May progress: a step up in volume

May showed a significant step up in training volume — 1,248km of cycling, more than double the April figure. The increase was driven largely by a 400km event during the month, which also highlighted something I'm now recognising as a pattern: long events require substantial recovery time, at least 4–5 days before I'm back to normal training.

Volume and Zone 2 quality

I did fewer dedicated Zone 2 sessions than in previous months, largely because I was spending more time cycling outdoors rather than on the indoor trainer. Outdoor riding makes heart rate control harder — terrain, traffic, and group dynamics all push you above Zone 2 without noticing.

That said, my Zone 2 quality improved slightly. I pushed higher power output while keeping my heart rate within the zone — a clear sign of aerobic adaptation. The same heart rate, more watts. That's the metric that matters.

VO2Max

My Garmin-estimated VO2Max dropped from 50 in April to around 48 through May. I haven't been doing as many high-intensity sessions as planned — running has replaced some of them, which isn't a like-for-like swap for VO2Max development. This is something I need to address more consistently in June: at least one dedicated high-intensity session per week.

Strength training

Dropped off noticeably in May. Weight training and high-intensity work are getting crowded out by increasing cycling volume and the recovery demands that come with it. Not ideal — but for now, the priority is building the endurance base for the 1,200km event in August.

Weight and body composition

Weight maintained at around 94kg. Planning a DEXA scan in June to get a proper picture of body fat, bone density, and lean mass — the scales alone don't tell the full story.

Looking ahead to June

Volume is expected to stay high through June, with a 600km qualifying ride coming up — my biggest single event of the year so far. The aerobic base built in May should carry me through it. The priority adjustments for June: more consistent high-intensity sessions, and not letting strength training disappear entirely.