Your Dream Season 2/3 Why Winter Training Camps are Key to Summer Racing Success.

Your Dream Season 2/3 Why Winter Training Camps are Key to Summer Racing Success. 

Yes, winter is the perfect time to work on improving your weaknesses and building your strengths. This is when the base to your injury-free season is put into place. This isn’t breaking news– we know this, plan on doing this, but don’t always follow through. 

If you are under the snow of a Canadian winter (as I presently am) or even if you are in warmer climates, taking a week to get away once or twice during the cold dark season can help you reap rewards during summer races.
Having a training camp provides some accountability to your winter training. Right now your June and July goals are a seemingly countless number of weeks off. I’ll start training seriously tomorrow. However, that February/ March training camp is just 7-10 weeks down the road. That’s something that you can focus on and realistically start working towards. Ultimately bringing more focus into your Christmas and January training. What better way to reward yourself for those disciplined hours than the rewards of a stress free week in warm sunny weather. You will return home tanned, fitter and recharged for your final leg of training before spring and the competitive season. 

A few seasons ago I rode with Chris Horner (Lance’s Astana teammate). He has the luxury of training and living any place he wants. But no matter his location when he needs to get in a hard block of training he moves from one nice location and heads to another nice location. Why? 

Focus — at a training camp he is 100% free of life distractions. He does his training. When he is not doing that his next focus is recovery. 

The distractions of everyday life (family, dog, phone, etc.) prevent you from getting proper recovery. Without recovering from that last block of training you are not able to tackle your next training progression. 

Go to a training camp, get some instruction, get some hard work, get some sunlight, get smarter, get rested. Then during the racing season you get your personal best year ever. 

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To give you an update on me, I’m coming off a month’s dog walking, and at home with the Parents.  I just helped out with the cycling leg of the fall PersonalBest.ca / McMaster Triathlon Clinic talking about what to focus on over the off season to set your cycling up for the best races ever.  I’ll be putting my money where my mouth was and hitting the trainer for the next month before starting the migration.

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