We’re past the half-way point of the season now and I’m holding on to a top-five position in the Xterra USA Series. After a disappointing race in Richmond in June, I rebounded fairly well in July and landed on the podium again in Beaver Creek. It wasn’t the race I was imagining, but Beaver Creek was solid considering the lack of quality mountain training I had heading into it. I put so much effort and attention into the early season races by focusing more on speed and power, I didn’t have the climbing legs I really needed for Beaver Creek. Next year I think I will go back to my strategy of building up specifically for Beaver Creek in the early season and then rest and rebuild for Nationals and Worlds at the end of the season.

After Beaver Creek last weekend I took a few days completely off and formulated my plan for Nationals and Worlds. The rest of this week I got some low-key training in as how I felt each day. Now I am really motivated to hit it hard putting my sights squarely on Ogden and Maui. My overall plan is to return to base training mode for all of August and into September. This means big rides in the mountains, big runs in the hills and long swims focusing on improving my technique and endurance. I will have a few races in there as well for my “speed work” but other than those events, the emphasis will be on endurance and technique. A few weeks out from Nationals (mid-Sept.) I will drop the volume, add a few speed sessions to reach a mini-peak for Ogden. My primary focus however is Maui and the World Championships which will require a second blast of endurance and strength training after Nationals before tapering and peaking for the last weekend in October.

Both races, Ogden and Maui, are longer events with plenty of hills hence my focus on endurance and strength. My goal is to gradually build my “long days” over the coming weeks to set me up for success in the fall. I’m looking to improve my ability to endure the pace and not slowdown over the duration of these two events. There will be no glamorous interval sessions to boast about, just long steady days in the hills. I am feeling really good about what lies ahead.