Residual fatigue: cumulative recovery debt
LoadAccumulated fatigue from several days that has not yet been cleared by rest.
Residual fatigue is the unrecovered fatigue that accumulates block after block. It differs from acute fatigue (immediate post-session): it persists for days even with good sleep. Indicators: low morning HRV, elevated resting HR, heavy legs at session start. It is normal during build phases but must be cleared during recovery weeks. CTL does not directly capture it: a very negative TSB (below -25) and a drop in retested FTP reveal it. A triathlete in week 3 of a 4-week block typically carries 15-30 points of residual fatigue.
In TriPaced:
In TriPaced, the programmed recovery week in each block specifically targets clearing residual fatigue. The calculated TSB (CTL minus ATL) returns to positive during this week. Arriving at a race with a very negative TSB often signals uncleared residual fatigue.