According to you, which is the point I’m trying to make.
As the saying goes “it is that easy….and it is that hard.” 
But your point is 100% correct - easy is easy. No need to overthink it or stress out that you may have gone over Z2 briefly in order to get over a short hill.
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Regarding power/rpe we can just go to the source:
And keep in mind that they are descriptive training levels not prescriptive training zones.
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This. Even back when I was using the plan builder I ignored the endurance workouts and progressed them independently. It was all just hours outdoors.
The problem with doing endurance at higher intensity is that it degrades the quality of the high-intensity work. Whereas high intensity does not degrade endurance work. So we fill the week with as much quality high-intensity stimulus that we can manage, then stuff the gaps with Z2. If you’re short on time, add threshold or SS or even tempo—as long as the quality isn’t compromised.
Endurance adaptations largely arise from (consecutive, ideally) hours in the saddle. Total volume matters, but you will also hit a limit to how much you can improve your endurance by sprinkling an hour of Z2 here and there.
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Good comment. I find that if I use TR endurance workouts as the “filler” you describe, I can’t then go on and complete intense workouts after, especially after multiple days. Dropping the percentage to FTP by 5% across the board on endurance wouldn’t lose me much TSS.
The progression levels seem fine to me on endurance rides. I dont overthink them.
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I’d drop by more than 5% if this is the case. Recess is the only endurance exercise I program these days. I’ll push above the Rx some if I’m feeling it. But I’d rather default to the bottom of Z2 than the top. The gains I expect from my indoor Z2 are orders of magnitude less than the gains I’m getting from Vo2max and Threshold.
I’m also at the point where indoor Z2 is just about squeezing out a little more training volume per week for the marginal gains. If I want to specifically train endurance I need to spend a whole day on the bike for quality stimulus.
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It looks like we’re prescribing you almost 15 hours/week with 10 of those hours being Endurance work. All that takes is setting your max duration caps as you have and the PLs to back it up…
Are you actually looking for more volume than that? 
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Yeah, I finally figured out how to do this with my 3rd stint using TR software, forget what it is called but I managed to figure out how to get assigned an extra 4h ride on mondays… speaking of which I better go get my bottles ready.
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TR originally had long endurance in the standard plans at the weekend for Mid Volume, but replaced them with a “moderate” sweet spot (and an alternative is the weekly notes) as no one was doing them iirc.
I actually don’t find the likes a James too hard in terms of the % of FTP - I generally pick an alternative because of the ramp/ lack of warm up. Actually, if the likes of this and saddleback had a short 30 second warm up that could be extended I’d do it more!
Interesting. I happened to do James this morning & was able to extend the warmup. I did have an app«-»sensor issue later but I don’t think they’re related.
You can extend warm up, but in my experience the ramp warm ups extend it at the end (i.e. in James case at the workout level)
This is my experience too, but James’ warmup isn’t ramped; only its cooldown.
I don’t think it matters outside erg mode. The software doesn’t seem to care if you don’t hold the target in active recovery / when there is no white circle denoting average interval power.
Oh yes, that one would almost make extending the warmup irrelevant; you’d just be extending the beginning of the work period.
If I’m assigned a 3.1 1 hour endurance ride, but that day I want to ride 2 hours. Should I select a 2 hour ride at 3.1? Or should I look for something easier? I always wonder if I’m doing the right thing when I increase the duration and keep the same workout level.
My understanding is that’s exactly the right thing to do. Workout level takes into account duration and intensity.
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That’s right @Jesse_Vernon1. Workouts from the same training zone with the same Workout Level should have a similar overall feel to them.
@UWDawgs if you’re looking to replace that level 3.1 workout, I’d suggest looking for one with a similar Workout Level.
If you’re increasing the duration by a bunch (which you are in this case) I’d lean on the side of ≤ the WL that you’re replacing. You probably won’t want to double the duration and increase the WL, so it sounds like you were on the right track there.
If you have any concerns, pick a lower-level workout to see how it feels!
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Tangentially related, how would you estimate breaks affecting the PL’s for an endurance ride? I do my endurance rides on Zwift and trying to select the best workout to add to my calendar to match it with. For instance, today I rode for 2 hours with an IF and TSS that would closest match to a 4.5 PL workout. However, I typically will take an 8-10 minute stretch/water/mental break every 80-90 minutes when doing longer rides.
I ask because I have not used a TR plan for several years, but the prospect of Zwift integration has brought me back. As such, I am trying to quickly and accurately inform the AI where I am at. Or am I approaching this wrong and should tell plan builder to include a solo ride of the duration that is typical for me?
Just do this. The mental gymnastics of trying to game PLs just isn’t worth it
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