V-CLUB TRAINING CORNER
We’ve teamed up with Marilyn Trout, certified USA Cycling Elite Coach to answer V-Club members’ training questions. You can view her coach profile at: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/coachdirectory/searchbydiscipline.asp#MarilynTrout
Send your cycling inquiries to Marilyn, and for a limited time, if yours is selected to be answered in our V-Club column, VeloWear will send you a $20 gift certificate that can be used towards any purchase on VeloWear.com. To submit your inquiry, e-mail her at trout_mic@msn.com, and type “V-Club Training Question” in the subject line of the e-mail.
Training for a Multi-day Tour on Limited Time
V-Club member David Brown is our 18th winner of a $20 VeloWear gift certificate! His question that follows was answered by Peg Labiuk (nee Peggy Maass), a colleague of Marilyn Trout, and a certified NCCP level 3 coach with a career in international road and track racing. She is a World Championship medalist, World Record holder, U.S. Olympic Team member, former British national team coach and Kreb's Cycle co-founder (British Columbia, Canada).
I'm 56. I started riding in July 2007 so that I could ride in the BAK with my 18-year-old son in June 2008. My first ride was 0.9 miles and I thought I was going to die. I got better and completed every mile of the BAK. But, every day I was exhausted and watched the pavement 4 feet ahead as I pedaled counting off miles in my head. I've signed up for the BAK again in hopes I will be stronger and maybe will have the energy to view the scenery as I ride. What training advice do you have for someone planning a week-long trip of about 70 miles per day? I'm a lawyer and I work 10 hour plus days.
Thanks.
David
Dear David,
You are a prime example of someone who would benefit greatly from coaching. You have clearly identified your goals, honestly assessed your past and current fitness levels, and cited some issues you are looking for help with. I think you are doing an awesome job of fitting in training with your demanding job. I wouldn’t have a lot to change in that area, but I do have many ideas in the areas of motivation, nutrition, and establishing a routine to get you on the right track.
While you have set out the goal of cycling the BAK with your head up and completing it with more energy, you want a plan to get your there. By setting up training in blocks, it makes the preparation more manageable and builds in rest breaks for recovery and prevention of illness and injury. I work backwards from the date of the key event; in this case BAK starts June 5. About 3 weeks before that, I schedule your hardest week. For you, I’d select a one-day, weekend ride of 80 miles, since that is your longest day en route. If you can do that ride, you’ll go into the BAK knowing you can go the distance of any day. You might even go out and pre-ride one of the ’09 80-mile courses for additional reconnaissance.
Now, there isn’t a lot of time left to prepare for this year, but there are some key things to attend to. As you may know from reading any of my previous answers, I am adamant about making sure that the athlete’s bike is set up optimally. You mention having two bikes that you ride, which is great as long as they fit, and the position is as close as possible to the same for each. Next, get yourself a training diary. Oh no, you are not too old for this. Even a chart with gold stars on the fridge will keep track of the workouts you fit in and reward you for the extras, like doing your abs, planks, or even cleaning your bike. I suggest you also monitor your nutrition, especially fluid intake, as I suspect you may be dehydrated, maybe drink coffee all day? That could account for some of your fatigue and lethargy.
Finally, you could establish an exercise routine. Make sure you have some cool Voler clothing to put on, to suit up. Maybe there are some warm-up exercises you want to do before you go out, which gives you some time to mentally prepare. Here’s where you review the goal of the ride and talk to yourself about how good you are going to feel when you are done. Somedays, you may have to push yourself out the door, promising yourself that if you don’t feel better after 20 minutes, you can go home and try again another day. When you are done, do your stretches and give yourself the gold star. Once you have a routine working, I think you’re confidence will increase to a level where you’ll enjoy and look forward to riding even more. Now hurry, only 6 weeks to go!
Peg