Lot’s of great Leadville discussion in the forum. Love to see that!
I am planning on my third Leadville 100 this summer and am a brand new TR user. I am starting with the MV volume XC Marathon plan as a way to implement structured training for the first time.
Background: I have been racing for ~8 years but have never done any sort of structured training. In my second LT100 in 2016, I was riding 6-8 hours a week a mainly having fun getting fit and improving riding skills. I finished this race in 8:04 - actually was quite surprised I finished that quickly.
I really wish I had my FTP going into this race, but at that time I could not have told you what FTP means. This year, with a little structured training, I am hoping to go sub-8:00 in the race. My first ramp test returned a 280W FTP at 3.6 W/KG. I hope to be >4.2W/KG by the summer – we will see…
Does anyone have experience implementing a TR plan after years of unstructured training? What were your results in Leadville or other similar length races? Any tips for balancing the TR plan with prep for the race?
For me, volume trumps structure for these long steady races. That said, I did zero structure last year and doubled down on volume and I regretted it a little bit. I felt like I could have used a little more punch on some of the chunky/surgy climbs. I was stronger than usual on the flats and steady stuff last year and had great endurance all day, but I plan to incorporate some intervals next year to help with the punchy stuff. I’ll still prioritize steady volume, but probably work in one day of vo2max or over/under intervals each week.
That’s a great time on 6-8 hours a week though, so you’re probably doing something right and/or have the right genetics. Are you training/living at altitude? I’ve been right around 4w/kg (sea level) for all 4 of my leadville attempts and I’ve got 3 finishes in the 8:40’s and one year with a mechanical where I finished 9:20ish. If you are rolling close to 8 hours on 3.6w/kg, I assume that FTP is at decent altitude or you are an alien and altitude doesn’t affect you as much as the typical person. 4w/KG at sea level is recognized as a reasonable target FTP for a sub 9 finish for the typical flatlander.
edit - just noticed the original post was almost 4 years old, also curious how things went for OP and what type of training they ended up doing.
In 2021 started TR in February probably right around when I made this post. I followed TR plan pretty closely and was by far the fastest I have ever been. I was ~20 minutes faster at the Silver Rush 50 that year than I ever had been in the past (finished around 4:30). I did not ride Leadville in 2021. My next Leadvilles were in 2023 and 2024. Both years I followed a TR plan but had so-so adherence with an avg of about 5 hours combined indoor and outdoor per week. I rode in the 8:40’s both of those years. This year I am ramping up my plan intensity and volume and hope to adhere very closely to the plan to see if I can bring back my 2021 fitness/speed.
I kind of have a feeling that long and steady races like Leadville, I would do best with a couple dedicated plan workouts AND higher volume of riding outside at low intensity with climbing. For the shorter, harder races, 2021 was hands down proof to me that the TR plan with high adherence can’t be beat.
MIght as well give my 2 cents. I’ve worked with a coach for the last two years, volume peaking at 15+ hours a week as I got closer to the race, averaging 10-15. CTL peaking around 80, so a lot of easy / Z2.
While it wasn’t TrainerRoad structure, there was a lot of structure for me and I think it helped. Base season with lots of Sweet Spot. Dedicated VO2 Block. Threshold Block. Over / Under Block. Then a lot of Sweet Spot / Tempo and long race specific training rides (even course sim rides) outside in the heat as I got closer (with added Z2 the whole time)
I think the structured blend of really building the engine, but progressively increasing volume and increasing TiZ and training the type of efforts I’d see on Race day was really helpful. Both years the race went pretty much exactly to plan for me. No bonking, no blowing up, and while you always have tired moments, I was able to ride within myself and finish strong. Arguably I could have gone harder each year. 9:02 in 2023, 8:43 in 2024 on a slower course / day.
This year we’re going to play around with a little more VO2 to help with some of the above threshold recovery / repeatability, but I still think you’re doing EVERYTHING you can on race day to stay below threshold.