am I hurting myself doing this before the Tour Divide 2013?

[sthig]

Hey guys,

It's cyclocross season - I passionately love cyclocross, it's so much fun to redline for 30 minutes to an hour going full out on a short track.  A friend of mine brought up to me that it may not be completely wise to do this with the ever-so-quickly June 14th date arriving.

I think my buddy has a point - basically I'm just training my anaerobic engine and fast twitch - something I don't think is used a bunch no the divide? (yes? no?)

It's not like I'm not doing endurance training, I've just backed off and having a little fun for the CX Season (ends in December). 

Thoughts?

[Chad B]

I did the same thing and never finished TD. Careful.

[sthig]

why did you not finish?  because you didn't train for endurance enough?

[THE LONG RANGER]

I'd have to comment that you should go out and ride your bike and have fun. Ride in all sorts of ways.

[sthig]

thanks justin - I think so.  but I thought my buddy had a valid point. I'm not doing any endurance training right now - just short track. 

[sthig]

I would just miss my cyclocross, we have a great venue here
http://www.driven2divide.com/2012/10/01/bamacross-2012-race-report/

[B_Bock]

Ride from home to the race....race....ride home.

[sthig]

I've done that before actually - I rode 40 miles to a road time trial, raced the tt and then rode back - that was a helluva day as the heat index went up to 109 and I got cooked!

[phil_rad]

I'm no expert on training but i'd say go for the cyclocross and have fun. Starting in January though it'd be wise to get in some longer slower miles.

Phil

[Norb]

Endurance training and speed work (IE..cyclocross) can work well together. If all you ever do is ride long and slow, well, that is what your body will be trained to do. Add the interval component with a weekly cyclo race over the next couple months and that will help overall performance. 
Just pay attention to the aches and pains that come with speed work and dial it back as necessary.
Endurance and interval work = big heart, lungs and strength.
Good luck in TD '13. 

[Done]

Seems to me that the more you ride your bike, the stronger you get. Lots of different types of riding isn't just more fun, it builds flexible physical and mental strength. "Mixing it up" is almost a mantra to most trainers and coaches these days.

But someone with more training experience and empirical evidence, such as LyndaW, might have have some more objective input. From what I've seen of her training programs, she encourages a fair bit of anaerobic training for long races. Maybe check out here site and/or give her a shout. http://lwcoaching.com/

[sthig]

thanks guys.  I love endurance and I love (love) cyclocross and was hoping the two go hand in hand.  I have a coach that's training me and he wanted me to take some time off from endurance since I just came off the TNGA.  I've got the Heart of the South 500 (RAAM qualifier, road) then the TD13.  I just want to make sure I'm in okay condition for that big epic 2,700 miler

[LyndaW]

Big  for racing a full and hearty cross season. Do your non specific training now that will make you fast then do the endurance work in Feb, March, April, May to be perfectly prepped on race day.

To succeed at events like TD you have to be a well rounded athlete in many aspects and not only an endurance specialist.

[adelorenzo]

Anaerobic work is super important to something like the divide race, specifically training your anaerobic threshold, which basically means the maximum effort you can put out while still staying aerobic. Doing cross races is about as good as it gets for AT work. All other things being equal if you can be riding at 20 km/h instead of 15 km/h while still being aerobic you'll achieve a lot better result.  If I was your coach I would incorporate at least some threshold/high intensity training during all phases of your training plan. 

Also, the fact that cyclocross gets you stoked for riding bikes is important. You don't want to be burned out doing all-day slogs 8 months out from your event when you could be doing something you love that will make you a better rider to boot.

[chriskmurray]

Intensity in your training is a good thing, I think one thing that hurts my endurance is the lack of high intensity riding, I really enjoy long steady rides so that is nearly all that I do and I can feel it on sustained long climbs trying to keep my heart rate down.

Another thing to consider is that in training for the divide you will be putting down a ton of miles and probably come near the burnout point once or twice so doing something that makes you excited to get onto the bike is always a good idea.

[krefs]

I raced a full 'cross season (~20 races in the fall) the year before my first TD. You've still got 5-6 months post-cross season to let your body adjust to longer distance and a slower burn. It might not be ideal, but "ideal" training for ultras rarely keeps your mind fresh and you having as much fun as possible on the bike. I also have done more intensity in the past two years of training, and I've been stronger in the ultras. Enjoy the 'cross and just ride your bike and have fun. Big miles can wait a few more months.

[sthig]

thanks for this everyone!