What does your pre-race training week look like?

nicklong
nicklong Posts: 231
edited March 2015 in Training, fitness and health
So, after a good solid winter and proper build period, I'm 6 days from my first "A" road race of the season, and have "training panic".

How much volume / intensity do you put into your week leading up to a race?

Race (64kms) is on Sunday, I'm planning on a couple of 40 min Vo2max turbo sessions (e.g. Sufferfest Revolver) and then a 30 minute z2 spin on Saturday to keep the blood flowing.

Does this sounds about right, and what sort of training routines do others here have?

Comments

  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I think you're doing too much. You aren't going to make any physical gains a week before a targeted event and you aren't going to lose any fitness if you rest up. The only thing you can do in a lead up week is make things worse!

    My usual routine (and this applies to road racing, time trialling, hill climbs, CX and Sportives) for the week before an "A" race is to train normally up to seven days before (taking into account any tapering I'd alraedy programmed in and then (lets assume I'm racing sunday)

    MOnday: Nowt
    Tuesday: Recovery ride 45 minutes to an hour
    Wednesday: If i'm feeling fresh nowt, if I can still feel the previous weekend a little then more recovery
    Thursday: Nowt
    Friday: If time permits an hour and a half of easy riding with 1 10 minute interval at threshold and 1x3minute at VO2/above threshold however you define it
    Saturday: Nowt or the friday ride if I didn't have time to do it then.

    I've suffered in the past from being convinced if I'm not hammering it up to 2 days before a race I'm a lazy sod who's not training properly but rest is just as important. Knowing when to stop is a skill worth having!
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • nicklong
    nicklong Posts: 231
    Cheers, good to get some different perspective.

    I still struggle to understand the concept of a recovery ride, I think that the concept of "pumping lactate out of your legs" had been disproven.

    I am dreading that feeling of stiffness you get if you haven't been out on the bike for days, maybe more recovery rides during the week would help.

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