Getting Started with Your T2M Training Plan

Welcome! You've taken an important step toward your racing goals. This guide will help you get started quickly and point you to resources for deeper learning as you progress through your training.

Quick Start Checklist

Before your first workout:


The One Thing You Must Understand: Recovery Builds Fitness

Critical Concept: Fitness isn't built during exercise—it's built while recovering from exercise.

Your workouts create the stimulus, but adaptation happens when you rest. This means:

Easy days must stay easy. Don't "win" your recovery workouts. That defeats their purpose and compromises your ability to go hard when it matters.

Sleep is non-negotiable. Aim for 7-9 hours per night, with more during heavy training blocks.

Fuel adequately. Under-eating undermines adaptation and increases overtraining risk.

Life stress counts. Work pressure, family challenges, and personal stress directly impair your ability to recover from exercise. When life gets hectic, consider backing off training intensity.

Want to learn more? See our detailed guide: Recovery & Monitoring for Endurance Athletes

Platform Setup: Syncing Your Workouts

TrainingPeaks can automatically send your daily workouts to various training platforms and sync completed workouts back.

CRITICAL (for power-based plans): FTP values must match across all platforms. Workouts sync as a percentage of FTP, so mismatched values give you the wrong intensities.

Note: Only power-based workouts sync with most virtual training platforms. Heart rate or RPE workouts typically won't transfer to Zwift, Rouvy, or TrainerRoad. However, TrainingPeaks Virtual supports both power-based AND heart rate-based structured workouts.

Quick Setup Links

Virtual Training:

GPS Devices:


Understanding Your Workouts

Workout Codes

Most workouts include a prefix indicating the session's intent:

Code Meaning
End Endurance
Tem Tempo
SS Sweet Spot
FTP/Thr Threshold
VO2 VO2max work
FRC Functional Reserve Capacity
Mix Multiple intensity targets in one session

Workout Order and Timing

Workouts are listed top-to-bottom in the preferred order for each day. While your schedule may require adjustments, following this order minimizes interference between sessions:

  1. Strength after endurance - Preserves endurance quality and optimizes strength adaptations

  2. Intense before easy - When you have two sessions of the same sport

  3. Space when possible - 2-4+ hours between sessions improves recovery

How to Execute Workouts

For interval work (Tempo, Sweet Spot, Threshold, VO2):

  • Indoor trainer with power meter is most effective for consistency

  • If riding outdoors, choose routes that allow safe, uninterrupted efforts

  • Stay in the intended intensity range—don't obsess over hitting exact watt targets

For endurance (End) rides:

  • Outdoor riding is preferred when weather permits

  • Target overall intensity rather than worrying about specific intervals

  • Heart rate typically runs low for the first 15-30 minutes—don't force it up by pushing too hard early

Important: Target zones are targets, not absolutes. Some days you'll be slightly above or below. The goal is averaging around target over time. If you're fatigued on a hard day, it's better to adjust intensity down than push through and risk overtraining.


Your Training Plan Structure

Progressive Overload

Your plan gradually increases training stress over time to stimulate adaptation:

  • Build weeks: Increased training load to create adaptation stimulus

  • Recovery weeks: Reduced volume (typically every 2-3 weeks) to allow your body to absorb training

Recovery weeks aren't "lost" training—they're when fitness gains actually occur.

Intensity Distribution

The majority of your training should feel relatively easy. A general guideline: roughly 80% of your training time should be at Zone 2 intensity or below (conversational pace), with typically 20% or less at Zone 3 and above.

Managing Fatigue

If fatigue is stacking up despite following the plan:

  1. Reduce intensity first - Do prescribed workouts at lower power/pace

  2. Reduce volume second - Cut workout duration if necessary

  3. Don't try to "make up" missed workouts - Continue with the plan as written


When Things Don't Go as Planned

Life happens. Here's what to do:

Missed Workouts

  • Continue with the plan as written—don't try to "make up" missed sessions

  • Exception: If you miss a long ride, you can swap it with the next day's workout if it doesn't create an overwhelming training day

  • Never stack multiple missed workouts into one session

Illness, Injury, or Major Life Disruptions

If you're dealing with illness, injury, travel, or the plan feels consistently too hard or too easy, see our detailed guide: Modifying Your Training Plan

Quick rule for illness: Use the "neck check"

  • Symptoms above the neck (runny nose, mild congestion) with no fever: Light training may be okay

  • Symptoms below the neck (chest congestion, body aches) or fever >100.4°F: Take time off

  • When in doubt, rest

Race Planning

Some plans include race-specific guidance on gear, fueling, pacing, and strategy. Review these notes early when you first apply your plan so you can incorporate race-day strategies into your training progressively.


Fueling Your Training (Essential Basics)

Proper nutrition isn't optional—it's foundational to converting training stress into performance gains.

Key principles:

  • Fuel workouts over 90 minutes with 30-60g+ carbohydrate per hour

  • Consume adequate daily protein (1.4-2.0g per kg body weight)

  • Don't chronically under-eat—it undermines adaptation

  • Test all race nutrition during training

Want the full science? See our comprehensive guide: Nutrition for Endurance Athletes

Highly recommended: Consult a sports-specific Registered Dietitian (RD), especially if training 10+ hours per week.


New to TrainingPeaks?

If you're unfamiliar with TrainingPeaks metrics like TSS, CTL, ATL, and TSB, see our guide: Understanding TrainingPeaks Metrics

Quick version: These metrics help you understand training stress and recovery. Your plan is already designed to manage these appropriately—don't overcomplicate it. Watch trends, not daily values.


Learn More

Ready to dive deeper? We've created detailed guides on specific topics:

📚 Nutrition for Endurance Athletes
Basic guide to carbohydrate fueling, protein requirements, energy balance, and gut training

🔧 Modifying Your Training Plan
Suggested protocols for illness, injury, travel, life stress, and adjusting difficulty

💤 Recovery & Monitoring
Overview on sleep science, HRV monitoring, resting heart rate, heat acclimation, and detraining

📊 Understanding TrainingPeaks Metrics
In depth explanation of TSS, CTL, ATL, TSB, and how to use the Performance Management Chart


Need Guidance?

Before emailing ggrandgeorge@tri2max.com, check:

  • TrainingPeaks Help Center (device/sync issues)

  • Your plan's weekly notes (modifications, pacing)

  • This guide and linked resources (recovery, nutrition, illness protocols)

For personalized ongoing support and training modifications: Explore our coaching services


You're Ready to Start

You have everything you need to execute your training plan effectively. Remember the fundamentals:

  • Recovery builds fitness - Respect easy days, prioritize sleep, fuel adequately

  • Consistency beats perfection - Show up regularly and execute the plan

  • Adjust when needed - But trust the overall structure

  • Test everything in training - Especially nutrition and pacing strategies

  • Review race-specific notes early - Incorporate race-day approaches into your training

Now get out there and do the work. Your best performance is waiting.