Crosssports's Weblog

Howdy folks,

On Monday, I mentioned that you should make some notes about the racing this past weekend.

– What worked, what didn’t?

– Where did you feel strong, and where did you feel week?

– Did you run out of gas partway through the race?

– When?

So, a couple of days later, what do you think you need to work on?

What do you think you did well at the race, even if it’s one tiny little thing that you did a bit better than average?

I’ll give you a few seconds to think about these…

OK… got some answers?

Now, write those thoughts down.

You’re going to save that list, and for the next couple/few races, you’re going to add to it, modify it, and refer to it.

Here’s an example of what your list might look like:

Good –

Basic Cowboy dismount.

– Nailed it, perfect every time! made time on everybody getting off the bike.

OK –

Shouldering the bike

– Went OK, not as smooth as I need it to be.

Acceptable –

Basic remount

– bobbled a couple of times, but no real stutter step (yay!)

– Still not as fast as other folks in the race.

Bad –

Start

– Needs work, I’m losing ground on the fast guys in the first part of the race.

Totally sucked –

form over barriers

– Clipped a barrier and landed on my ass. ‘Nuff said…

See how that works?

Ok.

Go back and modify your list if you need to.

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Now, for the Workout Of The Day.

It’s Wednesday;  that means it’s time for…

Cyclocross Skills Practice.

Warm up well.

Stretch, loosen up, get your game face on.

Look at your list.

Start going down the list, from worst to best.

You’re going to practice everything on that list.

Spend the most time on the things you are the worst at, and next to no time on the stuff you’ve got wired.

Stay at it long enough to make some progress, but not so long you get totally frustrated.

You should have your work cut out for you!

It will look something like this:

Warm up, 10-15 minutes.

Skill #1 – 15 minutes.

Skill #2 – 10 minutes

Skill #3 – 5 minutes

Skill #4 – 5 minutes

If you really need to work on something like Starts, don’t just blast starts out full gas for 15 minutes.

Be smart about this, folks.

The more technical the skill, the more you can work on it. Something like the start is equal parts learning the skill, learning to pump the intensity, and developing your speed and strength.

Learn the skills, then work the engine.

If you stomp on the gas first thing in the night, you’ll be flat and clumsy the rest of the night.
The harder the effort, the later you schedule it in the session, make sense?

Along those lines, Finish up the night with a simulated race session.

Try to use a course that will emphasize the skills you stunk at in the race.

Try to link “bad” skills sections together, and really work on relaxing on the parts that are tough for you.

Don’t forget to have fun, and force yourself to smile the most when you’re screwing up the worst.

Spin out your legs, go home and relax.

– If you didn’t race, you can do the same thing – it’s just not quite as easy.

Make the same list – as best you can – and have at it.

Have fun!

M

~ by crosssports on September 11, 2012.

Posted in Uncategorized