Hey all,
TL/DR: low volume adaptive training works great!
A little background:
I got back into training (not using TR) and racing in the Fall of 2021, and I completed a few races (very mid pack) and my FTP was around 280. Life happened in 2022, and from April to October I was basically off the bike and did zero structured training. Pretty big fitness reset.
I got motivated for racing again and signed up for TR in October 2022. I used plan builder to build a 26 week plan for my ‘A’ race on April 1, 2023. Low volume cross-country marathon was the basis. I did a ramp test and came in at 239 W before I started the plan on Oct. 10.
I had never really done ‘base’ training before, but I had decided to trust plan builder and adaptive training. I just completed week 20 and did a ramp test today at 279 W. I am definitely happy with a 40 W gain over 20 weeks! I have done a pretty solid job of nailing all the workouts, except for one week in December when I was sick.
Obviously I still have a long way to go to be competitive in the races that I do, but I’m feeling very confident about following the TR plan and the adaptive training adjustments.
Thanks Trainer Road for making this tool where I can just do the training it says and not think about it. Awesome!