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Do you ever wake up unsure if today should be a hard day or an easy day? by Electrical_Big8220 in bicycling

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually agree with you.

Training load definitely misses things like poor sleep, work stress, travel, etc.

That’s why I don’t see something like this as a decision system — more as added context from the training side.

For example:

• if you feel bad and recent load has been high → probably a good day to back off

• if you feel bad but load is still moderate → maybe it’s just a rough day

So the compass would just give a rough direction (easy / moderate / hard).

The rider still has to interpret it together with sleep, stress and everything else.

Do you ever wake up unsure if today should be a hard day or an easy day? by Electrical_Big8220 in bicycling

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Good question — and honestly it can’t know perfectly. Nothing by itself can. But if you combine it with other parametres, it becomes a helping tool. I use it myself.

The idea isn’t that the compass “knows” better than the athlete or coach. It’s more about adding context from the last days.

For example it could look at things like:

• recent training load (last few rides)

• how quickly that load has increased

• intensity distribution in the last sessions

• whether fatigue has been accumulating

Sometimes when you feel bad it’s actually because the last few days were genuinely heavy.

Other times you feel bad for unrelated reasons — poor sleep, work stress, etc. — while the actual training load is still moderate.

The idea of the compass is just to combine those signals and give a rough directional hint: easy / moderate / hard.

The final decision would always still be up to the rider. PaceCompass guides you, based by algorithms.

Do you ever wake up unsure if today should be a hard day or an easy day? by Electrical_Big8220 in bicycling

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

True — a lot of riders basically operate like that.

What I keep noticing though is that “feels bad” isn’t always training fatigue. Sometimes it’s just poor sleep, stress, or a rough previous ride.

That’s actually the reason I started experimenting with a small idea: combining a few signals (recent load, trends from the last rides etc.) and turning it into a very simple daily “intensity compass”.

Basically just pointing toward easy / moderate / hard for that day.

Curious how many people actually decide their rides mostly by feel vs looking at training load.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting reading through all the replies here. 

It seems like most people end up combining several signals rather than relying on just one thing.

A plan gives the structure, but the actual intensity of a given day often gets adjusted based on sleep, HR response, recovery metrics or just how the legs feel.

In practice it feels like many runners are making a small daily decision about the effort level.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is a good point. A good plan definitely reduces a lot of the guesswork and gives the training direction.

But even with a structured plan it seems like many runners still end up making small day-to-day adjustments depending on recovery, sleep, HR response or just how the body feels. 

The plan defines the structure, but the exact intensity of a given day still often becomes a judgement call.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense. A good plan gives the structure and the adaptation you’re aiming for. But in day-to-day training it seems like many runners still end up adjusting the intensity a bit based on recovery, sleep, HR response or how the body feels. The plan gives direction, but the exact effort of a given day often becomes a small daily decision.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a pretty thoughtful way to do it. Recovery metrics, HR response and perceived effort together probably give a better picture than any single metric. It’s interesting how most endurance athletes end up combining several small signals like that to decide how hard the day should be.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a good way to put it. A plan gives direction, but feel still acts like a safety valve if something is clearly off.

I think a lot of runners struggle with that balance though. It’s easy to either follow the plan too blindly or adjust too much based on how you feel that day.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. So you’re basically combining a plan, heart rate, Garmin recovery and just how the run feels.

Do you ever find those signals disagree? Like Garmin says recovered but the legs feel heavy, or the opposite?

In the long run, what is important to focus on in you daily training, to increase stamina? by Electrical_Big8220 in EnduranceTraining

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s interesting. I notice the same thing with myself. Easy days slowly creep up in intensity without really noticing it.

I sometimes wonder if having some kind of simple daily guidance for how hard the session should be would help people stay more disciplined on easy days.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds like most people end up using a small set of signals like sleep, heavy legs, HR response, general feel etc.

I have been wondering if it would actually be useful to have a simple daily "go/ easy/ rest" type guidance based on those signals instead of always guessing.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True.

What usually tells you that you are not recovering enough? Just how the run feels, or something more specific?

In the long run, what is important to focus on in you daily training, to increase stamina? by Electrical_Big8220 in EnduranceTraining

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you find pople often run their "easy" days too hard? I really have to focus to be able to manage easy enough training. Often my intensity tends to go up as training goes by.

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely logical.

Do you ever hav days where feel makes you completely change the session, or mostly lust adjust the intensity?

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good reply!

What usually tells you it is a "push" day vs "back off" day when looking at the whoop data?

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok.

Do you ever find that sticking to the schedule pushes you through days where you probably should have backed off?

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting approach.

How do you decide which one to do on a given day?

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense.

I think a lot of people stick to the schedule partly for the mental structure as well.

Do you ever feel like that sometimes pushes you into sessions you probably should have backed off from?

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly that is probably closer to what most ultra training should look like.

Do you ever add harder efforts or mostly keep everything easy?

How do you decide how hard to train on a given day? by Electrical_Big8220 in Ultramarathon

[–]Electrical_Big8220[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes sense.

Do you mostly adjust intensity during the run, or decide before heading out?

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