Are you ready?

If you're NOT ready to start your Annual Training Plan (ATP), what are you waiting for?  Especially if one of your "A-events" is the Tour of the Battenkill on April 14-15, 2012.  (Just a reminder, sign-up is in three weeks (Dec. 21st) if you're interested.  And, I shouldn't have to tell you that it fills-up FAST!)  I don't think I'm going to be racing this year, probably because I'll be moto-ref'ing at Battenkill instead.  Regardless, I know how to train for Battenkill (if you want to do well in your age-group)...and if you haven't started your training yet..you better get on it soon.

Additionally, if you don't have a goal for 2012..now is the time to make one.  For me, I've stopped making event-goals. i.e. I stopped wanting to do this or that at a particular event.  Instead, I made my goal for 2012 a power and weight goal.  That is, I want my power-to-weight ratio as close to 4.0 as I can get it by May.  (Last year it was 3.7.)  That way, I'm not disappointed if I crash or don't do well in a particular event.  After all, why should an entire off-seasons work be assessed by just one race?  This is NOT the Olympics..thank God.

What I do to stay motivated, during the Winter, is to make a chart like the one above and track my progress.  I plot my current FTP and weight and my goal FTP and weight and fill it in as I go.  Last year I achieved my goal.  This year, I intend to do the same with a lot of hard work over the Winter.  And, it starts this Thursday (Dec. 1).  Actually, it started this past Thursday (Thanksgiving) since the weather has been so nice.

Are you ready?  If not, get ready.  If you don't, you're not going to meet your 2012 goals. 

Power ON!  Coach Rob