training programs and anything to pass down

[jobes]

     Kind of slow on the forums.  Some of us newbies have lots of ?'s  I don't know most of you, I know Scott well enough to know he would love to see more activity.  Some of your trip posts are unbelievable,  holy shalito,  u guys are awesome.  I'm amping up my training to get ready for the AZT300.  I've just been going out and riding.  I don't know much about training.  I was hoping to encourage some of you veterans to open up and share your wealth of wisdom and let a few of us newbies avoid a few mistakes.  Any tips and ideas are welcome.  I promise to someday pass what I learn to the next bunch of newbies.  And I'm always a good candidate to buy the next round.  Thanks

[dave54]

Off season training?

To the dedicated rider, there is no 'off-season'.  Of course, my weekly miles have sure taken a drop lately...

Cross train.  Spinner, treadmill, stairstepper, etc...  Don't forget the upper body and flexibility work, also.

Here is a link to a firefighter fitness website.  It breaks the year down into 3 'seasons', with specific workouts designed for each.

http://www.nifc.gov/FireFit/

[jobes]

hey,  thanks for responding.   I think what I'm hoping for is information such as.  Number of rides per week?  Recovery time? distance/time for each ride?  do you just ride long distances or do you train, such as interval training?  Brutal climbs? Do you crosstrain on the road?  I hate the road.  Do you eat healthy all the time?   I'm a pig and drink too much beer.  I do need to do more stretching for flexibility.  Have pretty good upper body strength though.  I'll check out the firefighter thing in the morning.  I'm tired tonight.   Thanks again

[ScottM]

I think you'll find a wide variety for how people ride/train on this forum.  Especially right now during winter.  It would be interesting to hear some more responses, though.

I don't train in the sense of having a schedule.  My natural tendency is to ride too much, so I have to consciously think about what I've done in the last week+ and make sure I'm not overdoing it. 

Sold my road bike years ago and have never missed it.  I do ride on the road, but it's always to get to some sort of trail.  If all my miles were on Tucson's rocky trails I think my body would fall apart. 

Hoping to do some intervals as soon as Dave Harris sends me a certain frame piece so I can do them with a power meter.  But generally I let the trails decide when I'm doing intervals and for how long.  I know this doesn't lead to maximum performance and I'm more than OK with that.  I'm happy to trade 10% less performance for 200%+ more fun.

When the AZT 300 gets a little closer I will put some focus on some nice all day rides, just to get the body adapted to it.