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tapering

Lessons Learned From Marathon Runners

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Marathon is a classic distance of 42,195km and is the ultimate challenge for a runner. I have run Hamburg Marathon a couple of years ago and I learned some lessons from the experienced marathon runners that I think many cyclists can take advantage of: 

1 - Focus on a main goal

Marathon runners are very selective when they plan their season. They choose two or three main goals during the year and use all their effort to make a top performance on race day. I know that cyclists do a lot more races than runners do, but it is recommendable to select specific races to peak in.

One of the big differences between Lance Armstrong and other riders is that he used to focus on the Tour de France as his main goal, where his opponents had several other goals during the season (World cup, Pro Tour, World Championships, Olympics). With only a few main goals it is possible to reach a higher level of performance in these hand picked races.

2 – Make a training plan with a specific goal

Marathon runners have a training plan focusing on peak their form at the main event of the season. I believe it is easier to stick to a training plan when there is a goal to achieve. That is exactly what marathon runners have: The last day in their training calendar is the marathon itself.  

3 – Use a tapering protocol

Marathon runners use different kinds of tapering protocols the last two or three weeks before the marathon race day. Again, these runners are very selective and are not afraid of deselect races as a part of preparation for the big event.

4 – Train with higher intensity

Even though marathon is a long distance event most training is performed at a relatively high intensity compared to long distance cycling. By training with a higher intensity marathon runners achieve better results in less time.

Learn more from marathon runners: Important lessons from marathon runners.

Final Stages Of VO2 Max Booster Program

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Achieve Better Results With Less Training

Now we are so close to the finish that I’ve decided to publish the final stages of the program.

One thing I have not mentioned yet is the principle of overreaching, which helps us to achieve progress. Distinguishing overtraining from overreaching is important because overreaching is a very natural process when you train. Many riders use the term “overtraining” for both overreaching and overtraining and that is why many riders wrongly diagnose themselves as overtrained.

The problem is that if you are really in an overtraining situation, it can take several months before your performance is back at 100%. If you have overreached in a specific period, a week or two is normally enough to get you back on track.

This principle is often used in tapering protocols, where training volume is reduced during the last two or three weeks before a big event. Overtraining syndrome does not happen overnight or in a week. It takes six to eight weeks or even longer to develop.
Read more on overtraining and overreaching here.

Day 11
Total time: 1hr
15min incremental warm up
6 x (3+2min) 85% / 50%
15min easy rolling

Day 12
Total time: 1hr
12min incremental warm up
3min 80%
3min 50%
2x(3+3min) 100 / 50%
10min 50%
2x(3+2min) 80 / 50%
10min easy rolling

Day 13
Total time: 40min
20min incremental warm up
5min 85%
5min 50%
10min esy rolling

Day 14
Total time: 1hr15min
20min incremental warm up
8 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50%
7min 50%
8 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50%
7min 50%
?? x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% (Maximum number of intervals possible!)
10min easy rolling

Congratulations! You’re have completed the VO2 Max Booster Program! Afterwards I recommend you to take some easy days, maybe a day off, to recover from this overload of VO2 max intervals. Remember what I said about overreaching? You are not overtrained now, you are overreached and in the next couple of days you will begin to super compensate for the last 14 days impressive workload.

5min max test to find your new VO2 Max
When you have had 4-6 days with easy training it is time to do a new 5min maximum test to track your progress. I will appreciate if you share your results with the readers here at Training4cyclists.com by posting a comment with your results.

Did you miss day 10?