Yes, it's still December!

December - you're either racing cyclocross, spending precious time with family, vacationing in far off lands, or gearing up for the new road racing season.  As one of the leaders of the Early Bird Training Series I am always amazed at how fit racers are in January.  On the one hand, they need to be fit to keep up with their peers.  On the other hand, I don't understand the rush.  Some of the absolute best racing is in the late summer and early fall, yet folks are killing it in January. 

I recently pulled some Strava data from the very first Early Bird of 2012 (Jan. 8th) and was amazed to see that the category 4's race at 8:30am averaged 25.6mph!  Besides the fast pace, most hadn't gone through a corner with a competitor leaning on their shoulder in a number of months.  January is the perfect time of year to practice pack skills before the real racing begins.  Mostly, it takes a patient person to stay within yourself and stay on track to your goals, whether they are to win in February or September. 

In closing, let's take a more detailed look at "fitness" and take a reminder that the "off-season" is the perfect time of year to work on any one of your weaknesses. 

Five Components of Health Related Fitness

1- Aerobic Endurance

2- Muscular Endurance

3- Muscular Strength

4- Flexibility

5- Body Composition

 

For me, I try to focus on the last three at this time of year. A bit of smart weight lifting, yoga and "push-aways".  Merry Christmas, Larry Nolan, Team Specialized