2019 Structured training

[CXRAndy]

What does base in zone 2 mean? Is that all you are allowed to do, or can you also do some harder sessions? Could you do mostly level 2, but do a race a week on zwift for instance?

Also does activity off the bike contribute anything? I do 3 miles a day walking dogs, twice that on holidays and weekends, so generally a minimum of 25 miles a week. Would that add anything to my base?

Sorry for all the questions!

Zone 2 when talking about HR is a pace you can sustain for many hours. It's not a dawdle , just slightly elevated breathing. To workout your heart rate zones is important. There are quite a few calculators, I used the training peaks calc which uses lactate threshold HR https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/joe-friel-s-quick-guide-to-setting-zones/

80% of workouts would be done in Zone 2. Maybe once a week a race or VO2 Max workout to keep peak topped up. To build a base you have to go steady for a number of weeks, up to 12-14weeks depending on how fit you're currently. Possible as little as 6 weeks if you are already in good form.
Use the walks as recovery, if you feel fatigue creeping up
The experts say
, ' think of a pyramid wider the base higher the peak'.

I personally found once I could cycle non stop on a turbo for 3.5hours, high cadence with a heart rate that tracked level right to the end of the session, I was probably ready for next phase, timing wise a cycle holiday was perfect timing.

Zone 2 for me didn't lead to fatigue, so could do it day after day and be fresh each day. I would take one day off a week and a very easy week every 4 weeks.

I also quickly trained my body just to use water for the whole of these long zone 2 sessions. This makes the body more efficient at using body fat as fuel and not eating fast carbohydrates to fuel. I found it particularly useful in Tenerife where I could ride for several hours on water and just fuel at the organised breaks.

 

[huwsparky]

What does base in zone 2 mean? Is that all you are allowed to do, or can you also do some harder sessions? Could you do mostly level 2, but do a race a week on zwift for instance?

Also does activity off the bike contribute anything? I do 3 miles a day walking dogs, twice that on holidays and weekends, so generally a minimum of 25 miles a week. Would that add anything to my base?

Sorry for all the questions!

I usually run over 30miles per week. I don't find the running helps with my cycling but the cycling definitely helps my running. So on that basis I wouldn't expect your walks to help much with your fitness.

Yes, I'd highly recommend if you have two sessions a week making your short one very hard (intervals via szwif or whatever) and an easier pace longer ride. I've been mostly concentrating on my running for the last few months and have managed to maintain what most would consider a decent level of fitness with a similar programme.

 

[Nebulous]

Zone 2 when talking about HR is a pace you can sustain for many hours. It's not a dawdle , just slightly elevated breathing. To workout your heart rate zones is important. There are quite a few calculators, I used the training peaks calc which uses lactate threshold HR https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/joe-friel-s-quick-guide-to-setting-zones/

80% of workouts would be done in Zone 2. Maybe once a week a race or VO2 Max workout to keep peak topped up. To build a base you have to go steady for a number of weeks, up to 12-14weeks depending on how fit you're currently. Possible as little as 6 weeks if you are already in good form.
Use the walks as recovery, if you feel fatigue creeping up
The experts say
, ' think of a pyramid wider the base higher the peak'.

I personally found once I could cycle non stop on a turbo for 3.5hours, high cadence with a heart rate that tracked level right to the end of the session, I was probably ready for next phase, timing wise a cycle holiday was perfect timing.

Zone 2 for me didn't lead to fatigue, so could do it day after day and be fresh each day. I would take one day off a week and a very easy week every 4 weeks.

I also quickly trained my body just to use water for the whole of these long zone 2 sessions. This makes the body more efficient at using body fat as fuel and not eating fast carbohydrates to fuel. I found it particularly useful in Tenerife where I could ride for several hours on water and just fuel at the organised breaks.

Thanks - I don't have time to do that this year, my first audax is in early March. I need to build up distance at a higher pace before then.

My riding has generally been very unstructured, but I'm good at riding without food. On good form 50 miles on a couple of water bottles works fine.

 

[CXRAndy]

Thanks - I don't have time to do that this year, my first audax is in early March. I need to build up distance at a higher pace before then.

My riding has generally been very unstructured, but I'm good at riding without food. On good form 50 miles on a couple of water bottles works fine.

if you're time constraint, then look at sweetspot training which has huge benefits. Watch out for fatigue and rest more often

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Did another set of aerobic capacity intervals today. I was scheduled to do aerobic threshold today but car repairs means I do not have the 2-3 hours spare. I can say I well and truly died, these intervals are hard and you are only meant to do them once a week. Not enough recovery time from Tuesday's session. Lesson learnt. Will fit aerobic threshold in on Sat hopefully.

Managed some strength work afterwards.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thanks - I don't have time to do that this year, my first audax is in early March. I need to build up distance at a higher pace before then.

My riding has generally been very unstructured, but I'm good at riding without food. On good form 50 miles on a couple of water bottles works fine.

How much time a week do you have available for your training and how does it split down by day? You will want to split up intervals with longer lower intensity work. Former for speed and power and latter for fat burning.

 

[Nebulous]

How much time a week do you have available for your training and how does it split down by day? You will want to split up intervals with longer lower intensity work. Former for speed and power and latter for fat burning.

Sorry - this is long!

My history has been of simply riding my bike, usually pretty hard, not training as such. I do more miles leading up to an event. Unfortunately it has often been punctuated by breaks of varying lengths (1-3 weeks) particularly after an event or when life events intrude. My comfort zone is 2 - 3 hours quite hard, 35-50 miles. Leading up to an audax I'll try to do a couple of longer 70-80 mile rides in the 2-3 weeks before. I ride my bike more or less every working day, but that is only 3 miles 1.5 each way on flat pedals and in work clothes.

I have started more structured training since I got my turbo and am committing a steady 5 hours per week at the moment currently doing the zwift ftp builder course, on week 5 out of 5, only two sessions left to do. Thinking of doing the Gran Fondo one after that which looks like an 8 hour per week commitment.

I'm splitting my time between two locations for family reasons. Sun-Thursday is at home, although I can have an overnight away in a hotel for work reasons. Recently that has increased and has been 3 weeks out of 4 in the run up to Christmas. The other location 50 miles away is Friday/ Saturday night, has a bike, and I'm going to set up another 'dumb turbo' with a speed and cadence sensor, which should allow me to do training sessions, though probably not races without the smart function.

So timing could look like this:-

Mon 6am - 1 hour turbo
Tues 6am 1 hour turbo
Wed leave early, work late stay in a hotel
Thursday still away fairly late home
Friday 6am 1 hour turbo
Saturday 35 mile ride outside
Sunday evening Zwift race

As the mornings lighten and the temperature rises I'll swop one of the morning turbo sessions for another 35 mile ride outside. Most weeks April to September I aim for 100 miles a week outside and make it roughly 3 weeks out of 4. In the run up to an event I'll do a 5-6 hour ride one day at the weekend.

What I have never done is spend long low intensity sessions building base. I don't see I have an opportunity to do that this year before my events start, as I'm coming to this too late, but can see me having room for it Oct - Dec at the end of the year, in preparation for the next season.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sorry - this is long!

My history has been of simply riding my bike, usually pretty hard, not training as such. I do more miles leading up to an event. Unfortunately it has often been punctuated by breaks of varying lengths (1-3 weeks) particularly after an event or when life events intrude. My comfort zone is 2 - 3 hours quite hard, 35-50 miles. Leading up to an audax I'll try to do a couple of longer 70-80 mile rides in the 2-3 weeks before. I ride my bike more or less every working day, but that is only 3 miles 1.5 each way on flat pedals and in work clothes.

I have started more structured training since I got my turbo and am committing a steady 5 hours per week at the moment currently doing the zwift ftp builder course, on week 5 out of 5, only two sessions left to do. Thinking of doing the Gran Fondo one after that which looks like an 8 hour per week commitment.

I'm splitting my time between two locations for family reasons. Sun-Thursday is at home, although I can have an overnight away in a hotel for work reasons. Recently that has increased and has been 3 weeks out of 4 in the run up to Christmas. The other location 50 miles away is Friday/ Saturday night, has a bike, and I'm going to set up another 'dumb turbo' with a speed and cadence sensor, which should allow me to do training sessions, though probably not races without the smart function.

So timing could look like this:-

Mon 6am - 1 hour turbo
Tues 6am 1 hour turbo
Wed leave early, work late stay in a hotel
Thursday still away fairly late home
Friday 6am 1 hour turbo
Saturday 35 mile ride outside
Sunday evening Zwift race

As the mornings lighten and the temperature rises I'll swop one of the morning turbo sessions for another 35 mile ride outside. Most weeks April to September I aim for 100 miles a week outside and make it roughly 3 weeks out of 4. In the run up to an event I'll do a 5-6 hour ride one day at the weekend.

What I have never done is spend long low intensity sessions building base. I don't see I have an opportunity to do that this year before my events start, as I'm coming to this too late, but can see me having room for it Oct - Dec at the end of the year, in preparation for the next season.

Save the hard efforts for the turbo and use your 35-50 mile rides as an opportunity to develop your fat burning ability. When suitably adapted you should be able to ride 130 miles / 200 km without eating. Even for longer events you will eat less, stop less, and be less likely to suffer gastric distress.

If you ride hard then you are only working one of the adaptions that form your fitness. Also be wary of always going 100% effort, 100% of the time, that will not lead to the best improvements or even be detrimental to them.

As a further question. What was your FTP before you started the builder? Also now you are also near the end of that period of training, do not forget to retest your FTP. If you are not measuring the elements you are trying to improve then you cannot quantify how effective your training is and whether it needs changing.

Also, do not make the mistake of doing exactly the same workouts for long periods without change. Have a read of periodisation of training.

 

[OnTheRopes]

200kms without eating? What good is that going to do and why would you want to? 35-50 miles is not really good preparation for riding 200kms and I would suggest nearer the event you want to be trying to getting a couple of 70 - 80 kms in at least in the month leading up to the event.

 

[CXRAndy]

Ketosis, I think is the word or form of training. My understanding is it's suboptimal performance, because the body cant metabolise the fats fast enough for high intensity activity. So maybe one could ride 120 miles without food

I know I couldn't, love my food too much

 

[Ming the Merciless]

200kms without eating? What good is that going to do and why would you want to? 35-50 miles is not really good preparation for riding 200kms and I would suggest nearer the event you want to be trying to getting a couple of 70 - 80 kms in at least in the month leading up to the event.

In winter it means getting back before sunset, on longer rides it means not having to stop because of gastric distress. On longer rides it means you can ride with fewer emergency provisions and ride through the night without needing to stop. It means you can ride for longer and faster between sit down meals. On a 400km ride it means you can be back by midnight and in bed rather than needing to ride through the night. On a 600km ride it means you can sleep for quite a while after the first day before finishing on the second.

 

[Nebulous]

Save the hard efforts for the turbo and use your 35-50 mile rides as an opportunity to develop your fat burning ability. When suitably adapted you should be able to ride 130 miles / 200 km without eating. Even for longer events you will eat less, stop less, and be less likely to suffer gastric distress.

If you ride hard then you are only working one of the adaptions that form your fitness. Also be wary of always going 100% effort, 100% of the time, that will not lead to the best improvements or even be detrimental to them.

As a further question. What was your FTP before you started the builder? Also now you are also near the end of that period of training, do not forget to retest your FTP. If you are not measuring the elements you are trying to improve then you cannot quantify how effective your training is and whether it needs changing.

Also, do not make the mistake of doing exactly the same workouts for long periods without change. Have a read of periodisation of training.

My ftp was 200 as tested before I started the training course, although a couple of weeks after that I was doing an unstructured ride on zwift and it told me it had now gone up to 217. I'm not feeling on top form, with a runny nose, but I intend doing my last session, having a couple of rest days and then testing again.

 

[Nebulous]

200kms without eating? What good is that going to do and why would you want to? 35-50 miles is not really good preparation for riding 200kms and I would suggest nearer the event you want to be trying to getting a couple of 70 - 80 kms in at least in the month leading up to the event.

At the moment I can get up, go straight out and do 50 miles on a bottle of water, then breakfast after I come back. As I said I will do 70 - 80 miles a couple of times before my first audax this year.

I find a 200 km audax reasonably straightforward, but longer distance endurance events are a challenge and it's good for me to hear from someone like yukonboy, who is willing to share his experiences.

 

[huwsparky]

At the moment I can get up, go straight out and do 50 miles on a bottle of water, then breakfast after I come back. As I said I will do 70 - 80 miles a couple of times before my first audax this year.

I find a 200 km audax reasonably straightforward, but longer distance endurance events are a challenge and it's good for me to hear from someone like yukonboy, who is willing to share his experiences.

What are your goals, a 200km audax?

 

[Nebulous]

What are your goals, a 200km audax?

I've signed up for a full set in March - June 2019. A 200, 300, 400 and 600 to give an SR.

That's a start - but I'm aiming for even longer, with a very small chance of qualifying for Paris - Brest - Paris in early August at 1200 km.