like I'm working way harder than I should be. Removing the BT dongle has been the only change I've made, would that cause the app or Garmin dongle to not properly recognize my power output?

My next ride I'm going to plug the BT dongle back in and see what happens. And of course, this could all just be me needing to take some time off.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

I just signed up a few weeks ago, so far I enjoy the focus over Zwift; it sounds funny but if I do intervals on Zwift and I have to say, hit 300w, if its on a descent my mind tells me 'you don't have to do this'.

My biggest issue (which is a petty one) is the mileage is 20ish% lower than Zwift when I run it in parallel. Yesterday my ride was 22 miles on TR and 27.5 on Zwift. No way I'm going to hit my goal of 12,000 for the year like that!

I have TR set to 2096 and run it in ERG with a Tacx Neo.

I have a neo with TR - can't you just use a bigger gear? The distance goes up. Watts the same as you're in ERG mode. Or increase cadence but I'm guessing you keep that consistent.

Ok Thanks Bryce!
I think i have a game plan set for myself.
My next question is for my son in law who just recently purchased a year subscription.
He is also targeting an A race about a year from now. Also a 70.3, but does not have quite the base built up as I do. I only have a year of structured training but he really has none. He has done a few sprint distance races, and mostly group rides for the last year or so.
He just bought a smart trainer and is anxious to get started. What plans would you suggest to get him started and carry him to the Base,Build,Specialty phases of the Half Distance?

Thanks
Mike

The dongles themselves will not change your measured power, however, the way that you pair your power meter will.

Via ANT+, the Garmin Vector 3 pedals will display total L/R power.

Via Bluetooth, the Vectors will take the L pedal power and double it.

It is possible that you were pairing via Bluetooth, and then when you removed that dongle, you were forced to pair via ANT+. Pairing via ANT+ is more accurate, so I would recommend staying paired via that protocol. To verify that you are paired correctly, I would recommend reaching out to our Support Team at support@trainerroad.com. Send them a screenshot of your Devices Tab so that they can see what is going on :)

Cheers!

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As Bluefever mentioned, you can increase the distance in TrainerRoad by using a larger gear. Zwift estimates your speed using an algorithm that takes your power, weight, and potentially your size into consideration. We do not have a way to estimate your speed, but rather, we measure the speed of your rear wheel speed. The faster that wheen spins, the higher your speed That means that if you use a harder gear, you speed will increase to more closely match the speeds estimated by Zwift. It is unlikely that they will perfectly match, but you can get the two speed readings closer for sure.

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Thanks for the input, I'll stick with the ANT+ for the ore accurate reading.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

The Half Distance Base/Build/Specialty Half Distance Low Volume plans would work well for him on their own, but if he has the extra time to complete a Sweet Spot Base cycling plan before jumping into the tri plans, that will really help him on the bike :)

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