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Peaking for Cyclo-Cross Nationals
Two weeks before, less is more
This is it people!
It's the last rush before the big day--just over two weeks before cyclo-cross
nationals and the SuperCup finals in Baltimore. With the continued growth
and momentum of 'cross this fall, I'm anticipating an easy thousand of
us will be racing that weekend. For some of it's the most important race
of the year. For other's it's just a chance to compete on the same course
the US's best 'crossers will be battling on later in the day. Whatever
your level and goals, it's time to fine tune and make sure you're peaking
for the event.
The first thing to recognize is that what you've got for fitness right
now is pretty much what you've got; there's not enough time between today
and race day to raise your fitness level through the normal process of
stress and recovery. With that in mind, take a step back and evaluate
where you are. Are you happy with your form? Are you on the way up, or
on the way down? Even if you can't increase your fitness between now and
then, you can make sure you're feeling as good as possible on race day
with the right portion of resting and fine-tuning workouts
Going into this weekend and next week, your first priority is to make
sure you're fully and completely recovered from any training you've been
doing, and any racing coming up. If you've been pushing things by training
on a Tuesday after a hard race weekend, this is the week to take a different
approach. Rest and recovery are your first priority. Increased fitness
from training is useless if it comes with increased fatigue as its price.
Going into nationals, err on the side of rest to make sure you can put
out a maximal effort on race day. Underfit and fresh is always better
than fit and fatigued.
This might mean that you skip this weekend's events if you've been burning
the candle at both ends with training and work, or perhaps only race one
day even if two events are available. Only race both days if you're coming
off a rest and are ready to punch things open again.
Following the weekend, take as many days as you need to be fully recovered,
with a minimum of two days easy, and up to a maximum of five, leading
into the next race weekend. Ideally, if things are going well, you'll
be ready to do a mid-week workout to keep yourself open, but still allow
yourself enough time to recover before the next race.
If you're able to get this workout done, it should reflect the fact that
you're trying to fine tune a peak. Keep things aerobic, but still a high
intensity. Motorpacing, or a race-pace 'cross workout is ideal, but should
be undertaken cautiously. The key is not to dig deep in any way, but only
do enough work to feel good during the efforts, and hopefully better at
the end of the workout than at the start. At the first sign of decreasing
quality of your efforts or fatigue, pull the plug and call it a successful
day.
Going into the weekend before nationals, open up the day before the race
with some light intensity, and use the race itself to think about and
implement the kind of ride you're hoping to have at nationals. Do you
need to work on your starts? Your speed changes? Your ability to ride
in a group, or to attack? Look for the places you've been weak during
the season, and when faced with those situations in these final races,
take some chances. Use these opportunities to turn a weakness into a strength
and build some confidence.
The week of nationals, you can take the same approach to recovery and
your mid-week workout as the week before. Depending on when you plan to
arrive in Baltimore, try to take some time to evaluate the course, both
slowly and at race speed. The day before your event, do your opening up
workout on the course, taking at least one and possibly two laps at threshold,
close to race speed. Lines you chose while warming up or looking at the
course might turn out to be impossible or unwise at full blast, so seeing
the course from a race-pace perspective is crucial.
On race day, don't make the mistake of changing your routine just because
it's a big day. Remember, it's just a bike race, no different from any
other race you did this season. You should eat what you normally eat for
breakfast, warm up at the same time and in the same manner, and use equipment
you've already raced with. All the same things that can happen in a local
race can happen at nationals. You can flat, crash, win--whatever. Control
the things that are in your power, and focus on having a "usual"
day, assuming that you usually put your best effort forward every time
you race.
And of course, good luck, and don't forget to say "hi!" I'll
be out there, too, trying my best to follow my own advice…
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