The Cyclocross Workout Of The Day for Tuesday, 10.23.12. “Regularly Scheduled.”
Howdy folks,
Not much ado necessary today.
If you’ve been following along, I promised (threatened?) this workout for today, and here it is, it’s…
OK, wait.
How about some cool racing footage first –
Good?
Good.
On with the regularly scheduled…
3×10 Over-Unders.
Up-front, a word to the wise: If you do this right, it’s going to hurt.
– 3×10 means you are going to do 3 of these, 10 minutes each.
– “Over-under” means that you are going to be working right around the level of your threshold, both above and below.
What is your threshold?
Well, for our purposes, we are going to reference the 2×20 workout we do all the darn time. Whatever wattage, heart rate, or gear ratio you do that workout at is going to serve as your threshold today.
Haven’t done that workout?
OK.
Your threshold will be whatever level you feel like you can hold for an effort of 20 minutes.
Don’t worry about it too much; you’re going to figure it out.
Start by warming up well.
Now that you have an idea of what level you’re going to use as a baseline, you’re going to ride at that level for 5 minutes.
Get a solid idea of the wattage, heart rate, or tempo you are riding at, and get it firmy stuck in your mind. This is important; you are going to bounce above and below this level for the rest of the workout.
After the 5 minute baseline effort, spin easy for 2 minutes. Then begin the first interval…
– Here’s how the first (and second, and third…) over-under interval will work:
Ride for one minute at your baseline level.
At the end of that minute, ride 10 seconds at 25 watts, 10 beats, or 1 gear higher than the baseline level.
After the 10 seconds, ride 20 seconds at 25 watts, 10 beats, or 1 gear lower than the baseline.
After the 20 seconds, you go back to the ten (over,) followed again by the 20 (under,) etc., etc.
Got it? 1 minute baseline, 10 up, 20 down, 10 up, 20 down.
Repeat the up/down efforts to the end of the interval.
Rest 5 minutes.
Repeat the first interval.
Rest 5 minutes.
Repeat again (or not…)
Spin around to recover, then go home, relax, and recover.
Notes:
– The ”over” and “under” of the intervals I have given above is approximate. You are looking to go as hard as you can for the “over” while still recovering enough with the “under” to complete the interval. Keep the “under” barely under, though. Don’t go easier on the under to allow yourself a harder “over.” Do these a few times and you’ll get the hang of it – I promise.
– The idea here is to get you better at attacking and responding to attacks in a cross race. You’re motoring along at your limit, all of a sudden someone attacks; what do you do? You follow the darn attack, and look to recover a bit when the tempo drops a smidge. Thanks to your Over/Under work, you can!
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