@julianoliver okay got ya…when he said maintenance, I was thinking a plan. I hope I didn’t come across as a jerk. I’m trying to educate myself here
The Maintenance Plans are more time-crunched than anything else. From the profile of them, they’re well suited to people that know they will have a period of time that they’re committed to other things. A spike in time at work, or travel or some other thing. So you want to hold on to the cycling fitness you have as best you can, without 10 hours of training. So, they’re shorter very punchy training efforts of 30 or 45 mins.
Sounds like you’re talking more about off-season training. If your schedule hasn’t changed, but you’re just looking for an easier time on the bike over the winter, then a traditional off-season might be the way to go. This usually looks like some time off the bike (either completely off the bike or just fun easy riding) for maybe 1-2 months to ease the bike pressure off and regain your love of cycling. Then jump into base training when you’re hungry for it. Sweet Spot Base 1 is the efficient path, just pick the volume that works best for you.
The podcast episode on planning your season is good to listen to get a handle on the macro picture of what you’re trying to achieve and then plan your training around your goals.
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This. You nailed it. That’s exactly what happened.
Your TR ride history is a window into your soul 
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Not at all! It was a perfectly fair and valid question. I was getting ready to reply when @julianoliver beat me to it. 
What maintenance I could do was to slow the reduction in fitness. I knew I’d lose a bit, and just wanted to 1) reduce the rate I lost it, and 2) stay somewhat in the habit of riding, regardless of how effective it would be.
Some people can bounce right back after a collar bone and some ribs… that wasn’t the case for me, unfortunately. The pain was ridiculous.
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@dvicci I have no doubt the pain was ridiculous. What a crap way to deal with a season-end. I tip my cap to you, sir!
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