I have a dilemma as a father of two small kids. After a long period of “bare minimum” training (1-5hrs, mostly 1-3hrs/wk) of cycling, running and a bit of strength micro-sessions (kettlebell and bw) giving 25-30 CTL, I am hoping to be able to focus more on building some form for the coming road and gravel race season. More context below.
I want to peak at a ~125km mostly flat road race, Masters Nationals in May or June (not disclosed yet). Last year my race stats looked like this which got me to the end with the front group, but had ZERO sprint in me:
If you’re running out of gas before the sprint it’s a telltale sign of lack of aerobic development. Focus on endurance and sweet spot progression for a good portion.
It could potentially but I also think you can progress from 60min time in zone to 120min time in zone for sweet spot in a 4 week block. And then use another 4 week block to sharpen up a bit with a some vo2 stuff and maybe touch upon some anaerobic stuff. 8 weeks is tricky for planning (in my opinion) ideally a minimum buildup would be at least 12 weeks but I think you can make 8 weeks work
I know 8 weeks is far from optimal. Thats why I could use some extra perspectives.
This could be a solid approach though, but I am tempted to mix it up between SS and VO2 sessions during all weeks - if I can handle the load, especially in the first few weeks.
From experience I would like to be at at least 60 CTL, which is usually ~330w ftp for me, in order to have any hope making a result. Many things have to go well…
We’d also recommend a Sweet Spot/General Base kind of approach.
If you’re coming off of “bare minimum” training, you could likely use some good base work to lay a stronger foundation down for the rest of your fitness.
As you get closer to your event(s), sprinkling in some higher-intensity efforts might be a good idea so you can feel some of that intensity before meeting it in the race(s).
Also… quick shoutout to our recently updated Plan Builder, which can really help out with coming up with a training plan in situations like these ones.