Training Question

[Bianchi]

Each muscle fiber has a nerve ending running to it and in a well conditioned muscle these nerve endings fire simultaneously. When you stop training, your initial "loss" pertains to losing sync between these nerve ending. Catching up again is relatively quick - just restore sync. Losing real conditioning is when your logistical transport system goes for a ball of chalk - after about 3 months your capillaries really start to deteriorate. The biggest problem of resuming training again is that your mind tells you that you can start where you have stopped, and then your mind starts with that process of cognitive dissonance.

 

I don't want to derail this thread or start another one that's going to get the same people answering the same stuff as above.

 

I've had that same problem.

I'm 25now, I used to ride a lot for several years (250+ per week), stopped riding for two years, then three weeks ago I bought myself a mtb and entered for the Down n Dirty Nissan race.

 

I have time to ride 35km rides at around a 19 average in the week, and did a 60km (700m climbing) mtb ride yesterday, but I expect a lot more from myself due to past "levels" that I was on.

Once I get past my lungs burning out, I feel fine, but hills are obviously still a killer.

Being relatively new to mtb too, Is there a "target time" that sounds plausible for the upcoming 40km next week? I am hoping to get past 20ave for it at least.

[Enticement]

I don't want to derail this thread or start another one that's going to get the same people answering the same stuff as above.

 

I've had that same problem.

I'm 25now, I used to ride a lot for several years (250+ per week), stopped riding for two years, then three weeks ago I bought myself a mtb and entered for the Down n Dirty Nissan race.

 

I have time to ride 35km rides at around a 19 average in the week, and did a 60km (700m climbing) mtb ride yesterday, but I expect a lot more from myself due to past "levels" that I was on.

Once I get past my lungs burning out, I feel fine, but hills are obviously still a killer.

Being relatively new to mtb too, Is there a "target time" that sounds plausible for the upcoming 40km next week? I am hoping to get past 20ave for it at least.

 

Your brain, your ultimate anticipatory regulator, reserves a number of muscle cells for emergency purposes. The more you are conditioned the more cells your brain allow to be used for non-emergencies - that is called "pacing strategy". The target time as you mention is dependent on too many variables like topography, weather conditions, stored and available energy and others. So, on the day, don't even think of performing better than what you have trained for. If you do - expect cramping! The process of conditioning is aimed at exposing your body and mind to your level of performance you expect from it. So, if you have trained for 20 ave, you will perform at 20 ave! That is why athletes do interval training - but there are 4 types and each type has different levels of intensity. And these must preferably be dealt with in a sequential manner.