Overtrained????

[velogirl]

I'll throw a little fly in the ointment here.

There are those in the exercise phys. world who don't believe over-training exists. Our body has an incredible ability to adapt to training stress. Which means we can continue to do crazy things like stage races, riding cross country, ultra-marathons, etc. Yeah, I know, everyone talks about over-training. My athletes keep all the standard physiological markers in their journal (morning HR, mood, sleep quality, etc). But there are those in the coaching biz who feel it's just a term we all use a lot. I've worked with racers who clearly aren't over-trained but use the term to explain any decrease in performance.

As was mentioned earlier, the fine line is your level of freshness. That's what sounds like is suffering right now, SheFly.

In and of itself, your road + cross season has been pretty short. But this is your first season of racing, isn't it? How many races have you done this season? Did you take a mid-season break? Most road racers really cut back on their bike volume during cross season (if they're racing cross). Have you done that, or are you trying to maintain the same training levels as before?

For example, during the road season, I'm on the bike 15-20 hours a week. During cross, I'm on the bike only 3 or 4 days a week (maybe 8-10 hours). I'm also running and lifting, so there's a different training stimulus, but it's mentally pretty freeing to have some time off the bike. And my power numbers have actually increased since August.

My first advice is that if you're trying to maintain your road schedule (or more if you've also added in weights and running), you should cut back. Most cross racers do one or two interval sessions during the week (one set of short intervals 15-60 seconds; one set of 2 x 20s) -- that's it (in addition to racing). Other miles are considered junk miles.

If you take a short break you won't lose fitness. You'll gain freshness. The secret is timing this right so you peak for nationals in five weeks.

One observation I've had racing cross for the past four years (and coaching cross racers) is that we tend to peter out in November. Because most of us aren't doing high-volume low-intensity aerobic work, we begin to lose that aerobic base. It's more evident with the longer races (men). So, one option for you is to only do easy, aerobic riding the next couple of weeks and then ramp up your intensity again. This will strengthen your base and also give you a bit of freshness. Or take a week off completely, do one very low-intensity week, and then jump back into low-volume, high-intensity training.

Cross is a crazy sport. Most coaches frown on road racers racing cross. It completely changes your training calendar. You don't get the traditional down time or base-building in the fall so you have to do that in the early part of the year while all your training buddies/teammates are already adding in some intensity This also delays your road racing season until at least March or April (not a problem in the northeast). I personally couldn't imagine a fall without cross. If done right, you'll maintain and improve fitness (and your mind will be happy too).