Base Training

[RoadRaven]

I did have a quick search to see if this had been discussed... and did find some references to it in triathalon threads, and in a few report analysis' of enduro rides and crits.

But there seemed to be nothing specifically about base training.

After his A priority race at the end of October, my partner is going to relax for a month or so. And he wants to coach me and have me doing base training.
This is great - he can see how frustrated I get when I do not reach my goals - mainly because when you work full-time and manage a house and family, you start to run out of time to do the essentials - like cycling!!!!

So... base training will begin a week or so before Christmas (I am on leave for the whole of January, and because school finishes mid-December, I can bike-commute to work every day - a 49km round trip).

I will do no racing until the end of January BUT... I am building for a Masters event in February, and then the cycling leg of a triathalon in March.
This should also leave me in good nick for an interclub series in April. If this regime is successful, I will consider building up again for the Nationals in October 2009.

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I am going to find it hard doing no racing - it is summer here, and that means I will not be able to do most of the summer time trial series (TTs are my favourite discipline), let alone all the interesting and pretty Saturday races.

I am also going to find it hard because I will probably be tired all the time - I will be lifting my hours per week in the saddle from 5-7, to 10+

The third reason I will find it hard is I will be changing my diet to match in many respects what has worked for my partner... no pasta or bread but lots of rice. Less yoghurt and cheese but still plenty of lowfat/sugar milk, no biscuits or cakes, very little chocolate but lots of nuts (like macadamia, cashew, pine - NOT peanuts), tonnes of fruit...


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So I am wondering... who else here has done base training or has supported a friend/colleague/client through base training.

Any comments on "the plan"?

Any suggestions or tips?

[crazycanuck]

RR, good question & I too look forward to the info!

btw...we''ll be on the north island around christmas.... Is a day trip from Rotovegas to Napier doable??

[Jiffer]

From my limited understanding of Base Training, it can look quite different for everyone depending on your goals, the methods you use and how dedicated and serious you are. I have read bits of the book Base Training for Cyclists (pretty sure that's the right name). The basic idea is basically to build a solid layer of training with which to grow from to reach whatever goals you want to achieve. Like the foundation of a house.

Everyone who takes up cycling consistently, develops some sort of a base, no matter what they do (unless they lollygag every ride and never push themselves whatsoever). It just may not be as solid of a base as someone who is aggressively pursuing the strongest base possible for their specific body, abilities and goals.

Let's say a beginner rides her bike for a season and starts by riding 10 to 20 miles at 12 mph. It's the best she can do without having "any" base. By the end of the season she is riding 20 to 40 miles and doing it at 13 to 14 average pace. She is now at her fitness "peak" for the season and she has now built a base. She takes a break for winter. When she starts riding again in the Spring, she has lost "some" of her momentum. She can't go as fast as she was at the end of the previous season, but she is not starting all over again at square one as a beginner, because she has built some sort of base. She still has some of the strength and fitness she had achieved the previous season. It shouldn't take her "too" long to get to the level of fitness she was at her previous season ... and then hopefully build from there.

The book basically talks about seasons like this. You begin your season by building up your base, annually, not over doing it by simply riding as fast as you can every single time you ride. You use various training techniques to either build endurance, speed or climbing ability (the book recommends focusing on one at a time). You have goals of specific events you want to train for. At some point during the season you "peak". You are at your strongest for that season, and maybe ever. But you cannot maintain that strength year round. It's too difficult on your body, which needs some recovery time. Once you recover, you start up again and do it all over again, hopefully gaining more strength, endurance, speed, etc. with each season.

So there's my little tidbits on my understanding of base training. It sounds like you are going for it aggressively, so you'll probably get great results. Good luck!

[TrekTheKaty]

Selene Yeager's book, "Every woman's guide to Cycling," addresses building your training plan with easy, tempo, interval, hills and long rides. I haven't used it yet, but looks pretty standard.

[Eden]

I do a good amount of base, but I do it during the winter. Once race season rolls around I'm usually in a build-recover cycle.

[RoadRaven]

I do a good amount of base, but I do it during the winter. Once race season rolls around I'm usually in a build-recover cycle.

Hey there Eden
Winter would have my preference, but as I work fulltime and don't want to ride at night and dislike too much time on a stationary trainer, my hours are always lower during winter. Add into that that during winter I am supporting my partner in his build toward the National Championship, and I just can't - I need to organise children, meals etc etc because he is just too tired on his own build 500-700km weeks at times).

If things were ideal, and I could peak when I wanted, I would be peaking for the Summer TT series.

However, there are 3 events in late Summer/Autumn I want to peak for, so doing a spring/summer base build up might work ok.

So there's my little tidbits on my understanding of base training. It sounds like you are going for it aggressively, so you'll probably get great results.

Thanks for all that Jiffer. It confrms where I am at I think.

I started biking at 38yrs of age in 2003, with 303km for the year
In 2005 I did 2530km
In 2006, I did 3718km
Last year I managed to rack up 4583km

Together with what I have done this year, I now have a foundation of 14,471kms. However, since I April 2006, I have raced almost every Saturday, so this new approach to "doing base" is truly a "new" approach.

In a way, I am even beginning to look forward to not racing for a while.

Selene Yeager's book, "Every woman's guide to Cycling," addresses building your training plan

I've seen you mention it in a couple of threads and have made a note to investigate it more. At the moment I use Gale Bernhardt's book "The Female cyclist:Gearing Up A Level, Its based on Joe Friel's "Cyclists Training Bible". Both of these might be worth you investigating as well (while I investigate yours )

[TrekTheKaty]

Always hard to find cycling books--I just ordered it. Thanks!

[smilingcat]

I started biking at 38yrs of age in 2003, with 303km for the year
In 2005 I did 2530km
In 2006, I did 3718km
Last year I managed to rack up 4583km

Together with what I have done this year, I now have a foundation of 14,471kms. However, since I April 2006, I have raced almost every Saturday, so this new approach to "doing base" is truly a "new" approach.

WOW!! Not sure how you are going to take it but 4500km/year or about 375km/month of riding, you are doing really well. And if I recall your time, it is pretty good.

your husband riding 700km, it better be for the month. not per week. And I used to train about +300km/week but that was when I was in my early 30's. Now days I just toot around and ride 150-200km/week (on weeks when I can ride).

I think it would be good for you to focus on some key races and do the base training, periodizing to hit your peak on the race day. Afterwards you can decide to do what you been doing or go with your new training plan.

wish you lots of luck and cheering you on your TT.

smilingcat

[RoadRaven]

btw...we''ll be on the north island around christmas.... Is a day trip from Rotovegas to Napier doable??

No sadly. From my place to Rotorua would take 4-5hours (depending on traffic). It may be a small country, but roads do not always go in a straight line, and are often windy... so it can take a while to get somewhere which, "as the crow flies" looks very short...

And in the middle of summer we can't really leave the farm...