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Now is the time of year to
think about working on endurance, strength and power. You should continue with some speed
work, but it should be longer in distance and less intense work than you would do in the
spring/summer. Assuming your race season will run from June to September, follow these
basic guidelines from January to May. Begin your training plan
thinking in terms of 4 week blocks of time. Start the first 4 week block training at
approximately 7.5% of your Total time spent training per year. So if you spent 300hrs.
training over the last year then you'd be looking at 22.5hrs of training time in the first
block (this will include both cycling and running). Build up to about 10% of your Total
training time by the end of April.
Your training time needs to be spent wisely. There's no point in
putting in hour after hour of "junk miles". You'll be in great shape but have no
strength or speed. I know this from experience … been there, done that!! Here's how
your time should be spent during the winter months. Again this is intended for both
cycling and running.
Endurance - 75% to 65%
- You know, the nice slow and easy stuff.
Strength - 10% to 15%
- Hills both running and on the bike, weights, push ups, crunches etc.
Intervals - Approx. 10%
- Keep them long and less intense, 1000m+ running and 5min on the bike.
Race/Pace - Approx. 5%
- Run or bike at your intended race pace. Add this in more towards the end of winter
training season.
Remember the key to success is planning. You need to have some idea
of what your goals are (realistically) and make plans around your goal. We've all heard it
before … STAY FOCUSED! At least at the beginning of each week, plan what you
will do for the week. Most of all, be flexible. If you miss a day, get sick, whatever,
don't worry about it. Just get back to your plan as soon as you can. It's not like missing
a few days training here and there will derail your whole season!!
Richard Boothroyd - Team Champion |
