The idea behind the Borg scale (6-20) is that it will correlate decent with your heart rate. So RPE 6 = 60BPM. RPE15 = 150BPM. But you will have to scale and adopt it considering what your max HR is.
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I have done some lactate testing on my running. This from December:
And now this from February:
So im currently progressing good, will be interesting to see if I can raise my LT1 at the same speed that I have raised my LT2 once I start running more marathon-ish intervals.
Currently the running has been 4x2k, 6x1k and will now be 10x3min and 12-20x400m. Having a 10k in April to build the speed towards.
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At what intensity/speed/BLa?
Edit to ask: what does the rest of the running look like? Total volume?
Edit again to ask: what are the units on the axes? Were this an engineering school paper, whoever made those plots would not have passed.
Did a stand alone half marathon yesterday, untrained and after a 56-mile hard cycling road race the day before. Every step I questioned my intention to do a full IM this year lol.
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The feeling of a HM vs the marathon at the end of the full is so totally different.
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Units: Y-axis = Lactate in mmol/L, X-axis = Speed in km/h
A “normal” week
The intensity on 6x1k is a bit above LT2 speed, but because you have breaks you dont pass LT2 lactate.
4x2k is at or slightly slower than LT2 speed. I did measure lactate on a few of these sessions which made me adjust the speed on the fly depending on what the reading was.
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Nice work. It’s always fun to see positive results! Thanks for sharing.
Stop discouraging @teetopmlp ! 
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Yea in the 12 mile race/run I was doing Saturday I kept telling myself that the only marathon I want to run was at the end of an IM
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I’ve finished the first five weeks of the mid-volume full distance plan. It’s my fourth time doing this plan and I’ve noticed that the bike workouts have changed. There are no VO2 max workouts any longer. It’s all sweet spot, tempo, and endurance. I’m getting a little bored with that so I’m going to start throwing in some of the higher-intensity stuff that I did in previous years.
In any case, my training is going well. Here are my weekly averages:
Swim: 10,170 yards
Bike: 6 hrs, 14 minutes (entirely indoors)
Run: 22.3 miles
Strength: 0:42 minutes
Overall: 12 hrs, 37 minutes
I’ve put more effort into swimming, both in the off season and this early training block. I’ve really been focusing on technique. It’s paying off as I’ve dropped 5-7 seconds / 100 and there is less variability in my speed from workout to workout.
My races: Des Moines 70.3 (June 11), USAT Nationals (Aug 4), and IMWI (Sept 10).
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Hmm, I cant remember previous years but you’re right, I see two vo2 workouts in MV Build and that’s it. None in base.
I’m doing LV HD build and it’s all vo2 & threshold, if you want some inspiration.
But is your VO2MAX a limiter?
With a full distance you should work on lowering the vLaMax as much as possible, and doing VO2 sessions will have the opposite reaction that you are training for. I would maybe add them in the offseason/early base to raise the level, then let it be. Your VO2MAX will increase doing low intensity also, it just takes more time.
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so i’m hitting my runs
and i’m hitting my swims
but i’m barely touching the bike…
and let me not get started on the weightlifting
I just don’t have the mental energy to get on the bike and the ez z2 workouts feel wayyyyyy harder because of it. I thought it could be nutrition but i make sure to fuel before. And i have a freaking new tri bike, i should want to ride it!
And weightlifting i really enjoy but half the time when i manage to make it in the gym, all racks are busy 
And my right foot is starting to nag me with something that feels like plantar fasciitis…haven’t dealt with that in YEARS!
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Unusual for the bike to be the losing discipline!
For motivation I have a few rules like “no Amazon Prime” when off the bike, my setup has energy drink and fuel waiting for me, and I’ve just signed up to Fulgaz for simulation rides.
Then I use endurance rides as race result predictors too.
It all helps with motivation.
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I like the bike the most too.
So its concerning to say the least.
I do have a tv series i love reserved for the bike, that trick has pulled me more than once on the bike.
Seeing that the half marathon my is first event in the season at least i’m glad my running isn’t lacking. I just want to ride LOL.
I am in the early stages of base training. I’m on week 6 of what will ultimately be 28 weeks of training when you add base, build, and specialize together. That’s part of the reason I was surprised by the absence of VO2 max workouts. I expected to see some early in training.
I honestly don’t know if VO2 max workouts are needed for long-distance racing. But I do know that for years they were a regular part of TR’s long-distance plan; there used to be about one per week in the base phase. Those tended to be higher intensity (110%+). As you got into the base phase, the intervals became longer but closer to your FTP (~105%). As the race got closer, the VO2 max workouts were replaced by threshold ones. Apparently, TR has now moved away from that approach.
The change may make sense in terms of physical benefits, but for me it makes the training less interesting. My plan now consists of four rides per week, three of which are sweet spot or tempo. I’m spending a lot of time right around the same percent of FTP and it’s a little monotonous. Yesterday, I replaced a one-hour SS workout with a VO2 max one and it was nice to mix it up a bit.
I’m in week 9 of MV Full Distance plan and have had 1 vo2 max session most weeks on a Tuesday. At least 6 or 7 so far. Looks like they reduce in frequency during the build phase. maybe it changes depending on length of plan?
That’s interesting. I wouldn’t expect plans to vary that much. Working back from the date of my race, I loaded the base, build, and specialize phases into my TR calendar. The base phase included no VO2 max workouts. AI has suggested several changes over the course of the last six weeks, but it’s mostly been about making changes within a category (e.g., changing a SS workout to one that is a little harder). It never suggested a workout at an intensity higher than SS. I’m not sure how to explain the discrepency between our plans.
The long distance Mid Volume plan are doing 1 Vo2MAX sessions each week in Build and specialty. Just a little bit over FTP, but hey.
Good news, the pool finally reopened and I did the first swim in FORM’s full-distance mid-volume Ironman plan:
Bad news, pool’s gonna be closed again for two weeks over spring break, so after that I’ll only have about 3 weeks of training I can do before St. George. At this point I’m trying to figure out if I can fit a swim erg somewhere in my house because I don’t feel confident that I can get my swim fitness in shape in time for my races.
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