Loyal TR user since 2011, took an 8 month break. Looking at a 1/2 IM mid-March, giving me 20 wks to prep. What plans would you recommend?

Thanks Bryce.

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"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne

Hi Bryce,
I am currently in the middle of a low volume traditional base plan. My next step was the sustained power build and then jumping into the half distance base ,build and specialty plan.
My problem is I need to cut 3 weeks out to land on my target race day. Any suggestions on what 3 weeks to cut out of the plans?

Also on my target date, I have a choice of either an Olympic or a Half Distance race. I'm not sure which one I can make it to yet. Is there any harm in training for the half and end up doing the Olympic?

Thanks
Mike

Wetfeet wrote:

Loyal TR user since 2011, took an 8 month break. Looking at a 1/2 IM mid-March, giving me 20 wks to prep. What plans would you recommend?

Hey there!


I would recommend the following progression:


Half-Distance Base (8 Weeks)
Half-Distance Build (8 Weeks)
Half Distance Specialty (Weeks 1-3 & 8)


When starting training, you always want to start with a solid base because this will be the foundation for the rest of your training. You'll have enough time to complete both the Base and Build Phase, and then during the Specialty Phase, you will do the first three weeks, and then skip to Week 8 to taper in preparation of your event.


Happy Training!

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Hey there!

The best place to start would be our Full-Distance Plans!

Full Distance Base
Full Distance Build
Full Distance Specialty

As for a workout to cover the 5 hour endurance paced trainer rides, we really recommend getting the full prescribed duration on the trainer since that kind of work will really help to prepare you for the work you'll have to face on race day. If you have a good, flat, and uninterrupted road in your area, you could choose to do these workouts outside to lessen the phychological blow, but it'll still be a tough ride.

Training is all about race specificity, so having a workout that mimics the demands of your event is critical for your success.

Best of luck with your training, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!

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Go ahead and cut the last three weeks of your Traditional Base Plan :)

As for training for the Half and ending up doing the Olympic, this is a much better option than the other way around.

If you do HIM training and race the Oly, you will not be quite optimized for the duration, however, you will be able to finish strong and will likely have a pretty good time. On the other hand, if you train for an Olympic and then race a HIM, you will not have the endurance required to perform at a high level, and may have trouble finishing strong.

Hope this helps!

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Yes, Thanks for your help Bryce
Thanks!

Starting over a new plan again after a season of riding outdoors and life getting in the way during fall. Did a ramp test this morning I found that using erg mode on my smart trainer made the last minute I completed pretty darn hard (cadence starting to drop to 70s rpm region) and then the dreaded really low cadence smart trainer compensation spiral where I was stuck in 40s (no way I was going to complete that with my knees intact). I just wasn't able to turn the pedals honestly because of fighting the low cadence and was thinking if I was in resistance mode instead I could've gone at least another minute interval (or possibly two) more if I wasn't instead fighting the trainer erg low cadence death spiral.

Anyway to put a future feature in where it is easier to switch to resistance mode on a smart trainer (shortcut button instead of having to go into the devices, then the smart trainer, etc)? With an easy/quick access to adjust the resistance level too?

Or maybe a feature that cuts out the erg mode once your cadence drops below a certain percentage level of your preferred cadence (say maybe 30% or 40%)? Then kicks back in once you are within 10% of the ideal cadence level you set? Or do I just instead downshift (which is pretty rough on the drivetrain it seems at those high loads)?

Thanks!

I think that's the point of that crazy resistance on the ramp test. You go until you literally can't turn the pedals anymore, even if you have a little more cardio to spare. On a smart erg-mode trainer, you have to pump out more power to keep the cadence up, so if you can't mash any faster, you're maxxing out your legs at the power point, which is how the test was designed.

You can always do the 8', 20', or 60' power tests as well if you feel the ramp test is mismeasuring you. I'll probably try each of those in the future at some point to compare to my ramp, but as of now, I'm happy with the intensity the ramp test is bringing to my workouts, seems spot on for Vo2 and sweet spot as judged by my HR and leg beatdown.

Hey there!


I'm sorry that your first experience with the Ramp Test wasn't a great one! The clench of an ERG trainer can definitely be a tough one to come back from. Typically, if an athlete is struggling to keep their cadence up during the test and cannot maintain a quick spin, they would struggle similarly in Resistance Mode. That being said, some people prefer being in full control of their power output during the test, with a consistent resistance, and therefore, they choose to use Resistance Mode. This choice is a personal one, and the test will be just as valid.


As for adding the ability to switch your mode mid-test, when an athlete is working at 100% of their ability, the last thing they want is to be fumbling with their phone or having it switch modes on them when they don't expect it. There is a bit of a learning curve with the Ramp Test in picking what mode you prefer, however, once you get the hang of it it is much easier to manage than the previous 8 and 20 Minute tests :)


I wish you the best of luck with your next Test!

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Thanks for taking the time to respond. I actually would still like a shortcut feature for the erg/resistance mode for things such as short intervals (15s or less) stuff where the smart trainer just doesn't respond fast enough for test sets but still want erg for the longer rest portions and warmup/cooldown.

I'm still trying to figure out which mode I like for the ramp test as I've tried it 1 time on resistance mode and 2-3 times on erg mode. I do acknowledge that on resistance mode I'd also struggle with cadence at the end but at least wouldn't be fighting the erg mode clamp down too.

Definitely like it better than the 20' test so far since (especially now) is much less punishing on those out of shape and I've had issues with knee soreness trying to push those levels of extended effort too soon starting up again after taking extended periods off.

I'm still hoping this winter I can get through a full base/build/specialty as last "trainer" season I got sick near the last 1/4 of the build, then it got nice out and didn't complete the plans. But I did have the fastest times in 3 years on a short TT series course because of the your plans and my outdoor rides were much faster avg speed than previous years.

My guess is that you might have been able to go another minute if you were in resistance mode, but at a lower power, i.e. you had maxed out the power you can put out for a minute, and you weren't able to acheive the prescribed power for the next step up. So the result probably isn't wrong (within the confines of the estimation algorithm). I've done the ramp test a couple of times now, nd I've found it pretty easy to get consistent results. The last 30s or so you simply can't hit the power target, and the algorithm will essentially throw that data out, since it's looking for your peak 1 min power.

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Hey Loxx!


I'm happy to hear that we were able to improve your overall season last year!


With regards to the ideal mode for the Ramp Test, this is very much a personal preference. Many people prefer the ERG mode since it allows them to "zone out" and just focus on working hard. On the other hand, others prefer to be in full control of the effort and resistance, and for that reason prefer Resistance Mode. At the end of the day, you just have to decide which method works best for you :)


And as for the shortcut to change between ERG and Resistance Mode, this is not on our immediate roadmap, but it is something that we hope to integrate in the future.


Best of luck with your upcoming season!!

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Hi! I'm doing SSB1 mid-volume. So workout days are T, W, Th, Sa, and Su. I'm traveling for Thanksgiving so this means the Th and Sa workouts will be missed. I was going to just shift everything back by a few days and continue as there is just a couple more weeks of the plan after this.

Should I walk backwards in the schedule at all or is shifting forward by just a few days okay? Should I just take the whole week off?

Hi Bryce, I 've been training with TR for three years with really great success (4:47 on the bike leg in Roth 2017). This year in sping, I suffered a severe knee injury (cartillage tear and microfrature surgery). I started again with bike training by going through Sweet Spot Base Low Volume I and II, which ends next week. I am starting through the Full Distance Triathlon Base, Build and Specialty Low Volume, starting in the first week of January. So I have 5 weeks between next week and the start of the Full Distance Plan. My question: Which plan should I follow for the next 5 weeks? I want to do just 2 rides per weeks during this period. Thanks and kind regards, Dan

Hey there!

Shifting forward by a few days is perfectly acceptable :)

This article could be a good resource in the future for dealing with skipped workouts:


https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005927443-Missed-Workouts-What-Do-I-Do-


Cheers!

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Hey Dan!

Assuming that your knee is healed and your doctor has given you the thumbs up, the Sustained Power Build Plan could be beneficial to you and your goals. I would recommend completing Weeks 1-4, and then Week 8. This will give you two easier weeks at the tail end of the training bloack, which will allow you to transition into your Triathlon Plans without additional fatigue.

Let me know if you have any further questions!

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Thank you!

Quick question:
I want to sign up to TR again (starting tomorrow), as i miss the workout structure, but we have Black friday comming up (this friday), has there in the past been black friday subscription deals from TR/are you planning on making any this year? Would suck signing up and then it gets cheaper this friday (and i would probably sign up for a whole year).

Hey there Lassekk!

Unfortunately we will not be having any of subscription discounts over Black Friday :( But as far as minimizing costs goes, you're on the right track with the yearly plan!

Cheers!

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Are there one month trail invites availble?

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Follow my project on Project 100 miles / 4 hours

Individual users earn free months to give to friends just by using TrainerRoad, so ask around your ride-group to see if any TR users have extras :)

If you have no such luck, we do have a 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows you to try out TrainerRoad risk free for the first month. If you don't love us for any reason, just let us know and we will issue a full refund.

Let me know if you have any further questions!

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Bryce,

Have there been any talks with Zwift about combining powers?
TrainerRoad for training plans, Zwift for races. Man, that would be cool. I'd also be interested in paying a shade more a month for TR if that covered 1 race a week in zwift.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will ever collaborate with Zwift to combine our relative strengths. For now, we are both focused on creating the best possible product for our respective portions of the cycling market.

If you are interested in using TrainerRoad and Zwift simultaneously though, you can learn how in this article:
https://www.smartbiketrainers.com/run-zwift-trainerroad-simultaniously-1948


You will need subscriptions from both applications, but this combination does give you the "best-of-both-worlds".


Cheers!

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Hi Bryce,

I was just wondering whether there were any updates on pulling in run and swim workouts from Garmin Connect/Strava to sync up with the TrainerRoad calendar and training plans? I had a quick look on the TrainerRoad forum and it seemed as though this has been removed from the roadmap of upcoming features :(