Can you help me understand what TrainerRoad considers an easy ride? Is it a recovery ride, or simply anything below Tempo? I’ve been using TrainerRoad for years, and it seems my easy rides have shifted to mid to high endurance zones, rather than low endurance, and never recovery zone. Have there been any discussions or explanations for this?
I don’t think the AI will ever prescribe an active recovery ride. If I click add a workout, I don’t even see an option to choose anything easier than endurance.
None of the training plans have active recovery scheduled in them afaik. The easiest days are just short endurance rides. The model will only ever choose a ride that aligns with the category of ride that was on the training plan.
Within the endurance range, the AI likes giving max power endurance rides for shorter days, and will give easier rides if you go longer.
For me, I get .74 IF up to about 90 minutes, and it gets easier as rides are longer from there. Presumably that’s because the data shows this works and on average, harder shorter rides are a stronger stimulus.
If you’re ever feeling too fatigued, you can always drop down time, or intensity, or even taking an off day. The model doesn’t know about your other life stress. If you’re feeling chronically fatigued, you can always ride your easy days easier.
You can change your training approach to lower your endurance settings if you want easier rides.
Perhaps I’m not explaining myself clearly. I don’t want to reduce my endurance intensity or duration. I train 6 days a week. Tuesday/Thursday are 90-minute intensity days, Wednesday/Saturday are maxed-out Dynamic Endurance days, and Monday/Fridays are shorter, easy days, which are still very important. I don’t want to decrease the intensity or volume of my Wednesday/Saturday Endurance days, but would like my Mondays/Fridays to occasionally fall in the lower end of my Z2, around 55%-65%. Over the last 90 days of training, the lowest average endurance I’ve ever been given is 65%, and it’s usually closer to 70% most of the time, with intervals at 75% and 65%.
I think the slider for training approach will affect all endurance rides.
I suspect you’re going to need to manually change the individual workouts to select easier alternates on those days where you want to be at the low end … or set the slider lower and choose harder alternates when want to be at the upper end.
Best approach to this is to use the Workout Alternates feature to find an “Easier” workout option when you specifically want that.
It is a bit odd now that you mention it, there is not an easy way to reclassify a day down to ‘Recovery’.
Definitely always pushing high zone2 these days, however the Endurance days are not supposed to be 'Recovery days" - with the goals i would assume of adding more endurance/aerobic fitness to the plan without inhibiting recovery for the next days workout. Heck even my recovery week next week is chock full of 75% ftp work! lol
However, if you feel a bit cooked… sure would be nice to just say “Hey TR-AI… pick me a recovery ride cuz I need less” by adjusting the drop down menu from “Endurance” to “Recovery” although maybe that would be a good prompt opportunity… how do you feel, tired? bad sleep? fried overall? knees good? etc
But… then again as JL said, easy enough do the alternate easier option… and HOPE that there is one in there that is what you’re looking for… not always the case (or hard to tell)
I understand how to make this change or get around it. I guess more so, I just lose a bit of confidence in the program that seemingly never suggests a level 2 endurance workout when you’re capable of more. It seems like these low-to-mid Z2 workouts have value.