wiredued said:Could you please reconcile this quote I grabbed from a previous post of yours with what you just said? http://www.cyclingforums.com/t-369646-15-2.html
"If you ever want to race Cat 1 or even Cat 2 at a decent level then you better get a great deal of low intensity endurance miles in starting this time of year or you will never get as good as you can with higher intensity training. Trouble is most of these guys here don't have the time and of course if you cannot put in the miles then you must increase intensity."
Okay, I see your point....please let me clarify...
In the thread you are referring to I was talking about the base fitness level needed to be able to reach a good Cat1/2 level. The bigger the aerobic engine you create with low intensity endurance miles the greater the impact L4 and L5 training will have.
I don't have the time to do that any more so I am trying a more intense low volume approach at this time of year...and then I will try some Cat 1 races again just for fun. Remember I have 25 years of base under my belt..the body doesn't forget completely and especially if one has never been in less than great shape like me.
True, "I just don't feel like I get much out of long slow rides. Many guys did not like, and still don't like, to ride with me on long days because they wanted/want to go slow." Let me clarify...These guys go out at a very low L2 and L1 intensity. They ride for 4 hours a day and think they are training right. I went out, and still do go out, at what I indeed consider low level endurance training.... which I consider high L2 with some L3 thrown in.
As I said I don't have the time to train as I once did so I am trying to increase my FTP with little training..
IF I thought I could get serious again about racing TO WIN at a good Cat
1 level then I would certainly do a lot more "low intensity endurance miles" before ramping up the intensity.
That said, even in my elite Cat 1 days I always did L4 work once a week even in early winter and I also did one tough group ride per week as well and that included L4 and some L5/6 work.
