Training
Saved Tuesday 11th March, 2008 2:35pm by Peter Creagh
Edited Saturday 13th September, 2008 6:04am by Peter Creagh
Before you jump on your bike and hit the trail, ask yourself these questions:
Have I spent enough time physically preparing for the Epic?
Do I have the correct equipment?
Have I fuelled my body adequately?
Be realistic about your capabilities and always make sure you have completed the distance in training some time before the day of the event. Proper training and preparation are essential before tackling the Epic. The most important thing to remember is to build up slowly. Your body will not like being thrown in to a 100km mountain bike ride if you have never gone more than 20km before. If your normal distances are nowhere near the 100km, the best thing that you can do is to extend your distances little by little to get up as close as you can to race distances. Only work on the extended distance 1-2 times weekly and allow rest before and after each one. A day where you ride easy for a long time works on your endurance, and will certainly be considered a hard day, as will the shorter more intense ones.
For every hard day allow a day to go easy and short distances, or rest altogether. Too many hard days will only fatigue you too much for a good performance come race day. The added schedule of training will give you a guide as to how easy you will need to go in the days close to the race, big hard rides are not desirable or necessary in the week before.
Heart rate monitors (HRM) are valuable training tools. A HRM will measure the intensity at which you ride, and in events that last more than 2 hours, will ensure that you do not over exert in the early stages of the race.
An easy exercise in using your heart rate monitor:
Use your HRM to find out the highest heart rate that you can hold steadily for 20mins at around 90rpm cadence. This heart rate will be within 0.5% of what is termed your individual anaerobic threshold (IAT) and is 92% of what is expected to be your maximum (found mathematically).
From this maximum heart rate, you could extrapolate the follow zones:
E1 (65-75% of max.) – The main endurance zone. If you are training for the Epic, this is the area that you should spend the greater part of your riding time. It prepares your body for long efforts and is the intensity that can be held for the whole race time, with suitable build up.
E2 (75-85% of max.) – The high endurance zone. This zone allows for a higher intensity that can still be held (with training) for hours on end. If you are starting these, try 15 minutes and slowly build up to prepare for a faster Epic.
E3 (85-92% of max.) – Your individual anaerobic threshold. As this zone suggests, it is right on the edge of using more oxygen than you can breathe in. High level, heavily trained athletes use this zone as their working intensity. When you are just starting training however, it is a hard one that can be held for between 3 and 4 minutes, and your training efforts must be built up and lots of rest allowed.
E4 (92-95% of max) – The zone of maximum oxygen use. This zone is very intense and can usually only be held for 30 sec to 4 minutes. It is a zone where large amounts of crippling lactic acid build up in your muscles. In long races like the Epic, this zone is to be used sparingly as it needs large amounts of recovery.
Max (100%) – As hard as possible. Once you hit this intensity you only have 5-15 seconds of hard work before you will need a large amount of recovery, which is not desirable for such long periods of racing. Use it cautiously.
Once armed with this information you can use your heart rate monitor in training and racing to be sure that you are giving the best effort possible to go as hard as possible, steadily, for the distance.
Equipment
It is very important to have the correct equipment. This equipment includes an appropriate and correctly fitted bike. The Epic is best suited to mountain bikes equipped with suspension and riders should be as self sufficient as possible carrying plenty of water, food, tools and spares such as tubes, chain links and derailleur hanger.
It is vital to have your bike fitted correctly. If you pedal at 90rpm for 8 hours, each of your knee/hip joints will have made 43,200 extensions and 43,200 flexions. If these are done at less than optimal angles and distances, it is going to affect comfort and performance. Having a professional fit done as early as possible in your race preparation is best. At least ensure that your seat height allows you to straighten your leg with your foot angle about five degrees under level. Also be sure that your knee joint drives down directly above the pedal spindle.
Fuel
Fuelling your body before the Epic is the key to good performance. Having a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet is important to get the most out your training and preparation.
Devising a race nutrition plan, if you have trouble remembering to eat and drink before hunger or thirst set in, it is a good strategy to use your cycle computer or heart rate monitor to time 10-15min intervals. Early, little and often is best, but do try everything in training first.
Tony Melcer is a professional cycle coach whose services include individual planning, personal training and cycle positioning. Phone 3350 3964 or 0418 885 036 www.tonymelcer.com.au
