Anna, try this. I’ve only done it with Garmin but assume it’s the same/similar for Suunto, Coros, etc
Edgar Carby
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ParticipantEdgar Carby on November 6, 2021 at 7:09 pm · in reply to: Questions about Training Peaks Metrics #58902ParticipantEdgar Carby on November 6, 2021 at 9:54 am · in reply to: Questions about Training Peaks Metrics #58886
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You must be logged in to view attached files.ParticipantEdgar Carby on November 6, 2021 at 9:17 am · in reply to: Questions about Training Peaks Metrics #58882Then all that TSS, CTL, ATL, TSB data shows up in the PMC or performance manager chart.
I’ve uploaded my PMC for the last 90 days or so which shows me screwing around in the spring, doing Rainier in mid-June and then prepping for a 50k trail race in Chattanooga in early October.
The red line is ATL which jumps around depending on how hard the workouts were over the last 7minute days. The yellow line is TSB which moves opposite ATL and the blue filled in area is CTL.
You can see that while there is nothing too impressive about my summer, the steady up trend of the blue area indicates climbing CTL and improving overall fitness although there were periods when I was totally trashed (ie, bigger training blocks) and periods where I wasn’t working too hard (ie, recovering from the training blocks).
Hopefully I haven’t grossly misstated anything but if I have, somebody please correct me.
ParticipantEdgar Carby on November 6, 2021 at 8:54 am · in reply to: Questions about Training Peaks Metrics #58881I’ll let the experts give the real explanation but CTL is chronic training load and is based on a rolling 42 day average of TSS or training stress score. TSS is the core of training peaks. It’s a score on a scale of 100 that indicates the strain/stress/impact of a workout and is based on pace/heart rate zones that you input. These inputs need to be accurate and up to date or the whole concept is skewed.
CTL shows the cumulative effect of your workouts over 6 weeks and is good indicator of your fitness BUT must be understood in conjunction with ATL or acute training load (fatigue) and TSB or training stress balance (form). TSB is the difference between CTL and ATL and basically indicates fit and fresh ready to go or fit but tired and in need of recovery. It’s pretty individual. I always feel better with a barely negative TSB on race day but some people need a positive TSB score. If you let it get too high, it indicates detraining.
Obviously, lots going on here and it takes some time to learn the nuances as well as what works for you.
If you have historical Garmin data, you can import it into Training Peaks as well so you can get a better idea of where you are.
ParticipantFantastic. Thanks for the quick response.
ParticipantI’m sure this will be covered on another call, but I have a similar question.
My Denali climb is June 2022. I’m coming off a successful 10/2/21 50k trail race with ~6k of vert that I’m now fully recovered from. My current CTL is 76. I have 2 50k trail races between now and the end of this training block that I have been training for. One with about 3500 ft of vert, the other with around 5k ft of vert.
I will aim to be around 85-90 CTL for the second race 10 weeks from now (Jan 22). The first race I am treating as a training run to do the whole thing at or below AeT, ie, lots of hiking. The second race is harder so I may have to push a bit but my goal is to simply finish feeling good.
I feel like the training for these (LSD running, power hiking on hills, core/strength sessions and yoga) will dovetail nicely with the principles of the UA plan but I will need to add volume to keep my fitness up for the races.
If I keep the ramp rate low, is it a problem to add volume? 10-15 CTL over 10 weeks is not demanding.
ParticipantNatchez, Mississippi