Training Towards a Goal - by Coach Mike Birner

October 5th, 2008   Filed Under Issue 4, training  

We’ve continued our series of articles on training from Mike Birner. Part I was in Issue 3, and Part II is in our Issue 4. In this series of four articles, USAC Level 2 coach Mike Birner of Mid-Maryland Coaching (www.midmarylandcoaching.com) will guide your training through a successful cyclocross season. As a teaser of Issue 4 and so that more of you can implement his advice, we’re publishing this online as well.

Building ON the Base: September through November

Welcome back! In the last issue, you planned your periodized training and progressively built your workload through plenty of steady efforts at tempo, SST, threshold, and some vo2max levels. You started to run again and picked up the intensity there as well. Hopefully you also pulled out the ‘cross bike and got out on the trail or in the fields to test your bike-handling ability. This previous period is a key phase in developing your “engine” and giving your body the ability to handle the harder efforts to come. If you feel weak in any of the areas above, you should [More...]