burnthesheep

I've been moving that way but not quite there yet in my thinking. I'm second guessing my using that style training sets for cross this year. Last year I did OK with mid-pack finishes and one top 10 in crowded fields. Mostly doing what you say, and some "hot lap" sets.

I'm just wondering if instead I may try for some longer sets at a little lower power than that. Like 3 sets of 10min on/offs. Also to mimic the courses I do anyway, the "ons" ratio is longer than the offs. So maybe 40/15's or 40/20's.

If I apply the time-duration line of thought, that would put me under anaerobic but upper VO2. 66% of 10min would be 6min or so of VO2 time per set, not all at once. Sounds right.

My "time in zone" expenditure for Z6 is just sooooo much less than VO2.

I'm thinking some bread and butter workouts this year I may try are:
-indoors hard aerobic on/offs of 40/20's in VO2 power, longer sets like 10min each, moving up to 12min each, then lastly 15min each as first races start up
-outdoors do 5min all-out VO2 sets of a controlled shorter lap that repeats the barriers at least 1x per minute.
-outdoors hot laps as usual, one lap hot, one lap chill AF, one lap hot.......etc.....