Difference between Extensive Endurance and Easy training?

by Melissa
(Sacramento, California)

I'm just curious if there's a distinction between easy and extensive endurance on your training plans? You often use both on the same day, but one for bike and one for run. Or, do I just assume both are easy?

Intelligent Triathlon Training replies:

Good question, and something that maybe we need to make clearer in our training plans!

Easy sessions are exactly that – easy!

Easy in intensity and easy in duration, so not resulting in any real physical stress or fatigue during the session, at the end or after. They are basically under the bottom of the pyramid diagram below.

This would be the sort of session you would do as a recovery session, to keep you ticking over during the off-season, when you’re getting back into training or after race day. So in essence’ easy’ describes the feel of the session.

Extensive endurance is a type of training session, like a ‘VO2max session’ or a ‘tempo’ session.

Extensive endurance sessions are carried out at a relatively easy intensity but because of the duration of the session it doesn’t end up feeling ‘easy’ by the end. You get fatigued by the duration you are training for rather than the intensity you are working at, so at the end you do feel like you’ve done some work.

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