I went to bed last night with every intention of getting up at 5am this morning, and getting in an 90-minute ride while it was still cool, then returning home to train clients by 8am. As I write this, the clock reads 6:34 am...and I just got up, which means that I wont be riding while it is cool. What is the silver lining to this? At least it is only supposed to be around 100 degrees (Fahrenheit for my foreign readers) today...not 110 like it was two days ago!
So this morning, I will just have to settle for a strength training session, waiting to ride after I have finished up with clients. It'll probably end up being an indoor 'ride' on the trainer...oh well, its better than nothing at all. The summer is rough for riding, as I mentioned in an earlier post. In the past, I have always rode sparsely during these hot months, but now I am required to increase my riding...significantly ramping up my volume of training in preparation for September.
I was at my local bike store yesterday (Exhale Bikes), talking with Nathan (the owner) about racing and training during the summer. I have seen him at the races that I have competed in over the past few months, and he had asked me if I was going to be competing in the MBAA state finals, being held in Williams, AZ. Fortunately, I am going to be on duty at the fire station, and wont be able to race! I say fortunately, because Williams is nestled in the pine covered mountains of Northern Arizona, at roughly 6800 feet above sea level. We all remember what a wonderful time I had at 6300 feet during the Prescott Punisher, right? Enough said.
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| Oh how I wish.... |
Anyway, Nathan and I were talking about riding during the summer months, and I was somewhat relieved to hear that even the purists like him don't really enjoy riding in the heat of summer, and tend to taper down their riding volume during this time...settling for 1 or 2 night rides per week. "That would be nice" I thought, "but there's no way I can do that and expect to be in shape come September!" My training plan has me on the bike four days per week, with my shortest ride being 60-minutes...so no tapering for me!
Alright, time to go get a workout in. Until next time...
U r a good writer John. Keep writing....I enjoy reading ur posts
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you. Considering where your race is going to be and the weather at that time, specifically the higher humidity. Are you planning to do some training in higher humidity areas to prepare? Do you expect to have issues with the higher humidity?
ReplyDeleteScott
www.travelwithscott.com
Scott, great question! The humidity will be higher where I am racing, and training for that environment would certainly benefit my overall performance. My thoughts on this all along have been that I would be able to get some degree of high humidity training during the months of July and August here in Phoenix. The real issue associated with exercising in humid climates is hydration. I was planning my next post to be about proper hydration, and the effects of dehydration, so thanks for the segue!
ReplyDeleteSo John, we need one of your reader friends to offer up their cottage up north like in Flag so you can go up there on free weekends and ride one day stay the night and ride again...a little advanced altitude training? Should we be texting you on the days we dont see a post just to make sure you are staying on track? Like with Scott i will text him and make sure he is getting enough wine in his diet and eating out properly.
ReplyDeleteYes that would be nice...all of it! :)
ReplyDelete