Hi there David, Im 64 and started using TR about a month ago. Wanted some more structured training, and address my weaknesses. I race mtb and a bit on the road. Most road races Ive done I get dropped , because I dont have a change of pace, or I cant hang on to above FTP pace for long enough. But I`ve done well at mtb and cyclo x and aiming for the world masters cx champs this/or next year, which hopefully in the UK.What is the senior Olympics? is that like our masters events ,or actually the Olympics? Also ,do you put in a recovery week once a month?
I just spotted this post about the over 60’s and their experience using TR so thought I would respond with my observations. I’m sixty this year and have been using TR for about eight years, during that time my fitness has increased to what seems like my plateau (just under 60Kg and about 255 FTP). I have completed both Haute Route Alps (7 stages) and Haute Route Oman this year (which I managed to win the 60+ category). I cycle around ten hours a week (mostly on TR). One of the main observations for me is that recovery needs careful consideration (for example using high volume is difficult for me because there is not enough easier sessions in the week and I pay for it in non-compliance later on. So I tend to use mid-volume and add in additional easier workouts to up the volume.
I listen to the podcasts every week and have picked up useful information, although there isn’t a lot of discussion about riders our age, which would be helpful. One thing I recently picked up from the podcasts is about fuelling the higher intensity workouts which I never used to do. That made a massive difference to me being able to complete the tougher workouts.
I often wonder whether TR could do plans for older riders (or the ability to modify current plans) when they maybe have more time than younger riders but can’t do repeated intensity and need more recovery.
I still enjoy using TR even though I now can’t seem to actually improve my 4.2W/Kg but I guess staying where I am is a win in itself and will be increasingly so as I get even older.
Steve
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I wanted some way to measure my fitness as well so started using Strava’s Summit package again. I’m sure it’s not the best out there, but it’s a start. Gives me enough information to determine how I’m doing.
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Yeah, good to see another female older athlete on here. Im 64, and have thought about the 9 day program, but now I have time to rest more, the TR 7 day works well for me. Im keen to do some mtb or gravel stage races , so putting 3 hard days in succession makes sense to me. It could be easy to convince oneself that we need a rest, but knowing me, its often my mind taking over. In your case tho recovering from injury it sounds like a good plan. Sounds like you are at a very high level so you should get back to full fitness soon!
This is actively being worked on full time by a couple teams.
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Delighted to hear this, @Nate. Turned 66 this week and using TR again after a few years with sporadic (how many time a year actually qualified you to be sporadic vs AWOL? 
) and have restarted SSBLV1 with Planbuilder, then reset Planbuilder, then deleted and restarted (probably more me than PB but I’m going into week 4 now).
I think my latest ramp may have tested low as I’ve not felt much challenge completing any of the workouts, and sometimes have added my own +1/+2 version when riding outdoors and still feeling like I have lots in the tank. The combination of outside workouts and wondering about my ramp test also leads me to wonder about appropriate rest vs perhaps too little, or risking too much. Anything TR can offer on adaptive plans or adjusting to something other than a 7-day week framework would be quite welcome.
Thanks for the great work of the team on the app, support and the podcast.
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The Senior Games (a/k/a Senior Olympics) is a non-profit and not affiliated with the official Olympics. It is open to athletes over 50 (and over 40 in some states). You can sign up for multiple states and if you do well, you qualify for the national games, last held in Santa Fe in 2019 and scheduled in Florida. In cycling the events are 5K and 10K time trials and 20K and 40K road races. I frankly think they should expand distances since a 40K ride is hardly a decent weeknight workout for many 50+ cyclists
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I do have a recovery week as planned by TR in my plan. If you use the plan builder, and plug in your planned champ events, it will build a schedule for you. I’ve been doing the low volume plan as as not to stress my immune system during the pandemic, but planning to up that to Medium Volume or something close to it this month.
Yeah great to see another older female! Right now I think I am improving and am able to handle 7 days. However, I am in Sweet Spot. In Build I have always had a tougher time stringing workouts together, but in the past I was also running much more. So maybe I will surprise myself! I want to try a gravel bike. I have spent the last few years mainly running with indoor biking supplementing. Now that marathons and long trail runs will take awhile to work up to, I am concentrating on biking. Road riding is getting more scary- our area is growing fast( I live in FL) and so many people drive looking at their cell phones.
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Thanks for the update!
I qualify for both aspects of this thread: I’m 73 and I want extra recovery. I don’t seem to need extra physical recovery, just mental recovery. I can finish all my workouts, but I’m in mid-Short Power Build, and I just can’t face up to a ramp test today, not to mention pretty intense workouts for the rest of the month. My mind says “what’s the point?” with no races upcoming and my ultimate goal year-and-a-half away (cyclocross Nationals 2021).
So, I want to insert an extra recovery week starting today, but I can’t find a way to do it. I tried creating a stage race event with 1-hour “races” for this entire week, but Plan Builder scheduled SPB2 workouts on top of my “stage race”. I tried making my “stage race” an A event, I changed the volume of the Build phase, but every time my plan recalculated, it seemingly ignored my “stage race”.
Is there a way to push my plan down a week? Thanks. And I appreciate any geezer-related enhancements you will make to Plan Builder.
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You can do this in Calendar.
In Calendar if you click on the three dots at the right hand side of a week, so for this week it’s to the right of “Wk20”, then you get four options one of which is “Push week” this pushes all the workouts to a week later. You can then add a week of recovery workouts as you see fit.
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Bobw,
Thanks! I hadn’t noticed the three dots for Wk20, and “Push week” sounds exactly like what I need.
Unfortunately, I only show 3 options, not 4, none of which are “Push week” (copy/move/clear week). “Move week” sounds the most like “Push week”, but it says “Not recommended” and that I will never be able to edit my plan ever again, or words to that effect.
I tried this on both the TR website and on the Windows app. I can’t prove I have the latest version of the Windows app, but I believe so. I also have an iOs app that didn’t even show the dots, much less “Push week”, but my iPad is so old that app is probably out of date.
Is “Push week” a new feature for which I should wait? Or should I “Move week” and hope I don’t do any permanent damage? Thanks to anyone who can help.
I’m pretty sure push week has been around on the calendar for ages. It appears on mine on both my laptop and my android via chrome.
You cant push a week that’s already happening and has workouts done. such as this week. You can for any week ahead…
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Have you done a workout this week? That might stop you moving things. I haven’t done one yet this week so get the four options but for last week I get just two: copy and clear. For next week I get a fifth option: “Pull week”.
I’ll be doing a workout in an hour or two I’ll let you know after that if the options change.
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Yes it changes it. See my post above.
the workaround to making a partial week a recovery week is to:
- push next week
- copy this week to next week
- cleanup workouts by deleting any for the remainder of this week and then review next week too
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I can empathise with the “what’s the point” mindset. I have similar views, all my events/races have been cancelled, the main being the Haute Route Pyrenees this year, and I’m struggling with motivation to keep to any plan. All I end up doing is adding arbitrary “events” at a few days notice, the latest being doing a vEveresting a few weeks ago. I just needed something to think about.
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Thanks to bobw, GeorgeAnderson and bbarrera for diagnosing that the menu options change depending on whether a workout has been done and for suggesting the workaround of moving the next week, etc. I should have guessed that a week with no completed workouts would have different menu choices - the mind really does decay with age.
Now, on to my less-intense-than-Ramp-Test workout!
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I am a near 64 year old road and cx racer, and re-tested today but chose the 20 minute test as I struggle going into the red for a decent ramp test I am currently in short power build, mv. With the lack of group rides and racing my ftp dropped 10w to 218, at 3.14 w/kg. Next time I may test on the 8 minute test as I was over target for 10 minutes today, then faded despite being at threshold hr and putting everything into the effort.
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