Live
Powered by

2026-05-30

Controlled endurance progression

  • Id: 2026-05-30-controlled-endurance-progression
  • Title: Controlled endurance progression
  • Kind: workout
  • Discipline: bike
  • Surface: road or gravel
  • Priority: key
  • Planned time: unscheduled
  • Duration: 2:00-2:45
  • Distance: ~50-80 km
  • Intensity: endurance
  • Location: Severn, ON

Objective

Extend endurance duration one step further, without introducing force, opener bursts, or sustained gravel pressure.

Goal

  • Prove that endurance duration can rise again without back or SI regression.
  • Keep the ride calm enough that Sunday can still progress if the response stays clean.

Reasoning

The rolling 3-day and 7-day plans now define May 30 as a symptom-led endurance extension day, not a cornerstone gravel-pressure session. The May 27 load already provided meaningful endurance stress. The next useful move is controlled duration, not long race-pressure blocks. This preserves progression while respecting the recent flare and the need to absorb the bigger-than-planned Wednesday.

Workout plan

  • Ride 2:00-2:45 steady endurance on flat to gently rolling terrain, road or smooth gravel.
  • Keep the full ride mostly at 65-75% FTP, seated, smooth, and relaxed.
  • Optional 4-6 x 1 min cadence lifts at 95-105 rpm are acceptable only if Thursday and Friday were both clearly stable, with at least 4 min easy between.
  • If the previous two days were not clean, cap the ride at 1:15-2:00 easy.

Recovery

  • Recovery meal immediately after the ride.
  • Keep the afternoon and evening quiet so the next day's decision can be made from a clean response.

Fuelling

80 g/hr at race bottle concentration, drink mix plus gel rotation, no solid bars. Treat the timing and product choice as if it is race day.

  • Use 60-80 g carbohydrate per hour.
  • Keep fluids steady and include sodium support appropriate to temperature and sweat rate.
  • Practice consistent intake even though this is not yet a full gravel rehearsal.

Constraints

  • No gravel pressure blocks, no opener bursts, no 110-150% efforts, no seated torque, and no racing mentality.
  • Additional work is not the point. Finishing and feeling like you could do more is the session working correctly.
  • Stop if back loading, guarding, or leg symptoms return.
  • If fatigue or stiffness is elevated before the ride, shorten the duration instead of trying to hit the top of the range.

Notes

I want this ride to feel calm and finishable, not earned. Show me that duration can step up without the back regressing. The progression target is duration and tolerance, not intensity.