Normally I do 20-25 miles. When I first got the clipless pedals I got winded using them. But now I'm able to ride 50 miles and I felt like I burned less than when I do 25. So does clipless make training too easy? Is it sabotaging my workout? Not only am I peddling 2-3 mph faster but now I feel I'm going longer distance with less effort. Is this a bad thing? I was riding the same place with the same conditions. I'm wondering if any of you feel clipless makes your riding too effortless therefore sabotages your training.

If it's sabotaging your training, ride farther and/or faster.

Personally, I don't think my pedal stroke is any more efficient while riding clipless.

No. Training stress depends on the work you do, not whether your feet are attached to the pedals. If you think your training is too easy, turn the pedals over harder.

Well I was going as fast as I could and it was easy.

The appropriate thing to do is make the above your sig line.

Your workout is based on time and effort level, not miles and speed.

I doubt it's the clipless pedals alone, but your overall improvement in power. So, keep your effort level where it was, and your workout time the same, and consider covering more ground a bonus.

"Clipping in" just makes things more efficient. Your feet are optimally placed and you don't loose pedal contact when going over road irregularities.
Drop a gear and fly.

Now go even faster, and/or longer still? How long does your 20mile course take btw? What kinda hills?

Then that's clearly not as fast as you can go, yeah?

That, and some mornings it takes me 20 miles just to get warmed up. Could be the same for you.

Before I need lots of water but now seems I need much less. I'm worried that I'm not getting effective training anymore. I guess now I'll have to try to do more sprints and hope my heart rate goes up.

If it was easy, you weren't going as fast as you could!

Ride barefoot.

asfos!

Maybe he spun out. I suggest a 60T chainring.

move your clipless pedals off your bmx bike and try again.

Sounds like what you're feeling is the cooler temperature affect. Enjoy.

No. No you weren't.

How much time elapsed between the pre-clipped and post-clipped? Same bike? Different bike?

The more training you do, the further, faster you can ride, so some of the changes could be training related.

No doubt one can do things differently for different workouts. For example, I could hop on my heavy hauler cargo bike + trailer, load it up with 500 pounds, and head out and hit some hills (molehills ). 5 or 10 miles and I can get my workout in.

There is some research indicating that clipless pedals only give marginal gains at steady state. I think they ignore that people aren't always riding at a steady state. I have also trained myself to pull up... some of the time. So, no clips, and I'm only using half the muscles. I'm still limited somewhat by metabolism and the cardio-vascular system, so it may not improve performance, but it works for me.

I can't remember the last time I rode 10 miles without some kind of foot retention... Except for that one awkward ride across town where I lost one pedal and used a spare flat pedal.

I've found a similar type of effect; I however didn't consider that it could be because of my pedals. I recently had my LBS solder on some lead weights under my BB to add some bike weight. Also switched to 35 tires at 50psi and in cooler weather having taken to wearing a non-aero version of a poncho. All of this helps me keep under the speed limit so I don't get ticketed, yet I still get a decent workout.

Seeing how you are a newer cyclist you will be improving with more rides regardless of pedals or other equipment advantages. Most of the empirical evidence out there is that clipless is not gaining you any power efficiency unless you foot position was drastically off before or something like that. Clipless advantages are in pedal/foot retention more so than pedaling efficiency. If you're in the northern hemisphere then it's also getting cooler which helps your efficiency. And as with all things, the human mind can play tricks on you especially if you just bought some new gadget that you think will make things so much better, your mind will trick you into believing it does. That is why when scientific studies are done they are usually done 'blind' or 'double blind' to take the human bias out of the equation.

Sounds like you are just getting in better shape... time for longer rides with big hills.

wear a weighted vest maybe

This.

Sounds like you're getting into better shape. Do you think there's a different explanation?