We have now entered March. Winter training is drawing to a close and some of you may be beginning your racing season. Here in CO we have already had a few races. Here’s an idea of what you should be doing for training.
At this point in the spring you should be into the shorter higher intensity rides. You’ve completed your base mileage and now addressing specific energy systems. In order to hit the ground running it’s beneficial to put an emphasis on interval training. The races will call for short, high intensity efforts.
Any interval training should be polarized in nature and it’s important to remember that when you’re going hard, you’re going hard! AND, when you’re going easy, it should be EASY. If you don’t allow for appropriate rest between intervals, it will be difficult to generate appropriate intensity. I’ve said it many times before but, cyclists tend to view the word rest as a “four letter word!”….Literally and figuratively.
With the races beginning it’s important to coordinate your training so you give yourself the chance to be competitive at the races and still be able to execute your training during the week. With this in mind, try to plan ahead so if, for instance, you have races Saturday AND Sunday, you might only include one day of short, high intensity intervals during the week beforehand.
Similarly, if you have only one day of racing on the weekend, you could include more than one interval ride during the week. Remember to “cycle” the periods of doing intervals. In my experience, most cyclists can only tolerate about 3 weeks of intensive training before a break is in order. Whether it’s with your coach or by yourself, be sure to arrange the training and racing so you don’t over load yourself too early with too much intensity.
Ainslie MacEachran is a level 2 coach with www.getzoomperformance.com. His book Simple Cycling Performance can be found at BN.com, iTunes.com and Amazon.com
