Myths of Race Training and Other Things

My ole friend, Lou Tice said, "It ain't what you don't know that will hurt you, it is what you know that ain't so."   Of course, he was talking about life in general.    I have always used sports as tool to teach myself and others, things we could apply to our lives in general.

I have realized lately that there are many examples, of people operating on untruths, in cycling.   So, I thought I might uncover a few myths.  Of course, I am coming at this from my perspective……65/8-9 years in the sport/racing….you know the act.

MYTH:  TRAINING ALL THE TIME

Several times a year someone tells me they just can't train all the time, they just like to ride.   Christina and I really only adhere to scheduled training a few weeks a year.  For 9-10 months a year, we just ride our bikes.   Eddie Mercx once gave a tip to a person wanting to become pro, "Ride your bike….a lot!"  We do as we like riding…….a lot.  We ride solo, in groups, fast, slow, climbing…..you name it.   Make no mistake, we are not noodlin'.  Each ride has purpose……..fitness, fun, recovery, sight seeing, coffee, whatever.  We try to know what we are doing prior to clipping in.   Even though this is loosely scheduled, it does serve as practice and therefore deserves focus.

MYTH:  YOU NEED A COACH

Coaches can be valuable, particularly if you are a multisport athlete………..triathlon training is complicated and wasting effort is not so good.   Cycling is simple.  You don't really need a lot.   Unless you have coach or you are willing to learn power training, forget a power meter.   You won't know what the heck to do with it.   As, I just stated, most of the time, you just need to ride a lot.   Why do you need someone to tell you that.  Save your money and find a partner with which to ride and train……someone that mostly shares your goals.

MYTH:  RACE TRAINING REQUIRES A STRICT SCHEDULE AND AWFUL INTERVALS

Actually, Christina and I do very few intervals.  If I want to be at the top of my game, it takes 4 weeks.
Three weeks I train and one I taper.   This is really intense and that is why we only do it a very short time.   I start the 4th(taper week) Monday for the SC STATE RR/NC STATE RR.  Here is what I will have done during the 4-5 weeks:

*  5 Tuesday Worlds Championships
*  2 Speedway training crits
*  1 - 20K TT
*  2 Park Hill rides - we do laps with 3 hill sprints in each that are 20-60 seconds long.  Usually 3-5 laps which means 9-15 sprints.
*  4-5 hard long rides - 50-70 miles each.  These contain efforts like FARLEKS that fit the terrain…….the Watershed in SC or Twin Peaks in Tucson.   I do several of them in each ride and they vary from 2-30 minutes in length.  I go about 90% so the short ones are more intense than the long ones.  I like to make these longer than the races and in similar terrain.   Since I am not going race pace, the longer distance brings the total training load for the workout to that of the race.  When I did the 3 days at Tucson Bike Classic, I thought the races were easier than the training………not a bad way feel in competition!
*  Other rides are just recovery, easy, fat burners or fillers……because I like to ride.
*  I rest a lot.

NOTE:  Christina is in New Hamsphire and she will do a couple of Spin bike workouts this week…short and intense.

I think the key to our training being effective in this month period, is the training races.   Racing is the best training for racing.  My actual scheduled SC/NC events will be 3 races and I want training races that look very much like them.   I love this stuff.   I would much rather do the Tuesday World's than go find a hill and ride up and down it!   The race training is much more effective.  In Tucson, the DOGS have a couple of rides that simulate races and there is Saturday morning world famous SHOOTOUT.  Every place has these.

It shocks me that most folks just don't understand the need for training races.   You can not go out and represent yourself competitively in any event when your prep consists of just riding.   I have tried it.  All the sports in which I have been involved are similar.  Competition is the most effective training.

MYTH:  YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING AND GET BETTER

In fact, I call this insanity:  Doing the same thing and expecting different results.  I recently ask a racer how effective doing the Tuesday Dogs Hill Ride, in Tucson, 50 weeks a year was for him.   He said he did the ride differently from week to week.  OK, this is the best training group on the planet (in my opinion) but give me a break.   Can you imagine a runner doing 8x200m on Tuesday every week for a year??  Confusion is one of the key training principals………you must mix it up or the body adapts.  Besides, when I do this ride as hard as I do it, I nearly kills myself.   I can only suffer like this a few times a year.  I would rather go to prison than go this hard every Tuesday for a year.  Well, that may be an exageration?

I suspect many of you are limiting what you are accomplishing, on and off the bike, based on what you believe that is not necessary so.  Check your self out on this……..I do every day.

For these upcoming races, the hay is in the barn……..some race training efforts left in taper but that is just to 'keep the edge' while I rest.  I have it…….it comes down now to 'doing it'.

See ya out there.