Hello TR world,
I have used TR in the lead up to my CX season, completing base, build and specialty CX plans. Now I that am into the weekly racing, which can be either Saturday or Sunday, I am wondering whether I should repeat the CX plan or adjust my training to ensure I am fresh for the races? For example last week I had 9 * 2.5min V02 max intervals on Thursday night before the Saturday’s race.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Dan. Just joined the forum and seen your post which is something that i have been thinking about too.
I personally found that using the speciality CX plan during the race season is too much and leaves me tired for racing. Them Vo2 max intervals were too close to your race impo.
How i set the training week up really depends on what day (say/sun) the race was, how i feel afterwards and when the next race is. I constantly find that i have to keep reminding myself that i am not trying to build fitness during cross season, im trying to maintain it and keep fresh at the same time. Trying to build fitness during the cross, when racing every weekend will just bury you into the ground.
Also, everyone is different and how i respond to in season training (or any training) will be different to you so please take any of my advice (apart from recovery and rest) with a pinch of salt lol.
2 days before race i have a recovery ride. 1 day before is an ‘opener’ session. I use Wednesday as my super hard day for intervals. Tue&Thur is endurance/skills day. Monday really depends how i feel.
If its an extra long week from Saturday race to Sunday race i just add in a solid sweetspot ride.
I’m going to 2nd the notion that, in my experience, trying to do another round of CX specialty was leaving my legs a bit dull and lifeless. So, since September, I’ve mostly been doing sweet spot or long endurance during the week, I’ve sometimes mixed some anaerobic or vo2 work, but the goal has been to just maintain and stay fresh, since I’ve been racing every weekend, sometimes both days. This approach has been working pretty well for me, at least for this season, as I’ve worked my way as a back of the pack rider to a mid to upper pack finisher.
Hey Dan!
A good mid-season CX routine is to repeat Weeks 7 and 8 of Cyclocross Specialty. These weeks are relatively low volume taper weeks, but they retain the “punch” that will keep you sharp and fit throughout your season.
I would recommend structuring your training as follows:
If you have a race at the end of the week, do Week 8 of CX Specialty. This week is lower volume and includes a Race Opener to prepare you for your event.
If you do not have a race that week, do Week 7 of CX Specialty. This week is a bit higher in volume, which you can handle when you don’t have a race to prep for.
Happy training!
Hey Guys
Thanks very much for the feedback - you have confirmed what I thought, continuing with the CX plan burns me out when racing. Looking forward to adjusting my calendar with specific workouts. Maybe this should be the next plan request for Chad - an in Race season plan
Thanks
Dan
Sorry to bring this back from the dead, but this is a really helpful guideline:
If you have a race at the end of the week, do Week 8 of CX Specialty. This week is lower volume and includes a Race Opener to prepare you for your event.
If you do not have a race that week, do Week 7 of CX Specialty. This week is a bit higher in volume, which you can handle when you don’t have a race to prep for.
Would you make any additional adjustments to this recommendation if you are racing twice a weekend vs once a weekend?
In my racing calendar, I have:
6 Two Race Weekends
7 Single Race Weekends
2 No Races Weekends
Should I do week 8 for all of the racing weekends and week 7 for the two weekends that I have off, or should I do week 7 for the single race weekends and 8 for the two race weekends?
I would recomend this course of action. It sounds like you have a lot of racing to do, so this will allow you remain at a low mid-week volume, and properly prepare you for your races.
On weekends with two races, if you feel the need to further reduce the volume of the week following, you can do the “-1”, “-2” versions of the workouts so that you get similar stimulus with a lower TSS.
too much! don’t roast the legs before the race. With so much anaerobic work in CX, you’ll want to be fresher than that. Do those on a Tuesday, but maybe just 5 of them 
Any thoughts on using one of the Maintenance plans instead of repeating the last two weeks of the end of the CX plan? It seems like things would be a bit less boring (and potentially better for my overall fitness) if I’m not doing the same workouts every week.
https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/plans/162-hit-maintenance-mid-volume-i
https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/plans/163-hit-maintenance-mid-volume-ii
The last few weeks of Cyclocross are purpose-built for preparing you for your CX races, so that would be our general recommendation.
The maintenance plans are not designed to be done in parallel with a racing schedule, so they would not be as good of a choice. The mid-week workouts of that plan are too likely intense and too much stress for you to handle if you are racing every weekend.
I just started TR and finished base low volume 1 and 2… I was going to start mid volume 1 but I feel that it would burn me out… I have 1 XC race a week on Sunday. Saturday is usually a pre ride to check out the course.
I was considering just repeating low volume 2 for the duration of the 9 weeks to avoid killing myself… being so new to the plans I feel stuck where 5 days Monday-Friday is to much for me and will do more harm then good…
What are your thoughts about this? What do other people do in this situation? I wish I would have started TR sooner but it’s just how the cards fell
I’d stick with low volume and just use your weekend races as substitutes for your normal weekend workouts. Once the race season ends plan out next years trading so you are peaking mid race season or towards a specific race you want to target as your A race.
Thanks! I did the first week of mid vol 1 and I was tired from that I can’t imagine what adding a intense race on that would feel like… after race season ends I’ll go take a week or two break and hit the rest of base and work on build with breaks in between