How to fit outdoor/social rides into a low volume plan?

[lolage]

Hey, fairly new to proper training so forgive me if this seems like a newbie question!

I’ve basically gone through the plan builder and have gone for the low training load (4-5hrs) and low volume with an end goal of the start of June hoping that there will be some races around then. If not it’ll be nice to be at my fittest state in the summer months!

I’m on a plan that does 3 difficult sessions a week (Tues/Thurs/Sat) and I was wondering how this would work around real-world rides? For example, I sometimes go mountain biking in the week with some friends, could this be done on a Monday/Wed or would it be better to substitute it for a Tues/Thurs workout?

Also, I enjoy my social road rides on the weekends so if I was to still do these, should I try to limit it to riding on a Sunday after my TR workout the day before or can I replace the long Saturday indoor workout with an outside 30-40+ mile outdoor ride?

I want to try and stick to the training plan as much as possible to see the most gains but I’m just conscious not to be too much of a slave to the software which may stop me from going out on social rides with friends etc!

Cheers

[ColoradoJames]

First, if you are wanting to see gains from structured training I would suggest keeping the 3 structured training days every week if possible. If you want/can, do any of those structured rides outside.

Second, I would suggest moving your 3 structured rides around in the week to get in any days of unstructured/social outdoor riding in if that’s a goal/desire of yours. This may take a little extra planning with riding friends and weather forecast watching to line up your outside rides.

Lastly, you will have to make the difficult decision on your own about your goals and priorities when time constraints or training load becomes a barrier. If you have to replace a training session in the week with an unstructured/social ride then try to replace the easiest or less stressful training session in that week and/or try to accomplish or incorporate some of the training goals into your outside ride. This can be difficult with others on the same ride though.

Welcome to TR and happy training!

[ibaldwin]

Same question I’m asking myself this year.

The mid-week MTB ride will be especially challenging to fit it with a LV plan. I’m struggling with this too - there’s a Tues eve ride I really enjoy but it’s hard and leaves me drained sometimes til Friday. You have to weigh where you are in your season and what’s most important to you that week. I say plan things out week to week and determine what you can handle. Those unstructured rides are still important but you may want to save them for every other week, or a couple times a month even. Again, depending on your commitment to training, you’ll have to decide if nailing the TR workout trumps riding with the buddies.

As you get more into structured training and you get a season under your belt you’ll figure out how much weekly TSS is ideal for you. Once you figure that out, it’s easier to determine which weeks are best for social riding etc.

One thing I learned about myself this year is that I am not a type-A cyclist (not a surprise). While I enjoy the process of training (even indoors), I really need the social element to enjoy riding to the fullest. So find that balance, don’t stop following the TR plan, but definitely leave room for fun. Good idea sticking with LV too. Don’t over look modifying the TR plan on weeks you choose the social rides. You can substitute an easier z1/2 TR ride in place of a hard TR workout on weeks you need to leave room for the outdoor rides. Most coaches don’t want new riders doing more than 2 hard workouts a week anyway and there’s some rumbling in the forum that even the LV TR plans have too much intensity. Use the flexibility that’s built into the TR software often!

[team_bunty]

Figure out a plan you can stick to long term.

Subbing the Saturday workout for an unstructured outdoor ride isn’t optimal, but still way better than the alternative, which is to ditch structured training entirely and shoot from the hip based on how you’re feeling on any particular day.

As you get more fit, see if you can do the Saturday workout on Thursday and skip the Thursday workout.