Training plans. Double century. Winter training. Base miles.
Spartacus1981
Posts: 254
Evening all. So it's getting to that time of year when I'm starting to think, how am I going to stay motivated with my cycling this winter more so than last winter, what sort of cycle specific training should I be doing to get the best out of myself when spring comes around (so I can smash it haha), should I invest in a training plan online from the likes of Training Peaks (don't suggest coach as too expensive), should I get a HRM (and actually use the thing !!), or a dreaded PM (and hope the missus doesn't notice the pedal or crank arm on my bike looks different ...) etc etc.
Bit of background short and sweet. 34 (just), weighing in between 75 & 78kg (depending how many pies), 181cm tall. Fairly slim / athletic build, blah blah. Cycling wise I'm fit(ish), and not the slowest, not the fastest. I currently ride somewhere between 250/300km per week (recently set Strava goal of 200km so to not be unrealistic) on rolling terrain normally and hit the hills when I can. Besides this I may run once in a while (aim for a 10km a week) and am member at a crossfit gym which I aim to go to 2 to 3 times a week. Pretty sure the CF has done me good and like to mix it up with exercise anyway so just wondering how to get the most out of things, with cycling being my main focus as it's what I enjoy most.
Basically where I need your guys advice is on a plan. I had the idea to set myself some goals like anytime now to avoid total failure. The idea being to make a plan I can stick to (like ride this day, and that day for this long, so many hours a week, or a specific distance a week, etc) to try and get the most out of it. I'm fairly lucky on the one hand in the sense I don't have kids just yet to take into account, but I also have an 8 to 4 Monday to Friday job which I find sometimes isn't the best ... But then I'm not a pro with all day to train and have to suck it up I guess.
So. Shorterm cycling goals I have are as follows. To ride a double century (possibly before christmas if I can but maybe that's too soon). I rode a 206km audax yesterday in just over 7hrs with the first bit pootling so I'm pretty sure this is achievable. To improve my bike handling abilities and descending (bit of a wuss and unfortunately lose a chunk of time here). And say, complete an event like Marmotte, La Purito Sportive Andorra or something hardcore like that purely just to challenge myself. Did a week in Bormio a few weeks back and hit up Stelvio, Mortirolo, Gavia, etc so sort of know the score a little bit. Admittedly we rode up 'em slow as you like but we didn't want to kill ourselves as it often felt like we might bite off a bit more than we could chew. If I went anywhere like that again I'd like to go back harder, better, faster, stronger. Like Daft Punk. I have a week in Mallorca booked for begin April so that will nicely do as a warmup for it. Other than that it's not training, just riding.
Basic plan from now on, for now, is this. Monday and Wednesday I'll do between a 50 and 60km ride and Saturday an 80km average length ride. If I can get out Sunday for a short ride I will. Monday and / or Wednesday will be ride to a track from home and do either chaingang or intervals with some people. I'm tempted to just do one of these sessions rather than two and just do a solo ride for the other. If it's a solo ride I might just try and bash out 18 / 19mph. Saturday it's quite a big group of locals and levels vary quite a bit so it's trickier. There is another more organised group who do Sunday's. Should I plan my time in hours rather than km perhaps ? I'm quite prepared to buy a plan as I need some focus. Or should I just write one up ?
Also, I do have a turbo. I find it a bit of a ballache really and would rather go to crossfit or run than that but I may well dust it off if I really need to. Only thing If ever tried on it were the 3LC vids which I found to be pretty good.
Diet is, well, ok. Probably eat too may cakes and drink too many beers if I'm honest but will try and change that a bit also.
Let me know if I'm forgetting anything ... And thanks in advance.
Bit of background short and sweet. 34 (just), weighing in between 75 & 78kg (depending how many pies), 181cm tall. Fairly slim / athletic build, blah blah. Cycling wise I'm fit(ish), and not the slowest, not the fastest. I currently ride somewhere between 250/300km per week (recently set Strava goal of 200km so to not be unrealistic) on rolling terrain normally and hit the hills when I can. Besides this I may run once in a while (aim for a 10km a week) and am member at a crossfit gym which I aim to go to 2 to 3 times a week. Pretty sure the CF has done me good and like to mix it up with exercise anyway so just wondering how to get the most out of things, with cycling being my main focus as it's what I enjoy most.
Basically where I need your guys advice is on a plan. I had the idea to set myself some goals like anytime now to avoid total failure. The idea being to make a plan I can stick to (like ride this day, and that day for this long, so many hours a week, or a specific distance a week, etc) to try and get the most out of it. I'm fairly lucky on the one hand in the sense I don't have kids just yet to take into account, but I also have an 8 to 4 Monday to Friday job which I find sometimes isn't the best ... But then I'm not a pro with all day to train and have to suck it up I guess.
So. Shorterm cycling goals I have are as follows. To ride a double century (possibly before christmas if I can but maybe that's too soon). I rode a 206km audax yesterday in just over 7hrs with the first bit pootling so I'm pretty sure this is achievable. To improve my bike handling abilities and descending (bit of a wuss and unfortunately lose a chunk of time here). And say, complete an event like Marmotte, La Purito Sportive Andorra or something hardcore like that purely just to challenge myself. Did a week in Bormio a few weeks back and hit up Stelvio, Mortirolo, Gavia, etc so sort of know the score a little bit. Admittedly we rode up 'em slow as you like but we didn't want to kill ourselves as it often felt like we might bite off a bit more than we could chew. If I went anywhere like that again I'd like to go back harder, better, faster, stronger. Like Daft Punk. I have a week in Mallorca booked for begin April so that will nicely do as a warmup for it. Other than that it's not training, just riding.
Basic plan from now on, for now, is this. Monday and Wednesday I'll do between a 50 and 60km ride and Saturday an 80km average length ride. If I can get out Sunday for a short ride I will. Monday and / or Wednesday will be ride to a track from home and do either chaingang or intervals with some people. I'm tempted to just do one of these sessions rather than two and just do a solo ride for the other. If it's a solo ride I might just try and bash out 18 / 19mph. Saturday it's quite a big group of locals and levels vary quite a bit so it's trickier. There is another more organised group who do Sunday's. Should I plan my time in hours rather than km perhaps ? I'm quite prepared to buy a plan as I need some focus. Or should I just write one up ?
Also, I do have a turbo. I find it a bit of a ballache really and would rather go to crossfit or run than that but I may well dust it off if I really need to. Only thing If ever tried on it were the 3LC vids which I found to be pretty good.
Diet is, well, ok. Probably eat too may cakes and drink too many beers if I'm honest but will try and change that a bit also.
Let me know if I'm forgetting anything ... And thanks in advance.
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Comments
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Just ride. If you can commute on a bike. Time is more important than distance. Weather effects distance.
If you can get up very early and go out for an hour. If you can ride some evenings. I am beginning to think a little and often (one hour rides) does more for you than bigger longer rides. I have moved away from always trying to average a target speed all it does is leave you fatigued.
If you can commute on your bike that even better as there are your base miles. If your commute is short you can make it longer.
You should not need a plan to get out and ride. Establish a routine then it becomes something you just do rather than something you fit in around your life.http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.0 -
Thanks for the advice fella. You're talking sense I know it.
In all honesty I do have a tendency to overthink things when I get down to it and sometimes you just need to keep it simple. 'Just ride' is good advice definitely, and it's sort of what I do anyway. I'll keep doing that for the time being and doing my other bits of running and crossfit type stuff. UK winter's are pretty crud anyway haha.
Double century wise I'll probably just do a few more 200's and chip away at it. Plus chuck a sprint typee turbo sesh in weekly to keep the speed in the legs. The commute is fairly short which means I don't bother.
Surprised nobody else chipped in for such a keen bunch mind. May well have bored them to death though
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Thanks for that mmacavity, I'd not seen that article before. Been thinking of joining forces with the 'dark side' for a while now. You just cost me a wedge of cash !! Now it's just figuring out what you need for this MTB stuff. I've already got some peeps to ride with so that bit's sorted.0
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Do as much sub threshold as you can midweek
Followed by longer rides on weekends
Real simple
10: 20.36
25: 55.03
50: 1.54.22
100: 3.55.11
24 hour: 397 miles0 -
Mtb riding is not only good for your legs it is good for your soul. It also is a full body workout. I ride my mtb at least 2 hrs a weak. Last night was a 30 mile ride and it was hard and good. I don't do enough of it really. Over winter I will do more. I will also use my 29er on club runs over winter to make them a bit more like hard work.
You can also make routes more varied mixing road and bridleways/farm tracks if you don't want to get bogged down on footpaths. You don't have to visit trail centres all the time.
Oh on short commutes make them longer. Mine is on 7.5 miles each way I make the route 15 to 20 miles each way. This morning I bimbled that at 12mph (recovery), this evening I span home keeping the cadence high but power not high pace only 17 mph. Other days I do sprints or make it a hard effort. Sunday is always a race or long ride.
You don't have to ride 200 miles to train effectively to do it. Long rides are mostly about nutrition. I do 200 miles rides two or three times a year I don't train for them specifically but have no trouble doing them when I do. The trick is food, if you don't eat enough and eat the right things you will break down and have to call a breakdown service.http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.0 -
Sounds awesome. A 30 mile hard ride on a MTB sounds pretty demanding. I also had the idea of going on local Saturday club type ride on a MTB to make it more challenging but depending on who's out it can be challenging on a road bike sometimes. My fear there too was everyone would think I was taking the michael if I rocked up on a 29'er and they were all on the roadies. I think they'd drop me purposely in fact
Need to start looking into it. Starting to quite warm to the idea.0
