Plan Feedback/Help In-between Objectives

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March 3, 2021 at 8:35 am #51472

Nicklas McKittrick
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Overview: attached is a PDF outline of my training plan for a few upcoming objectives for late summer-fall. My primary question/s have to do with what do I do in between these “objectives.” These are weeks 17-21 in the PDF and weeks 23-28. For context, my “objectives” are NOT technical, my primary focus/goal is being able to cover ground (estimates of 10+ miles per day some on-trail and off-trail) and elevation gains/loses around 4,000 ft.

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Posted In: General Training Discussion

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Reed on March 3, 2021 at 11:54 am #51478

Focus on recovery. You’re not going to build any fitness during your week 16, as an example. Prepare with a recovery / taper week in order to be ready, if it’s going to be a difficult couple of days, and then give yourself plenty of time the following week to recovery. Reduce load by 50% and walk / jog / swim. Similarly for your October back-to-back-to-back weekends.

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LindsayTroy on March 3, 2021 at 1:21 pm #51484

I agree with Reed though I think its important to have a 2 week taper before the objectives if you want to be at full capacity.

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Nicklas McKittrick on April 22, 2021 at 8:24 am #53306

Thanks for the feedback. If I am “hearing” you correctly. The principle/expectation for before an “objective” is to taper appropriately (1-2 weeks depending on expected demand of objective) and then in between objectives is to recover (light work) and maintain but not expect to increase. Is that correct, or if there is enough time in between objectives could I expect to build on my base?

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Reed on April 22, 2021 at 9:23 am #53308

If you have enough time between your events, you could certainly build fitness. That’s probably best measured in months, not days. Another approach to consider is using your intermediate events as training sessions. Rather than a 2-week taper and an all-out effort, you might go slower and easier – less need for tapering preparation, and faster recovery afterwards. A Saturday/Sunday trek of 10-15 miles/day with 4,000 feet of gain could be something that you can recover from within a few days, if you’re building on a good foundation and you stay well within your capacity (very low intensity).

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Nicklas McKittrick on April 22, 2021 at 1:19 pm #53315

Thanks for the additional feedback. This is where the “art” mixes with the “science” I guess.

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Anonymous on April 23, 2021 at 8:31 am #53335

In addition to what Reed and Lindsay said, think of the in-between weeks as (possibly) three components: recovery, rebuild, build. You need to recover from an event before you can continue. If an event is intense enough (or a series of events), then you’ll need some time to restore what you’ve used up. Lastly, as Reed said, building takes months, so that component will depend on what your timeline is.

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Nicklas McKittrick on April 23, 2021 at 3:25 pm #53358

Thanks, that’s very helpful. Is there a “guideline/guestimate” on how far back to go in the plan to begin rebuild. For example, lets say I recover for a week after a “moderate” outing, do I go back 2 weeks in my training plan and complete the volume I did two weeks before the outing? My guess is its more of a “feel” based on my own personal fitness level etc. but just wondering if there’s something more to go on. Thanks again this has been very helpful.

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Anonymous on June 30, 2021 at 9:10 am #55273

I wouldn’t say there’s a guideline for repeating a plan. A good rule of thumb is to plan on at least one day of easy activity per day off after a layoff. That of course should be extended if it’s not enough.

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