Workouts Below Athlete Levels 6 Weeks Before A Race

TrainerRoad Software
1

Hey everyone, this winter is my first time using TrainerRoad, I am using it to prepare for some Enduro MTB racing this spring. My A race is an enduro race April 25th. During the programmed specialty phase, I have been using TR to for 2 interval sessions a week, and doing ~2 MTB rides (unscheduled, but sync’d in through Strava) on top of that to keep the skills sharp. This is totaling ~5-6 hours per week. I also go to the gym but I do not log that in TR.

Looking at what the AI has tee’d up for me for the next month, I am really surprised at how low the Vo2 and anaerobic workout levels are compared to my athlete levels (Vo2: 9.1, Anaerobic: 10.4). The workout levels are consistently 3-6 levels below my athlete level in those areas. When it has given me Vo2/anaerobic workouts that have been too easy in the past few weeks, I have just done more watts during the “on” intervals that prescribed.

TR support says that this is just standard periodization. I am fully open to “trusting the process” as TR has been great for me so far, but doing 0 hard workouts at or near my athlete levels in the 6 weeks leading up to my A race feels like a good way to lose my top end fitness when it matters most. I am fully open to pushback here, but wanted to get some more opinions.

My account is here: TrainerRoad (let me know if there is a better way to share my calendar, I am new!). Any tips on how to adjust this to make the most of my last 6 weeks before my race? Should I do a 20-minute test? Continue doing more watts than prescribed? Self select workouts?

2

Couple things, Athlete levels are generally going by the wayside, AI is just looking at watts to prescribe your workouts.

If you look at a workout and think you can do more…use the workout alternates at the bottom of the workout screen and select a “Harder” version.

Also I’d absolutely be training in resistance mode if you aren’t already. I’m a huge fan of ERG mode but it isn’t great for VO2 and above. If you show the platform you can do more it’ll keep progressing you up.

3

All your VO2Max workouts the coming weeks are shown with an alternative workout as well. Are those easier or harder?

6

It looks like it is prescribing harder workouts. The prescribed score for Rattlesnake +1 is 7.1 but you exceed it and were scored as a 9.1. So the next workout it scheduled was a 7.6. So if you go above and beyond again you will most likely get a higher score.