The first steps to developing a plan are located here. Step #4: Divide Year Into Periods Periodization topic can get quite in-depth. The purpose of periodization is to make sure you are in top-form when you need it the most (priority A races). Periodization is ultimately your foundation for the annual training plan. The best way to summarize periodization is by looking at the chart below (this is a direct copy from Friel’s Triathlete...
Wanted to ride Fort Custer so went on the board to check trail conditions. This is the childish banter that even happens with simple questions about trail conditions (between two other members). The dialog between the members is below. How sad those forums have become. Also pretty useless since there was no info on actual conditions, just some children bickering. Does seem like the username Bigtymer has some mental issues. Especially after claiming to...
With goals and training objectives set, time to plan out the year. Step #1: Set Annual Hours Friel’s Triathlete Training Bible has a set of suggested training hours: Ironman Distant: 600-1200 hours Half-Ironman: 500-700 hours Olympic: 400-600 hours Sprint: 300-500 hours. To translate this to strictly mountain bike racing, I’d put Expert category the same as Olympic and Sport as Sprint. Step #2: Prioritize Your Races Priority A Races: The most important races. No...
Most of us know our weakness, but it help to review past race data to see the relationship between HR, power, speed, cadence, etc. This will help pinpoint your limiters. For me, my limiter is both muscular and anaerobic endurance. Two VERY big items. Your training objectives should be targeted toward your limiters and your goals. Since I’m training for four sports (triathlon and mountain biking) how I target my limiters is unique. My...
How will you know if you’ve had a successful season? That is the fundamental question to ask yourself when setting your annual goals for the next season. Setting a goal of “Winning the expert category in my mountain bike races” or “Winning Iceman in my division” are not really good goals to set. To set proper goals, they should meet the following criteria: Criteria #1: Can it be measured? There has to be a...
Quick installation of new BB.
2012 season starts this week. Ease into strength training this week and increase intensity as weeks go on. Slowly add in running and then spin class. Soon, I’ll be back on the trainer doing base workouts. I’m so excited (not really).
For 2012, I’m working on identifying my limiters. It’s easy to say ‘everything’ but trying to be more specific. This is where WKO and Training Peaks shine. Take a look at the screen shot below which compares two different triathlons. At first glance, this may not make any sense, but if you read my post on Quadrant Analysis, it may become more clear. There are four quads in this graph: Quad 1: High Force...
As I build my new training plain in Training Peaks, I’ve narrowed down my 2012 season goals. 1. Finish two half-ironman distance triathlons. By finish, I mean survive. 2. Personal Best in both Xterra events (Fort Custer and Torn Shirt). This will put emphasis on my trail running. 3. Finish Iceman in 1:50:00 to 1:55:00, depending on course conditions. 4. Finish top 5 in at least 4 mountain bike races, Expert class. To accomplish...
Still looking at the Epic 29er, but I’m getting really tired of Specialized and their proprietary parts. As mentioned before, the BB on my bike is broke and replacing it requires ordering a part that only exists at Specialized or in Europe. Between Specialized and Shimano proprietary parts, it’s amazing how many times they try to reinvent the wheel. I may move to Niner or another brand that uses more universal parts so when...
