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THE KEY ELEMENTS OF TRAINING
In order to get fitter, physical stress to the body is necessary.
This is why we train. Manipulating the three elements of training
will change the stress on the body.
FREQUENCY
How often you are able to train will vary hugely from person to
person. It will be dependent on work and family commitments and
also on the level of fitness that you have to start with.
The idea of a training plan is that you go for quality and not just
quantity – More is not necessarily better. So even with a
limited amount of free time for training, if you use your time wisely
the benefits will be greater. This avoids just mileage for mileage
sake!
• If you are a new MTB rider or only get out on your bike
a handful of times a month, you will find that your performance
improves quite quickly with just 2-3 workouts a week. Cross
training is particularly useful when you are first starting
out as it will minimise injury and also improves the general efficiency
of your heart and lungs.
• Regular MTBers will have a higher basic level of fitness
to start with and should aim for between 3-5 workouts each week,
work and family commitments allowing. Again these can be varied
with other cross training sessions.
• Experienced riders will often manage 8 workouts each week
with 2 training sessions done on some days. However as we are not
professional cyclists and still have to fit in a full time job,
a social life and family obligations none of the training weeks
will have more than 6 sessions detailed. If time does allow extra
training, they should be easy paced "recovery" rides or
cross training sessions.
DURATION
The duration of each ride will vary depending on what you are trying
to achieve in that session. Some rides may be short but of high
intensity, others will be longer and at a steady pace. Long rides
in the winter are always a bit of an effort due to our unique British
weather so break them up with a café stop, take plenty of
warm gear and get your mates to join you! (winter-training)The
length of your long easy pace rides should be gradually increased
as the weeks go on.
• New MTBers will start with rides of between 30-60minutes
but increase so that in the final 2 weeks before your first event
you will have completed a ride of at least 4 hours
• Regular MTB riders will progress in the same way so that
in the final 2 weeks before your first event you have completed
a ride of nearly 5 hours, as well as several 3 hour rides.
• Experienced riders will complete a ride of over 5 hours
that should be almost equivalent to the full marathon distance as
well as several 3 hour rides.
INTENSITY
The intensity part of your training will prepare your body to provide:
• ENDURANCE – To enable you to keep going the entire
distance.
• BURST SPEED / POWER – This is the ability to be able
to produce bursts of power for short sharp climbs and that sprint
finish at the end!
• SUSTAINABLE SPEED – This is the ability to keep pedalling
as strongly in the last half of the ride as you did in the first
half.
These performance requirements are what our training plan will be
designed around so that we can train specifically for the Merida100
events. Different training intensities when used correctly in the
preparation for a MTB-marathon will enable you to complete the course
comfortably, produce strong consistent efforts on hills and burn
off your mates in the last 100m before the end!
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