Coach Gunnar plan — ranked issues and concerns, May 27 to June 5, 2026

Athlete: Sidney McGill
Document date: 2026-05-27
Source plan: live TrainingPeaks workouts for 2026-05-27 through 2026-06-05, captured in athlete/context/2026-05-27-to-2026-06-05-trainingpeaks-workouts.md
Ranking principle: #1 is the highest-priority concern, ordered by combined severity of acute injury risk, race-outcome risk for Ghost of the Gravel, and execution risk

#1 — May 29 heavy strength session is mechanically unsafe at this point in the recovery arc

Session: Strength Sidney, 1:00. Heavy back squat 3 x 4-5 reps, heavy split squat 3 x 4-5 reps, plus core circuit and ankle proprioception. Plyo jumps cancelled by the recurring "No plyo jumps today" coach comment.

Why this is the top concern:

Heavy bilateral back squat and unilateral split squat produce some of the largest pelvic, hip, and lumbar compressive loads available in a standard strength session.
This is prescribed five days after the first symptom-stable ride and approximately seven days after radiating leg pain.
The plyo cancellation reduces impact load but does not change the heavy static loading through the back and SI region.
A re-aggravation here costs two to four weeks of training and damages both the Ghost build and the early cyclocross season run-up.

Mitigation: skip or substitute the bike-only easy endurance reset from Plan B.

#2 — May 30 Openers session is mechanically unsafe and metabolically misplaced

Session: Openers, 2:00, planned TSS 81.8, IF 0.64. Structured: 6 x (30 sec at 110-130% + 15 sec easy), 15 min recovery, 6 x (30 sec at 110-140% + 30 sec easy), 20 min recovery, 6 x (20 sec at 110-150% + 40 sec easy).

Why this is the second concern:

Eighteen high-power bursts at 110 to 150% FTP. Sprint-pattern force production at this intensity almost always involves out-of-saddle effort, hip extension under high torque, and trunk bracing.
Six days after the first symptom-stable ride is too early for that modality.
Beyond the back risk, "Openers" as a session category is normally pre-race sharpening, not a build-week stressor. Used here it is neither well-timed sharpening nor a useful Ghost-specific stimulus.

Mitigation: substitute Plan B's controlled endurance progression (2:00-2:45 at 65-75% FTP, no bursts).

#3 — June 3 heavy strength session repeats the same overload pattern mid-build-week

Session: Strength Sidney, 1:00. Same heavy template as May 29 (heavy squat 3 x 4-5, heavy split squat 3 x 4-5). Paired with a 2.0HR Endurance ride the same day.

Why this is the third concern:

Same mechanical risk profile as May 29.
Placed midweek between a Tuesday key day (ZIPP) and a Thursday long endurance day, so the recovery cost is competing with adjacent stimulus rather than supporting it.
The "No plyo jumps today" comment is the only modification, and it is the same recurring template note that appears on prior strength sessions, not a flare-specific intervention.

Mitigation: substitute Plan B's strength maintenance (25-30 min, 60-70% 1RM or RPE 6-7, hinge, step-up or split squat, side plank, calf raise) with explicit skip-loaded-hinge-if-back-irritated guardrails.

#4 — June 2 ZIPP session is the wrong tool for Ghost and adds further mechanical risk

Session: ZIPP, 2:00. Description: "12X15s All out sprints spaced through the ride. Maximum quality. I want to see your max power."

Why this is the fourth concern:

12 x 15 sec all-out sprints develop top-end power and fast-twitch recruitment. These are not the limiting capacities at Ghost.
Ghost rewards the rider who can hold 82 to 88% FTP for hours on imperfect surface. Sprint training does not move that capacity.
Standing all-out sprints continue the pattern of out-of-saddle, high-torque, trunk-loaded efforts that the SI/back history argues against.
The opportunity cost is significant: a Tuesday is a high-value training slot, and using it for max-power sprints displaces threshold or sub-threshold pressure work that would actually build Ghost-relevant fitness.

Mitigation: substitute Plan B's threshold session (2 x 22 min at 94-99% FTP).

#5 — No visible modification for the May 25 SI and back flare

Issue: Reviewing the full TP workout objects for May 27 through June 5, there is no session text, no coach comment, no structured-workout adjustment, and no description language that indicates the plan was modified in response to the multi-day SI and back flare with radiating leg pain. The only coach comment in the window is "No plyo jumps today" on the strength sessions, which is the same recurring note that appeared on prior strength sessions (including April 17) and therefore appears to be a template default, not a flare-specific intervention.

Why this matters: this is the root cause behind issues #1 through #4. A coach who had received the clinical context would be expected to defer heavy strength, remove opener bursts, replace all-out sprints, and reduce planned density for the first five to seven days post-flare. None of that is visible.

Mitigation: Plan B already incorporates the flare-aware modifications. The cleanest path for the next nine days is to follow Plan B on the four contested high-risk days while using Plan A's safe days (May 28 rest, June 1 active recovery, June 5 rest) where they fit.

#6 — No sub-threshold, threshold, sweet spot, or tempo work in the entire ten-day window

Issue: Plan A's intensity distribution across the window is bimodal: aerobic endurance (three planned 3-hour rides) plus short neuromuscular work (Openers, ZIPP). The middle of the intensity curve — the region where Ghost actually lives — is entirely absent.

Why this matters:

Ghost of the Gravel is approximately 4:35 of sustained sub-threshold and threshold pressure with race-pace fueling.
Building that capacity requires repeated exposure to 80 to 99% FTP for blocks of 15 to 30 minutes. None of that is in the plan.
Aerobic depth from 3-hour rides supports the base, but it does not raise the sustainable pressure ceiling Sidney will need at Cochrane.

Mitigation: Plan B's threshold (June 2) and gravel sustained pressure (June 4) directly address this gap.

#7 — No gravel-surface session anywhere in the window

Issue: Plan A contains no session that prescribes gravel or mixed terrain. Ghost is a gravel race on imperfect surface for 4.5 hours.

Why this matters:

Gravel handling, bottle and gel management on rough surface, equipment configuration, and posture under terrain stress are real race demands.
These have to be rehearsed before race day, not learned during it.
A 10-day Ghost-build window with zero gravel-surface time is a structural gap.

Mitigation: Plan B's June 4 gravel sustained pressure session covers this directly, with an explicit Equipment section for tire choice, bottle setup, and repair kit.

#8 — No ride approaches race duration

Issue: The longest planned ride in Plan A is 3:00, with "3-4 if you feel good" permission to extend on May 31 and June 4. Ghost targets approximately 4:35.

Why this matters:

Race-duration rehearsal is the only way to test fueling, equipment, posture endurance, and late-race composure.
"3-4 if you feel good" is feel-based extension, not a planned progression toward race duration.
The build is currently scheduled to peak with a 5:00 to 5:30 simulation in Week 2 (June 6), which is appropriate. But Plan A's Week 1 does not stage toward it.

Mitigation: Plan B's rolling-3-week outline schedules the long simulation for June 6 with an explicit fueling-rehearsal mandate.

Last updated on 2026-05-27