The training thread: How was yours? (today/yesterday/etc)

[Cul]

In a bit of a training hole right now. Been off the bike for about 4 days due to wife being sick and therefore looking after the little one. Did the first 20mins of a session, but it was hot and I completely bombed out of it.

Will try to do a few sessions this week at lower intensity to make sure I get through them and give myself some confidence. Hope to get a race in this weekend... although I still won't get the desired intensity as it'll be B-Grade at a different club as there's no racing at my club this week. :/

Some advice from someone who has been there - you can only do what you can do mate, don’t beat yourself up about it because at the end of the day family, life, work come first and most of us are riding for FUN!

FUN is the keyword here, ditch the trainer for the day or two and go for a roll with mates, Tour De Burbs, Beach Road or something fun. Normally when I am feeling a little stale I will grab the MTB and go for a hammer it reminds me why I ride!

Also, a break can be good, I did almost zero riding last week due to a few bike issues (tub flat, wheel getting rebuilt was delayed a few days, and a busted spoke on the spare wheel), but back on the bike on the weekend and despite the feeling of needing to vomit during the race I fared well (until I busted a spoke meant DNF). This morning on the MTB I PB’ed on two 4:30min climbs, which came easy!



I have spent the last 12 so weeks just ticking over the hours, doing the odd interval session, race etc… before getting stuck into my build phase this week.

[cerb]

Jules - at least you know who to follow... There are only 2 guys who have done 17:53's up Kinglake and only one of them this month...!

https://www.strava.com/athletes/3548254 24km vertical ridden this month... that dude sure likes his climbing!


Cul - haha yeah, thanks for the reality check. The issue is more that the weekend racing is the ONLY time I get to go out and ride on the road. So when it's taken away multiple weeks in a row, I get grumpy and miss riding outside... :S

[jules21]

Jules - at least you know who to follow... There are only 2 guys who have done 17:53's up Kinglake and only one of them this month...!

https://www.strava.com/athletes/3548254 24km vertical ridden this month... that dude sure likes his climbing!

I've learned not to try and keep up with faster climbers.. ride my own pace. that's a helluva lot of climbing he's done.. Mas C is supposed to be for hubbards like me nah seriously all credit to him - if he wins, he's earned it.

[jasonc]

he's averaged about that much climbing every month. that's more than good going.

[g-boaf]

he's averaged about that much climbing every month. that's more than good going.

Pretty awesome.

[vander]

the advice I'm reading for peaking is not to recover, strictly speaking, but to do 'race pace' efforts every 3 days. so I'm doing hard crits twice a week or so. the intensity is supposed to top up your fitness, but the lower duration is supposed to lower your fatigue. the end result is supposed to be peak form.

it's too late to do hill climbing now. yes, the race is 2 Dec. you can't build fitness at this point, without raising your fatigue by a degree that negates the fitness benefit. the dye is cast!

Peaking is very different for recreational riders to pros. The amount of decreased volume needed for a recreational rider is much less that the pros. No need to do a 2 week taper. Although efforts generally should change to shorter type efforts in the leadup. Everyone responds differently though. Some people still need longer efforts in the last few weeks. Some people need a bit of fatigue too.

[jules21]

that's basically what I've read and am doing. I'm can't reduce my volume that much, as I wasn't doing 30 hr weeks in the first place. the change isn't actually all that much, I'm just not doing 130km hill rides now.

[cerb]

Knuckled down and got through a 1hr session of A&R's last night. Threw in a sprint at the end on tired legs for a little added benefit/race simulation.

Good feeling and confidence boosting to get through a session. Will try for a couple more sessions this week and get back into the swing of it.

[jules21]

nice one Cerb. confidence is always just one good ride away.

[Cul]

"the advice I'm reading for peaking is not to recover, strictly speaking, but to do 'race pace' efforts every 3 days. so I'm doing hard crits twice a week or so. the intensity is supposed to top up your fitness, but the lower duration is supposed to lower your fatigue. the end result is supposed to be peak form.

My best MTB race results usually come the day after a road race, or criterium; usually I am reducing load from the Tuesday before the race and some solid efforts the day before!

[jules21]

My best MTB race results usually come the day after a road race, or criterium; usually I am reducing load from the Tuesday before the race and some solid efforts the day before!

some people definitely ride better when they're 'switched on' from a heavy effort the day before, but I reckon that benefit applies mostly to shorter races where the accumulated fatigue doesn't take as much of a toll

[g-boaf]

some people definitely ride better when they're 'switched on' from a heavy effort the day before, but I reckon that benefit applies mostly to shorter races where the accumulated fatigue doesn't take as much of a toll

Wouldn't a warm up do the same thing, if you can find the right method that works? Most of the ones I try have a 50% easy 1-2min section, with a ramp up from 50-80%, then 3 120% 20 second sprints, and a 100% effort for 3 minutes. That usually works for me, unless I'm too fatigued.

I was quite fatigued today, attempted 2x18min, did the first one 280w, the second one 270w.

[dalai47]

some people definitely ride better when they're 'switched on' from a heavy effort the day before, but I reckon that benefit applies mostly to shorter races where the accumulated fatigue doesn't take as much of a toll

Wouldn't a warm up do the same thing, if you can find the right method that works?

Different purpose to the warm up. These short sharp efforts the day prior keep the neuromuscular pathways primed.

[g-boaf]

Ah, okay -you guys know more about that than me.

[kb]

Tom Leaper in Melbourne uploads some interesting Kickr sessions (short, sharp intervals) on Strava a day or two before events. Usually titled along the lines of "race activations"

[cerb]

Only had half an hour last night, so did the first part of a longer over & under session simulating pacline with increasing speed. Fairly tough, but good.

[jules21]

Tom Leaper in Melbourne uploads some interesting Kickr sessions (short, sharp intervals) on Strava a day or two before events. Usually titled along the lines of "race activations"

I've seen TL sit on his Kickr after races. he stays on the thing for ages spinning away for a cooldown and he's not soft-pedalling either, he's spinning it out solidly. that's the difference between us weekend warriors and (ex-)pros - they don't take short cuts.

[g-boaf]

I've seen a few riders do long interval sessions. None of these little 45 minute or 1 hour efforts, seriously long interval efforts at pretty decent level too. It's pretty insane.

Try it yourself some time, it's not easy. That's not spinning though, it's the total opposite.

[g-boaf]

I tried to do a 2x18 yesterday after 4 days of not riding - but it just wasn't working. All up, the calories were nearly 900, so the effort was there, but not constant.

Yet funnily enough todays effort (5x5 intervals at much higher power) were fine. They were hard enough, but not killing me.

[g-boaf]

Morning ride was 100km at 33.8km/h average. It didn't feel like I had the best legs this morning, but that was not bad. I did have the average a bit over 34, but it ticked back a little bit.

[cerb]

That's a solid average speed for 100km!!

[Xplora]

I like not training lol. kms are less than 100 a week for a couple months. Squat and Deadlift are coming along nicely, and I seem to be able to pull a bunch of watts in the sprint regardless. #sprintswinraces

[kb]

I like not training lol. kms are less than 100 a week for a couple months. Squat and Deadlift are coming along nicely, and I seem to be able to pull a bunch of watts in the sprint regardless. #sprintswinraces

You don't enjoy riding?

[g-boaf]

That's a solid average speed for 100km!!

Yeah, it's increasing - bit by bit, little by little. Just got to make sure I hit more hills over the holidays, annoying as it is because they are all 1.5 hours away. It means I get at least 140km out of those rides. Noticing that I'm getting quite quick on steep hills too.

I don't consider these rides training as such, it's just enjoying getting out on the bike.

[g-boaf]

Zwift can be quite hard work.