I’m not sure I know how to respond appropriately. My AT off-season has been a gentle start. I’m using a TP estimate from Xert, around 88% of my 20 min power, as my volume plummeted over the summer.
My two workouts this week, Table Rock and Round Bald -2 have not pushed my HR above Z2. I would call them moderate as they don’t feel like z1/z2, but maybe I should call them easy if this is what my HR does?
I prefer the traditional 5 HR zone model going of %Max HR. I think the 7HR zone model goes of LTH HR. How did you determine your LTH HR? If you just let intervals calculate it perhaps its slightly low and if pushed you can achieve more. I think mine after a long TT went up 8bpm from the initial estimate.
FWIW, Say your LTH HR and Max HR are the same as mine and your Z2 block was mostly 88% of LTH HR you were pushing 81% of your max HR which is a reasonable effort putting you into low Z3 on a 5HR Zone model and moderate would be the right classification for me.
Ah, I just checked. My threshold heart rate from intervals.icu is 176 bpm based on a 30 min FTP test.
Max HR: I let intervals.icu cap it at 195 but I have multiple race efforts my max HR is reported 201-202 bpm from full gas finishing sprint. The average HR as %HR max is 0.70 and the working set is around 0.74.
We’re all different but FWIW my Max HR as a 45yo is 198bpm but my lactate Threshold HR recorded on a TT last year was 183bpm for the hour, so I reckon you can get closer to your 202bpm (and your actual max is probably a couple of beats higher) and your LTH HR is a bit low.
However, even if you can get your HR higher, I doubt would significantly change that 70% (it would only up it to at a guess 74%) which puts it firmly in Z2 I think which would be easy on the heart. How did your legs/ lungs feel though? Did it agree with the HR? I’d go with your RPE of moderate as HR can be a proper variable beast, a bit low or high because of an external factor. The danger of using HR I think, marking it easy when you found it moderate would cause AT to ramp up your workouts which may eventually mean that future HRs are low because you are simply worn out. Then grading workouts on the new suppressed HR would lead to more ramping up of the plan, etc. etc…
@mcneese.chad created a chart with the advice on each response from TR. I just look at the underlined words and find this super helpful. It kind of just comes down to “I could have done one more interval vs. I could have done one more set vs. I almost collapsed”. It’s worked very well for me.
Not the best screen shot, but here is my latest version.
