2 weeks to improve fitness!

miss notax

Hello

In a fit of insanity a few weeks ago I have entered my first ever MTBing enduro in a few weeks (on the 23rd Jan) :shock: I'm in the 2 hour event, and the course is about 7 miles I think....

I'm pretty fit and I usually ride a couple of times a week, but compared to my buddies (and i'm sure the majority of the people there) who do miles and miles on their road bikes, I am going to be sooooo slow . So, the question is, is there anything I can do in a few weeks to improve my riding fitness without completely exhausting myself?

I rode on Monday, went down the gym Tuesday and rode again last night and my legs were like jelly (not helped by the flat tyre I noticed when I got back to the car :? ) - I don't want that happening on the day or it will be very embaressing!

Any advice gratefully received

readikus

Try doing interval training. Tabata sprints are meant to be some of the most efficent, and only take 4 minutes (of utter pain). Basically ride flat out for 20 seconds, then rest for 10. Repeat this 8 times, then limp home. Best done on a flat course/road.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-are-tabata-sprints/

Also, don't do a big effort 3/4 days before the events, so you are well rested

Which race are you doing?

njee20

Don't worry, you'll be knackered before the race if you start intervals now and won't get any noticeable improvement. Stick to what you normally do. There's a good chance you'll only manage 2 laps (plenty of folk do), so just go along and use your result as a yardstick for future events.

rock_hopper

Think njee20 has it spot on there! You need a very good base of fitness before starting tabata intervals..............apparently they hurt like hell!

njee20

They do, very good though, particularly if short on time. Would probably suggest starting at 10 on/20 off or 15/15 though, once the quality dips youre not achieving much. I do them as a quick turbo session, warm up, 6 mins of reps, rest, repeat. If I can't hold around 500w by the end of the rep I cut them short.

Any training like that is about quality not quantity!

rock_hopper

Sounds like hell on a turbo :!:

njee20

More effective than on the road, and it's short and sharp, which is perfect for the turbo IMO. Rather do 20 minute intervals on the road.

Dave_P1

Try to start building the miles up over the next couple of weeks, but take it easy towards race day as you don't want to be too tired for the event.
It might be worth trying to pace yourself as you don't want to burn out too soon.