Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Overload and adapt.
Everyones different though.

I actually feel fine. But last Nights VO2 intervals (5min Climbs) were like 20w Down on expected.

Then my Garmin said congrats. New VO2 max detected!

Really Garmin?

At a guess:

Lower HR due to fatigue. Lower average HR and the Garmin thinks you've got more spare capacity and so ups the expectations but when you're that fatigued something else gives out (legs, lungs, head) before you can get your HR up where it usually is let alone sustain it there.

Well -40 (TSB) appears to be about my personal limit, for constructive training.
I wish that hard hard work wasn't what causes me to go fast. Because it's horrible. If only I could reach my potential on 12h a week, like those time crunched time trialists!

I like the hard work. Training is my hobby anyway.

I just dislike the rate i lose form.

So old....

anyone got any advice for a newbie prommuter? I've moved so now have to commute for 2hrs- 2 1/2hrs per day.

I get the train a couple of times a week to break it up and have rest days but still find myself quite tired and unable to make any decent efforts and tend to just do z2 rides.

What's the science behind doing two workouts on the same day? Do I just need to give it a few more weeks to get used to it?

My training log is below - somedays I crash at my parents or get the train home. I should probably have more rest days but cycling saves nearly a tenner a day..

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New to POWER and new to Training Peaks and Trainer road.... After an injury and slow recovery and a desire to get some structure into my riding, it was time to man up. Quite an education it has been too. I did an FTP to get started and was pretty disappointed with the results... I know, I couldn't help it. 250, but room to improve.

Anyway, whatevs, let's start some structured training and get fast(er). So I added 8 weeks worth of Trainer road workouts into the TP calendar and off I went. So far so good but I am confused....

This morning I did Ruskin. According to Trainer road that should be 1 hour at a TSS of 70 and an IF of 0.83. I finished the workout this morning and my TSS came up as 35.1 and the IF 0.60. I never strayed from the prescribed workout and I calibrated my power meter after the 5 min warm up (Via the Garmin head unit)... what gives? Why am I working less hard than I should be whilst still following the plan?

EDIT: So I think I just answered my own question - I had not properly set up the Zones in Training Peaks (though that TR and TP synched all info... silly). My old workouts have not changed but I assume new ones will now record more acurately.

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Blind leading the blind advice:
I've got a similar daily commute (16 miles each way) and found that the key for me is taking it super easy when you're not doing intervals, otherwise it's easy to build up a lot of fatigue without really putting any significant training stress on your body. Instead of looking at it as two workouts a day, I try and get 3 quality sessions a week and the rest of the miles are borderline recovery pace.

edit: I also use the morning as a fasted ride, mainly because otherwise I end up having two breakfasts but its meant to have a fuelling benefit too.

If you can do this at zone 1. It'll be awesome in the long run.

Most MAMILs like myself cant find the time to do massive amounts of Z1. So mix up various interval based rides, With the occasional z1 recovery ride.

Personally I'd cut back on the training while you're adjusting, and try to stick to Z1 when commuting. As the body adapts add back in the more of the training focused stuff.

As With anything I type on this forum. This isnt based on any expert knowledge. So YMMV.

What's your current CTL? Post pmc for the last month.
As you're only riding ~500TSS a week on the commute, no where near enough to tire you out. 500tss is nothing training wise, anyone can absorb that. So it's under resting rather than doing too much.

Edit: Looked at data again, here is the reason - **That said, you did 555TSS in 7h30. That's an average of 74tss an hour. That's pretty hard riding. I'm not sure of your time in zones (post chart), but chances are, you're riding too hard all the time. Got to ride easy, to be able to ride really hard. So back off to bottom of Z2 when not doing an effort. And then throw efforts in on the way home if you feel good. The ride to work 1h at bottom Z2 will be 35-40tss then, a lot more comfortable and an easy ride.
Don't be affraid to ride to work and ride at 25tss/h, that's really nice an easy. So don't stop riding to work, just start riding really easy.

As smallf said, back the rides off to bottom of z2/z1 border and then throw in some z3/4 efforts. But hold te efforts till you feel better. I'd ride to work all week and take the weekend off. Then you save the money and get a free weekend!

The last point, try to keep neuromuscular efforts minimal. So no sprintint away from lights, or that shit. As that will tire you out fast.

Yes. In TP you need to set the Zone under settings. It will change it from the point you update it, going forward.
You can retroactively change FTP in TP also. But once again they've moved eveything around and I am not sure where that is now.

My taper for the mountain race went perfectly. 0 -> 1500m over 21km in 1:27. Held what was my FTHR for the Whole thing. So was pretty fresh. But still had a Nice bit of sharpness to the legs to move between the small Groups.

-5 TSB today, CTL of 91.

Have a tough race on Saturday. Basically a 125km mountain stage. Hopefully todays rest day, and a tiny 'sharpening' ride on Firday should see me nicely into the +ve

You'll adapt.

Might wanna eat a bit more though. ALL THE CARBS!

I FUCKING LOVE CARBS!

fuck this diet.... :(

Currently eating 'breakfast' cake...

Yeah... I'm an idiot. I worked it out though and moved data manually from TR in to TP. Everything looking much better now.... Ftp had been set to 350.

I had a berocca tab for breakfast.

hmmmmm.

My FTP/Kg is now 4 though. Last season it was 3.6. Saturdays lumpy spin around Nordfjord, and climb over Utvikkfjell is going to be so much easier for it.

Cake for breakfast on Sunday.
......With bacon.
......Basically a bacon cakewich.

I stopped bothering to lose weight again a month or two ago. Fuck it, it's not like I've got to climb a bunch of mountains soon. Oh.

If you eat more now.
You'll be heavier on the Climbs.
So you'll burn more calories.
And can eat more later.

/Science

Logic win!

I have the opposite to face.

Be good boy.
Train hard.
Eat seeds.
Lose weight.
Get to eat even less as reward.

Fuck you Logic. Bacon cakewich!

It's disgusting the amount I need to eat to keep even on calories in/out.

Now imagine how much more you'd cough "need" to eat if you were carrying an extra 25kg...

#allmuscle

PMC chart for last 90 days attached.

first 2 weeks of commuting my CTL ramped up to around 64 and for the last month it hasnt moved.

I'm guessing im underestimating an 'easy ride' as i seem to do around 45/50tss/hr for an 'easy' ride.

Hopefully easing off fully on commutes some days will allow me to put in some proper efforts on the other days.

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My easy ride on MOnday included an all out 4min effort (because strava), and a pretty relentless Coastal Wind. I considered it a bit of a screw up as an easy ride. Yet it was 140 TSS for 3 hours, 10mins.

So definitely drop below 40TSS/hour.

Also. Once Your CTL catches up. This commuting will feel easier still.