Friday, April 17, 2009

The 100 mile training plan, part 1

I'm reading Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible, and one of the first things he mentions is that it is important to train with a plan. Last year, my first year with my road bike, I certainly was more just learning about the roadie scene and getting used to clipping in and out. This year though, I certainly want to be more focused (but have even more fun).

The book mentions that that a lot of riders simply go out on their bikes and sort of take on what they feel like or confront while out on the roads. I certainly was following this pattern, but, as the weather is warming up, I have my first plan, I call it my "100 mile training plan, part 1":
  • Monday AM: 1.5 hours on flat bike trail, 20-25 miles
  • Wednesday AM: 1.5 hours on flat bike trail, 20-25 miles
  • Saturday: 50-60 miles, varied flats and climbs
The idea is that I ride about 100 miles per week, which is a major improvement for me from last year when I used to only ride the weekends. My hope is that, after taking almost the entire winter off (I had no trainer nor any cold-weather clothes), slowly my body will accustom itself to the bike again and the muscles will begin coming up to form. Plenty of rest is built-in to the plan to prevent any injury.

Next month, part 2 of the 100 mile training plan, I want to start including interval training/sprints during the shorter workouts. I will gauge how I'm feeling then with regard to training frequency, but for now it's a start and I'm happy! Any readers have similar training plans? How have your progressed your training over the course of a season?

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