Good evening. Training for L’Etape du Tour in July this year and have had my plan running from the start of the year. I’m 46 yrs old and my target weight for the event is 183lbs. Currently AI FTP is 315w and reached the 3rd block of base training. Up until now, most of the hard sessions have been sweet spot and threshold which I feel I have managed without issues on most occasions. The last few weeks due to work commitments, I’ve struggled with consistency and have another few weeks where training will be disrupted but I’ve let the AI switch my workouts and taken the prescribed sessions each time.
This past week, I had my first “VO2” session and it was brutal. It was on offs at 130% ftp so pushing 1 min at 410w followed by 2 mins recovery, 3 blocks with 5 intervals.
I managed the first block and whilst I’ve become resilient with hard workouts, this one tipped the scales a little too far, quite a bit too far actually. Mid set on the second block, had to reduce intensity by 5% which seemed manageable but just over halfway into the 3rd and final block, the quality of my intervals nosedived, my cadence dropped below 85rpm and I started cramping ultimately leading to me unclipping and stopping.
I’m fairly open minded and accept that a bad session will happen from time to time, I use this as an opportunity to recalibrate and kick on with the plan.
However, I was reflecting on this session in particular which was driving me more into anaerobic efforts seated and really pushing the VO2 ceiling and wondered whether this was a correctly prescribed workout for the event I’m entering. Speaking with a friend who has trained for years, he was surprised at the prescribed workout when I explained the workout to him and wondered if my A event I’ve entered is accurate for the AI to select this type of workout.
I have entered the event as my A event, categorised as a Climbing road race, intensity 6 and listed 10hours which is my target time. The event is 170km and 5400m of climbing. I think the sweet spot workouts and threshold workouts are nearly perfect whereby they are challenging me every time and I’m completing them with little left in the tank, but importantly, I’m feeling improvement. This VO2 workout does seem to be very aggressive and I had every confidence that while this was going to be hard, I didn’t expect it to be a failed workout. Looking for advice of any tweaks or maybe something I have missed in the setup of the plan.
I wouldn’t call 1min on with 2min of rest On-Offs. On-Offs to me are 40/20s or 30/30s. With that in mind, maybe try actual on-offs. Or maybe lower intensity for longer. I do like 115-120% for 3-4min and go for around 20 minutes time in zone.
Just because it’s not an effort you’ll do in the event, doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable training that will improve your performance.
Someone more learned than me can probably chime in with the details, but my understanding is that tough VO2 efforts like this can help push up the “ceiling” for your FTP - basically train better oxygen utilisation which means you can push your threshold to levels that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Training your vo2 max is helpful, however I would not consider 1m efforts to be an actual vo2 max workout.
It has been shown many times that you really just need sustained time at vo2 max to get those improvements, longer intervals are the best way to go about improving bo2 max.
I think climbing plan is more suitable for 10 min climbs (check on that). Sustained climbing is more time trial (tempo efforts) or grand fondo plan. I would research this but if I remember correctly it has been mentioned on the forums before by the support team.
Thanks for comments so far. Agree with the principal in raising FTP by pushing progression at VO2 and anaerobic levels. The only thing that confused me was the timing of these in the training plan with me technically still in the base phase. This type of intensity ramp up if thought would have been prescribed more in the build phase.
In any case, I do have full trust in the plan. Since the beta and full move to trainerroad AI, I’ve found almost everytime that the prescribed workout is on the money. So I’ll keep plugging away and take these workouts as they come.
Would a Grand Fondo plan be more suitable the a Climbing Road Race Plan? A Climbing Road Race will involve Vo2 & Anerobic attacks & Recoveries etc. while I think you might be better suited to a plan with more Tempo / Sweet Spot & Endurance.
I had this problem with TR when training for Ultra events. Even some of the gravel plans might suit your event better … Worth having a look & seeing…
Some element of VO2 has been in the base plans for as long as I can remember (and I’ve been here a long time!). I actually like it, as it means I don’t jump into build or specialty having not done VO2 for 3 months which would make me want to cry more than normal VO2 intervals do
A couple of my plans have had one V02Max in the base phase. I don’t think it’s anything new. Probably to wake up your body for what is to come. Both in a grand fondo plan and a marathon XC plan.
Unrelated to whether or not that specific workout was appropriate for your goals and target race (there’s plenty of that above)…
I always find the first one or two VO2 sessions after a long break very hard, regardless of format (e.g. on-offs, traditional 4x4 or 5x5). Regardless of how good my base is at the time, it takes me a session or two to feel “good” in that zone. It may have been a random off-day (they certainly happen) but it could also have been due to it being your first V02 workout in some time. Best of luck with your next session @kmmcarthy1979, let us know how it goes!
I wonder if that is part of the rationale for having one at the end of base. Sort of the rust buster. Get it out of the way. Endurance week then crush it in build.
Sweet spot session today and felt horrible also. I’m putting it all down the the lack of consistency this past few weeks (been away with business and work commitment’s have been more cumbersome than normal).
Another couple of sessions and I’ll be back to form. A long overdue training slump but will come out stronger on the other side I’m sure.
