At the moment, my weekends are pretty much a waste in a social sense, but hugely beneficial in terms of preparing for Challenge Cape Town. Over the last 4 weekends, I have built into what will be a few very big weekends coming up. As a working athlete, big weekends are a non-negotiable in terms of athletic success for these mega endurance events. The approach should always be:

1. Simulate race environment.
2. Simulate race nutrition.
3. Simulate race fatigue.
4. Simulate race pace over the last 1/4 of the session.

I like to build my long rides and runs, start slowly (read: be humble, it’ll get nasty later) so that I am realistic half way about how the body is going. On a 5 hour ride, with about 90min left, I like to rev the engine to get home, riding at the very top of the aerobic zone, taking in race nutrition at race rates and being 100% in the zone. On a 2.5hr run, that means for me, the last 45min is a non-negotiable smash it zone.

The objective is not to go as hard as you can, but go as close to race simulation as possible, remaining aerobic but being 100% focused on the finish line ahead of you.

Great practise, especially when it’s falling apart physically. That happens on race day and we need to practise being broken and moving well, amazingly, at the same time.

If you really want to test yourself (beyond riding and for Ironman specifically), run 5km off the bike. How are the legs on that run? Do they feel ready for a marathon? If not, I would adjust the pace in the FIRST 90min of the ride, not the last 90min.

Other factors that make big weekend training a success:

1. I have Fridays off training. I like to sleep in, eat well and take it laaaank easy on Fridays.
2. Imagine that Saturday is the start of your week. You will mentally, feel more fresh for the challenge ahead. Seeing something as the start or the end of a week can make a huge difference to performance.
3. Let your last hard session be Wednesday afternoon, giving 2 days in the legs to recover for the weekend.

Here are some examples for various people on what a big weekend may constitute:

Getting Into Endurance:

Saturday – 3hr ride, 40min run (run after lunch and eating).
Sunday – 1hr swim, 3hr ride, 20min run (almost continuously, pausing only to eat between sessions).

Privateer / Elite Age Grouper:

Saturday – 1hr swim, 6hr ride, 1hr run (split only to eat between sessions)
Sunday – 5hr ride, 30min run (brick)

Lastly:

1. Communicate your weekend plans before the weekend starts. Nothing irritates our loved ones more than when we are away the whole day, on the weekend, unexpectedly, without prior notice.
2. Stock up on nutrition and food before hand. On Sunday afternoon, you will want to eat a mountain of food, non-stop. Make sure you have whole, healthy, raw food at home.

I hope this will help a little with what is an essential part for success in endurance races for amateur athletes with normal commitments and family time pressure.

Have a great week.

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Feeling the combination of volume ramp & this football tournament (that ok Fifa? No Official Fifa 2010 World Cup held in the most amazing South Africa mentioned in there?) and a semi rest week was enforced not by the mind, but by the body, which is feeling quite fatigued. Desperate for a massage or two as well. Missing my Biosport treatments and it’s not until its gone that you realise how important they are.

Saturday: Woke up with a stiff ankle and a hole in my hand. What? Such is the life of parties around the World Cup in South Africa. Chilled with a big breakfast but wanted to make up for it, and managed 3 hours on the bike and a bit of core work as well, maybe 10min after. Very steady and easy. Helped that there was a game on TV to watch.

Sunday: It was a pearler with pockets of cloud and blue skies. I went out towards Simons Town and rode every hill in sight in ME and managed 4h30 in the end. Very stoked, I was strong on the way home into the wind and felt a bit of form coming through.

Monday: Ankle still a bit sore, so no running yet. Would be the case for the entire week. Managed 1h20 on the indoor bike and 40min of gymwork with the core, back, quads, hammies being the focus. 30min of ME work on the bike.

Tuesday: The weather crept in and kept me indoors. 1h30 on in the indoor bike and 30min of core/gym again in the afternoon after a quick 30min swim in the morning. 30min of ME work on the bike.

Wednesday: OFF. Was just over it and moved my rest day forward a little.

Thursday: Brought out the light and went over Chapmans Peak into Noordhoek and back after work. Got home in the dark but was well worth it for the ride was great and I felt great. 4 x 10min of ME work in there as well. 120min.

Friday: Woke up and managed a 30min easy run, ankle finally feeling ok again. Planning a 60min indoor ride a little later based on the fog but if it lifts, 90min it will be.

Weekly total was: 15h00 to 15h30 in total. So much for a rest week actually. Only 4 hours less than planned. Almost all of it on the bike, which I am excited about as the bike is the foundation of everything. Hand is almost healed up and it’s a good space to be in. Over the sinus infection, finally.

This weekend is a bit of a throw-back though with a visit to the farm with my dad so more than likely will have an easier week coming than this one was, which is not the worst thing in the world, as Knysna and its training camp, likely volume being about 30hours, looms only a week ahead.

Have a great weekend everyone.

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