BASE1 recap and plans for BASE2:

Well, I’m resting and recovering since Sunday, when I did no riding of any kind. BASE 1 is in R+R mode which means recovery commuting today and tomorrow (I’ll hop on the rollers for 20′ tomorrow and do a weights workout) and try and get a nice longer ride on wednesday with some short SST efforts just to keep the body tuned up and familiar with them… no stress though. Thursday is recovery/weights and Friday is a bit of SST if I feel like it. Saturday the fun begins with what I hope to be a long hard ride… Fitness ride anyone?

OK, that said, here’s what I’m thinking about for next Mesocycle/BASE2:

Time to really push up the intensity just a bit and work a bit harder as BASE1 was pretty easy, I thought as I never really had sore legs, was super motivated to ride and didnt really suffer at all. I hope to bring the suffering and the corresponding boosts in fitness up a notch or three as BASE2 begins. The focus remains on boosting LT, increasing Volume of the weekend ride (2800-3200 kjs… 3.5 hours+) and start incorperating some VO2/hill work at low enough intensity

This is how I see BASE2, weeks 1-3 shaping up (yes, I am a nerd):

Monday: 40-60′ @ high end SST (high zone4), done as one long interval. I will be using HR to gauge proper intensity and will be aiming to sustain a HR between 4 and 12 BPM below my LTHR. So this means 40-60′ @ 148-156 BPM. Power is not known yet, but I’m guessing 310-320W (lower on the dirt, as it seems my HR goes up when riding the bumps…?) will be about right, and I’ll target 310W for the first 10′ of the interval an see where my HR goes and adjust intensity from there. These will get done on the resevoir, flat roads out in dover or the rollers (eek!). Cadence is self selected.

Tuesday: Hill intervals, short and steep. 30-60′ warmup @ endurance pace followed by 3x(3×90″xdownhill to recover)x3′ for the first week, 120″ work intervals for the second week, 150″ work intervals for the final week. [ to clarify my self-created mumbo jumbo, this will be hill intervals done (on Summit ave, a nice 8-11% grade hill in Brookline) in this fashion: one 90 second interval with the coast down as recovery done 3 times in a row with a fuller recovery lasting 3 minutes between each set of 3 intervals. ] I’m guessing intensity will be around 400W (which is where I was doing EASY 150″ climbs last season… best 120″ interval last season was 600W, to give reference). I may go easier if this feels too tough… we’ll see. Cadence will be low: 70-85 RPM. Intervals 1,3,4,6,7,9, will be seated and intervals 2,5,8 will be standing… i think, just to mix it up and make it easier for me mentally and physically (and to hit some different muscles and to see how my HR responds).

Wednesday: Long tempo/SST. 90-120′ work intervals (not including warmup/cooldown) where I target 81-88% LTHR on the flats/down-hills and do the up-hills right below LTP (340W or so, I’m guessing). I’m not quite sure how these will go, but I’ll see how the legs respond to tuesday’s hill work and adjust accordingly; if the legs are fried, intensity will be lower, if not, I should be able to hit these goals with out much suffering. Cadence is 90-100 on the flats and Ups, 100-150 RPM on the downs… wheeeee!! These will be done outdoors, nice.

Thursday: OFF/recovery commute. sleep, hydrate, massage, whatever the body needs.

Friday: Sub LT Cruise intervals. 3×12′ week 1, 3×15 week 2 and 3×18 week 3 with RI (rest intervals) of 3,4, and 5′ respectively. HR will be just below LT, or 153-158. Cadence is self selected. Power should be in the 320-340 range… cant wait to see!! Rollers, resevoir or my Weston TT loop will be the location.

Saturday: Long ride! fun, not too fast and hopefully with teammates! time to work on teamwork drills, cadence drills, some sub LT work and possibly 1 fast Group Ride this month to taste a bit of blood, if the legs and brain are up for it. going for 2800-3200 Kjs on these rides.

Sunday: OFF THE BIKE! rest hard and enjoy the company of friends and non-bike things, please!

Core strength/ light upper body weights work will be done for 70-90′ per week including a more intense set of explosive pulling movements on Thursdays (30-40′ work out, here). Lots of stretching and massage, too… I work at a gym, it’s easy to find 20 minutes to do some work on the foam roller or do some planks and back bridges… ;)

So,

Ambitious, I think, but based on how the last week of BASE1 felt, this seems like a very doable schedule. Time will tell and I will adjust as needed. When in doubt, leave it out…

-eLT