training plans?

[oldgreyandslow]

Any recommendations to build speed and distance? The holy grail perhaps? I'm looking for some tips on getting my 100km plus sportive times down.

Currently if not doing a sportive at the weekend my week(s) are typically:

Monday 30-45 minutes, moderate effort, approx 70-75% MHR
Tuesday 1 hour at approx 80% MHR with 6 x 1 minute intensity intervals (about 95% MHR)
Wednesday 30 minutes easy 60-70%MHR
Thursday 1.5 hours at approx 80% MHR
Friday 1 hour to 1 hour 30 moderate 70-75% MHR
Saturday or Sunday depending upon sportives or not 50 to 60 miles 3 hours or a little over.

If thats done on a Sat no ride Sunday, and if the ride is done on the Sunday no ride Saturday.

I know its not the most structured but any suggestions as to how to ramp the speed up?

 

[Soltydog]

No idea how to build your speed up, but trying to build speed & distance probably requires different training
To increase your distance is easy, just increase your ride length over a number of weeks. I managed to increase to 100k quite easy but 100m seemed a lot harder to achieve. For distance the main priority IMO is to fuel sufficiently, ie a few cake stops , but if you want to increase your speed to than this may not work I'd just concentrate on one thing at a time, increase your distance, then your speed, or vica versa

 

[jimboalee]

That Tuesday session ought to be 1 hour with 6 x 3 minute intervals at close to 100% MHR.

Personally, I don't listen to my HR, I listen to the burn in my muscles.

 

[amaferanga]

I can't see how it'd be possible to get to 95% HRmax in 1 minute, even starting from 80%. HR really is a poor indicator of effort for short, intense efforts.

I'd say you're spending too much time at low-moderate intensity on your weekday rides. You have 2 'intense' days with 3 recovery/endurance days. Since Wednesday is obviously your rest day why not do harder sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday? Friday can be another hard day if you don't have a sportive or an easy day if you do have one.

Maybe include some 2x20 sessions, riding hard so you can just complete the second twenty (don't set off to hard and try to get your HR up straight away, but aim to for ~90-92% HRmax by the end of each 20).

 

[Rob3rt]

Are you talking about absolute speed training or just making your sportive times a bit faster?

Because your going to need a different training philosphy for each.

I can tell you what I do, but I dont know how this will fit with your goals. My goals are decent times in sprint run races (5km-10km), 10 mile TT's and sprint duathlons(next year).

Monday (Running Day): Interval Training, 10 mins warm up, 4 mins on (At or above 5km race pace ~95% Lactate threshold), 1 min off (Jogging) (sometimes I do 8 mins on 2 mins off). For 25 mins, warm down, 10 mins.

Tuesday (Easy Run - morning & Easy Ride - Evening): Warm up of 1km, 4-5km run, at about 70% LT, warm down over 1km (7km total), Bike 30 mins at same effort as morning run.

Wednesday (Moderate Bike): 30-40 miles ~80% LT.

Thursday (Bike): Intervals or Race (10 mile TT, when I get round to it), Warm up, 10 mins, then 20 mins on (95% LT), 5 mins off, x2, warm down, 10 mins.

Friday (Rest): Day off.

Saturday (Race) - 5km Run, at race pace

Sunday (Bike) - 40-50 miles at easy pace, take it how I feel, this is a recovery and recreation ride.

 

[lukesdad]

He didnt say 95% in 1 minute he said for 1 minute.

 

[amaferanga]

He didnt say 95% in 1 minute he said for 1 minute.

Who did?

 

[Bill Gates]

In a sprint the most you can do at 100% effort is around 20 seconds and in that time your HR will not have had time to catch up to show MHR. OTOH with sprint interval training then it's difficult to manage 100% efforts so 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off sets of 5 with 2 minutes rest between sets will see the HR stay very high towards the end of the sets.

The HR will continue to climb into the recovery and remain high as more sprints are undertaken certainly up above 95% and finally to MHR. When the recovery is insufficient to maintain the efforts then stop.

You have to have done this to know.

P.S. HR is only really of academic interest in sprint training as it's the RPE that counts.