What's your in season training regime?

AllezAllezAllez

Hi,

This is will be my second year of racing V40 and I was wondering how regular CX Racers train during the season?

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks

devhads

Not a lot is the short answer. I attend a club training session which is mainly skills with 15-20 minutes of race pace efforts at the end. At a push a turbo session if I can squeeze it in. I have just bought a new smart trainer though in an attempt to motivate myself to do at least one session per week possibly two. I do have a very physically demanding job though so often too knackered to do anything during the week.

AllezAllezAllez

devhads wrote:

Not a lot is the short answer. I attend a club training session which is mainly skills with 15-20 minutes of race pace efforts at the end. At a push a turbo session if I can squeeze it in. I have just bought a new smart trainer though in an attempt to motivate myself to do at least one session per week possibly two. I do have a very physically demanding job though so often too knackered to do anything during the week.

Snap. I've just bought a trainer too. I'm changing jobs so won't have as much time in the week so thought a couple of sessions on the turbo would help.

First race on Sunday

VamP

There is no one size fits all answer I'm afraid. Much depends on what you've done with your summer season, and your ambitions play a fairly big part too Are you planning to do 5 races or 30?

Normally, I come into cross season with a summer road season in my legs, and just try to make that fitness last, while fine tuning the top end (sprint repeats, tabatas and such). Maybe a reduction in volume to allow me to be fresh for the races every week. So if I have been doing 15 hour weeks through the summer, I might drop to 10-12 for the cross season.

This season I have been out with injury/illness, so am still building fitness and will just continue that well into the season. I will probably do fewer races (cross) but supplement with track league and train deeper on the non-racing weeks.

AllezAllezAllez

VamP wrote:

There is no one size fits all answer I'm afraid. Much depends on what you've done with your summer season, and your ambitions play a fairly big part too Are you planning to do 5 races or 30?

Normally, I come into cross season with a summer road season in my legs, and just try to make that fitness last, while fine tuning the top end (sprint repeats, tabatas and such). Maybe a reduction in volume to allow me to be fresh for the races every week. So if I have been doing 15 hour weeks through the summer, I might drop to 10-12 for the cross season.

This season I have been out with injury/illness, so am still building fitness and will just continue that well into the season. I will probably do fewer races (cross) but supplement with track league and train deeper on the non-racing weeks.

I'm aiming to race most weekends and would like to finish in the top half of the field. Probably doesn't sound that ambitious, but last year I was my first season and tended to finish in the bottom quarter of the field.

I raced a Summer road league this year and have also 3 Summer Cross races in the last month or so.

I think what I need to work out is how my training recovery mix. Especially if I want to race most weekends.

othello

If you are racing most Sundays you really won't need to do a lot during the week. Plus you are training for an hour max effort (even though Vets race for less, going with an hour is a good baseline).

Try and do an interval session, particularly pyramids, as that works on the constant on/off efforts that CX requires. If you can fit in a gentle ride thats fine, but it doesn't need to be long in length or time.

If you have the time, try and do a skills session which can double up as an extra interval session if needed. Spending a bit of time in the local park practicing cornering, dismount/remount and start efforts will pay dividends. You'll make up ground on others by having good skills, especially when the mud kicks in.

joey54321

My vague plan this cross season is

race Sunday,
weights session Monday,
Sweetspot intervals Tuesday,
rest or easy 20 mile commute wednesday,
cross specific intervals Thursday,
rest or easy 20 mile commute Friday,
easy cafe/club run Saturday,
race Sunday.
Rinse and repeat.

No idea if that is a good plan or not but I think it'll work for me. Might throw some lunch time runs in as well so I don't lose too much running fitness.