Hey folks, I’ve just wrapped up a full year of triathlon training (~7 hrs/week, ~400 TSS weekly avg on TrainingPeaks). Now shifting focus to Zwift racing + cycling gains for the next 3–4 months.
I’m using TrainerRoad’s custom plan builder, but noticed it doesn’t include my past swim/run TSS. So it’s building my plan off half the real load—e.g., calling 280 TSS “high” when I used to do more.
My concern: will the AI scale my plan too low due to incomplete history? Would it make sense to ignore the first couple of adaptions and just follow the structure?
Second Q:
I swap in Zwift races instead of some TR workouts. Does TR factor that in when adapting future sessions? And should I match race type to workout goal (like crit = VO2, TTT = threshold), or just let it roll?
Great job on completing a full year of tri training!
TSS
Not all TSS is created equal, especially when comparing multisport training with the current TR plan you have now, which is cycling specific and not a triathlon one.
Your plan may look lighter compared to your past total load, but it’s intentionally focused for cycling gains. I would recommend completing the structured interval training that the plan is recommending and revising it a few weeks in. You can always add more volume down the road instead or potentially overdoing it at the beginning.
We have a Check Volume feature you can use to update the volume recommendation. If you use it, we suggest to use it after each block.
Zwift races
If you’re going to be doing Zwift Races and are doing them to have something different and fun in your schedule, then I wouldn’t worry about trying to match it to a workout effort. These are efforts of their own. TrainerRoad will factor them in and make adjustments to your plan as needed!
Now, if you are trying to follow a prescribed effort on Zwift, then you can always complete the TR workout in their virtual world
Check how much time you’ve told the TR app that you have to devote to training. I’d probably follow the recommended interval progressions but if you normally do more volume, I wouldn’t be afraid to tack on extra endurance riding as long as you are recovering.
