So, I really enjoy the AI aspects of TR as it takes the strain out of picking the “right” workout. Even moreso than the previous training plans. But I have a question I haven’t seen answered yet, or at least I haven’t understood everything I’ve read.
I’m training for a 200 mile gravel race next June (Michigan’s Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder), and I’ve had the plan giving me 3 days of 1 hour hard intervals/week and one long endurance ride. I’ll be adding long outside L2 rides when the weather improves in the spring. Am I correct in assuming that the AI doesn’t automatically increase the times for longer sessions (e.g. 75 minutes, 90 minutes) as training progresses?
And assuming that’s correct, what’s the best way for me to increase the times? I want to start doing longer sessions to begin adapting to what’s going to be a very long day on the bike. I made adjustments today and that essentially re-starting my training program so that it now shows me starting today, with longer 75-minute training rides in place of the 60-minutes rides I was doing before. Is this going to mess up my training plan and the timing for the phases, since there’s now a shorter amount of time until my race?
Basically, if I want to adjust my training to sub in longer training sessions going forward, what’s the proper way to do that? Thanks!
This question comes up quite a bit when discussing TR plans for longer endurace races (Unbound, Leadville, etc).
The general answer is that you need to use one weekend day to plan longer rides. In general, the TR plans will default to what I would call “shorter than ideal” rides on a Saturday (based on a traditional training week). You should skip those prescribed workouts and do longer rides to prepare yourself for a long day in the saddle. Start at 2-3 hours, go to 3-4, get to 5+. For something like C2C, getting a few 6-8 hour days is not a bad idea. While there will always be debate about whether you “need” rides that long (I believe you do), it is still the best way to test your nutrition plan and race equipment.
If you’re changing your plan’s volume and not deleting/re-creating your plan each time, you should be all set here. Changing your plan will ensure that it keeps its original start date (which is key to ensuring your dates/training phases line up with where you originally were in your plan).
You can also use Workout Alternates to individually sub in sessions that are longer than what you initially had planned on your TR Calendar.
Here’s some more info we have on adding volume to your plan that might help you out:
And as @Power13 mentioned, it never hurts to get out on longer weekend rides when possible! You don’t need to do them all the time in order to build the fitness you need for the race (your plan will take care of that for you), but they can act as excellent test runs for things like nutrition/bike fit/equipment durability.
Hope that helps – feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions!