Okay, so people can't believe I won Monticello - they keep saying: "Dude, I was kicking your ass all winter and then you suddenly beat me - WTF?"  One guy I run hill repeats with was like, man if you can win that I ought to do it - because he kills me on the repeats.  What these guys aren't getting - and the most common mistake made in training - is the concept of "peaking".  I wasn't trying to go fast this winter; I wasn't waxing my skis, I wasn't taking supplements - I tend to only take most supplements during a 3 week peaking period before a big event - and I wasn't resting.  I was training!  Training hard!  And so I was tired, really tired, and slow, really slow.  And then 3 weeks before Monticello I went into a 3 phase peaking program - one I have used for about 20 years with my own racing and with athletes I've coached as well.  And it worked!  Here's how it goes:

Phase 1: 1 week of long, meduim fast distance.  The goal here is to top off the tank, so I went to Tucson and rode 3 hours a day and ran for 1 hour a day for 4 days, then raced OP on a relay team.  I felt great in OP after 4 days of LSD...Started supplements Lifefx (2 a day) and endurofx, drank the Drip during training.

Phase 2:  1 week of hard but not anaerobic efforts followed by huge rest.  This phase started with OP - I wanted to do some threshold efforts, and while 5 - 1 hour efforts in 24 hours isn't really part of the plan, it worked because I  completely rested for the next 4 days after, and than did a hard effort again - a 1 hour TT in the valley.  And then rested for another 2 days.  So at the end of phase two I was rested and fast...Still supplementing with the above but added a multivitamin with iron and a daily dose of Aleve.  The latter is not approved by Shane at Health-fx!  I also started eating like there was no tomorrow - mostly proteins and fats but some carbs - a modified carbo loading program.  I did not feel fast this week - and I did not go fast in training -saving it for the race!

Phase 3:  Rest rest and more rest - though with 2 hard efforts during the week to stay opened up.  Continued eating, though on Wednesday I switched to mostly carbs with only a little protein and fat.  Gained 5 pounds during the whole 3 week period, but much of it was water weight - that stored water came in handy after I dropped my bottle and had to live like a camel for the last hour of the race!  The efforts were short, fast, but totally aerobic - no lactic acid really in any of the last 3 weeks ( I've read that it takes 3 weeks to clear lactic acid - therefore no anaerobic efforts in the last 3 weeks).  I did these efforts on skis and on the bike - no running this week (see next week's post for how wrong that was!).

That's it - simple peaking program that always works!    I have used this program for multiple National and State Championships in running and xc skiing (not personally, I was never THAT fast - but for althletes I've coached), and for several personal record type performances for myself as well.  It works!  Try it and let me know how it works for you.

rc