You didn’t do the workout as planned. It’s beyond me why that’s difficult to understand. It’s not a bad thing btw, no one wants a urinary infection or to pee on the bike. It’s just reality. Do you want them to lie and pretend you didn’t?
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I keep the pain cave in the 50’s prior to my workout. I stop for about 15 seconds to turn on the fan after the warmup sequence, and now TR is dinging me for that. Insane. I guess I need to wear a jacket to warm up going forward or get a remote control.
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im wayyy too old for this
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I’ve been using the beta AI for about 3 weeks and seeing the predicted FTP fluctuate +/- a few watts. At first, I was flustered too. “I just completed a hard O/U to perfection and it went down!!!" Or, “I added 15 minutes to a cool down and it goes down!!!“. Or, “I changed a 60 minute threshold to a 45 minute AI selected workout due to my schedule, and it goes up!!!”
But after 3 weeks, the number is about the same. Here’s how I’ve shifted my thinking. The software knows how to train me better than I do. The FTP number is a reference, as are my PLs. They are just data points to help guide my physical efforts. Hard workouts should be HARD. I’m finding my workouts are more appropriately difficult than with the prior version of adaptive training.
I’m not a professional cycling coach, so I’m just going to trust the tremendous effort and data that goes into these models. They’re better than what I could come up with.
And as proof of progress, I’m using the season match feature which is clearly showing progress over past seasons. So the absolute power numbers are better.
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Yea, agreed. To heck with the FTP prediction AI algorithm, if I have to pee - darn it I’m taking a short break (in between intervals, if possible).
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I’m struggling to see the value in a prediction if it changes so much.
Good to hear that your actual results from the training were good. I’m setting my expectations up to ignore the prediction element of the update, and accept that AI can deliver me the best workouts on any given day (even if that does sometimes throw a curveball in its own prediction)
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I see it like your ETA when using navigation. Maps can predict typical travel time, traffic patterns, etc to give me the best recommendation for when I need to leave to arrive, or to give notice. The time estimate gets more resolved as the uncertainties diminish. If Google recommends I leave 10 minutes sooner to get to a dinner reservation, I usually listen because it knows something I don’t.
AI prediction is this to me. It’s basically saying, “this is the direction your training is headed." If I’m happy with that, I’ll stay the course. If it doesn’t match my goals, then I need to change something where possible, or accept reality that I’m in a maintenance or declination phase of my fitness and training.
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For what it’s worth, I think this is only changing when it makes a difference.
I had a 4 hour trainer ride yesterday, 2.5 hours at tempo. Took a 2:30 break to take a leak in a recovery interval after 20 minutes of Z2 and before a 30 minute tempo interval - and it didn’t change a thing. In that case - because there was zero relevant impact on the workout.
If you take 15 seconds off, does it matter? In some cases, no of course not, in other cases absolutely yes and the overall workout level should reflect it.
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I’ve seen an 8w swing based on one workout. I also saw -5w decrease when I reduced a planned 90 min z2 workout to a planned 60 min z2 workout. It’s unrealistically sensitive.
Will be interesting to see where it actually lands in a couple weeks though when my FTP actually updates.
We should be penalized if the deviation from plan makes a meaningful difference. Do you think taking 1.5 min break in the middle of a 10 min recovery spin makes a difference in adaptations?
Blame those who were taking 5 minutes of breaks and then complaining why their progress levels didn’t match.
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Yes. Of course it does. If you’re in the middle of a Zwift race and you pedal downhill while the guy sitting next to you turns on a coffee break, gets off the bike and goes to the bathroom, do you think he put the EXACT same effort into the race as you?
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Who’s talking about Zwift races?? I said during a 10 MINUTE RECOVERY SPIN of a TR workout.
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And I said while going downhill. Ok, fine. It’s not a race. It’s a workout. Same scenario. Did he put in the EXACT SAME effort? Of course not.
OF A RACE! Dude, seriously? 
You increased the recovery by 15%. A 10 minute probably not but in a 6 minute it’s a different workout. But the AL levels don’t change anything. It’s just a relative ranking of workouts.
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I edited. Thoughts?
Did it actually change any of your levels in that example? Or is this just a hypothetical?
The examples where people posted images were like 30 seconds additional in a VO2max recovery of 60 seconds.
Levels yes.
Adaptions no.
Something you need to give a second thought…. no.
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Turn off “Pedal to start/stop” then it won’t pause during your pee break, just be ready to be back on the trainer before the next interval starts.