Breakaway aims to support your athletic adventure every step of the way. Let's help each other get fitter and achieve our goals by offering encouragement and support. Breakaway Running Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/breakawayrunning Breakaway Cycling Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/breakawaycycling Breakaway Triathlon Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/breakawaytriathlon

To find found how to set up your training zones for the swim, bike and run, see the below links. Swim Training Zones: https://www.breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com/post/setting-your-swim-training-zones Bike Training Zones https://www.breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com/post/setting-your-bike-training-zones Run Training Zones: https://www.breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com/post/setting-your-run-training-zones Email: info@breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com

Your RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion and refers to how you feel during a training effort. This is judged on a scale from 1-10 (1 = very easy, 10 = maximum). The below table provides an overview of the RPE scale to help you judge your own training. The table below is an RPE scale that can be applied to all sports (cycling, running and swimming). If you are unsure how hard a workout should feel then refer to this table. If you are finding the workouts feel easy when they should feel hard, you will likely need to update your threshold and training zones. Training Zone RPE Rate (/10) RPE Description Zone 1: Recovery ​< 3 This should almost feel like walking. Nasal breathing should be easy along with maintaining conversation. Zone 2: Endurance 4-5 You can ride anywhere in zone 2 for aerobic endurance rides. This should feel like your ‘all-day’ pace and breathing rate should be under control. Plus, you will find you can maintain a conversation at this intensity. Zone 3: Tempo 6-7 Training at this intensity should not feel to taxing. However, as the workout duration increase it will become more fatiguing. Conversation is still possible, but you will notice you are taking more breaths between words. Zone 4: Threshold 7-8 Threshold efforts are where your longer time trial pace sits (40km or 25miles). You will feel a continues suffering during these intervals so conversation would be very hard as your depth of breathing will increase also. Zone 5: VO2max 8-9 ​Breathing will begin to feel quite heavy during the intervals. You will notice towards the end a lot of lactic acid has built up in the body. Conversation would be very difficult to hold at this intensity. Zone 6: Anaerobic 9-10 At this intensity conversation is not possible. You will experience very heavy breathing rate, and may even find your lungs burn slightly. If you want further help please contact BCA with the provided below. Email: info@breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com

Endurance performance is often about increasing our threshold, as this is a a key performance mediator with most endurance events. So its important we get the threshold session right. Threshold training is conducted in zone 4, which is typically between 90-100% of your threshold. Its very important to not go above your threshold when threshold training as your energy systems and will change drastically. [Graph on physiology here] Where in the zone should you train? Generally, you should be aiming to train in the middle of the zone (or percantages) provided by the workout details in TrainingPeaks. However, for threshold intervals try and run as close to your threshold as you can without going over your threshold. Therefore, aim to run within 5-10% of your threshold. How should I fuel for these intervals? At this intensity, you will be using very little amount of stored fats as you will mainly be reliant on carbohydrates for fuel. This means a mini carb-load would be helpful, in other words the night before a threshold session consume a high carbohydrates meal (100g of carbohydrates). How should I pace threshold intervals? You need to think of pacing these intervals in two ways, the first is within an individual interval, the second is across all intervals. When pacing the indivudal interval you want to avoid seeing your power (or pace) decline, even if it is still within the zone. This means either keep on constant output, or try and steadly increase your output during the interval. Across all intervals, however, you don't want your first interval to be your hardest. Each interval should get gradually more difficulty, but you still want to make sure you average output for each interval is the same or increases throughout. A really good example of zone 5 intervals completed well are below. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) On a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 being all out max, endurance rides should be a 7-8 out of 10. Threshold efforts are where your longer time trial pace sits (40km or 25miles). You will feel a continues suffering during these intervals so conversation would be very hard as your depth of breathing will also increase (roughly 45-50 breaths per minute). See the RPE scale below. [insert rpe graph] If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Email

For some of you zone 5 intervals will be an important part of your training plan. Training in this zone has lots of benifts but also some pitfuls. Read through this article to learn more about how to optimise your training in zone 5. Zone 5 training is conducted between your threshold (zone 4) and VO2max and is often referred to the VO2max zone. Your VO2max is your bodies maximals ability to absorb and utilise oxygen to the working muscles. That this intensity your body has a limited amount of energy which is why these intervals can be painfull. [Graph on physiology here] Where in the zone should you train? Generally, you should be aiming to train in the middle of the zone (or percantages) provided by the workout details in TrainingPeaks. For example if the prescribed percentages are between 105%-115%, you should aim for 110%. How should I pace these intervals? You need to think of pacing these intervals in two ways, the first is within an individual interval, the second is across all intervals. When pacing the indivudal interval you want to avoid seeing your power (or pace) decline, even if it is still within the zone. This means either keep on constant output, or try and steadly increase your output during the interval. Across all intervals, however, you don't want your first interval to be your hardest. Each interval should get gradually more difficulty, but you still want to make sure you average output for each interval is the same or increases throughout. A really good example of zone 5 intervals completed well are below. How should I fuel for these intervals? At this intensity, you will not be using any fats, in fact your are entiery reliant on carbohydrates for fuel. This means it may be worth considering taking quick-release food before conducting these intervals. For example an energy gel would be appropriate. I can move my legs fast enough what should I do? If you find your legs are struggling to move fast enough to keep up with the intensity, then you should consider the following. In the cycling context, try and use diffrent gears that allow you to increase the resistance your are peddling at. In a running (and cycling) context, it may be the case you need to move one step back and shorten the intervals to 30 seconds to allow your body to adapt to the depands of the intensity. Should I have ERG on when using Zwift? If you are a beginner or have not conducted zone 5 intervals before using ERG mode (what is ERG mode? - LINK ) would be a good idea as this will help you get used to the intensity. However, if you are more experienced you may benefit from not using ERG mode to practice other aspects of your performance such as pacing or managing and effort. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) On a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 being all out max, zone 5 intervals should be a 8-9 out of 10. You will be working at the limit of your aerobic system so breathing will be very heavy roughly 50-55 breaths per minute . Conversation will not be possible, and you will feel a lot of burning in the muscles towards the end of the workout. See the RPE scale below. [insert rpe graph] If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Email

Endurance training is probably the most important aspect of your training plan and becoming a better endurance athlete. In fact, you should be aiming to spend around 80% of your training in zone 2 (the endurance zone). But what is the best way to compete these workouts to get the most out of them? Find out below. Endurance training should be conducted below your first lactate threshold (the boundary between the moderate and severe exercise intensity domain). This is roughly 75% of your FTP or 80% of your running threshold. [Graph on physiology here] How much time should I spend in zone 2 within a workout? You should be aiming to get as much time as possible in zone 2 for endurance workouts. You should set yourself the minimum target of 50% of the workout in zone 2. As you get more experienced you should be aiming for 70% and above. Set this as a challenge to yourself, who can spend the most time in zone 2 during an endurance workout? Where in the zone should you train? The endurance zone is zone 2, for cycling this between 55-75% of your FTP, for running this is between 70-80% of your threshold pace. As a general rule you should aim to train in the middle of the zone. As the closer to the edge of the zone you get the more your body is transition to the demands of harder training and therefore away from low intensity zone 2 endurance training. Which means you will lose the purpose of the workout. What if I complete a hilly route? As you compete a hilly route your pace or power will fluctuate. To counter this focus on your average power or pace. Instead of aiming to get as much time as possible in zone 2, make to finish the workout with an average power or pace in zone 2. How much should I fuel for these workouts? Part of the aim with endurance workouts is to improve are ability to metabolise fats. This means during these workouts you should be aiming to eat a minimal amount. However, if you are a beginner your ability to metabolise fats may be underdeveloped, therefore, consider eating 30-60g of carbohydrates during the workout. Should I be nasal breathing? Nasal breathing (breathing through your nose) can actually improve your endurance more than mouth breathing. However, it is only able to do this in zone 1 and 2 (recovery and endurance). At higher intensities this will not be possible. It can also take a lot of getting used to, so make sure you a careful and don’t force yourself to do this. What if my endurance pace is walking? For some of you following a running programme, it may feel like you are walking to stay in zone 2. If this is the case, either you find a pace or intensity that feel comfortable (within the RPE range below), or will you need to accept that walking is your slow pace if going any faster feels to hard, or you can increase your zone 2 from 80 to 85% of your threshold. If you are able to stick to your slow pace it will get faster over time. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) On a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 being all out max, endurance rides should be a 3-5 out of 10. This should feel like your ‘all-day’ pace and breathing rate should be under control (roughly 30-35 breaths per minute). Plus, you will find you can maintain a conversation at this intensity comfortably. See the RPE scale below. [insert rpe graph] If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Email

Once you have a clear idea of the intensity you expect to ride at during the Gran Fondo (or Sportive) (see the article Managing your Effort Level During a Gran Fondo) you can then start to plan your required fuelling for the event. As a general rule of thumb when you are riding longer than 2 hours, your body requires 90g of carbohydrate every hour of riding. You can get these through gels or energy bars (bananas are also very good for this). However, for a lot of riders 90g per hour is hard for the gut to manage. As a result, once a week you should practice consuming this amount of fuel (consider doing this during one of your weekend ride) so your body is conditioned for these demands.Keep in mind carbohydrate intake of 90 grams per hours of riding is the upper limit of what we can consume. Any more than this and your body may not probably digest the fuel. But, should the time of when you intake fuel during the gran fondo change depending on the profile? Let's say your gran fondo is 100km with 3 big climbs around 15km each, this means almost 50% of your route will be up hill. Further, each climb will likely take between 60-90 minutes. Considering this, you will want to plan your carbohydrate intake around these times as this is when you will be putting the most effort in. Consider the below graph as an example fuelling strategy. Take note of when the suggested fuelling is relative to the course profile. The below course is due to take you roughly 5 hours. Meaning you will need 450g of carbohydrates. Lets say you have a gel consisting of 45g of carbohydrates, you will need around 10 gels to get you though the course. The crosses offer a guide to when you should be taking these gels of 45g of carbohydrates. Note how the gels are constantly taken throughout the race. This is of course just an example and it may vary for you depending on what you find best. If you have further questions or want to go through your fuelling strategy for your event drop BCA an email. Email: info@breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com

This is the BCA Gran Fondo guide with a collection of all the help centre articles in one place to help you find the information you need. Follow the articles from top to bottom to gain a complete understanding of how you need to prepare for the Gran Fondo. Managing your Effort Level During a Gran Fondo How do you know what intensity you should be riding at or how to pace an effort that's a long distance or on a mountains terrain. Found out in the link below. https://www.breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com/post/managing-your-effort-level-during-a-gran-fondo During-Fuelling Fuelling to ensure you can sustain the intensity you set out and meet the demands of the course profile can be hard. Found out how to manage these things in the link below. https://www.breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com/post/planning-your-fuelling-for-a-gran-fondo Best of luck at your Gran Fondo if you do have any questions, please email BCA. Or you can add us to your TrainingPeaks account so we can see your progress. Email: info@breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com Add to TrainingPeaks acount link: https://home.trainingpeaks.com/attachtocoach?sharedKey=QTNQSOVO6T5GK

Given a Gran Fondo (or Sportive) and vary in distance or terrain it can be hard to know how to pace and manage your effort level for these types of events. Ensuring you don’t push too hard and burn out before the finish line can be harder to manage compared to a flat shorter race. So, this post goes through what is roughly the most appropriate effort level for you to consider. Let’s consider the Gran Fondo distance. Naturally the longer the distance the lower the effort level. You can see in the below table an intensity range (represented as a percent of your FTP) for the powers you should be sustaining. A lot of these efforts from the table in high zone 2/zone 3. You should find a lot of your intervals are sub-threshold style to teach the muscles how to cope with these intensities. Let’s say your FTP is 300w and you have been training for a 100 mile Gran Fondo. Your target intensity is roughly 75% of your FTP, which in this case is 225w at most. However, you want to make sure you are paying attention to your normalised power over your average power given the course is likely to have a lot of elevation. We can specify the effort level further by considering your strengths and weakness. Let’s say you have a 100km Gran Fondo (In theory you roughly want an effort level between 75-85% of your FTP) with 3000 meters of elevation gain (divided into 2 large climbs), but you know you are better along the flat sections compared to the climbing sections. You can distribute your effort accordingly, see the example in the below table. So pacing a Gran Fondo is about ensuring you find the right intensity for a given distance and match your effort level to the terrain and your strength and weakness. Some extra tips that may be helpful: Find out the elevation per km for your Gran Fondo course, then aim to replicate that elevation per km in your training rides. During your weekend long rides try riding at your planned pace/intensity you expect to hit for your event for 30-60 minutes. Now you should have a clearer idea of the intensity you plan to ride at, go find out how to fuel for a Gran Fondo in the next article. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to drop BCA and email: Email: info@breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com

Your marathon race pace will vary depending on your ability. You will learn your marathon pace over time and get a better feel for what it is like to sustain the effort. During training you should have a marathon pace session once a week to help you with this. Your marathon pace will vary depending on your ability. The below table provides you with a rough guide to help you navigate how to pace the effort. Marathon Pace: As you will be running in a group and you may feel nervous you heart rate may be a little higher compared to the corresponding pace. You can use data to help you find which pace is best. For example take a look at your peak pace graph in training peaks under dashboard along the top. You can then see what your best pace is for your target time. If you have any further questions or need any help please let BCA know. Email: info@breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bca_endurance/ See are other marathon articles below: https://www.breakawaycoachingandanalytics.com/post/marathon-guide