Hi there! I decided to bump up my training a notch and try Trainerroad this winter. I added my main event (XC-race at mid June 2022) and created a training plan with the Plan Builder. The plan itself seems really good but the problem is that I work shift work and my work schedule makes planning a bit more difficult. My work week is usually as follows:
Day 1: Morning shift (7am to 7pm)
Day 2: Morning shift (7am to 7pm)
Day 3: Night shift (7pm to 7am)
Day 4: Recovery day
Day 5: Off
Day 6: Off
… Rinse and repeat.
So basically, my “week” is 6 days instead of the usual 7-day week. I started more structured training this year and my harder training days have usually been on days 3, 5 and 6. On days 1 and 2 I usually do just easy recovery rides (commuting, so 2x45 mins) and I have been doing one strength training session on day 2 if possible (thanks to my lenient employer). On day 4 I usually do just an easy mountain bike ride with some skill work on the bike.
On Trainerroad I opted for a high volume plan. My plan is to spread the workouts from 7 day weeks to 12 day weeks to accommodate a bit more recovery in between and also to do one longer z2 ride during each 12 day rotation (if I’m feeling recovered enough). This requires some shuffling but all-in-all, it seems pretty manageable. I still have a few questions regarding the pre-built plan and adaptive training:
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If I stretch workouts from 7 day rotation to 12 day rotation, it will naturally take longer to complete all the planned workouts. Since the date of my A-race doesn’t change, will the Plan Builder adapt to the slower completion rate (so does it drop some workouts from the plan)?
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Does this affect adaptive training? Should I turn it off?
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How do I handle the recovery workouts and my outdoor rides? Can I link them or should I just delete recovery rides from the plan and do them as I have been doing (commutes and outdoor MTB-rides)
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Is there anything I’m missing or is there anything obviously flawed in my plan that I’m just not able to see?
Thanks for everyone!