Spotted Horse 150 is one of the most challenging 150-mile races in the Midwest. It's known for a lot of elevation, short-punchy hills, and scenic (but difficult) B-roads (minimum maintenance roads).
This training plan assumes the athlete is an experienced gravel racer and has a solid base of training (has been riding consistently for 3+ years), and has been riding 6-8 hours a week for the past month prior to starting the plan, and is capable of starting with 3+ hour endurance rides. Because this race is most likely 10+ hours in total duration, the training plan does include a high volume of training. As such, expect some long weekend rides (max of 10 hours in one day) and up to a maximum of 2 hours a day during the week on Tuesday through Fridays, and peak volume at 18 hours of total training in the peak week. Mondays are the designated rest day in this schedule.
This plan utilizes a combination of power and heart rate (HR) based workouts. It utilizes power for interval type work, and heart rate for endurance work (assuming many people use HR on gravel riding). In general, the interval work is best performed indoors on a trainer for most people. To utilize this plan, you will need both a power meter and a heart rate monitor.
Included in the plan are general notes on fueling, gear and race preparation. This plan is not specific to an individual year, meaning it can be applied to future years.
Your Results Matter. For most of us, we race for fun and not for a paycheck. For many, part of the fun is being able to show improvement over time... the feeling that the time you are investing will result in meeting your athletic or fitness goals. Tri2Max provides comprehensive and individualized coaching for Triathletes and Ultra Cyclists, designed to optimize your precious time and energy.