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Inter-event training
If you’ve been following the 17-week training programme leading up to your first MTB Marathon of the year, you should be feeling fit, well-prepared and ready to go!
But what happens next? How do you maintain your fitness and keep up the training momentum for your next Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon later on in the summer?
The most important thing is RECOVER first. Take a week off cycling after the event and only participate in recreational fitness, eg. a walk with the family, a swim or a light jog. Don’t be tempted to hop straight back on your bike unless you can discipline yourself to a very casual flat easy recovery ride. This can be difficult after all those weeks of regular training especially if you feel great after the event, but your body really does need a chance to rest if you are to train effectively for your next marathon.
Alternatively, your first Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon may have taken more out of you than you thought. If that’s the case, you should listen to your body and should take two full weeks of recovery where you do little or no structured training. Sleep, eat and drink well but avoid overeating and excessive alcohol. Don’t feel pressured into returning to training too quickly even if your next event is not far away. You will be in better shape if you rest for 3 weeks and train for 2 weeks than if you train continually for 5 weeks in a semi-fatigued state.
This is a guaranteed way of over-training. What you do after this initial recovery period is determined by the date of your next marathon. Use the chart below to plan your training for your next event.
PLANNING YOUR TRAINING
To plan what you are going to do and how you train in the weeks between your events, you will need to be familiar with the original 17-week training plan as your workouts will be taken from this.
STEP 1 – write REST in the first 1-2 weeks after your first event. In these weeks do only light easy cycling and recreational exercise.
STEP 2 – counting backwards, in the 4 weeks prior to your next event, write PEAK. This consists of an easy week, a build week, a push week and a recovery week. Refer back to your 17-week planner and complete training sessions as detailed in the PEAK phase for those weeks. See example 1 if you are competing in Rounds no.4 and no.5. If you are planning to do two events that are quite close together, such as Marshbrook – Round no.3 and Abbergavenny – Round no.4, you will not be able to fit in 4 weeks of the peak phase (see example 2) Recovery is key here.
STEP 3 – if you have longer between your events, count backwards again and before your 4 PEAK weeks, insert 4 EARLY weeks. These again consist of an easy week, a build week, a push week and a recovery week. Refer back to your 17-week planner and complete training sessions as detailed in the EARLY phase for those weeks.
STEP 4 – if you are competing in the April event in Builth but then don’t take part in an event again until Selkirk you have 15 weeks between events. Therefore you should return to the less intense pre-season training sessions and build again gradually from that back up through the EARLY and PEAK phases. If you try to maintain the high intensity training done during the PEAK phase for this whole period, you will risk over-training and injury. See example 3.
EXAMPLE 1
Event Rounds No. 1 (Builth Wells) and Event Road No. 2 (Selkirk)
EXAMPLE 2
Event Rounds No. 3 (Marshbrook) and Event Round 4 (Abbergavenny)
EXAMPLE 3
Event Round No. 1 (ELBNO / Spring Marathon Builth Wells) and Event Round No. 4 (Abbergavenny)
Remember that if you have managed to follow the 17-week planner up to your first event, you will have gained considerable fitness. It’s important not to over do things now that the racing season has arrived. Listen to your body and have plenty of rest after your event.
If you have a lot of time before your next event, back off training and return to the lower intensity workouts of the Early season weeks 9-12 early and Pre-season weeks 5-8 pre-season phases and build up again slowly. Otherwise concentrate on rest and recovery and complete a few high intensity workouts as detailed in the peak phase prior to your next event.
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