Originally Posted by
aaronmcd
Went out this morning hoping I didn't screw myself by riding too much on Sunday. I definitely screwed myself. Was planning 6x8 w/ 2' rbi. 6 minutes into the first effort I couldn't keep the power. Thought I could maybe get a few 6' efforts but the next one was 20 watts lower 2 minutes in.
What do you guys who ride with plans do when you are way off? Power through at watts minus 30? Abandon, skip, and go to the next one as planned? Or try and shift forward a day and rework the schedule?
For me, its completely situational. Whats the purpose of the workout? Whats the context of the workout?
For example, if I've recently changed TT position and am still using my old FTP number and can't make my thresholdish target, then I'll just forge ahead with the workout at the number I can make as long as I'm in the ballpark. The thought process there being my FTP in the new position is probably lower and even if I'm 5 or 10 watts down on power, I'm still probably accomplishing the goal of the work: time in aero position at threshold. Over time that threshold in the new position will go up and the miss would be more of a true miss.
On the other hand, yesterday I could not hold threshold number on a TT interval, my legs were really sore from the weekend's rides still. But I also knew today was to be a rest day and tomorrow an unstructured JRA ride. It was easy for me to repeat the workout today, and take a rest day tomorrow in lieu of my JRA for tomorrow. But if I really mentally needed the JRA or if I had a couple of tough TT workouts back to back, I would have just aborted the failed workout and not worried about getting in done.
Officially coach says to just skip a failed workout entirely. But I've been working with him long enough now that I typically understand both the intent of an individual workout and also the overall arc of training and where I am. So I modify as intelligently as I can and discuss with coach afterward. So far so good on doing it that way.