Meet The Team – Will Munday On Training in the Winter
Here we have the opportunity to chat to Coach Will, one of our longest serving coaches and an excellent athlete in his own right (though he still hasn’t beaten Coach Alan’s time up to the top of Foia…! Read on to find out about he suggest athletes can become robust at this time of the season.
So Will, with the new season only just round the corner, how can an athlete focus on keeping motivation in the winter months?
Goal setting is a good way of keeping motivated during the winter as it provides you with some steeping stones leading into the season ahead, as well as giving you something to focus on which makes getting your training done on the miserable days meaningful.
How can an athlete slant their indoor v outdoor training?
For the time-crunched athlete, the indoor trainer can be an invaluable tool to improve their training during the winter, especially during the week where most aren’t able to train within day light hours due to work and/or family commitments. Using the turbo trainer also allows you to accurately carry out your interval sessions without real world distractions such as traffic and traffic lights. This however, doesn’t mean outdoor riding should be forgotten as I mention later next.
Should an athlete avoid the outdoors at this sort of times? If not, are there any times that they should think twice about heading out?
At this time of year most people are limited by day light hours as to if it is feasible to get outside on their bikes. Typically, most make good use of their indoor trainer to get their sessions done while it is dark outside.
However, I would recommend, weather depending, trying to get outside over the weekend to keep on top of your bike handling skills that don’t get used while on the indoor trainer. This is particularly important if bike handling is deemed a weakness of yours.
Times I would recommend thinking twice about heading outside is if the weather is particularly adverse so minus temperatures and icy roads but this doesn’t mean outdoor riding is off the cards as you could head off-road on your mountain bike or cyclocross bike.
What are the best “hacks” for braving the great outdoors?
Staying safe and warm is probably the main factors to consider riding outdoors this time of year so I would recommend using a rear light at all times to ensure you are seen especially with low sun and wet roads causing glare for drivers which could mean cyclists are harder to see.
A couple of winter cycling wardrobe essentials would be a good quality base layer, overshoes, and a rain jacket in your rear pocket always as you don’t want to get caught out!
A couple of hacks to keep you going over winter include some tin foil over your toes to add extra insulation for your feet. Also, regularly washing your bike! When it gets particularly cold and the roads are gritted, conditions can be corrosive for your bike components. Taking the time to clean your bike regularly will ensure that your bike components will last longer and work effectively.
What sort of training would you recommend at this sort of time for someone new to the sport?
For anyone new to the sport I would recommend building a solid aerobic base to provide the foundations to build on. You wouldn’t build a new house on weak foundations. So, this would include plenty of time spent riding steady state. During the weekdays, if you are unable to get outside include some strength-based intervals on the turbo would be beneficial. This would involve some low cadence intervals at L2/3.
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