More ACC help please - Cycling Weekly training Feature

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote]In the meantime, OH gets William sorted

[Marek]

I would love to be able to structure my training, but with a City job that requires 3 hours a day on the train, 2 small kids and of course a wife that does like to see me now and then it is hard to get it to work. What I do find is that I can get by on a relatively low amount of actual on the bike training by going to the gym a couple of times a week or by doing a couple of hard sessions on the turbo when the racing season is approaching. I always like to get at least one long road session in a week though, and that is usually on the club run, I tend to ride for an hour or so prior to the club run to make sure I am getting in those few extra miles.

What I do find though is that you can be having a good period on the bike and then all of a sudden something happens that means you get put back a bit. That can be a family holiday, a long business trip etc, so I would say that my training programme is more 'stuttered' rather than 'structured' to fit around a busy lifestyle.

Cheers

Marek.....

[Andrew G]

Medal for Sarah!
Makes me (you) realise how easy your life is.

[Mike I]

I was going to mention something about fitting things in around home life etc etc, but Sarah has shamed me into not doing so.

I can't say I've tried structured training but, like rhubarb when I was a child, I just know I wouldn't like it.

My overall goal in cycling is to improve without anyone - least of all me - noticing any actual training going on. This rules out turbos, HRMs, power meters and anything classified as a 'training ride'. I suspect that I am not as driven towards competitive success as some people.

So, to this end, I am trying to develop the technique of Stealth Training. This is not to be confused with secret training, since the participant knows what's going on. Bet you can't spot me training!

[Andrew G]

[quote="Mike I"]So, to this end, I am trying to develop the technique of Stealth Training. This is not to be confused with secret training, since the participant knows what's going on. Bet you can't spot me training!

[Sarah_M]

LOL Mike and Andrew. I loved the retro look Mike I still stay back with the 15s on club runs as I lack road confidence when I don't know a route. I am also still hugely nervous cycling wheel to wheel in a large group and the 16s and 17s were huge groups! I played games today like only using small cog and having to keep up using high cadence instead of getting into higher gears so there's an idea for 'stealth training'

[Mike I]

[img]http://i29.tinypic.com/9toizr.jpg[/img]

Safely back in the Tooting Home for Elderly Cycles

[Ian A4size]

that sign looks like it was stolen from kent!

were you on crimewatch?

[higg]

structured training - boredom - motivation

This subject got me thinking at a time when I had a few spares minutes so it's all turned into a bit of a general essay. Not really what you were looking for, but seeing as I've written it now, I may as well post it.

where do I start ?

What is structured training ? At its most pure, structured training would be a detailed day-to-day plan of rides with specific lengths and intensities. For some, it might be less regimented (i.e.) a specific number of sessions per week/month. At its most unstructured, training could be described as ride when you like, for how far and how fast feels good at the time.

Each individual needs to figure out what they want from their cycling and then decide how to achieve it. When you look at the rewards you are chasing, structured training may not be necessary to achieve those rewards. For example, for some people general health, fitness and well-being can be achieved through unstructured training however others respond better to the stricter structure. Each individual need to examine their goals and decide.

To my mind, once a goal has been defined they the cycling training begins to take on some structure, be it strict or loose.

Structured training requires the following:
i) a method
ii) knowledge or confidence that the method will work for you
iii) motivation to carry out the method, either rewards or just the fun of training.
iv) physical ability to carry out the method

Without any one of these the training will falter.

The nature of the method can vary enormously from the regimented day-to-day schedules to the less specific number of miles/sessions per week or month. The method can come from many places. It can be self-taught, from a book/magazine, from clubmates or coaches. It is essential though that the method suits your lifestyle and physical ability.

Confidence that the method will work is important because motivation will soon drop if you feel the method will not give you the results. For instance, there is not much point in following a particular coaches program if you do not believe it will produce the desired results. Motivation will drop to below the level required to overcome the sacrifices of training. At this stage it would be worthwhile discussing your concerns with the coach and possibly customising the program or finding an alternative method from elsewhere.

Motivation is important because without this nothing will happen. Some motivation is required to overcome the sacrifices of training. The motivation can come from the rewards, for example, the prospect of winning/doing well in a race, completing a challenge, general health, fitness and well-being. Motivation can also come from just the execution of the training but most this could also be described as the reward of well-being.

When the motivation wanes boredom and ultimately laziness begin to creep in. In this context, I would define boredom as the "this is not fun, is this really worth it?" thoughts (i.e.) you are still training but not enjoying it. Laziness sets in when you really don't think it is worth it anymore to go out training.

The ability to carry out the training may seem obvious but is worth mentioning because many training programs will fail on this point. If you bite off more than you can chew, at some stage you will begin to feel run down and fall behind. This is where the motivation will begin to drop and you will need to either have extreme confidence that the method will eventually work or you can decide to change the method to something more suitable. Sometimes, it is these decisions that win or lose races.

Ultimately, whatever the training method, it must fit the individual in terms of their ability, their motivation and their goals.