Building fitness back to previous heights following an injury, setback, illness, life event, or even an extended offseason is not for the faint of heart. That’s because in Endurance Sport it can be nothing short of humbling to start from “square one” given the many layers that need to be developed to create “top-shelf” fitness. So it is with a healthy respect for the size of this challenge, gathered through our years’ of working with driven Athletes that have experienced setbacks of every variety, that we consult Coach Joy as she works to rebuild her fitness following the birth of Baby Seamus. Through her story as well as perspective being both a Coach and an Athlete we conducted the following interview to help Athletes of all levels get back on track as they work to resurrect their fitness. Enjoy! "I don't call it a comeback, it's just about getting back to riding with my friends!" Coach Joy is working to regain her fitness following childbirth.Photo Credit: Kathi Stewart Interview: Question #1: OK, it’s not a comeback because you are not looking to prove anything, but you definitely want to regain your ability to “smash” the local group rides with the guys. What has the road to rebuilding your fitness looked like since the birth of Baby Seamus? Coach Joy: Humbling, but luckily it keeps getting brighter and brighter! Seamus is now 5-months old, which means my body has had 5-months to rebuild, recover, and realign. I was fortunate to pedal my bike 15-days after he was born - riding my mountain bike in Big Bear on the road never felt so liberating! From there, it was a slow road back to consistency though. With temperatures over 100*F for days on-end, navigating life with a newborn, and digging through brain-fog as well as body roadblocks I didn’t really get into a rhythm with riding and exercise until Labor Day, when Seamus was 2-months old. For the first few weeks, my goal was to squeeze into a kit and get out the door to pedal for 60-minutes, several times a week. My cadence had tanked, threshold power was abysmal, and my body felt like leftover birthday cake looks! I used these rides mostly to clear my head and breathe - being a Mom can be hard! Gathering data, I could see improvements in average cadence, distance covered with less physical and emotional effort, and my overall sensations began to feel more like the sensations of old. Coach Brian and I have a great routine so I can get up and feed Seamus, kit up, and head out the door with time to spare before it’s time to feed the little man again. Once I established a baseline, I began tackling the Oak Glen climb behind our house once a week. My goal was to get to the top in my 90-minute ride window, and being a 7-mile climb I wasn’t sure I would make it all the way up there and back! I surprised myself by making it - and not needing a nap afterwards! This soon became my weekly pilgrimage, each time working to take time off the Strava segments along the route, while improving my cadence, and climbing at a lower heart rate. Doing efforts within the rides has made the workouts super fun, and I come home with a sense of accomplishment, but mostly rebooted by being back to the roads and fresh air that have become a staple for me. Recently, I added in the gravel bike for variety, and even my mountain bike with the goal to make it up to the top of Pisgah Peak - a local dirt climb - in my 90-minute window. So I have my work cut out for me! A few weeks ago, Coach Brian was trying to convince me to go to our local Saturday group ride, and I finally caved, since I knew I needed to re-hone my group riding skills prior to a charity ride with our Athletes. I rode from home, which makes the ride 70-miles total and over four-hours… I had forgotten how long the ride was! Up to that point, my longest ride had been 26-miles… The ride was a blast, and I found myself shaking my head thinking, how did I use to do this so easily in the past! Although my threshold power has tanked and my weight isn’t nearly what it has been before childbirth, I found myself navigating the group with confidence, even taking a few “pulls” at the front, as well as adding my special “spice” to the trash talking. It was great to be back, but I can only handle that kind of training-load once a month - 3+hrs on the bike packs a HUGE punch now! Question #2: Although you rode deep into your pregnancy, it was not “training”, per se, as much as it was just getting moving. Since the birth, how have you balanced your desire to train for a goal with your need to get some fresh air? Coach Joy: I enjoyed riding, hiking, and doing yoga while pregnant. I rode my mountain bike on my due-date which was fun, but so slow! Since being back on the bike regularly, I have found that training for a goal matches perfectly with getting fresh air and ‘just riding.’ I have set my sights on doing the short route options at the Rock (Pebble) Cobbler, Redlands Strada Rosa, and the Belgian Waffle Ride (Wafer), so just getting the consistency in and riding daily will help me work toward those goals. "It was humbling and ironic, but some of the only jerseys that fit following childbirth were my old winners/podium jerseys from years past." Note: These are often ordered by race organizers in large sizes because it is unknown what size the winner might need. Photo Credit: Joy McCulloch Question #3: Since giving birth you have mentioned numerous times that your ability to support and help Athletes who are trying to build back their fitness after a setback, injury, or life-event is improved. Can you elaborate on that and how becoming a Mom has helped you as a Coach? Coach Joy: Through my years racing, I was fortunate to not have any major injuries or setbacks. Now digging out of a deep drop in fitness has taught me so much, and I am excited to help our Athletes as they recover from surgery, injuries, or any of life’s obstacles. Building fitness back from ground zero hurts on many levels, and I have had to employ some pretty creative tactics to keep my momentum. I opted to ignore power data for several months, and ride off of ‘feel’ as well as perceived exertion, which I think will go a long way with my Athletes. I have also had to be extremely productive with my time on the bike so that I can get the highest return on my investment with only 90-minutes of training time. Additionally, I have also learned the important lesson that when grace is needed, I must heed the bodies request, as ignoring those signals could derail the train entirely. I have always had a high level of empathy for the Athletes, but now I have the real-life experience and a deeper appreciation for their path. Needless to say, I am excited to help them to the other side of any setback! Question #4: What workouts have you found to be the most potent and useful in re-starting your fitness? Are you doing a traditional “base phase” of endurance work or are you adding intervals to help you sharpen-up your fitness? Coach Joy: Base phase lasted about 2-weeks, so that I could feel like I was on top of the pedals. It happened much faster than I thought it would, and I was pleasantly surprised to feel the positive sensations return so quickly, as I thought they might be dormant for some time. I even had several “light-bulb” moments where I would say “Ah-ha! There it is,” in my head because I could feel the progress. I really like structure and routine, so I have started doing intervals on the climb of Oak Glen. I began with 3x 6 minutes at threshold, then 4x 6 minutes, and the last two weeks I have gone back to 3 efforts but increased the output by 20 watts. I love this stuff and now that my base fitness is OK, I can handle a decent workload, so it’s exciting to see the numbers creep up. I also added in a “sprint” day to help remind my body how to sprint, start going fast again, and regain confidence handling my bike at speed. Who knows, I may line up for a criterium again one day, so I always have to be sprint ready!!! Otherwise, I spend a lot of time riding “old-school” low heart rate to rebuild my aerobic economy, burn some KJ’s, and stay ‘on top’ of the pedals. I have the Oak Glen climb on the road, Crafton Hills on the Gravel Bike, and Pisgah Peak on the MTB so I enjoy plenty of variety, stay away from traffic to clear my brain, and enjoy being outside. Right now I have sore legs - which means fitness is right around the corner! "It was hard to leave my little man to go ride, but Mama had to ride! It was always wonderful to hold him again once I returned." Photo Credit: Joy McCulloch
Summary: We hope that you have enjoyed reading a little bit about Coach Joy’s ongoing journey to rebuild her fitness following childbirth and that her experiences can help should you be confronted by a setback. As Coach Joy can attest, there are no short-cuts to fitness. Reaching your potential and otherwise developing fitness that will propel you to your goals takes time, energy, grit, and even a little grace… But we know you are up for the task or you would not have read this whole article! #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian & Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching Thanksgiving is a special holiday here at Big Wheel Coaching as it is an annual reminder to be grateful for all the blessings in our lives. But did you know that having an “attitude of gratitude” can positively influence your sporting performance? In fact, it can! More and more research is emerging that giving thanks not only allows Athletes to achieve their best performances, but that it can help them reduce stress, maintain focus, and minimize routine aches and pains. These reasons, and more, are why Professional and Olympic-caliber teams are working to develop an “attitude of gratitude” in their organizations. One simple strategy these Professional Athletes are doing that each of us can incorporate into our daily or weekly routine is keeping a “gratitude journal”. A gratitude-journal is simply a listing of the things, big or small, that you are thankful for. Who says a gratitude journal has to be small? Just like your goals, write what you are thankful for big and bold, then put it out where you can see it! Photo Credit: Sean Rooks, The Energy Lab
As an example here are three things that top our BWC Gratitude Journal for Thanksgiving 2018: #1: We are thankful for the opportunity to work with passionate men and women that are striving to achieve challenging goals, everyday. #2: We are grateful that so many of our Athletes are inspirational to us as Coaches. We are inspired by their work ethic, discipline, time-management, and enthusiasm. #3: We are very appreciative for all the “hand-me-downs”, parenting advice, and support we have received from so many generous people since we welcomed our son, Baby Seamus into the world almost five months ago. Can you think of three things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend? In closing, here is a great quote that captures the idea of how an attitude of gratitude can positively influence performance: "Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." -Brian Tracy, Author/Speaker We hope this holiday season finds you feeling thankful for the blessings in your life and that cultivating an attitude of gratitude can help you achieve all your goals! Happy Thanksgiving from Big Wheel Coaching! #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian and Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching The winter holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (among others) are upon us, and with them come commitments as well as time constraints that complicate the regular training routine of every athlete. For most of us, the holiday season means two things: #1- Extra time away from work to celebrate the holidays. & #2 - “End of the year” business responsibilities and deadlines that usually mean long hours at the office. While the later can make even the most efficient time-managers crunched for a workout, the former offers the opportunity to both enjoy holiday gatherings and score extra training time. With these realities in mind and the notion that seeing/feeling your hard-earned fitness slip-away over the holidays can be stress inducing, we offer the following tips to help you maximize your holiday workout time. Hill repeats are always challenging, but during the holidays this workout can be especially useful given abbreviated training opportunities. Photo Credit Danny Munson, DMunsonPhoto.com Strategy #1: Embrace Intensity Over Volume Despite the prospect of time away from the office, the holidays are filled with additional commitments that can sabotage an Athletes best intentions to add volume to their winter training load. With that in mind, we encourage our Athletes to emphasize intensity over volume, where appropriate, in their training plan. If time is short and you have a narrow window to train, make the workout hard! Consider doing a short warm-up while riding over to your favorite climb. Then, bust-out a series of hill-repeats before completing your training time with steady-state endurance riding. Another option would be to head to a sustained climb where you can ride at a fast tempo and add in a series of 20-30sec. hard accelerations to vary your speed and effort. Return to your fast tempo following each acceleration to simulate an “under-over” type workout. We recommend doing one acceleration every 2-4min., as terrain allows. There are many other workout options to maximize the potency of short training sessions, but the gist of the intensity over volume mentality is this: When volume is lacking, pour on the intensity for a hard workout in short order. Note: Intensity can take many forms, but in this case we are referring to sub-10 minute efforts above threshold. These intervals should be difficult in nature and near maximal in output. Riding an indoor trainer can turn a short training window into a potent workout. If boredom worries you, consider inviting teammates & friends over for a group trainer session or trying ZWIFT! Photo Credit: Brian McCulloch #2: Embrace Indoor Training If your holiday schedule is inundated with holiday parties, family commitments, travel, or long days at the office, we suggest embracing the stationary trainer. Whether it is foul weather or a busy holiday schedule that has you limited, a stationary trainer can offer a great workout for a minimal investment of time. Although boredom is the chief complaint of riding a trainer, the benefits far outweigh the challenges. Consider catching-up on your favorite Netflix series, watching stages of a previous Tours de France on YouTube, or listening to your favorite music - extra loud - while you sweat through a great workout. If group-style riding is more enticing to you, you could even do ZWIFT workouts utilizing a ‘smart’ trainer. An indoor trainer allows an athlete to train when light is minimal or the weather is atrocious. Regardless of what spurs the trainer session, a focused 45-75 minutes makes for a solid workout that can buoy your fitness during the holiday season. Try to plan one, or more, big days of training during your holiday vacation. Whether the ride is an old favorite or a new route on unfamiliar roads, you will be happy you got out for a killer ride! Photo Credit: Danny Munson, DMunsonPhoto.com
Strategy #3: Find A Group Or Grab A Partner For A Ride Whether you are home for the holidays or find yourself at a family members house with access to a bike, it is always a good idea to look up local cycling clubs to see what holiday rides are available. Many local clubs host early morning rides because they, too, are trying to squeeze in a quick workout before heading over to a crazy Aunts house for a butter-bathed holiday surprise… Whether in a group setting or with one training partner, having someone else to ride with can add the intensity, challenge, and variety needed to turn a standard ride into an awesome workout! If you are riding with a partner, consider sprinting against each other for the city-limit signs you pass on the ride. Or, ride in a single pace-line with one rider pulling hard for 60sec. while the other rider ‘rests’ in the slip-stream. Take turns pulling hard on the front, then resting in the draft. The point is this: you are not the only Athlete trying to get in a workout and balance holiday commitments. So, look up a friend, training partner, or local group to help you get out the door for a workout; you will be happy you did! Summary: During the holidays training is likely to slip down on the priority list and that’s OK! Being a successful Endurance Athlete is all about consistency and balance. Because Endurance Athletes are highly committed to their training, it must be countered with proper rejuvenation, recovery, and the reinvigoration necessary to stay motivated all year long. With that in mind, we hope these strategies, or even a holiday rest period, can help you maximize your workout time this holiday season. We’ll leave it to you and your coach to decide whether a series of focused trainer workouts, an epic ride or two, or even some well deserved rest is the right strategy for you this holiday season. Regardless of your holiday workout specifics, Big Wheel Coaching would like to wish you Happy Holidays! #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian and Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching Three Wins In Three Tries At The SoCal Triple Crown MTB Series: 4-Questions With Klayton Sproles11/8/2018 The Fall and Winter are traditionally considered to be offseason for most disciplines in cycling, but in Southern California, this time of year is when the SoCal Time-Trial series and offseason XC MTB racing heats up! Recently the three-round Triple Crown XC MTB Series wrapped-up with Klayton Sproles winning his category in each of the three races. He managed this while adding a few of SoCal Time-Trial Series 20KM events to his ‘off’ weekends. Having been out of the MTB scene for over ten-years, Klayton was surprised by his success and thankful to see that his off-road skills were not too rusty! Following his win in the final round of the Triple Crown MTB Series we caught up with Klayton for this weeks BWC Athlete Profile, enjoy! The Triple Crown MTB Series In SoCal featured three technical MTB courses, each of which Klayton won. Photo Credit: Triple Crown MTB Series Athlete Bio: Primary Sport/Discipline: Road Cycling & MTB Racing Average Hours of Training Per Week: 8-14hrs. Upcoming Goals: The Leadville Trail 100 & Masters National Championships Interview: Question #1: Congratulations on sweeping the three-round Triple Crown XC MTB Series, Klayton! Being your first MTB races in over ten-years, were you expecting this success? Do you have any event highlights from these races? Klayton Sproles:Thank you! I was expecting to get my butt handed to me since I have been out of the MTB scene for so long. And everyone knows racing in So Cal is fast, regardless of the discipline! The highlight for me, from the three-rounds of racing, was being welcomed back into the MTB community. At the races there is great camaraderie amongst all the competitors! Coaches Perspective/Coach Brian: I am very excited for Klayton and proud of him for winning each round of the SoCal Triple Crown MTB Series. Although Klayton was unsure of his fitness, I had confidence in his preparation and knew that, as a tenacious competitor he would “rise to the occasion”. What made the success even more exciting was the knowledge that leading into each race we developed a specific plan that Klayton executed perfectly every time! Question #2: Besides XC MTB Racing, this offseason you have been racing the SoCal TT Series. How are you balancing training for both 20KM time-trials and cross-country MTB racing? KS:In my personal opinion, the two disciplines complement each other very well. I love both types of racing, so it is fairly easy for me to stay focused and motivated for each event. For the most part, I just look at my schedule to see if a race works, then I do it! I know it is tough on my coach to fit it all in while still having an eye toward 2019, but we make it happen. Coach Brian: Racing Time-Trials and XC MTB events may be similar in the notion that both are “flat-out” efforts, but each require their own specific type of fitness in order to be proficient. For MTB racing, it’s a “wide-open” form of racing that requires repeated above threshold efforts. While time-trialing requires an Athlete to hold the highest possible steady-state output over the race course. So there is your dichotomy, short violent off-road efforts vs. steady-state lactate-buffering in an aerodynamic tuck! Thankfully, Klayton has been consistently training for many years so his aerobic engine is well developed. This means he can handle the workload of adding intense discipline-specific workouts to his weekly training routine. The podium was full of smiles and even a furry friend at the SoCal Triple Crown MTB Series! Photo Credit: The SoCal Triple Crown MTB Series Question #3: What are your biggest cycling objectives for next season and what events are you most excited about preparing for? KS:I have two major goals for 2019: #1: Masters National Time-Trial Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado. & #2: The Leadville Trail 100 MTB race in Leadville, Colorado. I am having a blast riding my MTB at the moment and am really excited about the opportunity to compete at Leadville! As for Masters National Championships, I must admit that I am a tad nervous. I really want to have a great performance there, but know that the competition will be fierce. Coach Brian: Both of Klayton’s 2019 goals are in Colorado, which poses an interesting challenge since he lives very close to sea-level and both events take place at altitude. With that in mind we are already discussing various ways to adapt to the thin-air and help him be in the best shape possible for both events. Luckily there is still plenty of time as both events take place in the late-summer. This allows us to build Klayton’s fitness in a robust way before his major targets. Klayton enjoyed the low-key and fun atmosphere of the MTB races. Photo Credit: The SoCal Triple Crown MTB Series Question #4: What is/are your favorite workout(s) in your training program? Also, please share a ‘knowledge-bomb’ you have learned while training with BWC. KS:My favorite workout is definitely the “soft pedal” days that Coach Brian prescribes from time to time. And I also love motor pacing! It’s so hard, but gets me in shape quick! As for a knowledge-bomb, one thing I struggled with in the past is communicating regularly and adequately with my Coach. Over the years I have had a more than a few Coaches, all with different backgrounds and using different training methodologies, some good, some not so much. Coach Brian and I talk regularly, I work to tell him everything I can about my training rides and the races I do. He encourages this communication, as it helps him see the whole picture of what is going on, and over time I have seen the improvements from it! So the moral is, trust your coach, do the work, and it will pay off! Coach Brian: That is a perfect illustration of the dichotomy of training stimulus! Most Athletes can benefit immensely by simply riding VERY easy and VERY hard. Sure there are more layers to it, but at it’s core, that is one training principle that is quite simple. In regards to communication, that is such a critical element of the Coach/Athlete relationship. Detailed communication is important, despite all the data available to us these days, it is the feelings and experiences of the Athlete being coached that are most critical to guide them to success! Despite all the suffering out on course, Klayton made time to smile for the camera! Photo Credit: The SoCal Triple Crown MTB Series
Summary: We hope you have enjoyed reading about Klayton Sproles Triple Crown MTB success as much has we have enjoyed sharing it! Although the Fall and Winter is considered the “offseason” for most cycling disciplines, there are still a number of great events (especially if you are a cyclocross racer) that can keep your fitness suitably sharp to keep training fresh and fun. You might have to look off-road or consider time-trialing as Klayton has, but who knows, it might end up that your two biggest season goals come from it! #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian & Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching Exciting things are in the works at Big Wheel Coaching! One project we are working on here at BWC headquarters is 'revamping' and updating our newsletter. We want your help to make it better as we seek to improve the newsletter in both it's content and format. Please help us by taking this short, 5-question survey regarding the BWC Newsletter. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvbGqqO0cPzcD4APubMo8yPoBS3dI794enrnCQSDjjt1AIVw/viewform?usp=sf_link Baby Seamus wants to give you a 'fist-bump' for taking our Newsletter survey as a 'thank you'! Photo Credit: Joy McCulloch
Thank you in advance for your help. We appreciate it very much! #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian & Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching |
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