I think Eric means you can base your training zones on lactate threshold (LT), max heart rate (MHR) or power. That means either a heart rate monitor, a power meter, or both. Either way, you have to find out what those are through some kind of field test. The best posted workouts and tests I've found are at:
http://kevinlippert.com/workouts.php...&CAmenuOpen=on
What most of us do is called self-coaching. It's free, but it takes years to get really good at it. The other option is hiring a coach. That kind of comes in two flavors. With the cheap flavor you get a training plan and not much else. With the more expensive flavor you get a review of your results and suggestions.