firstly, ive attached a link to my calender. i dont know if copying and pasting the link is all i need to do so please tell me if you can access it or not. thank you
I went in to todays workout knowing there was the possibility i could fail it. I just had 4 days off prior camping with friends and you know how it is. 4 days boozing it up, eating terribly and sleeping even worse (or maybe not). I tried to override the fail expectations with extra determination but i hit a wall.
The workout was Kosciuszko-2. a 6x5mins VO2 108% ftp. 365w for me. Incidentally this was the first 6x5 ive done. I only just did my first 5x5 last week. plenty of 4x5 though which themselves are tough. i felt awful on the first interval and by the end of the 3rd i started to feel really nauseous, a feeling i hadnt had on the bike before, and my legs and in particular my lungs, were done. I only had 20seconds or so left of the interval but i had to stop. Took about 40 minutes post ride to feel somewhat normal again. I hit my 28days while i was away and got an ftp boost of 4w (1.2%) so i dont know how much that played into it. i did 5x5 last week @361w and got through it as tough as it was.
Im super disappointed with it being my first failure. (the app crashed near the end of my previous ride after i dropped my phone so im not classing that one as a true failure). My target event is 47 days away. the whistler gran fondo. Im in the final week of sustained build before i go into specialty. Now im a bit worried whether i can get through my threshold and subsequent VO2 workouts this week. Both look hard as nails and my confidence is bruised. I thought maybe my calendar would adapt after the failure and would change a ride or two but it stayed the same. Im considering dropping the intensity by a few% for the next 2 hard rides to increase chances of completion. Im back to eating right and focusing on good recovery. Do you have any suggestions how i could have handled this better and what i could do the rest of this week to get back on track? should i have changed todays workout? not accepted the ftp increase?
thanks for you time in advance
After 7 years with TrainerRoad, I still feel a little down at times with failing. My suggestion is change nothing, let AI FTP course correct and do your best with each new workout, not thinking about manual adjustments. The mental game is far harder than the physical one - I realized this when I compare TR indoor vs outdoor. When indoor, I’m asked to hit things perfectly. In outdoor, I’m given a range.
It’s made me realize, training isn’t an all or nothing.
You basically gave tons of reasons why you failed (4 days boozing it up, eating terribly and sleeping even worse (or maybe not). Rest up, and go after the next one with energy.
a lot of excuses lol but it kind of feels like a perfect storm and was always going to be an uphill struggle to complete it. I guess my main concern is how long will i take to recover from this? how much fitness did i lose and how much will i further lose if i fail subsequent workouts. But like you say, probably best to go through the motions and let AI catch up with my progression levels. easy endurance tomorrow at least
You probably won’t lose any. It’s about the bigger picture and consistency over the training plan versus any individual or few workouts. If you continue to work your hardest, you’ll be fine. Particularly outdoors when I bomb, I’ll just push on my own afterwards for extra miles and often I’ll feel physically good and push power, just not quite what the workout wanted.
you did not fail anything. its a workout, one of many, which all fit together in a confusing mess. you may not have gotten that much from it because your body was under stress from drink and general life.
this is the one big failing of indoor structure in erg mode. the body just knows work and effort. all this AI and PLs is way too binary, yes or no. maybe that day was a -20 watts day, to be perfect. in 12 months it won’t matter.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again!
Specifically:
Don’t worry about it, even a little bit. “Failing” to complete a hard workout with long VO2 intervals when you’ve been boozing, eating terribly and not sleeping well is… well I’d say it’s entirely expected and normal
Don’t change anything in your plan. It’s only one workout. You are still on track for your event.
Yep - failed an over/under 2 weeks ago - was warm/humid in the pain cave and I usually ride outside this time of year in the UK but it was raining…got to within 2 mins of the end so a good training stimulus…last 3 TT I have equalled my 10m PB and set power pbs in tough conditions for 10/15 miles…and a road bike 25 pb on Sunday with a best early morning power…so most of the time it’s a blip, or the weather or to much partying etc…it is rarely an indication of long term fitness. That said it may indicate an illness and of course if it happens often then more investigation is needed - one session? - forget about it
I always reconfigure my training schedule for the week following a break like this- I’ll swap my easy ride for that first day back, then hit VO2 later in the week after I’m back in the swing of things.
As others noted, it is one workout. It will not make or break your plan. Realistically, at some point, almost everyone has a failed workout. That is how you know you are pushing your limits.
Forget about it, memory-hole it and continue forward.
I’d disagree. 4 days off you will definitely lose some fitness, I’m not sure how you can’t. Ideally you’d trade this for “freshness”, but drinking, poor diet and sleep the answer is likely not. Now how much fitness you lost and how quickly you can regain it is individual and depends on your training, recovery and nutrition going forward.
That being said, with the OP’s target event being still a bit away, any fitness lost can likely be regained and built upon.
Just as others have said already, I wouldn’t fret too much about this one workout. The rest of your TR Calendar looks super solid – long consistent stretches of nailing workouts, which is what we love to see!
I’d write this off as a “once in a while” kind of incident. Enjoying time with friends outside of cycling is important too! I like the advice @WindWarrior gave here as well – doing an easy ride or an “opener” workout after taking several days off might help you ease back into things in the future.
As for getting back on track, Adaptive Training will have you covered! Make sure to accept any suggested adaptations proposed for your plan (if any), and remember to stay well-hydrated and on top of your nutrition and sleep as you get back to training. You’ll be on top of it again in no time!
Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions!
Im 91kg. 6’4, 3.71w/kg ftp. Been riding for about 18months. 3 months structured. I dont have much experience at all. Like i said, this is my first failed workout.
I don’t know about you but when I get back from vacation I feel like I need a vacation. After four days of fun there is no shame in swapping in an extra endurance ride (something like Bays) as a rust buster. AI is great but it’s not a coach (yet anyways)… and so it just picks up where the formula left off. Most coaches probably wouldn’t have thrown a VO2 at you first day back. That’s just mean.
One of my most miserable workouts was back in college when I showed up to morning practice a bit hungover from a fun Friday night with the guys. That 50 min threshold run was one of the most miserable of my life. Go easy on yourself. You had fun, take a few recovery days to recover and you’ll be back crushing it in no time!
After four days of fun there is no shame in swapping in an extra endurance ride (something like Bays) as a rust buster. AI is great but it’s not a coach (yet anyways)… and so it just picks up where the formula left off. Most coaches probably wouldn’t have thrown a VO2 at you first day back. That’s just mean.