Advice for 72 Year Old Attempting to Break Multiple Records Part 2: Freshness and Tapering

By Coach John Hughes

My longtime friend Gerry Eddlemon will attempt to break his age 70+ world records for the 100K, 100-Mile, 6-Hour, 200K, 200-Mile, 12-Hour, and 24-Hour records and may also go for the 500-Mile and 1000K. The record attempts will probably be this weekend, May 5. The 100K record is smoking 3:35:21 / 17.31 mph and even the 200-mile record is a tough 13:41:07 / 14.61 mph. The records are at the end of this column.

Last week I commented on his endurance and intensity preparation to date.

The record attempts are run concurrently, i.e., Eddlemon goes for the 100K record, continues his ride for the 100-mile record, continues for the 6-hour, etc. His strategy is to go just fast enough to break the 100K to stay as fresh as possible for the 100-mile, then to go just fast enough to break the 100-mile and continue breaking each record with as little incremental fatigue as possible.

Gaining Freshness

Gerry wrote, “I’m not sure how to taper from here until race day. I definitely need more training rides, but don’t want to overtrain or otherwise mess up because even if I have good conditions.”

After your hard training you have some cumulative fatigue. The purpose of the taper is to recover from all of the fatigue so that you are on form for the record attempts. On form means that your fitness is high and more importantly that you are fully recovered and fresh. How do you achieve this?

When you don’t train you start to lose fitness; however, when you don’t train, you gain freshness. Fortunately, you gain freshness faster than you lose fitness.

If you appropriately balance training and recovery during the taper you can reduce your fatigue a lot while only giving up a little fitness. How long should one taper to achieve peak performance in one event? That depends on how long the planned key event will be. The longer the key event, the longer the taper; the shorter the event, the shorter the taper. For most events of a half-day or less a one-week taper is sufficient. Because your key event is 24 or more hours a two-week taper is better.

How should you taper?

When you train you manipulate three variables: volume, frequency and intensity. You lose power faster than you lose endurance, so you manipulate these variables to reduce overall fatigue while maintaining as much power as possible. That means significantly reducing both the volume of training, to induce less fatigue, and the frequency of rides, to allow for more recovery. You need to reduce the intensity, too, since it generates fatigue, but you reduce it less than the other two variables.

Starting Saturday April 21 you have 14 days to taper until the record attempts on May 5 not counting May 5.

During the Taper you should do:

• Two tempo rides at the race pace (about 17.5 mph) to break the 100K record. The purpose of the tempo ride is to practice the right pace so you don’t go out too hard and have good legs to continue racing for 100 miles, 6-hours, 200K and beyond.
• Two short intensity workouts in the Sweet Spot (explained below).
• Four active recovery rides of 30 – 60 minutes at a very easy pace, i.e., 10 – 12 mph.
• Six days off the bike.

Tapering plan

Here’s what I suggest counting backward from the day you go for the records. All of the rides should be on flat terrain just like the record attempt. If possible do the two tempo rides on a loop very similar to the loop you’ll use for the record attempts.

• May 5 – Record attempt
• May 4 – off the bike
• May 3 –active recovery
• May 2 – off the bike
• May 1 – active recovery
• April 30 – off the bike
• April 29 – 33K practice tempo ride at 17.5. 33K = 1/3 of the 100K record attempt distance.
• April 28 – active recovery
• April 27- off the bike
• April 26 – short intensity Sweet Spot ride explained below**
• April 25 – active recovery
• April 24- off the bike
• April 23 – intensity Sweet Spot ride explained below*
• April 22 – off the bike
• April 21 – active recovery
• April 20 – 50K practice tempo ride at 17.5 mph. 50K = 1/2 of the 100K record attempt distance.

Sweet Spot workouts

Intensity workout on April 24

• Warm up for about 20 minutes at a brisk conversational pace.
• Repeat 2 to 4 times
• 5 to 6 minutes at 18 to 20 mph (the Sweet Spot) with 2-1/2 to 3 minutes recovery between each faster effort. I.e. recovery time = 1/2 the fast time.

• I’m guessing at the speed. During the fast efforts you should still be able to talk in short phrases without gasping for air but not able to talk in full sentences.
• If you feel like you could go harder don’t! I’d rather have you do more riding at the right pace than less time at a harder pace.
• If you start to have difficulty doing an interval then stop, cool down and go home. If you keep riding not quite hard enough not getting the planned training benefit. You’re just getting tired so you’ll need more recovery before the next good workout.

• Cool down for about 10 minutes

Intensity workout on April 27

• Warm up for about 20 minutes at a brisk conversational pace.
• Repeat 2 to 4 times

• 3 to 4 minutes at 18 to 20 mph with 1-1/2 to 2 minutes recovery between each faster effort.
• These should be at the same speed as the longer intervals on April 24 not faster.
• If you start to have difficulty doing an interval then stop, cool down and go home.

• Cool down for about 10 minutes

You lose fitness slowly but you gain freshness quickly. Although you’ll lose a little fitness over the taper you’ll gain freshness and be on form for the record attempts.

On May 5 go fast enough, pace yourself and go long!

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Age 70+ World Records Sanctioned by the World UltraCycling Association

Record 100K
Time / Distance: 3:35:21
Average Speed: 17.31 mph
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 10-21-2017

Record 100-Mile
Time / Distance: 5:59:41
Average Speed: 16.71 mph
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 9-18-2015

Record 6-Hour
Time / Distance: 100.071 miles
Average Speed: 16.68 mph
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 10-21-2017

Record 200K
Time / Distance: 7:45:08
Average Speed: 16.13 mph
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 10-21-2017

Record 12-Hour
Time / Distance: 180.546 miles
Average Speed: 15.00 mph
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 9-18-2015

Record 200-Mile
Time / Distance: 13:41:07
Average Speed: 14.61 mph
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 9-18-2015

Record 24-Hour
Time / Distance: 259.924 miles
Average Speed: 10.83
Record Holder: Eddlemon
Date set: 9-18-2015

Record 500-Mile
none

Record 1000K
none

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