Why Does My CTL Plateau Towards Race Date?

Why Your CTL Plateaus and Why That’s Okay

Your Chronic Training Load (CTL) progresses based on the phase of your training plan. A slight plateau is normal during peak weeks after the higher-volume build phase.

Understanding the Phases

• Build Phase—The toughest part of training, where the volume is highest, is developing muscular and anaerobic endurance.
• Peak Phase – Focus shifts to race-specific preparation, prioritizing quality over total training volume.

Why Does CTL Plateau?

TrainingPeaks heavily weights volume in its calculations. In the build phase, high-volume workouts drive up CTL. But as you taper and sharpen for race day, the emphasis is on race-specific intensity rather than accumulating more training stress.

Focus on Performance, Not Just Metrics

CTL is just one data point. What matters more is:

• Threshold improvements – The best indicator of fitness progress.
• How you feel – Energy levels, confidence, and race readiness.
• Race specificity – Quality sessions to fine-tune performance.

Trust the plan—CTL may plateau, but your fitness is peaking where it matters most: race day.

Read this article to understand more about TrainingPeaks metrics and your performance.

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