Native Restoration Day and Periodization – BionicOldGuy

Tuesday’s trip was an extended arduous one so yesterday was a simple restoration day, simply over 90 minutes close to house. It was nice and my legs felt higher afterwards. The trip is right here on Strava

Periodization

Periodization is various your coaching throughout the 12 months to emphasise various things. Now I’m getting into a section the place I’m rising my mileage, so it’s a good suggestion to compensate by slicing again on depth. On arduous biking days I used to be doing multiple sort of intervals, plus some sprints, plus “on-bike power coaching“. I’m dropping the intervals for now and simply concentrating on cardio coaching with extra regular using. However this neglects the bigger fast-twitch muscle fibers in my legs, and at my age I can’t afford for them to atrophy. So I’m nonetheless doing the sprints and on-bike power coaching, each of which goal fast-twitch muscle groups. After I’m carried out in a few months or so with my longer distance challenges, I can change issues up once more by decreasing quantity and including extra depth again in.

I observed one thing fascinating again after I was operating marathons. Main as much as the marathon I’d be closely centered on rising the size of my runs in coaching, and minimize manner again on all the pieces else. After I’d run the race, I’d get well for a few weeks and after I’d resume coaching I’d emphasize pace as an alternative of distance. Inside a number of weeks I might at all times set a private file in a 10K race. So the several-month interval of excessive quantity, decrease depth acted as a great base, on which I may shortly add pace. I didn’t invent any of this, it’s a basic periodization idea going again to Arthur Lydiard, nevertheless it’s good to know one thing works for me personally. I’m hoping the identical concept will for me in biking. That is known as base coaching adopted by race-specific coaching, however I’ve by no means construct as excessive of a base as I’ll be doing within the subsequent couple of months.