#Itrain telluride full#
Leading up to the race, I gave myself two full rest days that included two 30-minute spinouts just to get the blood moving. During my training block, I gave myself one full day of active recovery and then two days of recreational recovery.Ĭoming into Telluride, I could do just about anything on rest days with the caveat of keeping my heart rate below 140. And by rest and recovery, I don’t mean just lying on the couch and watching Netflix.Īctive recovery means drinking a ton of water, stretching, getting a massage, doing physical therapy, rolling out your muscles, and, if you have access to them, sitting with your legs in compression sleeves. The more I recovered, the better I would perform on training days. Rest Days Are MandatoryĪs I started pushing my body harder and harder, I found a direct correlation between rest and output. A 25-mile ride is a big stretch, add another month to build to a 25-mile base before starting the month-long block leading up to your race. That said, four weeks is not enough to build a base. Mentally, this period gives athletes time to experience and work through highs and lows in their training, which teaches them valuable lessons that will surely repeat during race day. Experts like Joe Friel (“ The Triathlete’s Training Bible“) and Vladimir Issurin (“ Block Periodization“) agree a four- to five-week training block is the most effective in keeping athletes engaged, injury free, and peaking for race day. Out of all the 100-mile mountain bike races, those where I felt the best were when I committed myself to at least four weeks of focused training. It’s easier to commit to five to 10 hours per week than a classic high-volume training of 20-30 hours each week.Īllow Yourself At Least 4-5 Weeks to Train
I recommend choosing a coach specializing in low-volume, higher-intensity training. Ultimately, it is you who has to choose to do your work. Also remember: Coaches are not there to make you do your training or constantly check up on you. So do your homework, interview them, and make sure you feel good about committing to them.
There are many fake coaches out there, especially online. Relating to them on this level will help you trust them when you feel like it’s not working. When choosing a coach, make sure you’re familiar and agree with their training methodology and philosophies. And given you might spend nearly $600 on the race entry, travel, and lodging (like I did), it proves money well spent to feel prepared. Throughout my athletic career, having that outside eye from a coach I trust has been huge.Īnd with many online coaches available for around $100-200 per month, it’s worth the investment. When you’re deep in training, you don’t always have the best perspective on what’s working. I also highly recommend working with a coach. I worked on hill climb repeats, endurance efforts, and singletrack descent speed, as I knew all of those constituted big components of the race. A training program lets you break the training and race into bite-size pieces so you’re not overwhelmed by the larger picture.įor example, leading up to the Telluride 100, I trained three times per week. The best way to feel prepared for a 100-mile race is to make and stick to a plan.
And it gave me a better idea what I was in for and what to focus on training-wise. This provided people’s perspectives on the climbs, terrain, and overall feel of the course. To go a step further, I even looked up a few different reports on the races. Try to gather complete info, including elevation gains and losses, and percentages of singletrack and road riding. But information on almost all mountain bike race courses is out there, so do your homework.Ī quick Google search will usually return official race maps, course elevation, and even other athletes Strava data. With many races I do, the course is kept secret until the night before the race. And if your goal is not performance but simply to finish, you have even more leeway.Īt the very least, I recommend riding 25 miles at a time to condition your bum to be on the bike.
Don’t believe me? Check out the tips below and try it out!Īs a general rule, before taking on a 100-mile race, you should be able to ride about 35 miles two to three times per week without feeling exhausted. In fact, given a base level of fitness and athletic ability, you can whip yourself into race-day shape in about a month. Pedaling 100 miles over washboard bumps, mountain passes, and tire-swallowing sand patches probably seems like a death march.īut tackling a 100-mile race on a mountain bike, though certainly difficult, is not impossible. But a reasonably fit rider, training eight hours per week for 25 miles at a time, can prepare in about a month. The 100-mile distance is certainly on the “ultra” edge of the endurance mountain biking spectrum. Home » Biking » MTB » So You Want to Race 100 Miles on a Mountain Bike? Start Here
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