As always, time flies by and we are (for most riders) approaching the midpoint of the competitive racing and riding season. With several months of training and competitions ahead and to ensure a productive and successful second half of the season, it is important for the cyclist to conduct a mid-season assessment and evaluation. This evaluation should consist of a physical evaluation (not a doctor's exam, but an assessment of how you are feeling physically), psychological considerations (do you still look forward to riding, or does the thought of another mile on the bike bring tears to your eyes?), training plan modifications (remember that training programs are not etched in stone and rest is an integral aspect of training), supplementary activities (cyclists are athletes and other athletic endeavors can enhance cycling performance), and nutritional considerations (long, intense riding may require some modification to your diet). This article will focus on how each of these considerations can help the cyclist have a successful and safe second half of the season.

Physical and Psychological Considerations
"When we combine high levels of volume with high levels of intensity, a nasty word can occur — overtraining."

Conducting a literature search would reveal hundreds, maybe thousands of articles and books related to the training of endurance athletes. Many of them address different ways to outline overall training strategies and schedules with pre-season training, pre-competitive stages, an in-season competitive phase and finally transition/off-season training. This concept is often referred to as periodization, which is the careful manipulation of training volume and intensity to achieve certain desired results. If one would look at a graph or table of the overall training schedule, the competitive or in-season phase is quite often the longest phase, and since the competitive phase includes, well, competitions, it often is the most intense phase of the overall schedule. When we combine high levels of volume with high levels of intensity, a nasty word can occur - overtraining. Overtraining can lead to decreases in performance and worse - injuries. An injured athlete cannot perform at any level, much less optimally, so overtraining avoidance and recognition is very important.

During the middle of the competitive season, it is important to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of possible overtraining. Potential warning signs include: (From USA Cycling Expert Level Coaching Manual)

• Lowered general resistance (headaches, sniffles, fever blisters, etc.)
• Mild leg soreness, which occurs from day to day
• An "I don't care" feeling towards training and every day activities
• The "hangover" feeling from the previous race and significant drop in weight over a period of five to seven days
• Loss of appetite
• Swelling of lymph glands
• Gastro-intestinal distress, particularly diarrhea
• Changes in sleep patterns; insomnia, sleep does not refresh

Any individual sign or combination of signs warrants an evaluation of your training strategy. This illustrates the importance of maintaining a training log. In addition to quantitative data (distance, average speed, time, etc.), qualitative data (mood, ride rating scales, sleep, etc.) can be recorded to identify possible trends that can lead to an overtrained condition.

Dick Brown, a former physiologist with Athletics West, a world-class running club identified three critical parameters that can help athletes (with minimal equipment) to monitoring signs of overtraining: morning body weight, morning heart rate, and hours of sleep. His research indicated that if an athlete's morning heart rate was 10 percent higher, if the athlete got 10 percent less sleep, or the athlete's weight was down three percent or more, the athlete's body is telling him/her that it has not recovered from the previous hard workout/race or is developing some form of illness. His research recommended that if two indicators are abnormal, the athlete should cut back on the intensity of the day's workout and if all three are present, a day off is warranted. It is important to remember that other aspects of daily life can contribute to overtraining-it is not just the training on the bike. Work, school, family, social obligations, financial obligations, are all stressors that can have a direct impact on energy available for training and should be taken into consideration.

"Any decrease in motivation should warrant a review of your training log to help identify potential sources of troubles."

In addition to physical considerations, the midpoint of the season should involve a psychological evaluation and assessment as many ultra riders consider the mental aspect of training and conditioning just as important as the physical aspect. A simple psychological assessment is to compare motivation levels to the beginning of the season. Just think-here it is in the middle of the summer with increased heat, humidity, traffic, and tricky weather; do you have the same desire and enthusiasm you had in the beginning of the season with picture perfect blue skies, no humidity, and cooler temperatures? Any decrease in motivation should warrant a review of your training log to help identify potential sources of troubles. While reviewing your log, it is a good idea to review your daily, short, and long-term goals to see if you are on track to achieve them. Just like the training schedule, goals are not written in stone and can be re-evaluated during the midseason. Here is a classic example: Many riders hope to achieve a PR in a certain event (a century, double, 12-hour, 24-hour, etc.), and base the whole training season around that one event. Well, as the saying goes, things happen and perhaps family, work, or other social commitments interfere with your training schedule and there is no way that you could PR your targeted event. Does that mean your whole season was a waste? Of course not-it is just time to re-evaluate and re-consider your goal. Maybe you could use that event as training and choose another event to PR, or ride the event the best you can and not concentrate on a PR-the important part is to reconsider your goals and adjust as necessary.

Physical and Psychological Considerations
"The unloading week involves taking a mental and physical break from the rigorous training schedule."

The midpoint of the season is a good time to reflect on the first half of the season and what is coming up for the second half. With ideal riding conditions, plenty of events to enter, flowing enthusiasm, and an abundance of daylight, it is easy to overlook one of the most critical aspects of training-rest. Remember that training improvements do not occur during the training session but during the recovery process. It is very important to build rest and recovery into your overall training schedule as a preventive approach to overtraining rather than forced rest, which is often necessary when dealing with an injury. The midseason is an ideal time for an unloading phase of training. Think of Major League Baseball. At the halfway point of the season, what happens? They take time off for the All Star break. During this time, there are a couple of games (which are clearly enjoyable games for the players and coaches), some home run contests, and time off for the players. Cyclists should incorporate a similar strategy. An unloading week could involve riding with non-competitive riders and/or family, another enjoyable sport, or some other cross training activities (more on this later). The unloading week involves taking a mental and physical break from the rigorous training schedule and should include a dramatic reduction in training volume and intensity (in the neighborhood of 50%) to promote recovery and regeneration. Remember that training is not a linear process. We cannot consistently increase training volume and intensity and expect constant improvements-it is extremely important to incorporate periods of reduced activity to ensure optimal levels of performance.

"As an avid rider, make it a point to be an ambassador to our sport-help others out."

Supplementary activities can be utilized to promote overall enjoyment of training and help prevent overtraining. In the middle of the competitive season a majority of our training time is dedicated to cycling specific training. For ultra riders this inevitably translates to lots of time on the saddle and sometimes doing other activities can be a healthy diversion to the rigorous demands of ultra riding. For example, grab a mountain bike and head out on some trails. You will quickly realize that the demands of mountain biking and road cycling are drastically different-handling skills, balance, control, upper body strength are critical on the trails. Another idea is to take a tour on your bike. It need not be elaborate-just ditch your heart rate monitor, computer and power meter, put some lunch in a backpack and take your spouse/family/friends on a nice bike ride, and appreciate the day. In fact, many of us got involved in cycling this way and it can serve to reinforce the enjoyment aspect of cycling and spending time with others-just remember that any day on a bike is a good day. If you have been riding centuries and can't bear the thought of missing one, there are several ways to re-think your approach to century rides. One idea may be to invite some novices to the event, ride the quarter century with them, and when they are finished, ride the rest of the route. Another possibility is to volunteer to be a pace rider. Some centuries, particularly large rides, feature riders similar to "rabbits" in running races. These pace riders maintain a specific pace to help novice riders achieve their goal of finishing a century ride. Who knows-you may meet other riders that can lead to lifelong friendships. As an avid rider, make it a point to be an ambassador to our sport-help others out. I'm sure we can all look back at our beginnings in the sport and identify several key individuals that have helped turn our dreams into reality.

One thing that many of us neglect once the cycling season is underway is resistance training. Cyclists typically employ resistance training in the pre-season phases and abandon it once the competitive season gets underway. Instead try to implement a maintenance strength training program one or two times per week. Nothing elaborate is required-20-30 minutes is sufficient. This program should involve several exercises focusing on core strength and endurance (a key aspect for ultra-endurance cyclists), which can serve as a preventive measure to minimize the occurrence of overuse injuries. An excellent reference is Resistance Training for the Ultra Cyclist.

More Information    UltraCycling Magazine Authoritative information for endurance cyclists. Each issue contains articles by experts on: training nutrition equipment event preparation rider profiles race results Join the UMCA and receive six issues a year.

Nutritional Modifications
The midpoint of your season is also a good time to examine your nutritional strategy. With long rides and races it is very important to support those efforts with proper nutrition. A good way to start is to ensure proper hydration. With the increased heat and humidity of the summer dehydration is a real concern. Try to keep a water bottle with you at all times and take frequent sips of water throughout the day. I have stressed the value of a training diary; it is also a good idea to record your daily nutritional practices with your training entries. This can identify habits either positive or negative that may have an impact of your overall riding performance. With all the hard riding and racing, make sure that your post-ride recovery nutritional needs are being met. Recovery starts the moment you unclip from your pedals. The first sixty minutes are critical-your body acts like a sponge and absorbs and processes those nutrients more efficiently within that time frame.

Conclusion
The midpoint of the training season is a good time to reflect on your performance during the first half of the season and to set the stage for the second half. How are you feeling? If you find yourself consistently tired, sore and fatigued-listen to your body, it does not lie, and give yourself a little rest. If, on the other hand, you can't wait to jump on the bike, your performance is right on target, and you are feeling good - keep doing what you are doing, it sounds like you're right on track. Above all, enjoy your time on the bike, be safe, and be flexible with the entire training process. Happy riding!

• Burke, E.R. & Pavelka, E. (2000). The Complete Book of Long Distance Cycling. Emmaus, Rodale Press.
• Reaburn, P. & Jenkins, D (Eds.). (1996). Training for Speed and Endurance. St. Leonard, NSW, Allen & Unwin.
• Ultra Marathon Cycling Association. Your First Ultra. UMCA, Boulder.
• USA Cycling. (1995). Expert Level Coaching Manual. USA Cycling, Colorado Springs.