Hi folks, I’m Andrea from Italy.
I’d like some advice on how to set up the Plan Builder for the 2027 season.
I have two events this year, a local series of three Sunday races at the beginning of February, each about 1.5 hours on farly flat XC terrain but pretty punchy being in little forest, and an XC marathon in the Dolomites in mid-June — the Hero of dolimites, 86 km with 4,000 m of climbing (53 eagles and 13k bud lites).
Should I create two separate plans, one for the February race series (xco maybe?) and another from February to June, or should I build one longer plan (the marathon one?) and mark the first race of the series as a B event and the marathon as the A event?
For context, I’m 34, and I don’t have any realistic shot at winning either event or getting a truly strong result, for february my only goal is being faster of some drinking buddy of mine. I need a serious base phase because I haven’t been very consistent over the past month or two, my main concern is being ready for the marathon, since it’s the first one I’ll be doing.
Thank in advance!
I would do this, but adjust volume based on your marathon goals. Some of those XC races could also be C priority so you just train through them.
I would build one plan around the June marathon and treat the February series as B or C races, depending on whether you want to freshen up for them. With the main goal in June and a recent patchy spell, the long base phase is probably more useful than trying to create two separate peaks.
My only concern with that was doing a 9 month plan, was not having a “base” lasting that long, but it look like the plan builder wants me to do base build and then starteing again from base so I guess that is sorted. and the first build phase end right around the xc races so perfect!
I just don’t like the base phase of Training road but whatever it worked last year.
If you started now, you have 20 weeks until the beginning of the February race series, then say you take a week easy after that series you start again in March and have another 12-14weeks until your event in June.
I know from my own experience that I have a very hard time staying motivated for that long with one single plan. I think you should do two plans and just focus on the first race series first. You have plenty of time to start a base now, and your base doesn’t disappear during your build and specialty phases, because on the TR plans we are all doing endurance rides in between the 2-3 intensity sessions per week.
You first plan gives you almost 6 months before your first series of races - that in itself is a long time to train and stay motivated. After those races come and go, you then have the freedom to reassess how the plan went and make a new plan.
Your two goal events are different enough that they can use their own specific plan, and I think that you’d see better results early in the year this way. After several consecutive years of training for events using a combination of mostly TR along with some of my own plans, have breaks and the opportunity to change things up after my A events has been something that I look forward too. In my situation, 3-4 months is about as long as I want to be on a specific plan for an event. After that, I want a break without any structure at all before starting up again, but that is just me.
In any case, as long as you a plan and stay consistent you will do well. Good luck with your goals next season.
thanks for helping out
I broke 4 bones fallong down a clif last sundayf. I guess I wont do either.