Training - you either love it or hate it

...and I guess if you hate it you aren't an endurance athlete. Or not a very adept one.

You get a lot of philosophies thrown around when trying to figure out how to ride as fast as you can through the woods 10-20 times a year for 2 or so hours at a time.

"Train smarter not harder" "You gotta train slow to get fast" "Maximize the time you allot to training" blah, blah, blah. Intermixed with all of that you have the individual limitations each person has genetically, i.e. some people are just better suited to endurance racing, some have more fast-twitch muscle fibres and can sprint better, lung volume, competitive edge, etc. You can't neglect the scientific aspects of training as well - increasing your VO2max, using watts as a measure of power output and to quantify improvement, training using heart rate zones, anaerobic threshold training... It can get overwhelming - probably why a lot of amateur racers use the old "I just ride a lot and therefore end up faster" philosophy.

One has to consider as well the athletic nature of mountain bike racing (or cycling in general for that matter)...meaning - the idea is to 'keep the rubber side down' and, as such, one must always be mindful of the ever present need to hone the handling or technical skills.

I love to train. I just do. Sometimes people will ask, 'Why do you put yourself through the agony?' Why? 'Cause I love the pain - it's why we do what we do. When you are 'in the tank', 'the hurt locker', and/or 'the pain cave' nothing else matters. It's you, the bike, your form, and the racer ahead of and/or behind you and whether or not they are willing to 'make their eyes bleed' as much as you are. While this probably sounds like garbage to most of y'all - it is my Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas morning served in one yummified serving!

Results are not the most important thing to me when I train. I just stay in the moment and enjoy the training for what it is. I do some pre-race mental prepping the day before a race - mainly to run through a checklist of everything I'll need the day of - forgetting something at home can spell disaster.

With all that said - my last race of any real significance was the Rockcrusher Classic III back in May. The RC III was the 4th race in the SCRCS series. The series (mercifully) takes the summer off and jumps off again Spetember 7th in Oxford, MS - The Clear Creek Classic. I currently sit in 2nd place overall in the Singlespeed division. With three races left and 2 of the 7 total races being 'drop' races I actually sit in a 'virtual' 3rd place. Holding onto 2nd is my focus but it will take some work (up to me) and luck (out of my hands).

Given 12 weeks to prepare an unexpected bit of luck fell right into my lap. I was asked to complete an online survey and, in return, was given a free 12-week coached build phase training program for intermediate to advanced cyclists. PERFECT! Now's the time to get down to some proper training without any guesswork on my part.

Placing trust in a coach has had mixed results for me in the past. I used a live coach who met with me and 2 other guys twice a week before the 2007 racing season began. We based all our training sessions on wattage, i.e. the amount of power a cyclist generates while 'working'. Very technical sessions with graphs, PC printouts, data that was beyond my ability to digest and 12 of the most painful weeks I've ever spent on a bike leading up to my first race of the season. Result: I got my doors blown off for about 3 months until I could recover from the agony of the brutal sessions. But hey, I gained 60 watts on my 30 min time trial by the end of the 12 weeks! (eye roll)

Before this season I did what I wanted which was ride my mountain bike on trails, a lot. My technical skills seemed vastly improved, and being that MTB riding is essentially like riding intervals, my fitness stayed intact. But the podium elduded me all spring. So close but no cigars (OK I did get a whole box of bubble gum cigars when KR was born). I was having a lot of fun, but being so close and not placing irked me. Was it genetics? My diet? What gives?

Back to the aforementioned free training plan. It is an online coach and I don't have any personal contact - it's a general plan designed to cover what should generally help an 'intermediate to advanced cyclist' in the 'build phase' of their training. Well, I had 13 weeks until my next important race and a 12 week plan. I'm repeating myself...

So far, it has been a very manageable plan. Taking the guesswork out of my training has given me more time to be an at-home dad in the evenings, cook healthier meals, etc. The main difference is that I am training with weights 2 times a week so I feel better overall and am less 'bike tired.' Who knows what the end result will be but having a goal in sight and having a plan to get there makes life so much easier sometimes.

Awjeah!