Do Boot-Camp Workouts "Work"- A Case Study

I am a casual mountain bike rider (casual because when the weather turns cold, my bike goes into hibernation, and during the “good” weather season my rides can often get put off for other priorities). For the last 15 or more years, each year, I have mountain biked up the quarry trail in Boise up to the table-rock cross, so I have a pretty long standing baseline to judge my fitness level. On the first ride of the year this is my typical baseline- About half way up the trail my heart is pounding well into the anaerobic phase, and my breathing is fast with heavy gasps for oxygen. Some years I do not make it to the top on my first ride of the season, but in years when my fitness is a little better I have to stop once or twice to rest before I make it to the top. When I get to the top I am typically moments away from collapse, and I must get off and spend several minutes recuperating and getting my breathing under control before I can start the ride down. As the riding season continues I can ride to the top without stopping but typically with still a couple minutes of recuperation time at the top.

This year on New Year’s Day I started doing boot-camp workouts three times a week for 45 minutes at FitMania. After a cold wet spring, finally on Saturday May 21st, I got my new mountain bike out (Christmas present) for its first ride in the dirt. I was a bit concerned about my energy level as I started my ride towards the quarry trail, because I had spent Friday night camping with some boy scouts who kept me up well past 1:00AM… I got to the trail, about a 5 mile ride from my house, and started up. I got through the first section with relative ease and was feeling pretty good. At about the half-way point I was breathing comfortably, but my legs were feeling a bit fatigued. On this trail, the last three sections are the worst- one climb straight toward the hill-top, then a left turn and steep climb up to an outcropping of rocks, followed by a right turn and the last long climb up to the top. As I headed into these last three sections I started entertaining thoughts about where would be a good place to stop and go back, but I finished the first climb and turned left heading up to the rocks and I was feeling OK. My legs, again, were feeling the fatigue, but I was still moving at a reasonable pace. When I made the right turn for the final climb to the top, I realized that I was going to make it all the way without stopping. As I reached the top I slowed my bike, popped my feet out of the clips and got off the bike. As I stood there, I realized that I did not need to rest before heading back down and that I was ready to go! The ride down and back to my house was much stronger than I was expecting it to be. In my 15+ years of riding this trail, I have never had this good of a ride on my first ride of the season!

Thanks Boot-Camp workouts and thanks FitMania!