I just created my first plan using adaptive training, leading me in to peak form in mid June 2022 for an XC marathon event.
As it is a long trajectory, the plan suggests going through sweet spot base followed by sustained build, back to SSB and back to sustained build before going into marathon specialty.
That is fine. But I noticed that the workout difficulty drops, when going from sustained build to SSB. Should it not adapt so that the difficulty increases over the timespan of the entire plan?
I’ve made my plan harder a few times. On days where I’ve had Achievable workouts scheduled, I’ve gone to Alternates to find workouts that are Productive or Stretch and scheduled them using the Calendar. As I recall, the only Stretch workouts I’ve selected were those focusing on endurance. These were last-minute changes, in case AT was being slow.
Also, now that the Build portion is more survivable, I shortened my recovery week by taking the Ramp Test (followed by an endurance ride) on Saturday, instead of waiting until Tuesday. This allowed me to schedule something harder for Tuesday as I started the next part of the plan. (This is a typical mid-volume plan with workouts on Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun.)
At 69, I’ve been using TR for about 5 years and found that the Sweet Spot Base mid-volume plan was most effective, but I’ve never survived the build phase. The new plans, progression levels and AT have guided me all of the way to the specialty phase this year. I don’t see anything blocking completion of specialty in a week and a half.
