What form (TSB) to aim for on race day
How much your form should rise before racing: rough TSB values by distance and how to plan the load reduction.
Form, or TSB, is the difference between your fitness and your fatigue. Before an important race you want it positive: fresh, but without having lost fitness.
Rough values
- Short, intense races: between +5 and +15 usually works.
- Marathon, middle distance or ultra: between +10 and +25.
They're starting points. Some people perform better slightly loaded and others need to arrive very fresh: note how you feel in each race and learn your number.
Not too much, not too little
A TSB that's too high usually means you've rested so much that fitness has started to drop. A negative one on race day means you're carrying fatigue from your last workouts.
How to hit the number
With a tool that projects load forward you can try scenarios: what happens if you cut volume by 40% in the last two weeks, or only in the last one. Traincontrol projects the fitness and form you'd bring to each goal race.