jmax24 said:
The first of June I felt like I really peaked.I won my first mtb race,the next day I set a pb on my local trail and two days later set a pb for 3 laps at my trail.Now I just don't feel near as strong.It seems like I don't have the top end near as long and it takes me longer to recover after above LT efforts.
How long should I go back in my log to see what worked so great for my peak in June so that I can repeat it in the future.1 month, 2 months etc..?Thanks,Jason
You should go to Barnes and Noble (or equivalent book store) and read the Friel Book. He pretty anally explains how to plan build periods and subsequent peaks. He has a few "rule of thumbs" for planning the year. But the basic rules are:
1. Pick your peaks sufficiently far apart; target key races. June and September may work well for you. Two peaks is what typical experienced cyclist target.
2. Plan for one or two weeks off the bike in between these two cycles. Stay active, but away from the bike. Helps avoid late season burnout.
3. You build to the second peak similarly to how you built for the first. May want to tweak your plan to work on some newly discovered weaknesses. Typical build periods last two months. Build periods may have to be modified to fit peak timing.
4. Race periods should be 3 to 6 weeks long. This is the period you trained for. You just race, work on your personal strength once a week, recover, and race again.
From all the books I read, Friel's is the best for planning your year out. All other books seem just to give you a little to draw you into a personal coach (Carmichael); they give you the workouts, but don't explain how to put an annual plan together. Without planning, it's all just a shot in the dark.
