ANC Knowledge Hub
How We Decide Your Next Training Block
A Boston PR, a 2:46 marathon and an ultra win. Three athletes, three different block orders. Here is how we chose each one, with their real TrainingPeaks data.
The short answer
We decide your next block by reading how you responded to the last one, not by the calendar. We look at your load trend, Critical Power and Critical Speed, heart rate together with power, pace and feel, recovery, and your work and life stress. Then we choose the block that fits, always working back from race day.
How do we make the call?
The same decision order, every athlete, every block.
The five weekly load levels as weekly TSS ranges
Same questions, different answers
No template. Each order came from that athlete's races, tests and life.
Katy: build the engine, then sharpen for Boston
Why this order: Boston was five months out. Base and Durability in December, Build through January and February, top end work in March, then marathon specific.
Why the bike mattered: her total fitness climbed from about 93 to around 107 while run load held steady. The bike and pool carried the extra aerobic work, easier on her legs.
The result: 3:28:46, more than eleven minutes off her marathon best. Read Katy's story.
Holly: one season, two A races
Why this order: with three months of runway, base first. Then Build and Threshold, then Aerobic Expansion for a six hour race and an IRONMAN. Inside six weeks of each race, Specificity.
The result: first woman at the hottest Anchor Down 6 hour on record, then IRONMAN Maryland six weeks later. Since Oct 12 she is back in Base and Durability for next season. Read Holly's story.
Ben: two races, two sports, two blocks
Why this order: tests first, then Specificity for IRONMAN 70.3 Tri Cities, six weeks out. After it, the sports split. His run stayed specific for the Victoria Marathon three weeks later. His bike had no race for eight months, so it went back to base.
The result: 2:46:42, third of 299 in his age group, three weeks after a 70.3 podium. Next up: retests in mid November and 70.3 Victoria in May. Read Ben's story.
Hold, extend or progress?
The block is still working. We keep going.
The response says you are ready, and the test is current.
Fitness in a sport is low. Harder blocks need a chassis to sit on.
We review Base after three to four weeks and Build after three to five. VO2 Max blocks run two to four weeks. Specificity starts about six weeks from an A race.
Our 77 year old triathlete
Same decision order at any age. Here is how it shaped one athlete's season.
When work and life get busy
Your body doesn't tell work stress from training stress. A big work week with short sleep can call for a Hold or a Pull Back even when the numbers say Push. See The Five Weekly Load Calls and how we coach busy professionals.
How ANC coaches
StressLogic is our whole method. Block choice and weekly load levels sit inside it.
Tests in each sport, then the ratio, your limiter and what the last block delivered.
One block per sport, zones from your Critical Power and Critical Speed, a weekly load level from your current fitness.
Blocks fit your race calendar, your work and your life.
Every block change comes with the old and new numbers and the reasons.
FAQ
How long should a training block be?
Usually three to six weeks, depending on the block and the time to your race. VO2 Max blocks run two to four weeks. Specificity covers about the final six weeks before an A race.
How do you know when to move from base to build?
We reassess base after three to four weeks. When fitness in that sport is solid, the test is current and your response says you are ready, we progress.
What happens to my block if I miss a week?
The block direction and race plan stay. The return week's load level changes, set from how you are, and missed sessions are not made up.
Do you plan blocks around a full time job?
Yes. Work, family, travel and sleep compete for recovery, so they shape the weekly load level inside every block.
What data do you use to decide the next block?
Critical Power and Critical Speed tests, your load trend, heart rate read with power, pace and feel, and your own feedback.
Is the plan the same for a marathon and a 70.3 or IRONMAN?
No. Each sport gets its own block, and the race you are working back from shapes each one. See our IRONMAN coaching, 70.3 coaching and marathon coaching.
Keep reading
Talk to us about your next block
Tell us your races and your history, and we'll show you how we would build your season.
Start your coaching inquiryOr read how ANC coaches every athlete