Putting a plan in place

zoglug
zoglug Posts: 212
After completely blowing a gasket last night over Saddleworth Moor i have decided that going forward, im going to put a plan in place in order to give my training some direction. Now ive been reading round various posts regarding building core fitness, intervals, benefits of hill training etc and there is a lot of interesting stuff.

To begin with, i commute to work, 8 miles there, 8 miles back on flat roas, but this really wont change, id like to keep commuting, so my training is going to fit around it.

Monday - Hill rides
Tuesday - Recovery ride. 20-30 miles, leisurely pace, flat circuit
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - Intervals
Friday - Rest Day
Saturday - Long distance RIde, 40 miles to begin with, extending each week, either distance or my effort on the ride.
Sunday Rest Day

My hills on monday, i plan on cycling the start of the route to Holmfirth, before climbing the big hill over saddleworth moor, once at the top, turning round and heading stright back down. With a 5 min 'cool down' cycle, i plan on trying to get up it a second time and a third time, working out just how far i get, and hoping to continually get further up the hill each week.

My recovery ride im currently looking around for flat rides around where i live which i can take on at a leisurely pace.

Intervals are when i am unsure as to what advice to take. A lot says i need a HR monitor and i should work at 85%-90% of my heart rate. Parts say on flats, some say incorporate hills and also various amounts of time for the intervals varying from as short as 3 minutes to as long as 15! So advice here would be great.

My longer weekend ride, i plan to use the route over Saddleworth Moor to Holmfirth, coming back through Diggle, until i find some newer routes to try.

With my daily commute in there, am i doing to much? should i try and fit more in? Any advice would be fantastic.

Cheers

Zog
iamwhatiam.gif

Comments

  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    The intervals that you need to do (or not) will depend on what you are training for. Do you have a specific goal / event in mind or "to just get a bit fitter"?
  • zoglug
    zoglug Posts: 212
    No specific event in mind, the aim is to get fit enough so i can join a cycling club and not get dropped (which after last nights performance i know without a doubt i will!) and maybe look at next year taking part in some 10 & 25 TT's, and some longer sportives.
    iamwhatiam.gif
  • chrisw12
    chrisw12 Posts: 1,246
    What's the point of the recovery ride?

    You're taking three days off, why do you need a recovery ride day as well?
  • Another blatant plug:
    RST Training Plans

    others do offer such plans too.
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    zoglug wrote:
    No specific event in mind, the aim is to get fit enough so i can join a cycling club and not get dropped (which after last nights performance i know without a doubt i will!) and maybe look at next year taking part in some 10 & 25 TT's, and some longer sportives.
    You don't need to do interval training to ride a club run - at least, not a sensibly paced one (eg 16-18mph) - just get out there and ride your bike as much as possible.

    For TT's (and sportifves depending on how seriously you take them) then yes, lots of riding at tempo (level 3) and longer intervals ie 2x20s (level 4) will be the order of the day. I doubt you'll need to train at higher intensities (L5-7) to meet your current goals.

    Have a look at this guide to training levels:
    http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/ ... evels.aspx
    [it's designed for use with a powermeter but gives equivalent heart rate zones and the best description of perceived exertions I've seen yet].

    The trick to any training plan is getting the desired stress levels and timing right so you reach your target event in peak condition and well rested (and this is where coaches and tailored plans come into play).