SBT GRVL: A Week to Go

"The week before a big event is tricky. It's easy to do too much."

by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching

In February ALP Coach, Alison Powers, announced that she had signed up for SBT GRVL, a 141-mile race with 100 miles on dirt/gravel roads in Steamboat, Colorado. With race day approaching, she’s been blogging every day leading up to the race. She blogs about the specifics of her training, her preparation, headspace, etc. All the things that lead up to race day that not everyone gets to see or understand.

6 days to go - Monday, August 12th

An early ski coach of mine used to always say, “at the end of the day, you are your own best coach”. I didn’t understand that. Did that mean he was a bad coach, or I needed to learn how to be a ski coach? I’ve come to learn that coaches are unique. Each coach has his/her own coaching philosophy, style, way to communicate, teach, etc. At the end of the day, I needed to learn how to filter out what helps me best (and get rid of the rest) and use that to help me. At the end of the day, I am responsible for myself, for my training, and for my results.

Today felt like Ground Hog day of last Monday. While my legs didn’t feel like 100 lb weights, I did sleep in and felt like I could have kept sleeping. I was/am tired. Again, it was disappointing to be tired after 3 days of really easy activity or rest. I don’t know if last week was too hard, or it’s hormone-related (all I have been wanting to eat the last 4 days has been chocolate/dessert, so that’s my first guess), or a crazy bike racer headspace. But, I'm glad I have the experience to know that my body will come around. So, again, I reminded myself the most disappointing thing would be to wake up on race day with tired legs.

The week before a big event is tricky. It is so easy to do too much. One too many workouts can wreck months of preparation. I can race a criterium with fatigue in my body, but I can not race a 141 mile gravel race with fatigue in my body. So, I will rest and have trust in the process and my body.

ABOUT ALISON POWERS

Now retired from racing, Alison Powers is the only person, in history, to win all three road discipline National Championships in one year (Road, Criterium and Time Trial - 2014). These go along with two previous national championships (Time Trial 2008, Team Pursuit 2008), two National Racing Calendar titles, and a 2nd place at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race (2013, 7:26hrs). Today she is the owner of ALP Cycles Coaching where she teaches road, cyclocross, and mountain bike clinics, and high performance race preparation and tactics. Alison is also team director for ALP Cycles Racing, a professional women's road and cyclocross team based in Boulder, Colorado.

ALP Cycles Coaching

Colorado-based ALP Cycles Coaching has over 25 years of professional sports experience. Each coach brings specific strengths and personal experiences to coaching sessions while collaborating to create a training plan that works for each and every person. Learn more at alpcyclescoaching.com

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