So iām coming in here to weigh in because this is something that iāve also struggled with for a long time. The terminology is confusing and while the concept seems simple at first, when you dive in it really is not that simple.
Sometimes people will be like āoh you build the base before you move onto intensityā and that is one way to do it but not the only way. Bottom line, all sorts of training will build what people refer to as your aerobic ābaseā including intense intervals. So many different trainings (intensity included) will be building your capacity and fatigue resistance and all that and taht also builds your base. So in a way, everything is base. But of course, thatās not helpful for organizing your season now is it?
Some people approach it based on specificity, and thatās also one way to do it but not the only way. Itās not my preference because for me anyway, specificity is mostly overrated.
I like the general rule of, base is when you train to train vs. training to race.
But for me personally, the most specific principle that i have been able to come up with is this: I can slam intervals and I get fast very quickly, but there is a clock that starts ticking and eventually it runs out and I fall back to earth. This might be two months, three months, sometimes I can maintain it for longer but no matter what I do, there is a limit.
So for me, ābaseā means doing whatever I can to raise my level, get stronger, get fitter, whatever, without starting that clock. iāll do long rides, low cadence grinding, high cadence, sprints, weight lifting, cross training, whatever, with general goal of building capacity, repeatability, getting stronger. I do hard intervals sometimes too but i am very careful with the frequency and the length of the relevant mesocycles. But thatās the goal: raise the level without starting the clock, until such time as iām ready to start it up. It took me 20 years (since high school track and field) to figure that out.
That said, eventually you have to hit it hard and let the clock start. Like right now with no racing and no events, doesnāt mean just run SSB back to back to back to back because eventually youāll top out and your body will need different stimulus to adapt. Just like Olympic athletes with their four-year macrocycles, sometimes multiple years for them will be devoted to mostly training to train, but they still will be competing and still will be doing intensity during thsoe cycles.
