I am Training for the DK200 . I have been training using the sweet spot base building concept. I am doing all my training this winter and for the next month on a fat bike. Living in Fairbanks Alaska and training much of the time sub 0f power meters don’t work so I am going by heart rate. When I switch back to the gravel bike mid April I will be back on my power meter.
I work 7 days a week but and have my weekday morning available to train. Weekend time is more limited.
Do you have a plan specific to the long gravel races like the DK200?
In the last pod cast it was mentions to build by a half hour per week on the long ride to rides up into the 9 hour or longer range. If so would you take more days off and concentrate the miles into fewer days? I’d like to here more detail on the long rides as far as duration and pace.
working from heart rate my CTL is currently in the 60’s. I am 51 with many years of training. My last dedicated training was for I’m WI 5 years ago that I finished in under 11 hours and had maxed my CTL (by power) at 120 during a training camp a month prior.
My schedule does not format well with your stock plans so I would likely use a plan and modify it to my needs.
Welcome @joel - have a listen , read and watch of our gravel simulation ride podcast, training tip and video - it gets into the questions you are asking
We do have a Gravel Plan that many DK200 riders have used successfully - read the reviews
Thanks I’ll look at those.
Here is a question that might fit into one of you very informative podcasts.
I’m a life long endurance athlete at age 51 and feeling the effects of age related decline what is the best big picture focuses with a 20+ year goal of being a fast age grouper. I like to go long. IM, 100 fat bike races, and currently focused on Unbound 200. You have great plans that focus on a seasonal goal. Now what type of race/events are the most beneficial to fit into the very long game.
Thanks. Love your podcasts.
Hey Frank,
For better or worse, I just decided I’m back in the hunt to “beat the sun” at Unbound 200 this year. So 12 weeks to go starting next week. I’ve got a pretty good base I’ve been working on for 2/3 months. I’m planning on dropping in the 6 week gravel plan leading right up to it.
My question is what to do for six weeks before that starts. I’ve got the 18 week SS plan which I could back date, and do the final 6 weeks of that? Or should I look at one of the specific 6 week SS plans (1, 2, or 3)?
Cheers,
Sandy
Mr Draper! Good to hear from you, lol -
I think you can do the last 6 weeks of your 18 weeks of SST plan, which is essentially sweet spot part 3.
Therefore drive ye CTL up with sweet spot part 3 and then your gravel plan. Go all in on those gravel simulation rides. I think there are some of threads in the forum of how long to ride for an I think you want to build upon your previous long rides by 45-60 more minutes each ride. So a 7-8 hour ride is not out of the question. Possibly longer if you are riding stronger, have time, etc…
Hope that helps !
Yes it does. Thanks Frank. Will I see the Fascat team out there or are you holding off for another year?
I went back and forth but decide to do it. But I will make sure to make it my own socially distant and safe ride. Even if I have to not join at the start line and rollout out a little after the mass. I’m hoping they stagger the start on smaller groups. But it sure gets spread out on the KS gravel roads pretty quickly. I was mostly solo when I did it in 2019.
And yes a few big rides before to wake up this old body!
I bought the Gravel Training plan Flat Expert. Looks great. Two days before for the Simulation #2 it shows two identical workouts Endurance Zone 2. Since they are not referencing doing two rides that day in the description I am wondering if that is a mistake. It is the overload week so I’m not sure. I was between the intermediate and advanced plan in hours so I figured it better to trim the big one down a bit. We will see where my CTL sits once the plan starts for me April 26th. I should be in great shape for Unbound.
Yep, that is a mistake @joel and I just fixed it. That should be just one 4 hour ride.
Looking forward to hearing how that plan goes for you and a race report from unbound! 
Lacey thanks for getting back to me. The first day of the plan in the welcome it says to save the Fascat zone sheet. Where do I find it?
That spreadsheet is attached to your 20 min field test on the first tuesday of your plan 
Thanks Lacy, In training peaks is there something in the drop down menus that match this spread sheet or do I need to add a custom zones in Training Peaks?
You will use the zones that you calculate with that spreadsheet to enter into your settings within TrainingPeaks. Coach Jake walks you through how to do that in this training tip
Note for HR zones you use the lactate threshold calculation and Andy Coggins (5) for the method. Be sure to add in your Sweet spot HR zone too as indicated in that training tip!