10 Weeks to a Better Time Trial

Back in 2005 when I worked in Lunenburg, I helped re-organize a Tuesday night time trial.  The course was an out and back 10K on the 2nd Peninsula Road.  Each week there was a variety of people.  At the most we had about 20. 

Anyways, we ran this event every week for an entire summer.  Typically the first one was the worst.  Then the times began to drop until.  Near the end of the summer times began to stagnate and getting a faster time required better weather or equipment. 

At the end of that summer I felt that I was a strong biker and I owe a lot to those TTs.  Under some advice from a pro-triathlete, I am going to do my own Tuesday night TT (only mine will be on Fridays!). 

To ride fast means you have to go fast (obvious eh).  In 10 weeks I hope to be at my fastest for my 70.3 in Rhode Island.  I’m going to follow a plan by  Chris Carmichael with a few modifications.  His plan is for 7 week but I’m going to stretch it to 10.  His is also for 40K which I’m going to extend to 90.

Week 1: Begin with a 5K TT course and do it twice with a 10 minute recovery (20 minutes if you ride less than 3-4 times a week).

Week 2: Extend to 7.5K and repeat twice with the same recovery.

Week 3: Stretch to 10K, repeat twice with half the recovery.

I modified the next few weeks to add more distance.  If you would like to see the original 40K plan send me and e-mail.

Week 4: I added a third 10K with the same recovery.

Week 5: First two sets of 10K with the third of 15K.  Recovery 5minutes.

Week 6: 2 x 20K.  Rest 5 minutes.  This one may be substituted for an actual 40K TT.

Week 7: 15 x 2K with a third set of 20K.

Week 8: 20K x 3.  Hardest set, 2 weeks out from the race.

Week 9: 40K (probably done in a race)

Week 10: Race day.

It’s going to be hard but if I want to finish in the top 5 that I feel this has to be done.  I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!  If your thinking of doing the same thing, watch this before you go out.