All great answers and some great questions posed. The plans are meant to add structure to your training with guardrails. It is up to you to be your own coach within those guardrails and there’s the rub. It is really difficult to objectively coach oneself. Present company included. Keep up this great support system (pun intended). Also a shameless plug to chat with a coach when you want to dial in some details in creating your own plan and of course, the customized plan is a great way to get training structured to your life.
Keep up the great work!
Hey, I’ll endorse the Chat with a Coach. I spoke with Andy today about training for an event coming up in nine months, and I found it very helpful. I have an unusual and unpredictable schedule, and he was able to help me shape a flexible plan to prepare me to crush it on race day. Time and money well spent!
I’m not in my 50’s just yet, so not that old. But I really don’t want the 2:1 or 3:1 resting weeks. I hate the rest weeks.
I would prefer 6:1 (what my body can easily take) or at least 4:1.
In short: the variability of the training plans needs to be better (ie: more variables), besides the amount of rest, the preferred training days should be variable too (my rest days are Monday and Saturday)
Believe it or not, the pros use a 3:1 ratio of training to rest. Actually, it isn’t rest, it’s active recovery. Pick a plan with it in it and you’ll see the levels of improvement when your body reacts to it. If you have the time, you might want to up the level of activity during the active weeks as well so you are being challenged but not overworked. Overwork leads to injury. That leads to being off the bike, sometimes permanently.
I made it through the 3:1 low volume plan followed by a HM. I followed that with the 2:1 high volume plan. I had to insert some rest days/active recovery days so that the plan took longer than 3 weeks. I also did strength training some of the days. Next up is the FF prep week.
Would it have been easier without strength training? Probably.
Should I have put a recovery week before starting the second plan? I doubt it because I already had a recovery week at the end of the 3:1 plan.