Thursday's training

Thursday is by far the most open or relaxed day of any plan I've been on, still assuming that race day is Saturday. Thursday's are ideal travel days, they're nice for catching up on things that you may have missed out on during the week because of training and they're nice to use as an active recovery day before your big weekend event. I generally leave my Thursday's pretty open. I base my ride time and effort on how I've felt throughout the days and even weeks prior and my assumption of how I'll feel on Saturday's race.

There have been some weeks that I've kept the intensity and duration of my rides quite high throughout the entire week and incorporated Saturday's race into the program as just another training day. Other weeks, because of the intensity, I've needed Thursday to relax and recover. A nice active recovery ride generally hits the spot. If you find yourself traveling, it's best to get your ride in after you've reached your destination. It will get the blood circulating through your legs and body and help you relax after a long drive. Thursday is also a very important day to make sure you're in bed at a reasonable hour. For me, this is what I struggle with the most. There's almost no better feeling that getting up early in the morning. Having the extra time to eat some breakfast, hang with the dog and watch the sun rise. But if I often find myself getting wrapped up in too many other things late at night which in turn makes getting up early not so much fun. The moral of that tangent, GET SLEEP. Sleep is your best friend when it comes to being healthy and fit.

So lets say I've had a pretty intense week of training. I have a big event coming up on Saturday and it's Thursday. If I can, I'll slip out for an afternoon lunch ride. If possible, I'll plan it on or around the same time as the race on Saturday. The more you can train your body to perform at certain times of the day the better off you'll be. This isn't always an option and is probably better suited for the pre-ride on Friday or the day before your event so don't stress if you can't plan it that well. A nice spin in the morning or evening will probably be just as helpful.

I take it pretty easy. Head out for an hour or two. No real efforts, just spinning my legs at a high cadence and enjoying the time on the bike. It's pretty simple and quite nice after a tough few days in the saddle. Give yourself a good checkup to see how the bike feels and fits. Make any last min. adjustments and think about your race day game plan. What are you going to eat? What time do you need to get to the venue? What's the weather going to be like? Always make plans for the unexpected so that you can be stress free when it's go time.

Thursday is by far the most open or relaxed day of any plan I've been on, still assuming that race day is Saturday. Thursday's are ideal travel days, they're nice for catching up on things that you may have missed out on during the week because of training and they're nice to use as an active recovery day before your big weekend event. I generally leave my Thursday's pretty open. I base my ride time and effort on how I've felt throughout the days and even weeks prior and my assumption of how I'll feel on Saturday's race.There have been some weeks that I've kept the intensity and duration of my rides quite high throughout the entire week and incorporated Saturday's race into the program as just another training day. Other weeks, because of the intensity, I've needed Thursday to relax and recover. A nice active recovery ride generally hits the spot. If you find yourself traveling, it's best to get your ride in after you've reached your destination. It will get the blood circulating through your legs and body and help you relax after a long drive. Thursday is also a very important day to make sure you're in bed at a reasonable hour. For me, this is what I struggle with the most. There's almost no better feeling that getting up early in the morning. Having the extra time to eat some breakfast, hang with the dog and watch the sun rise. But if I often find myself getting wrapped up in too many other things late at night which in turn makes getting up early not so much fun. The moral of that tangent, GET SLEEP. Sleep is your best friend when it comes to being healthy and fit.So lets say I've had a pretty intense week of training. I have a big event coming up on Saturday and it's Thursday. If I can, I'll slip out for an afternoon lunch ride. If possible, I'll plan it on or around the same time as the race on Saturday. The more you can train your body to perform at certain times of the day the better off you'll be. This isn't always an option and is probably better suited for the pre-ride on Friday or the day before your event so don't stress if you can't plan it that well. A nice spin in the morning or evening will probably be just as helpful.I take it pretty easy. Head out for an hour or two. No real efforts, just spinning my legs at a high cadence and enjoying the time on the bike. It's pretty simple and quite nice after a tough few days in the saddle. Give yourself a good checkup to see how the bike feels and fits. Make any last min. adjustments and think about your race day game plan. What are you going to eat? What time do you need to get to the venue? What's the weather going to be like? Always make plans for the unexpected so that you can be stress free when it's go time.