December is a tricky time of year for cyclists with too much time on their hands. How hard should I train? I don’t want to burn out! But I don’t want to waste my time! What to do?
Step 1: Look at your race season. How many days of stress are you going to be dealing with? Multiple days in a row?
Step 2: Create your own training camps/mock stage races. Shoot for 3-4 days in a row, followed by 2-3 days easy. This way you can usually target good weather and weekends.
Step 3: Plan it out, make it hard, get it done and then take Christmas off. Place more emphasis on the recovery portion of these “on days” than on the rides themselves as it is by monitoring differences in sensations due to changes to nutrition, sleep and general stress that will provide the most long term benefits. Learn your body. Take notes.
Step 4: Realize that each day is a notch in the tree, and only in time can it become a canoe. Precision and patience today = perfection tomorrow. So do as Krogg would do, and go swing that axe. Then have big caveman nap!