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I need a RESET
For a number of reasons, over the last month and a half, my bike fitness and consequentially my motivation & confidence has suffered. I can't keep trying to muscle through it, so I think a change is needed. Wanted to get some thoughts on my options
- Drop my FTP a little, get back in a rhythm and go from there
- Keep my FTP where it is, but back off on the intervals and give my body a chance to catch up
- Scrap it all, go into a new OutSeason and get back to crushing it
I'm pretty sure I am on the cusp of my June 14th race being cancelled. If that happens, I think I go straight to OutSeason option depending on if/when my race is rescheduled. If my race stays on as scheduled (which I highly doubt) I favor the dropping the FTP option.
Endurance Nation... guide me with your wisdom...
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Comments
@Rob Tune
We all know what you are going through, so props for reaching out to the Team.
I assumed all my races were going to be cancelled (they were), and dropped into the Outseason. I am at end of week 4. I am very happy with that decision.
IMO, while you wait to see if your 14 June race is going to be cancelled, push on with your Plan as written. Just remember FTP intervals can be anywhere from 95%-100% FTP. So you could dial them down to 95% (actually a wko at 90% will still give a good training stimulus).
Another thought is whether your FTP may be lower than you think. You could do a FTP test to see where you are at? If you have WKO4 (or WKO5), you could just go out and hammer all-out for 10 mins or so and see if your mFTP changes.
Let us know what you are thinking.
What about a bike-only or run-only block?
The last 6-8 weeks have been pretty tough. The worlds in up heavel. Give yourself a break. Remember that STRESS of any kind adds up. Whether social, job, physical or emotional. It all counts. Back off a little go for the consistent training. Maybe go naked for awhile and let the sound of birds and the feel of the wind be your guide instead of numbers and paces. It all counts. Remember to listen to your body.
#JOY
+1 on all of the above.
@Peter Greagg Agreed, stay in the plan but dial it back some as needed. Work is work and if you are overly fatigued pushing through it will only bury you more.
@Dave Tallo Agree also. Coach P's podcast on bike adjustments due to COVID-19 mentions doing a specificity plan as a short block.
@Jacklyn Moore Love it. I went "naked" last week. No specific workouts scheduled. Just planned on biking and running on certain days and went with whatever felt right at the moment. Moved things around as needed and just had fun with it. Debating on whether to do that one more week as last week was really good.
If you have already been through the OS recently, which I think you have, Coach P has been saying to do something else. The OS builds a lot of accumulated fatigue that non of us probably need right now.
My plan has been to drop back to OS Week 5, test for current FTP if needed, and move forward. OS is a great way to maintain fitness while in a holding pattern under these circumstances.
Love these ideas! Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
@Bill Eckert and @Shaughn Simmons I finished up OS late January. I feel like there's been enough time, that I could restart this if I wanted to
@Peter Greagg am definitely planning to stay in my training plan until my race status is confirmed. I've been pushing the lower limit on my zones for a couple of weeks now, which leads me to think that I just need to scale back my FTP. Not sure I want to do another test right now... so will likely look to make small adjustments.
@Jacklyn Moore , @Bill Eckert and @Dave Tallo ... I think in some way or another, I need to do both a Bike Block and a Naked Week!
I've said it a dozen times this year... lucky to have this team as a resource!
@Bill Eckert - The fact you Stated," had FUN with it." What's one more week. Remember this is a game. A distraction. There probably isn't swim camp after the OS so why not a "naked camp." It's about letting your body and MIND rest a little. Watching zones/paces takes effort too. I love it when I run naked. It's almost meditative. There's a rythm and feel that's just right. The sound of your breathing. Your feet hitting the ground. The clouds in the sky. Its amazing what we miss when we are focused on other things.
Sounds like you already know what you need to do.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
Just wanted to give a Thread Update here:
My race was officially rescheduled today (IM Wisconsin 70.3) to Sep 13th. That gives me 7 glorious weeks before I need to restart my race training.
Full Disclosure... I hate testing on the bike. I'm getting better at it, but I hate it. I can't and won't avoid it moving forward, but I didn't think it made sense to test when I am having bike troubles, and also some confidence/motivation issues. I'd rather re-focus, re-motivate, and work, then test with confidence that that's where I am supposed to be... not in a funk. That being said, I dropped my FTP down a little and have been having some good workouts, and am starting to feel more like myself.
So, here's my new plan:
Thanks again to the team for the guidance!