Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
^Yes, that would be so cool! I suppose it took me about a decade to be able to self-coach constructively, and it's still not the same. I have just one one data point: me. I don't know what I don't know, what's outside my box. I agree with HP entirely. On the road though, I can test myself fairly easily and do. After I warm up for 1/2 hour - hour, I should be able to power up and hit my HR numbers for that RPE. I don't have power, but with experience HR works quite well. If I can't hit my numbers, I change the workout, either cutting it short or cutting the intensity. Knowing just what to do takes experience.
All that being what it is, I really enjoy that feeling of powering up the engine and seeing the result, whatever it is. Sometimes I can see I need more food. Other times I need more water. Other times I need more rest. Most times it's just what it should be.
In the OP's specific case, most times I would go for a workout on the n day and rest on the n+1. You can usually take more punishment than you think. However if the numbers weren't there, that would be a signal for a short ride and then a rest day. When I can't hit my numbers, it usually takes me more than one day to get it back, but then I'm old. So I'd usually take a rest day and then an endurance day and then see how I felt - have another go at it and see what the numbers were at the appropriate RPE. IMO it's not just the numbers, it's how gassed you are when you're hitting them.
I totally agree BTW on powering up the engine & seeing the result. I have had days where I felt a little tired going into a workout but never to the extent that I didn't feel ok at least giving it a try. The road ride last Friday was the only workout I've actually modified in 10 weeks with the new coach. He just does such a good job scheduling these workouts that I now go into all of them pretty convinced I can do them, even if I go in with tired legs. That is very powerfully positive on a mental level, so I start with confidence & somehow it almost always comes together and at some point during the workout my legs don't feel tired any more. It's interesting.
I also feel 100% ok about the idea of abandoning a workout because I've got this super high training load almost all the time, >100 CTL and most of the time a negative TSB. I don't think I've seen a positive TSB since the beginning of the month. All of which is just short hand for saying that I have tons of volume, it would just be a blip to miss a workout. It's probably a different thing for people with less training volume, missing one workout would be a bigger loss.