Race Cancelled? What Workout Should You Do?

by Peter Glassford | Apr 17, 2018 | Training

A corner of a calendar displaying a month with dates from the 4th to the 28th is shown on the left. The calendar is set against a bright yellow background on the right.

Races don’t get canceled often but it does happen with bad weather and financial/sponsorship issues.

This is always a bummer as we all look forward to races as a test of our fitness, to see friends, and to push our limits. Getting first races out of the way is also a big reason early races are important and not ‘losing’ our peak fitness for those big A races can also be a concern if races get delayed or canceled.

(We just had the first 2018 Superfly Ontario Cup Cancelled => LINK )

How do you use that weekend with no racing?

1. Use the weekend to boost your confidence. This may be another race or a group ride but for most athletes, a focused weekend to take care of elements of your performance that YOU ARE NERVOUS ABOUT is a good way to guide this ‘free weekend’.
  For early season mountain bike races, it is likely a good choice to try and get out on your mountain bike. Using your race nerves (what you are a bit scared of as that race approaches) as a guide you can then design a workout or two that will help make you more confident in that skill. If I am nervous about my start ability then a Saturday workout with 10 race start sims (10 x 30-60sec from a standing start … perhaps with a friend acting as the start-official (make a GO sound) to make it an external cue. Add a couple friends to make it a bit more competitive). For Sunday riding your mountain bike on a longer ride will help work out kinks in your bike setup and remind you that you can ride a mountain bike.
  
  Boost your Log Hops this weekend with the 5 step progression

1. Continue the progressions from the last few weeks = if you have been doing a progression of Vo2 (3 x 3, 4 x 3, 5 x 3 etc) or Sweetspot/Threshold (3 x 10, 3×12, 3 x 15) then there is a good chance that your race did not fall perfectly to continue that progression. Finish the progression!

When in doubt ask! Phone Consultations with your coach are a great option, especially if your schedule has changed and a new plan of attack, or a new progression, is warranted. Checking in with your coach often is a good idea to make sure you understand the goal of your training and so your coach understands your context (life, work, family, motivation to race, nutrition etc.)