My first A race of the year is done, and my second does not take place until November. How to train in a gap like this can be tricky. More than anything it results in a coach’s favorite expression – it depends. But what does it depend on?
First and foremost, how to train during such a long inter-race gap depends on the athlete. Does their aerobic engine need more development? Does their muscular endurance need improvement? Are they at risk of burning out after that last build period?
One aspect too often overlooked is age. The older the athlete, the more recovery time will be required, regardless of what shape the training plan takes. This means that late-onset athletes may not be able to follow training plans seen on popular websites. Or, that life-long athletes cannot just keep doing what they have always done.
There are other factors to consider as well. Diet quality, protein intake, and sleep time, just to name a few. But the big one is recovery time. The senior athlete can still do the hard workouts, they just can’t do them as frequently.
Going into Honu I would say my endurance was excellent, but my power output was at an all time low. Either I did not do enough lactate threshold work, or the intensity was too low. In 2020 and 2021 my FTP averaged around 140. Not great, but not too bad for a 70 year old. By Honu it had fallen to 117. Yes, FTP and VO2 MAX decline with age, but I believe I can do better. To that end I have decided to fill in the next nine weeks with a plan to raise my FTP while holding onto as much endurance as possible. After that I will flip it over and focus on endurance while holding onto whatever gain in FTP I can achieve.
Why nine weeks? Because I use a three week mesocycle, so a multiple of three fits better. That, and it takes six to eight weeks to see a measurable improvement in FTP. Then there is the potential for burn out, and the need to return to endurance training.
One thing needs to be clear from the start. There is no going back to the way we were when we were young. Exercise is the proverbial fountain of youth, but it is not a time machine. My goal is to improve, but not to get to where I was ten years ago.