How to replenish your aerobic base

After taking a number of days rest during the transition period and when your CTL (chronic training load)...as those of you that use power when training...has dropped below (about halfway down during your first aerobic base period) go back to training and creating a better efficiency in your Endurance and Tempo training zones. That means temporarily staying away from group rides, training races and take a week or two or three away from competing on the weekend. This sacrifice will produce an even higher level of performance in July, Aug and Sept!

Tired or unfocused?

Several of my athletes have started to feel "tired" and their performance during the week is lacking their enthusiasm. Why and what to do? Think back to when you started training....Nov 2007....that was 6 whole months ago. That is a long time to stay focused and work extremely hard. Especially since anaerobic workouts (which are mentally and physically draining) have been in practice now for 1-2 months. A trained athlete cannot keep up this momentum...even the strongest ones that can handle a large workload. Time to fully rest and then transition to the next part of your season. Rest doesn't mean working on the house or staying up late partying. Be lazy. Sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. When was the last time you took a nap on the weekend? This is a great investment into the second part of your season and even higher peak fitness than the first part.

Training in the Heat of Summer

After you have reached your first peak with minimal time spent in hot humid summer afternoons, reality finally sets in. The temperatures reach the mid 90’s and a thunderstorm occurs every afternoon just as you get ready to train outside. When you do get a dry day, it is brutally hot and you can hardly breathe let alone perform. This situation is frustrating if not down right uncomfortable and at worst case, dangerous. Things you already know: stay hydrated while training outside, use water on your head to help keep you cool, and if the air quality is poor, you do more harm than good when training outside. Heat exhaustion and stroke can occur easily and may result in a trip to the hospital or ultimately, death.

In order to keep the quality of your training and your performances high, think safety first and your fitness will follow. There may not be many options for you but consider the following. Good to bed earlier with the expectation that you will rise in the morning earlier. The air temperature is cooler and humidity is lower during the early morning hours. In addition, consider performing your training inside where the air conditioning and fans are blasting cold air. Hopefully this option will not give you flashbacks from dreary January snow days. Although it will be necessary to perform some training outside so that you are acclimated to humid weather, you can choose which days have better air quality to minimize the adverse affect of adverse weather.

Most training weeks consist of (2) rest/recovery days, (3) interval days and (2) endurance days. Your rest/recovery days should be performed inside, regardless of the weather, because the intensity can be easily controlled. More times than not, interval days are shorter rather than longer. In addition, if your interval training is performed inside as well. You will find that you may prefer indoor interval training since your environment can be controlled. That leaves only your (2) endurance days, which tend to be longer in duration, for training venue. If the weather is manageable, consider performing your endurance training on a relatively short loop with frequent water stops and the option to always cut the training short should things become unmanageable.

Placing consideration on your training venue can greatly enhance the quality of your training rather than limit your fitness. Training inside or training in the early morning are great options for those living in areas with hot humid weather than can be unsafe for your health. Remember when training is hot humid weather, water is not enough to hydrate and replace critical nutrients that are lost while perspiring!