I’m excited to announce our Arizona Trail Race 300 Training Plan has been published and is now available. This plan is designed to prepare an athlete to race the Arizona Trail Race 300.

This plan will physically prepare you to race for 300 miles and strategically prepare you to successfully cover the AZTR300 course. The plan covers physical training to build speed and endurance. It details preparation factors; bikepacking bike fit, equipment considerations and fueling. It also covers strategic factors; race strategy, managing the environment and AZTR specific course info.

PDF format $99:

This training plan is a culmination of my experiences both coaching athletes, and racing AZTR300 myself. In 2010 I had a personal obsession with the race sleuthing out every detail I could find. In 2011 I completed the race with a winning time. My hope is this plan will prepare you to have the race of YOUR life at AZTR as I did myself. My race report is here.

I have special affection for the piece of this planet earth that the Arizona Trail traverses. The scenery is stunning and trail itself challenging. The Arizona Trail Association’s mission is to build, maintain, promote, protect and sustain the Arizona Trail as a unique encounter with the land. Become an ATA member to show your support.

I love the Arizona Trail!  The trail would not exist and AZTR would not happen without the efforts of the Arizona Trail Association (ATA).  LW Coaching will donate 10% of all AZTR plan proceeds to the ATA.

Grit: firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck: She has a reputation for grit and common sense.

Grit: stubbornness, resourcefulness, creativity and adaptability that helps someone make the tough climb toward a longterm goal.

Do you have grit? It takes a whole lot of grit to race mountain bikes so the answer is probably a resounding yes.

Take this test to see where you lie on the Grit Scale.

Reader Question:

I am not a morning person, never have been. A lot of the long endurance races I have been doing start early in the morning and I feel like I have a hard time getting going. I usually get off the line feeling flat with tired legs and don’t really get going for the first hour or so. How can I get better at these early morning events?

LW Coaching Answer:

Dawn patrol endurance race start times can be difficult for night owls!

In general, the longer the race, the earlier the start time. Riding conservatively and taking an hour to open up in these longer endurance races can be a good tactic, and could lead to a personal best race time. But more often, it is all too easy to over-pace the start of an endurance race.

I’ve outlined training and race-day strategies that can help you feel sparklier at race start, and have you firing on all cylinders right from the gun.

PRE-ADAPTION

In the five days leading up to race day go to bed early and wake up at the same time as race day.  Give yourself enough time to log eight hours of sleep. Start your ride in the morning at the same time as the race start if possible. Like pre-adapting to a new time zone before travel, this will shift your biological clock to be awake at race time.

In the five weeks leading up to the event, once per week, go to bed early, rise early and ride early. This will teach your body to put in the work early and more importantly, provide you the opportunity to experiment with different breakfast and wake up routines.

RACE DAY STRATEGIES

Two days prior to your race (or in the afternoon the day before), organize your race fuel and equipment. This avoids the need to stay up late the night before organizing. It also allows you to have a mellow morning with time to wake up gradually, rather than a stressful rush getting your stuff together before your brain is fully awake.

Write out your morning plan: what you need to do, and at what time. Then in the morning you can relax and follow your plan without struggling to think before your brain is fully awake.

On race morning, set at least two alarms, take a shower, eat breakfast and drink coffee. If you are a night owl you are almost surely a coffee drinker, too.

Eat a lighter and possibly liquid-based breakfast to avoid the sleepy feeling a full stomach generates. But remember: a lighter and liquid breakfast requires starting your fuel plan from the gun rather than waiting an hour into the race.

At the race–site, plan a longer and more gradual warm up.

This may mean warming up in the dark. Have some lights set up on your bike and warm clothes you can quickly remove pre-race. Or, use a trainer for your warm up. Like the waking up process, start gradually. Finish with some harder efforts to generate some endorphins and bring you online 100% in time for the race start.

Being a night owl myself, I know how much easier it is to push the snooze button on race morning and get another hour sleep, rather than take the time to gradually wake up. Dragging yourself out of bed on time is worth the extra effort to hit the start line ready to rock.

I am currently designing my new LW Coaching Arizona 300 Trail Race Training plan. It is bringing back lots of sweet memories of my race there this spring . I keep finding myself day dreaming away!

I’m having a lot of fun designing this plan. Here is an excerpt from the Equipment Considerations chapter:

Shoe choice is critical. Critical… (Yes I did say that twice!!) Foot damage is perhaps the number one reason for bikepacking race DNF’s. Arizona Trail Race 300 has steep and rocky hike-a-bike sections. You’ll do a lot of hike-a-bike right from the start.  The first 31 miles from Parker Lake to Patagonia through the Canelo hills are steep and loose. You will hike in the Canelo Hills. Climbing up to Molino Saddle is non-stop 30 minute hike-a-bike and Oracle Ridge is on an off your bike affair for 3-4 hours. Arizona Trail Race 300 has a lot of foot travel over rough terrain. Choose your foot wear wisely. Hamburger feet take the fun out of it.

Despite all my day dreaming the plan design is coming along nicely.  2012 race date for AZT 300 is Friday April 13th (yes, Friday the 13th…) . The LW Coaching AZT training plan will start 12 weeks prior on January 23rd 2012. It is not going to be an easy one

The 2012 NUE calendar is out! We can plan training!

Today is November 11th giving us just over 24 weeks to NUE race #1 Cohutta on April 28th. Start your 12 week Base training plan on November 14th and your 12 week 100 miler specific training plan on February 6th to peak at NUE race #1 on April 28th.

Here is the low down on how to stack the LW Coaching mountain bike training plans to work for YOU.

YOUR #1 goal is to set a personal record time in the 100 mile mountain bike race distance

To reach your #1 goal you need to improve speed. This is YOUR training plan stack:

• 12 week Category 1 Cross Country Mountain Bike Base Training Plan
• 12 week 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race – Personal Record Plan

To reach your #1 goal you need to improve speed and you have limited time to train this winter. This is YOUR training plan stack:

• 12 week TIME CRUNCHED Category 1 Cross Country Mountain Bike Base Training Plan
• 12 week 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race – Personal Record Plan

To reach your #1 goal you need to improve speed and you are racing single speed. This is YOUR training plan stack:

• 12 week SINGLE SPEED Cross Country Mountain Bike Base Training Plan
• 12 week 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race – Personal Record Plan

To reach your #1 goal you need to improve speed and lose 10 lbs or more body weight. This is YOUR training plan stack:

• 12 week Weight Loss and Base Training Plan
• 12 week 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race – Personal Record Plan

YOUR #1 goal is to finish a 100 mile mountain bike race

To reach your #1 goal you need to improve endurance and the ability to ride comfortably for 100 miles. This is YOUR training plan stack:

• 12 week Category 2 Sport Cross Country Mountain Bike Base Training Plan
• 12 week 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race – Finisher Plan

To reach your #1 goal you need to improve endurance, the ability to ride comfortably for 100 miles and lose 10 lbs or more of body weight.  This is YOUR training plan stack:

• 12 week Weight Loss and Base Training Plan
• 12 week 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race – Finisher Plan

If you have a different race schedule and want to know what YOUR optimal training plan stack is, post your schedule and goals on our Training and Racing Forum or send me a note lynda@lwcoaching.com

Smart training plans for YOU!