Not quite enough time for an A event

Training
1

I’m going to finish Sweet Spot Base II with 14 week to go until my A event. Build and Specialty Phase will take 16 weeks. How should I modify the remaining phases or the current phase so i’m in ready for the event.
Thanks
Mike

2

I’d cut the first bit of build and just go with that. Specialty is more important in most cases. You have any base work done this winter?

3

Have you reviewed this basic guide?

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4

Quite the opposite, it’s the cherry on the cake.

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5

Agreed. Everything that TR says is that the Specialty is “honing the blade”, “gravy on the potatoes” and others that mean it is the finish.

  • The BASE and BUILD are far more important and should not be skipped.
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6

Thanks Chad. Should I complete as much as of the specialty as time will allow with a taper?

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7

Thanks I did not know this existed.

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8

Yeah, you can generally do as much as possible, and then slot in the last 1 or 2 weeks from Spec, so you have a taper that is appropriate for your needs.

9

Thank you.

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10

@Jonnyboy @mcneese.chad When you are time bound I have always learned that training race specific is what you should do. When you have all the time sure base and build are the foundation that is totally true. Am I that off?

11

Broadly speaking - yes.

More narrowly speaking - it depends. If you’re two weeks out and suddenly need to get fast for one specific day - then training race specific might make more sense. You won’t actually peak and you won’t maintain any real fitness, but the shock to your system from race specific efforts might get you moving quickly.

But that’s the far far outlier - given 20 weeks instead of 28 you’re better off racing straight off of a build plan and doing complete base and build

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12

Oké that is good to know for future planing. Thanks!

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13

Yup, as above, the race specificity (that is the primary goal of the Specialty phase) is only possible when added to a foundation (Base and Build) that give the ability to handle and grow from those efforts.

People can jump into Specialty, but only if they really have some level of fitness foundation that allows those special efforts to be done properly.

So, the pure suggestion (as shown in the TR link above) is to always make sure you have a Base at the very least, then as much of Build as possible, and finally on to Specialty if time allows. But you are best to chop from the end of the program (Spec) because that has the least impact on overall fitness.

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14

I am kind of in the same boat and just signed up for trainer road. My A race would fall in the second to last week of my training. My question is I have been doing structured training (not trainer road) over the past month with 670-700 TSS weeks. Should I skip the first week of base or take a week out of speciality?

15

If you are confident in your base level, you can chop from the Base Phase.

That said, I would only make that change in the Sweet Spot Base 1, but leave Sweet Spot Base 2 completely intact. It is a very important phase to complete in full.

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16

Thanks!!

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17

one last question for you. Do I want my A race in the last week of the training or in the week after?

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18

The last week in the Specialty phase assumes the A-Race is on the Sunday of that very week (not the following week).

It is meant to lead you right up to the event, and includes a “opener” on the Saturday before the empty Sunday (which is your A-race).

Feel free to shift workouts as needed if your actual A-race is on Saturday.

19

That is what I was thinking but I wasn’t 100% sure. thanks again

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20

Happy to help :smiley: