If you didn’t, You might feel left out for the next couple/ few paragraphs…
OK, so you raced.
What worked really well, skill-wise?
What worked kinda well?
What did you kinda stink at?
What did you totally suck at?
Take a few minutes to think about this…
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OK.
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, whatever.
Here’s an example:
Good –
Basic Cowboy dismount.
– Nailed it, perfect every time!
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.
Now, for the Workout Of The Day.
Tonight is 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 – 12 minutes
Skill #3 – 10 minutes
Skill #4 – 5-8 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.
Howdy folks, I hope you all had a great weekend, and if you raced, that your racing went well.
I’m down in Vegas…
…for the Interbike trade show, and while I will do my darndest to keep things up to date on here, I can pretty much guarantee that I will miss a couple of posts this week… my apologies in advance!
If I can’t get a workout up, and you’re looking for something to do, try plugging in the day of the week into the search terms box on the bottom right side of the page… you’re pretty likely to find something in the results that will get you through the day…
So, onwards… today is Monday, and on Monday we…
Relax!
That’s right, today is an easy rest & recovery day, so get yourself ready for a…
One Hour Recovery Spin.
Get on your bike.
Roll out into the street and just spin around for an hour.
Really small gear, no hard efforts – heck, no medium effort.
Spin. You’re looking to move your legs around in circles, almost like there is no chain on the bike.
The idea is to get your body moving, flush the systems out, and speed your recovery.
When you do your recovery ride -if you have the time- just get out and spin aimlessly.
At a certain point, your legs suddenly feel better.
As soon as that happens, turn around, go home, eat, stretch, and put your legs up.
…or, you know, go to work.
You might also get a little bit of core work in today. There’s a fair bit of content on that topic on here if you search for it
It’s Sunday, and yup… that means it’s Race Day (at least here in Seattle.)
That makes today’s plan pretty darn easy to figure out.
Go race.
It’s super early in the season. Heck, it’s barely even the season.
Keep that in mind today.
Go hard, but don’t get too down on yourself if things don’t work out perfectly.
If you’re feeling a little bit behind the eightball, and this is way too damn early to go full-gas for an hour, that’s OK.
Break the race up into manageable sections, andmeter your efforts.
Drill it in small chunks.
Nail the start and the first lap, then back off for the second.
Pile it back on for the third lap, taper down a bit for part of the next. Etc. , etc.
If you’re riding at 100% right now, you’re probably doing things wrong (unless your entire season is geared around doing well at StarCross. If it is? You damn well better be fast right now )
Above all, have fun.
SO, OK – that’s The Workout Of The Day, right?
Wrong.
Today, we’re all about Warming It Up.
I have had a couple of requests to talk about how the he** to warm up for a race, so here you go…
First of all, don’t overdo it.
I see way, way too many people spending a ridiculous amount of time on their trainers before the race, and frankly, I think a huge number of racers leave their best effort of the day back in the tent on the Gerbil Wheel before the race.
Don’t let this be you.
If you feel like you need to spend more than an hour warming up for your race, frankly you’re doing something wrong.
There’s been a fair bit written about warming up for cycling events, and if you spend any time at all reading through some of the stuff that’s out there, you will no doubt find that the only commonality is that most everyone disagrees.
Until you start reading some of the science, and some of the warm-up protocols suggested by those who have also read the science.
During endurance events of intermediate duration (4-5 min), performance is enhanced by warm-up irrespective of warm-up intensity
Note this interesting bit in the results –
There were no differences in anaerobic power output during the trials, but aerobic power output during the first 1000 m was larger during both EWU (203 W) and HWU (208 W) versus NWU (163 W) trials.
I pretty much never warm up for road races, unless I Know the first few K are going to be pedal to the metal. When people ask how I can get away with this (and they do!) I always respond with “that’s what the first lap/loop/5k is for…”
You can’t get away with this in Cyclocross.
You need to hit that first K, hell that first hundred meters at 100%, with all guns blazing.
Warming up definitely improves your aerobic power output over the first K of a race.
End of story. You need to warm up for Cyclocross.
How much do you need to warm up?
Well, here’s where we get into interesting territory.
The study I linked to above basically showed no difference between the results of warm ups conducted at different levels of intensity and duration. The key was simply to warm up, get the legs turning over.
However you do it, warming up helps.
Nice.
Remember this the next time all hell breaks loose and you can barely get in any kind of a workout before your race. Even a little bit of a warm up helps.
OK, it’s just a study. Heck, it’s just one study.
Frankly, for Cyclocross, I think you need to warm up pretty hard, if for no other reason than that you don’t want the shock of that F-ing start effort to hit your body (and mind!) like a ton of bricks.
What you don’t need to do is warm up for a long time.
After a certain point, all a long warmup does is get you tired. And that ain’t good…
tired?
OK, so what should your warm up look like?
Something like this…
Get on your bike.
Ride at a super easy level for 5 minutes. No pressure on pedals, recovery day light.
5 minutes more at just one notch higher.
2-3 minutes at right around your 20 minute output level.
then
2-3 minutes at one notch/gear easier
30 second race pace effort.
recover for 2 minutes easy…
30 second race pace effort.
recover for 2 minutes…
2 full-gas start efforts, 2 minutes between them.
Spin for 5 minutes.
Go race.
Ok.
That’s kinda’ the “In a perfect world” warm up.
In reality, you need to figure in course preview, getting all your stuff schlepped to where it needs to be, registration, yada, yada…
Ideally, your race day would look like this:
Wake up.
Eat breakfast.
Ride for an hour.
Snack, take a nap.
Eat lunch (3 hours before race.)
Course preview
(while mechanic preps bikes, team staff handles everything else.)
Snack, electrolyte drink, change into race clothing.
Warm up.
Race.
Yeah, right.
Oh well, we try.
Get as close to that as you can, and remember – the science shows that any warm up is better than none!
I’ve managed to do really well in races where the only warm up I got was a 1 or 2 lap preview of the course.
If you are forced to choose, always pre-ride rather than warm up.
You get a less than perfect course preview, and a less than perfect warm up, but part of each is better than none of one!
Ok, after all that, are you ready for the reality-based warm up?
Quite frankly, this is what I wind up doing most of the time, and almost always if I wind up stuck on the Gerbil Machine. It’s the –
R.S.W.O. – The Rock Stupid Warm-up and Opener –
First, get everything you need to do before the race done. Sign up, course preview, etc., etc. More questions you probably didn’t even have on the topic of race day routine answered here –
– Ride 30 seconds in this gear, then shift up one cog.
– Ride 30 seconds in this gear, then shift up one cog.
– Repeat until you hit the hardest gear you’ve got, or can handle.
– Ride 30 seconds in that gear, and then shift all the way back down to the Big/big combo.
– Ride 30 seconds in that gear, then immediately shift to hardest gear you can handle.
– Full gas sprint, out of the saddle, for 30 seconds.
Back to big/big combo.
– Spin for two minutes.
Repeat The entire sequence (Usually minus the 2nd “20 minute level” effort.
Phew.
Enough verbosity. G’night!
M
* If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about when I say “20 minute level”, enter “2×20″ in the search box on the right side of the page…
** The Warm Up routines I describe here are actually pretty hard, and believe it or not, are likely to be too damn hard and too long for non-elite racers. You will need to experiment and figure out what works for you. Don’t be afraid to cut the warm up short, or go easier. You don’t get a prize for winning the damn warmup…
This means that most of us are racing, and I’m operating on the assumption that your weekend race(s?) take place on Sunday. If you happen to be racing today instead?
Well… that means you know what you’re doing today, right?
Go Race!
For the rest of us, though, tomorrow is race day, which means – you guessed it – today we’re doing…
My apologies for getting this up so late… this is crazy time for me; the Interbike trade show is all next week, and I literally just got done with work at 1am… and now I’m blogging. Yay!
So, hey – here it is… better late than never, eh?
We rode pretty hard the last two days, and most of ya’all are racing this weekend, so today we’re going to get a little bit of leg speed work in. We’re doing…
Spin Ups –
– Get on your bike and warm up with a leisurely spin, 10-20 minutes.
– After you’re warm, find a nice, long, flat or slightly downhill section of road with little or no traffic.
– Begin interval by rolling into it at a moderate speed, in a gear that’s smaller than you would typically use to sprint.
– Get out of the saddle and sprint.
– Spin the gear up out of the saddle. When your leg speed gets to the point where it’s hard to maintain, sit down and keep going until you are totally spun-out. We’re talking fast, can’t turn ‘em over any faster…
Think Road-Runner fast…
– Repeat x3-5
Recover for 5 minutes, rolling around at a leisurely pace.
– Go again, same thing.
Recover, then repeat as time and fitness allow. Shoot for 3-5 sets of 3-5.
Spin out your legs, go home, and get ready for the weekend.
A word to the wise, OK? Be careful today. If you start these out and you just can’t get your motor running? It’s OK to back off. Do yourself a favor and go for a…
1-2 Hour Moderate Ride –
Get on your bike.
Go ride for an hour or two
No hard efforts, but do throw in a couple of moderate ones. By moderate, I mean just that. You can sprint for the town line, but you should be laughing while you do it.
You’re not doing a recovery spin, so you need to put a little bit of gas into the pedals… just don’t go out and kill yourself.
Check out the view, smell the flowers, just do it while you’re putting a little bit of effort into the pedals.
It’s Thursday, and the usual game plan is to get some running in today. That could be good…
Let’s talk a little bit about running for cyclocross.
I’ve laid out the actual stats on here before (and I’m too tired to go and dig ‘em out again,) but suffice to say, it’s incredibly rare that a cyclocross race actually has all that much running in it.
When you are running, it’s intense… but it’s for a short distance, and almost always up hill.
That’s why we train short, sharp, and uphill when we’re working our running.
Specificity, baby.
So, OK.
When you run, run hard, run short.
For most of us, it’s really not worth making a priority out of it, ’cause you just don’t run all that much in the races.
Now that the races are starting, though… when the hell are you going to get your running in, even the small amount we’ve been doing?
If you’re a normal, non-independently wealthy, day-job having person, you probably have a pretty damn limited amount of time to train.
Most of the time, once the season starts up, I stop programming running workouts into my training clients schedules.
Between racing, group skills sessions on Wednesdays, and other bike-oriented workouts, most folks get plenty of running in without devoting a day’s training specifically to it.
The time you would dedicate to running – during the season – is probably best spent working on something else.
Having said that, you need to keep track of how things are going in the races.
If you start getting dropped in all the running sections?
Yeah, maybe then you need to focus on the running a bit, or maybe schedule in a running-oriented phase of training if you start to notice you’re going backwards relative to your competition.
make sense?
So… about today.
Did you race on Monday?
Are you racing this weekend?
If the answer to both of these questions is “yes,” and if the race this weekend is one you care at all about, you probably shouldn’t be running today.
So, don’t.
Today, you’re doing…
Steep Hill Accelerations.
Here’s the drill:
– warm up well, 15 – 20 minutes or so.
– Find a hill that takes you 2-5 minutes to climb at full gas.
– The hill should be rideable in the big ring, but better done in the small ring.
– You are going to do a continuous series of accelerations on the hill. Like this:
Start climbing seated, at a comfortable pace.
After 10 seconds or so, get out of the saddle and accelerate hard. Punch it for 5 pedal strokes.
Sit back down for 5 pedal strokes.
Attack again for 5
Repeat to top of hill, 2-5 minutes, depending on your gas tank.
– Recover by coasting back down the hill.
– Do a set of 5-10, rest for 10 minutes, and repeat.
– Say “ouch,” spin out, go home, and lie down…
Notes:
– Accelerate as hard as you can, while still being able to complete the interval.
– Vary the gear throughout the intervals; attack in a big gear, then a small gear. Mix it up. Figure out what works best for you, and work on what doesn’t.
– Don’t just coast when you sit down after the attack; you are working on your ability to respond to and initiate attacks, so you need to attack from a fairly stiff tempo, and then settle back down to that, and then go again.
– Ouch.
– You will probably find this to be very frustrating if it’s your first time doing an interval session of this type. Don’t worry about it – it gets better, I promise.
If you didn’t race last weekend, if you aren’t racing this weekend, or if you just really want to get some running in?
I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend, and what was – for many of you – the first race of the year.
If you raced this weekend, before we get going I have a couple of questions for you:
– What went well for you in the race?
– What went poorly for you in the race?
– upon reflection, what did you come away from the race thinkin’ you needed to work on?
– Also upon reflection, what did you think you did well at the race, maybe one tiny little bit better than average, that you might just be able to hone into an advantage over the course of the season?
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.
Now, for the Workout Of The Day.
It’s Wednesday, and yes… 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 – 12 minutes
Skill #3 – 10 minutes
Skill #4 – 5-8 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.
Lots of people have been asking, and I’m pleased to be able to let you know that yes, the Marymoor Cyclocross Workouts will be happening again this year, and that they will start on Wednesday the 14th, at 6:30 pm.
I won’t personally be attending the first night’s festivities due to the Interbike trade show, but I look forward to seeing many of you out there in the weeks that follow.
You betcha. I do the personal coaching/trainer thing. Clients have included multiple National and even World Champions, and 2/3 of My Cyclocross athletes made the podium at Nationals in 2009, with one taking home the Stars and Stripes. Interested? Drop me a line at: crosssports@gmail.com
Yeah, that's right... if you have completely lost control of all sense of fiscal responsibility, you can now purchase silly articles of clothing with my blog address on them.
How cool is that?
Just go to - http://crosssports.spreadshirt.com/
and think "conspicuous consumption... mmm... feels so good..."
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