Jeff Burmeister

The start of the training season for cycling is, well, has been "on" for sometime now. Sure I've been getting my training hours in over the last two months, but I really haven't had a chance to sit down and write out what my focus would be in 2009. When you have an idea on what your primary events will be, you can then put it all on paper and say "hey, this is the event that I want to focus my efforts on" and you then build your training schedule in reverse from that date. Fortunately for me, the Minnesota racing calendar was published not to long ago and I've been able to find my window that'll be my theoretical training peak for this season.

While developing a training program that points to a certain timeframe can help you maximize your training, it can also be a double edged weapon. It takes a lot of dedication to stick to the schedule and its can be very difficult to not get caught up in the moment at a training race and then go run after other events that aren't in your plan or aren't important to you in the big picture. But in any case I have my peak selected and I'm now focusing my workout towards those primary events.

But all of this time spent training has caused my mind to wonder and I'm starting to face up to the reality of my upcoming race season. I've moved up in racing category, so the competition will be a lot tougher. I'll be racing against kids half my age in an effort to support Chris Schultz who'll be our Team's Criterium leader, and I'll likely not be able to repeat in may of the great results that I had last season. But there is some good news in all of this. You see I already know that I'll be a much better racer this coming season in comparison to last season. I'm still at least fourteen weeks away from my first race of the year, and I'm seeing training number that show a better fitness level then what I was at last year. So if I can keep with my training plan, I should be very happy come my first races.

After my primary races are completed, I'll be doing a 180 degree turn around, and taking 5 weeks to transition into a Runner. Yes that is right, a Runner. I'll be running in the Twin Cities Marathon for my 40th Birthday. I've already have a bet against my friend Anthony that I'll destroy his Marathon time, and I'll be also running with a co-worker who is looking to complete the race in roughly the same time as me, which is a 3:45:00!!!

Then I'm planning on taking a couple weeks off from training in general, perhaps working on my beer drinking skills for a bit and then prepping my Cyclocross bike for the fall 'cross season. Not a lot of races, but enough to get out with the boys and take part in some cross madness.

I'll post up a full race calendar in a few days.