I’ve noticed that there are a variety of CP test durations. Some are pretty short. 3 / 9 minutes at max effort, separated by 30 minutes of walking and easy running. And then some are obviously longer (20-30 minutes, 10K time, etc.). For me, the shorter tests always result in a noticeably higher CP.
I was using shorter test results as the basis for my training for several months.
But it seemed like I was stagnating. Even using Stryd’s more conservative recommendations (</= 80% of CP on easy runs, </= 83% for long runs), I often felt like I was pushing too hard. And I really wasn’t improving.
I decided to use a longer test to determine my CP, which obviously gave me a lower value. I’ve stuck with this and the improvements have been surprising. I’m running faster with less effort and a lower heart rate. It’s gotten to where it’s hard to stay below 80% of my CP on the easy runs. I’ll retest soon and adjust accordingly.
So I guess I was overtraining. Has anyone here had a similar experience using one of the shorter CP tests?