How to plan a weekly training schedule?

[Ollie]

I'm not sure if this is the best way to go about my training, but it's at least more structured than the current "do what I feel like" ad hoc rides. I'd have a look at the main ride of the week, and plan the training schedule around it.  Something like this:

Durbanville Funride:

ROUTE DESCRIPTION This funride takes cyclists around the undulating countryside in the greater Durbanville and Wellington area. The long route follows Wellington Road out of Durbanville, turning right onto the R312 to pass the Fisantekraal aerodrome and the four-way stop. Cyclists then turn left onto the R44, and left again onto the second Voor-Paardeberg Road, left onto the road past the Sonop Winery, right at the Paardeberg Road t-junction and left again onto the R302/304. Cyclists will turn right at the silo?s and follow the Philadelphia Road before returning to Durbanville via Adderley Road. The 48 km route turns left at the R312/R304 (?naartjie sellers?) intersection and follows the same route from the silo?s.

Key phrase: undulating countryside.  So I know it won't be very flat.  With that in mind, I reckon I should focus a bit more on the hills with my training this week.  So:

 

Today: rest

Tuesday: 21.8 km hilly route

Wednesday: 45-60 minutes of climbing the same +- 8 min hill (intervals?)

Thursday: 25 km mostly flat

Friday: rest

Saturday: RACE

Sunday: Slow 20km to loosen the muscles.

 

Thoughts?

[BikeMax]

You may need to plan a little further in advance - any adaptations from your training will take more than a week to begin to show. I would suggest a 3 month plan might be more realistic.

 

Most of our races are fairly dependent on a decent power at threshold (60 min power) as this is the main determinant of cycling performance, particularly over any rolling terrain or climbs.

 

The zones that will improve this power are what we call tempo or L3 and threshold or L4. Tempo is moderate to hard steady pace (~80-85% MHR) and threshold is very hard (~85-90% MHR) Try and build at least 2 tempo rides over 90 mins into your week along with one threshold session of say, 2 x 15-20 mins with 10 min rest periods (Can do these on a climb)

 

Good luck.

 

[Kriek]

Ollie, dit gaan nie help jy druk al hierdie hillclimbing stuff in hierdie week nie.Soos Bikemax s?, dit vat n paar weke vir jou liggaam om aantepas.As jy hierdie week wil begin met sulke harde oefeninge, dan moet die Durbanville race nie jou groot doel wees nie, want n uitgeruste liggaam ry beter as n moe? een.Sterkte

[PokerFace]

Everywhere I read that you choose an event and start training for it 3 months in advance, steadily increasing itensity and tapering off just before the race/event. My question is: I don't prepare for only one event (e.g. Argus). How should you train once you are in the racing seaon with a race every week. How does the tapering vs. intensity vs. distance work in the middle of a race season?

[Red Zone]

I had the same problem Pokerface. I now stick to three weekly cycles of intensity and distance, which is roughly skewed to accomodate big races such as the DC / Burger / Argus, I just makes sure that I slot in a good rest week every three or four weeks followed by a build week and a peak week. The main thing is to have enough rest in the program and some good LSD and Interval training. Seems to work for me.

 

And keep a training diary it works wonders to keep you on track

[racman]

I watch a lot of sport on TV as part of my essential mental preparation. The physical aspect is taken care of by walking to the fridge during every break for refreshments and energy replenishments. This is absolutely essential to avoid dehydration ("remember don't wait until you feel thirsty before you have a drink. Drink regularly" - was inspired to start drinking after reading this advice in both "RIDE" and "Bicycling" mags) 

[fandacious]

Today: rest
Tuesday: 21.8 km hilly route
Wednesday: 45-60 minutes of climbing the same +- 8 min hill (intervals?)
Thursday: 25 km mostly flat
Friday: rest
Saturday: RACE
Sunday: Slow 20km to loosen the muscles.

Thoughts?

 

What are your goals. Without dissing you, those distances arent going to prepare you for a 100km race. Intervals are important, but so are miles. The sun comes up early enough now to do an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. If you can get 2hrs a day in it will make a massive improvement in your training. Also, sunday after the race, go for a slow 3hr ride

[PokerFace]

I had the same problem Pokerface. I now stick to three weekly cycles of intensity and distance' date=' which is roughly skewed to accomodate big races such as the DC / Burger / Argus, I just makes sure that I slot in a good rest week every three or four weeks followed by a build week and a peak week. The main thing is to have enough rest in the program and some good LSD and Interval training. Seems to work for me.

 

And keep a training diary it works wonders to keep you on track

[/quote']

Thanks FF. I'll give it a go.

[PokerFace]

Today: rest
Tuesday: 21.8 km hilly route
Wednesday: 45-60 minutes of climbing the same +- 8 min hill (intervals?)
Thursday: 25 km mostly flat
Friday: rest
Saturday: RACE
Sunday: Slow 20km to loosen the muscles.

Thoughts?

 

What are your goals. Without dissing you' date=' those distances arent going to prepare you for a 100km race. Intervals are important, but so are miles. The sun comes up early enough now to do an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. If you can get 2hrs a day in it will make a massive improvement in your training. Also, sunday after the race, go for a slow 3hr ride

[/quote']

fandacious - do you train for 2 hours a day for 7 days a week?

PokerFace2007-10-16 00:53:27

[BikeMax]

 

Everywhere I read that you choose an event and start training for it 3 months in advance' date=' steadily increasing itensity and tapering off just before the race/event. My question is: I don't prepare for only one event (e.g. Argus). How should you train once you are in the racing seaon with a race every week. How does the tapering vs. intensity vs. distance work in the middle of a race season?[/quote']

 

Fair question - and one of the biggest challenges in planning your training.

 

It is certainly possible to keep a good level of fitness over a 3 month race season. I usually get guys to categorise races into priority order (A,B or C) so that an A race will get a full taper (at the expense of some fitness) and B & C relatively less taper (A C race will see you racing tired and using it as training)

 

If you have built a good level of fitness over the time period pre the season, then what you typically would see is a gradual drop off in fitness over the course of the season. This is because you will inevitably be doing less volume and slightly more intensity (Both from the racing and also to sharpen up in training)

 

Generally, the intensity is done in the week and the volume at the weekend in the form of a race and then some easier distance the following day. So the challenge is to maintain threshold power by ensuring you are doing at least some L4 work, improving shorter duration power with some L6 work (1 min intervals) and filling in the balance of your time with some L3 tempo (good for threshold but will not fatigue you as much as L4) and then rest or easy days directly before and after the race - might look like this;

 

Mon - Rest

Tues - L6

Wed - L3

Thurs -L4

Fri - L3

Sat - Easy

Sun - Race

 

or

 

Mon - L6

Tues - L3

Wed - L4

Thurs - L3

Fri - Easy

Sat - Race

Sun - Long easy to moderate.

 

[PokerFace]

Thanks Bikemax. Could you please quickly define L3, L4, L5 and L6? I presume you are talking about HR zones with L6 being very intense?

[BikeMax]

 

Thanks Bikemax. Could you please quickly define L3' date=' L4, L5 and L6? I presume you are talking about HR zones with L6 being very intense?

[/quote']

 

All HR figurees are a guide and are expressed as a %age of threshold HR NOT Max.

 

L1 = active recovery

L2 = Endurance (70-83%)

L3 = Tempo (84-94%)

L4 = Threshold (95-105%

L5 = V02 Max (>106%)

L6 = Anaerobic work capacity (HR not applicable as responds too slowly)

 

Hope that makes sense.

 

[racman]

BikeMax - where are you based?

[Ollie]

 

Everywhere I read that you choose an event and start training for it 3 months in advance' date=' steadily increasing itensity and tapering off just before the race/event. My question is: I don't prepare for only one event (e.g. Argus). How should you train once you are in the racing seaon with a race every week. How does the tapering vs. intensity vs. distance work in the middle of a race season?[/quote']

Thanks PokerFace, this is the same situation I am in.  I have a funride almost every weekend, leading up to the bigger events (I am doing the Burger and Argus).  For that reason, I thought it a good idea to adapt my training to the main ride of the week.  I guess it's not such a fantastic idea, but hey, I'm new to this.

What are your goals. Without dissing you' date=' those distances arent going

to prepare you for a 100km race. Intervals are important, but so are

miles. The sun comes up early enough now to do an hour in the morning

and an hour in the evening. If you can get 2hrs a day in it will make a

massive improvement in your training. Also, sunday after the race, go

for a slow 3hr ride[/quote']

Well, I started riding 17 days ago.  Okay, a couple days before that on the IDT.  I am a novice, and hadn't been on a bike in years.

 

I have it in my head that I want to complete the Argus in five hours or less.  It's difficult to say if that is an easy or accurate goal at this stage, since it's still early days. That is my main goal, and my secondary is to finish the Burger, perhaps even bordering on five hours.

 

At this point in my training, I am doing between 20-25 km per session, and I did my first 40km funride on Saturday.  In general, I'd like to stay above 23 km/h average on these funrides -- I'm using them as training for the centuries.

 

I'm pressed for time, so two hours a day is going to be very difficult...

 

[BikeMax]

 

BikeMax - where are you based?

 

Based in CT but all our services and coaching are online.

 

[racman]

thx - Will "pm" you shortly