If it’s important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse! No more excuses, use our exceptional training plans developed for cyclists by a cyclist to prepare for the Steaming Nostril and launch you into a great spring of cycling! Follow the training plan that fits your ability and lifestyle developed by Kelly Ellis of C2CTraining.ca. What doesn’t challenge you won’t change you!
Check out our plans below – 12 weeks of specific training rides that can be done outside depending on the weather or on your trainer in the warmth of your home. Also included is a very basic CORE workout to strengthen and prevent injuries so you are completely prepared for whatever Steaming Nostril brings this year. There are two options for training plans – a “FITTER” and a “FASTER” – you choose:
- FITTER training plans are for cyclists who are fairly new to the sport, who want to finish strong and ride well but aren’t too concerned about beating other riders or who have limited time availability. Fitter plans are usually 3-4 days per week. Rides range from 1hr to 2.5 hrs depending on the phase of the program. Follow the FITTER plan if you’d like to improve your general cycling fitness, ride a bit faster and ENJOY your Steaming Nostril experience.
- FASTER training plans are for cyclists who have some riding/racing experience, who are keen to improve their performance, and/or who have a bit more time to devote to training. Faster plans are usually 4-5 days per week and rides range from 1.5 to 3hrs depending on the phase of the program. Follow the FASTER plan if you already have a decent base and want to improve your power to ride a faster & harder than ever before so you can ENJOY your Steaming Nostril experience.
If you are going to train, you will want to make the most of your time and that means working at the right effort level for you. The training sessions we have for you describe the rides using numbered zones so that you work at that level of effort for the time given. You can train by perceived effort (ie. how you feel) or using heart rate zones based on your max heart rate. Below is a Training Zone Chart to use but first use the following formula to determine your max heart rate:
- MHR = 211 minus 64% of your age
ZONE | EFFORT | YOU CAN… | % MHR |
1 | Easy | Chat freely, sing a song and maybe even dance! | > 64% |
2 | Steady | Just about hold a conversation. Breathing is steady. | 65-74% |
3 | Brisk | One sentence at a time now! Breathing hard, but controlled. | 75-84% |
4 | Threshold | Manage to say a few words but breathing is really heavy. | 85-94% |
5 | Very Hard | Grunt! Gasp! Pant! All-out effort for short period of time. | 95+% |