Tonight I got home from my weekly stationary trainer workout that I lead on Tuesday and Thursday nights and I found a package on my front door step. Now this time of year I’m used to getting packages from sponsors filled with the latest and greatest gear, but I was scratching my head as to what this package could be.

Upon opening it I found five varieties of Kettle Chips sent directly from Kettle Chips, by my good buddy in San Diego, James Walsh. James really turned me on to these chips in Tahoe last year during our stay for Nationals. Ever since then I have had a sweet (or should I say salty) spot for these tasty treats after workouts. The salty crunch really hits the spot after long training sessions.

Thanks James, for the surprise on my door step after a solid training session!

My four favorite flavors plus a new one I haven’t tried, Death Valley Chipotle (very intimidating!)

Last weekend was filled with some great off-road riding in Fruita, CO to cap off my first Race Prep phase of training. I met the Rocky Mountain Racing crew in Fruita for some truly epic riding in and we were greated with blue skies and warm-er temperatures.

Saturday we did two rides. One longer loop in the morning out west at Rabbit Valley. Then in the afternoon we rode a shorter loop at the Book Cliffs. Fun stuff! Saturady totaled almost 5 hours of mtn biking which felt like plenty as I was stiff and sore and slow on SUnday morning.

Sunday we did an awesome couple of loops in the Mary’s Loop area. Fast, technical, and fun are how I would describe the riding. Another good 3 hours of riding and I was ready to head home tired and beat down by the RMR boys.

Checkout the photos below to see some of the action. By the way, the new bike rode incredibly. I know already this is going to be a good year on the bike for me. More details on my second Race Prep phase coming in the next post.

CW

Blue Skies as we head out Sat. AM

Fun technical singletrack on Steve’s Loop

Enjoying the view during a regrouping stop

More fun stuff in Rabbit Valley

The Book Cliffs on Sat. evening, fast whoop-de-doos on the Zippety-Do-Da Trail

Strike a pose on top of Horsethief’s Bench

Sexy stuff on Mary’s Loop

It’s been a while since my last post. I have been extremely busy working and training. February-March bring my busiest time for new coaching clients. I guess people get past the holidays (and near the end of ski season here in CO) and they look ahead at their summer racing schedule and say, “holy s%#@, I better get to training” and “I need a coach”.

My coaching docket is pretty full this year. New this year, I will be coaching a good portion of the Rocky Mountain Racing Team. This coed sport, expert and semi-pro mountain bike team focuses on the Mountain States Cup series here in CO and other regional and national events. I have never coached a large group before so this will be a fun and challenging new experience. I am really looking forward to it. In addition to the RMR team, I have 14 other coachees making it about 30 athletes in all. Busy, busy, busy!

Other exciting stuff includes the finalizing of sponsor agreements for myself and the EPC Elite Xterra Team. Equipment is beginning to arrive and clothing is getting produced. This is always a fun time of year. Fitness is improving, racing is nearing and all the new stuff, it’s like Christmas all over again!

My new bike arrived earlier this week. The 2008 Specialized S-Works Epic can be summed up in one word: FAST! After getting it built I took it out for it’s maiden voyage. 4.5 hours of mixed pavement and singletrack. I’m looking forward to really testing this bike out over the next several weeks. Already it weighs in at 21.5 lbs complete. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve to shave the final 0.5 lbs off to get it to an even 21 lbs. I am known compassionately around Wheat Ridge Cyclery as the weight weenie. This bike will continue my legacy of light and fast bikes.

My sweet new ride!

On the training side of things, I have only missed two planned sessions (both swimming) over the last three weeks. Not bad. The weather has been improving every week here in Denver, having only to augment one session to accommodate foul weather in the first week of my race prep phase.

This weeks completes my third week of Race Prep training (Friel Build). This means my volume has come down a bit to allow for increased intensity. Three changes to my training in the Race Prep phase include: increased time spent at and above LT in all three sports, addition of transition runs after 2-3 bike sessions each week, and extra emphasis on recovery between sessions.

This is what my last three weeks of training have looked like:

• Mondays: Recovery day, complete rest.
• Tuesdays: AM, T-Pace swim. Multiple sets of race pace swimming with easy swimming recoveries, followed by a run workout on the track with VO2 max pace intervals ranging in length from 400′s to 1200′s. PM, stationary trainer session with 6×4′ V02 max intervals and anaerobic sprints. I ride this one easier (power at zone 4 rather than zone 5) as my legs are tired form the morning run session.
• Wednesdays: Endurance bike ride. 4 hours with sustained climbing. Follow this with a 30′ transition run, easy pace (7:15/miles) to get the legs accustomed to running off the bike.
• Thursdays: AM swim, anaerobic/speed intervals, 25′s, 50′s and 100′s at near max effort. PM trainer session, like Tuesdays, but I go all out in the red zone. Power has been good. 6×4′ @ 330-350 watts. Follow this up with another 30′ transition run.
• Fridays: Endurance Swim, weekly progression of 1200′s, 1600′s and 2000′s straight. Follow this up with an easy weight training session.
• Saturdays: Strength swim, sets with paddles and pull buoy. Follow this with an LT hill repeat trail run. 4×8′ @ LT on steep singletrack climbs. Total run is 10 miles, 1:30.
• Sundays: LT intervals on the bike within an endurance ride. Two 4-mile climbs with high cadence LT intervals as 1 mi work/0.5 mile recovery. The work intervals are zone 4 power and HR. The recovery intervals progress each week from 40-beat drops in HR, 30-beat drops, 20-beat drops in HR from the HR at the end of the work interval. The next several weeks will continue to progress in this “limited recovery” progression until the final week I do the whole 4-mile climbs at LT. Then again, follow the ride up with another 30′ transition run.

That has been my weekly schedule for this first block of Race Prep. After a recovery week I’ll go into a second block of similar training to continue to prep for the race season ahead. I’ll get to test things out in a few races in the coming weeks.

To conclude this third week of Race Prep, I am off to Fruita, CO with the RMR team for a mini-bike focus camp. This will include some longer (and faster) rides on the mountain bike to maintain my endurance from my base training. On tap is two days of high volume on the mountain bike. Should be fun. I’ve never ridden in Fruita, but the consensus is that it’s as good, if not better, than Moab. Should be fun riding and hanging out with RMR.

Vail Pass, on my to Fruita

I drove the mountains today heading west to Fruita. Over Vail Pass it was 28 degrees with 5 foot high snow banks and icy roads. Still winter in the mountains I guess. Fruita should be dry, sunny and 60 degrees this weekend. Looking forward to it!

CW

After the conclusion of my 12 week base phase last week, I followed it up with a recovery week of reduced volume and intensity. It was definitely welcomed as I was pretty knackered by the end of last week.

What makes up my recovery weeks you wonder? (well, maybe you don’t wonder, but I’ll share regardless)

I like to add one additional day completely off from training to my recovery weeks compared to my regular training weeks. During my base phase I train 7 days a week to get in the volume I’m after, so for my base phase recovery weeks I get a day off. I usually take this the first day since I’m usually torched after the final weekend of training. During my race prep phase of training I like to schedule one day off each week. This works because my volume comes down a bit while intensity ramps up and the day off helps add some additional recovery to my week. So, in my race prep recovery weeks I’ll take two days off. Make sense?

After my day off, the rest of my recovery weeks consist of light low volume, low intensity sessions. I shoot for a minimum of two sessions in each sport for the week and then add in two additional cross training sessions for the week. This allows for a one to two workout per day schedule ideally less than two hours per day. This week I got in a 90 minute skate ski session mid-week and a 90 minute mountain bike ride for my cross training workouts.

Finally near the end of the week, I like to get in a test workout or two in. I always try to get in a swim test (3×300′s or 10×100′s or 1000 straight for time) and often I get in a bike test or run test to check fitness. Tomorrow I have planned a swim test in the morning and a run test in the early afternoon.

So there you have it. Recovery week basics by Cody Waite.

Here are some pics from our mountain bike ride today. The weather was incredible! 73 degrees we rode in shorts and short sleeves and had lunch on the patio afterwards in shorts and sandals. Crazy stuff for the first day of March in Colorado!

Adam D. making it to the top of the climb at Hall Ranch in Lyons

Jason A., Adam D. and Cody W. smiling in the sun

Jason E. (aka. the wattage cottage) fixing his chain after his massive power snapped it

Adam D. and Dan V. chilling in the sun

Post ride recovery lunch: pesto burger, sweet potato fries and cold stout…..mmmmm

Speaking of recovery nutrition, check out the EPC Multisport Blog for some tips on recovery and training nutrition strategies.

CW