CTL

This is an overview of my CTL (chronic training load) since Spring 2006, when I started training for bike races:


I read somewhere that for steady, long-term CTL building, you should aim for a CTL each November that equals your prior year's April CTL. Even without specifically trying to do that, I have fit into that pattern over the last two years.

Another interesting item: October was my off month (I rode a little, but didn't train). My CTL constant is set at 42 in Performance Manager, and my current CTL (12-26-07) is 81.6. If I had done a 125TSS workout on October 15th, almost 75 days ago, my CTL would now be 82.1, half a point higher. It's a common misconception that if your CTL constant is set at 42, then only the last 42 days of TSS data will contribute to your current CTL, but that's not true. I believe CTL is calculated using a radioactive decay equation where 42 would be the half-life of the TSS generated in the past. So the older TSS points don't count as much, but they still have an effect. So my October off time is still having an effect on my current CTL.