This is currently my thought du jour, I find my natural endurance pace is around 0.65 IF and anything at the higher end requires a lot more focus, especially outdoors. With endurance workouts, I’ve generally done the ones like Pettit, Boarstone, etc. with around 15min intervals ranging from 60-75%
Today I did Polar Bear -3, which was a 2hr workout with the intervals residing in the 70-75% region, I’m kind of curious to see if I do these type of endurance workouts that just stay at the higher end that it might help me more naturally maintain >0.7 IF. Not sure if there’s anything to this, but I’ll try to report back on any objective and/or subjective changes. Of course, if anyone has any insight, either you’ve done this with success or think this is hogwash, feel free to chime in!
Yeah riding around 70-74% FTP is a different kettle of fish entered I find. I need to fuel regularly, be somewhat fresh and it definitely requires focus. I can’t just go out and do a 4 hour ride at that as if it’s a breezy endurance ride.
Going back to 65%, that sort of zone is great, and I can just go out and ride at that for hours without food and most if the thought would be into holding back the power on hills.
Both of these are considered endurance but those labels don’t work for me. Either it’s something that needs to be trained, to unlock the ability to ride ‘endlessly’ at this 70-74% zone, or they’re different zones.
I’d love to be able to go and do massive 8 to 10 hour rides at higher end endurance. I know I can’t though.
Nice to read your experience. I had been thinking about it because I did 100 miles solo this past weekend and got 0.67 IF, and I didn’t push too much because I hadn’t done a solo effort like that in years, and I only had two bottles of water and 1000 calories so I didn’t want put myself to be potentially bonky lol. I did a fondo last year where my IF over 6hrs of riding was 0.7 but that was dictated by over 11k ft of climbing putting me in tempo a lot.
Anyhow, would love to see if I get any outcomes if I switch my endurance sessions to these upper levels.