I sense that the wattage thresholds recomended for a relatively lengthy endurance workout (+/-2hrs) are far too high - at least for me personally. They result in too difficult of a workout for what I would normally equate with endurance. Am I getting the correct recommendations from the training advisor or have I done something amiss to so that the recommendations are not properly tailored to my abilities?
Hi George. Check the FAQs on how to interpret the Focus Duration and Wattage recommendations. Endurance workouts will generally be between your LTP and TP and the idea is for you to Focus on these intensities, not to maintain them for the Focus Duration. To do this, in fact, would make the effort the hardest, most exhaustive effort you could make at that Focus Wattage!
Thank you for the reply Armando. Not sure it’s completely clear. For example, currently, the advisor recommends the following:
Focus Type: Endurance (Focus: 03:00:00 | Interval Targets: 253W)
Holding 253 watts for 3:00 hours would be a (barely) doable, but very strong ride.
The Advisor today also recommends the “SMART - LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - 95” workout (Duration : 02:10:00| XSS : 153 | Focus : Endurance) resulting in an average power output in the 230s, post warmup. Again doable, but on the high end.
I’m assuming I’m interpreting this wrong?
Thanks.
253W for 3:00 is what the system thinks your limit is. Focus Wattage/Duration represent the same point on the PD curve. You should train this intensity and not try and hold it for 3:00 hours. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds could be looked at as an “LSD” workout where you simply try and maintain the decently high intensity for a long time. The goal of these workouts is volume and if you get too tired to be able to add more volume, you’re going too hard. Simple as that. The workouts on the system are designed to make this process of accumulating volume as efficient as possible.
Any advice on how to reach that limit? Mine stated 3hr limit is currently 230W. I can’t see myself hitting that in a 100k race. In April, prior to starting Xert, I participated in a 100k race, https://www.xertonline.com/activities/hoh7fv3nugrmhxhw My signature then was slightly lower than it is now (852/19.6/239. I absolutely love that Xert analysis apply to rides prior to joining!) but it’s not a huge difference. I feel like I absolutely gave that race everything I had, with the last half hour struggling to keep cramps at bay. Average power for the race was 202W (but normalized power showing 220, and XEP being 225). Does the specified limit apply to XEP rather than average power, or am I not pushing nearly as hard as I feel like I am?
There is another 100k coming up on jul 28th, it will be really interesting (but not exactly fair) to compare pre and post Xert results.
If you pace an effort correctly at LTP, our average power and XEP should be the same. XEP increases and goes above Average Power when you have efforts above threshold power. These have the overall effect of reduce your highest acheivable average power rather than increasing it, oddly enough.
Want to make sure I understood you correctly, are you saying that for a 3hr effort (ignoring terrain, drafting, etc) I should pace myself to LTP to achieve highest average power?