Crosssports's Weblog

I’m wearing a sweater inside my apartment, my bike is covered in mud, and my shoes are sitting in front of the heat duct. This could only mean that it’s really cross season…

Yup.

That also means lots of racing this weekend. Double-race weekends all over the place! Yeehaw!

So… what the heck is the workout?

Racing both days this weekend?

The default workout for the day before a race is Can Openers:

https://crosssports.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/workout-of-the-day-for-saturday-1024/

Stop and think for a second before you jump into doing this, though.

– How important is the Saturday race?

– The Sunday race?

– How fit are you? Are you killin’ it? Are you ready to double up full-gas?

If you’re the average joe, and you aren’t burning up the courses this season, give some thought to blowing off the Can Openers tomorrow. Take it easy instead – ride nice and easy for an hour or so. Maybe throw in a couple of short efforts – kinda’ like yesterday’s post.

Use the Saturday race as an opener for Sunday.

Honestly, for most folks this works better than hitting the openers on Friday; what you lack on Saturday, you get back on Sunday, ’cause you’re just a little bit less beat down.

Make sense?

OK.

Don’t do this if Saturday is important to you – or if you’re riding well enough that the extra effort on Friday won’t cost you on Sunday.

Which way should you go?

I honestly can’t tell you unless you hire me and email me your workout files 😮

Try it both ways – over the course of a couple of weekends – and see what works.

Have fun!

– As an aside, take a moment tomorrow to check the chain(s) on your bike(s.)

Change ’em out if you need to!

Here’s how – http://www.ehow.com/video_4985721_change-bicycle-chain.html

I’m replacing chains tonight, and I probably should have done it earlier. Chains on cross bikes take a tremendous beating, and one of my chains went from “go” to “no-go” in the course of one muddy practice session.

Don’t wait too long to replace the chain, or you’ll wind up replacing chain(s) and cassette(s).

Which sucks.

M

~ by crosssports on October 30, 2009.

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