I still can't believe how much quality info you release completely for the common good here on youtube. Thanks as always Gordo. I think so many can relate to your experience of bringing back structured training from a baseline of almost zero. So much quality training advice out there assumes that you have already been successful at building fitness for years on end. So little info is out there on how to build from rock bottom. After 3 of my most inactive years (new dad, two kids, pandemic) I started completely from scratch after several failures to launch (too much intensity too quickly). And last year was the first year where beginning to the end of the year I followed a structured approach to training. There were multiple times I had to de-load because I had added too much training load too quickly. I was really trying to learn how to listen to my body. I had to restart the training plan I was doing 4 different times, because I couldn't manage the training load, even though intensity was full green zone. I was becoming too fatigued and wasn't adapting or recovering well. And that was only with 4-6 hours of easy aerobic endurance work a week. Only one heavy day on the bike per week. Humbling to realize how far my fitness had fallen. It's now roughly 14 months into my structured training journey. And I can hold a training load now week to week that doesn't take all my energy away. A CTL of 70 for me last year I could only hold for about 3 weeks. So far Jan/Feb of this year I've been holding a CTL about 70 and feeling like it is actually manageable and enjoyable. My 250+ TSS days mountaineering this winter have gone really well and it doesn't wipe me out for weeks anymore. Last year was the largest test of my patience ever. The improvement month to month almost felt unnoticeable. As fatigue would build I was never sure if I was sliding backwards or doing things correctly. But now coming into this year I feel like an entirely more capable person. Not ready to heap on more training load yet, not ready to go crazy fast or add tons of intensity-but feeling so much better sessions to session, week to week. Knowing what I know now, I am going to do whatever I can to not let my fitness fall as far as it did over the last 5 years. Building back to a what feels like a normal baseline for what I like to do in life has been such an emotional roller coaster. Never again (at least if it does happen again I have the tools and the confidence to know how to climb out of that hole, but my goodness is climbing out of that hole hard mentally). Sorry for writing a essay. I am just really grateful for stumbling into your content last year.
That is a fantastic progression. Well played. As Doc Hellemans told me when I started back... the early months are the toughest as the inevitable setback cause many to quit. G
This is a gem of a resource Gordo, thanks for sharing. Such valuable basic sense and wisdom, that is yet often difficult to objectively discern within your own situation and actually abide by, even though it's may be totally obvious to an external observer. I'm talking about "I accepted that this is what I've got to work with, and so I'm going to work with it" - as opposed to tacitly ignoring the repeated signs and enthusiastically and naively keep trying to train several tiers above your actual CTL level
I'm a lot like you, have a long history of overdoing it. I've built myself a system so I can see I'm "tired enough" before I tip over the edge It's in this section of my site. All these articles are free: feelthebyrn.substack.com/i/88878316/fatigue-and-readiness G
Hi Gordo, The first of all, thank you for the great content. I am 56 y.o. competitive (mountain) runner from the Czech Rep. (Central Europe) and also the running coach. I would like to ask you regarding the levels you have presented in this video; I have read also the Alan's article which you have referred to. The CTL values, especially for Development and Competitive levels seem to me quite high as well as the weekly hours mentioned for each level. I guess that the hour volume is related to the triathlon training rather than a single discipline sport like running, right? For example my highest loading week in mid built period was like this: I keep your advice 5 days on + 2 days off, so 5 runs - 88 km (ca 55 miles), CTL this week was at 59, ATL 87, Fatigue quite high -36, so the next week was unloading significantly; arithmetic mean of all 5 runs was 114 TSS, the longest Sat. run 3 hrs. and 171 TSS. So as it stated for the competitive level "Training load *averages* 15+ hrs./wk., with the base loading weeks generally in the 20-25hr range." seems to be impossible to achieve for a runner :-) I would appreciate your feedback on this. Thanks a lot. Tomas
I agree, Tomas. These are Multisport ranges. For a runner to achieve those volumes would not be possible unless they used crosstraining. There is a series on my channel called the Multisport Marathoner, it shares ideas about incorporating bike volume into a runner's program. th-cam.com/play/PLMQ995EALrQ800hxmw32S6ezvPn78iOQa.html&feature=shared G
Hi Gordo, long time listener, first time caller. What do you suggest for the athlete that is struggling with an injury that cannot seem to heal fully? What do you recommend for the young professional athlete (early 20s) financially? Thank you for all you do!
Persistent niggles is can be a sign of chronic low energy availability. Especially when combined with other signs of over-reaching. Worth getting a nutritional consult. More here: feelthebyrn.substack.com/i/88878316/the-tired-athlete Both challenges might benefit from lowering training load, that will give time to work & enhance recovery. Sophie Linn, who just won the World Cup in Napier, lives in Boulder and holds down a full time job. She's one of the fastest athletes on the circuit. Many athletes do well with the structure, and constraints, of a (somewhat) flexible job. G
I still can't believe how much quality info you release completely for the common good here on youtube. Thanks as always Gordo. I think so many can relate to your experience of bringing back structured training from a baseline of almost zero. So much quality training advice out there assumes that you have already been successful at building fitness for years on end. So little info is out there on how to build from rock bottom.
After 3 of my most inactive years (new dad, two kids, pandemic) I started completely from scratch after several failures to launch (too much intensity too quickly).
And last year was the first year where beginning to the end of the year I followed a structured approach to training. There were multiple times I had to de-load because I had added too much training load too quickly. I was really trying to learn how to listen to my body. I had to restart the training plan I was doing 4 different times, because I couldn't manage the training load, even though intensity was full green zone. I was becoming too fatigued and wasn't adapting or recovering well. And that was only with 4-6 hours of easy aerobic endurance work a week. Only one heavy day on the bike per week. Humbling to realize how far my fitness had fallen.
It's now roughly 14 months into my structured training journey. And I can hold a training load now week to week that doesn't take all my energy away. A CTL of 70 for me last year I could only hold for about 3 weeks. So far Jan/Feb of this year I've been holding a CTL about 70 and feeling like it is actually manageable and enjoyable. My 250+ TSS days mountaineering this winter have gone really well and it doesn't wipe me out for weeks anymore.
Last year was the largest test of my patience ever. The improvement month to month almost felt unnoticeable. As fatigue would build I was never sure if I was sliding backwards or doing things correctly. But now coming into this year I feel like an entirely more capable person. Not ready to heap on more training load yet, not ready to go crazy fast or add tons of intensity-but feeling so much better sessions to session, week to week.
Knowing what I know now, I am going to do whatever I can to not let my fitness fall as far as it did over the last 5 years. Building back to a what feels like a normal baseline for what I like to do in life has been such an emotional roller coaster. Never again (at least if it does happen again I have the tools and the confidence to know how to climb out of that hole, but my goodness is climbing out of that hole hard mentally).
Sorry for writing a essay. I am just really grateful for stumbling into your content last year.
That is a fantastic progression. Well played.
As Doc Hellemans told me when I started back... the early months are the toughest as the inevitable setback cause many to quit.
G
This is a gem of a resource Gordo, thanks for sharing. Such valuable basic sense and wisdom, that is yet often difficult to objectively discern within your own situation and actually abide by, even though it's may be totally obvious to an external observer. I'm talking about "I accepted that this is what I've got to work with, and so I'm going to work with it" - as opposed to tacitly ignoring the repeated signs and enthusiastically and naively keep trying to train several tiers above your actual CTL level
I'm a lot like you, have a long history of overdoing it.
I've built myself a system so I can see I'm "tired enough" before I tip over the edge
It's in this section of my site. All these articles are free: feelthebyrn.substack.com/i/88878316/fatigue-and-readiness
G
This gave me some perspective on my training history (in TP) and expectations for this year and beyond. Thanks.
Happy to help.
Hi Gordo, The first of all, thank you for the great content. I am 56 y.o. competitive (mountain) runner from the Czech Rep. (Central Europe) and also the running coach. I would like to ask you regarding the levels you have presented in this video; I have read also the Alan's article which you have referred to. The CTL values, especially for Development and Competitive levels seem to me quite high as well as the weekly hours mentioned for each level. I guess that the hour volume is related to the triathlon training rather than a single discipline sport like running, right? For example my highest loading week in mid built period was like this: I keep your advice 5 days on + 2 days off, so 5 runs - 88 km (ca 55 miles), CTL this week was at 59, ATL 87, Fatigue quite high -36, so the next week was unloading significantly; arithmetic mean of all 5 runs was 114 TSS, the longest Sat. run 3 hrs. and 171 TSS. So as it stated for the competitive level "Training load *averages* 15+ hrs./wk., with the base loading weeks generally in the 20-25hr range." seems to be impossible to achieve for a runner :-) I would appreciate your feedback on this. Thanks a lot. Tomas
I agree, Tomas.
These are Multisport ranges. For a runner to achieve those volumes would not be possible unless they used crosstraining.
There is a series on my channel called the Multisport Marathoner, it shares ideas about incorporating bike volume into a runner's program.
th-cam.com/play/PLMQ995EALrQ800hxmw32S6ezvPn78iOQa.html&feature=shared
G
Hi Gordo, long time listener, first time caller. What do you suggest for the athlete that is struggling with an injury that cannot seem to heal fully? What do you recommend for the young professional athlete (early 20s) financially? Thank you for all you do!
Persistent niggles is can be a sign of chronic low energy availability. Especially when combined with other signs of over-reaching. Worth getting a nutritional consult.
More here: feelthebyrn.substack.com/i/88878316/the-tired-athlete
Both challenges might benefit from lowering training load, that will give time to work & enhance recovery.
Sophie Linn, who just won the World Cup in Napier, lives in Boulder and holds down a full time job. She's one of the fastest athletes on the circuit.
Many athletes do well with the structure, and constraints, of a (somewhat) flexible job.
G