Training for the Track Omnium

[ajchrist]

Hello Everyone,
I'm interested in the best way to develop a training plan for the track omnium. I've been doing a lot of reading, and it seems like training for sprint events and training for endurance events are fairly contradictory, so I was wondering what the best way to develop both skills are, over the course of a year. Any articles / references you could send me to would be great.
I'm playing with completing a decently long period of aerobic base + strength/power training, then moving into more speed/tempo/intervals... (for the road season peak), then doing the same thing again for the track season peak, except the second time focusing more on weights and power, and less on base. I'll also be racing a pretty extensive road season from feb-april, and then track nationals are around this time again next year. (The goal competition)

Right now, my strengths are pursuit, 500, points race, and my weaknesses are the scratch, and the flying 200. (I'm ok at match sprinting, it's the seeding qualifications that kill me) Obviously, I'm less of a sprinter than an enduro -- so I feel like I should train my weakness (sprinting). However, I still want to take a good bit of time off my individual pursuit for next year, and I want to be able to contest the mass start stuff...

Basically, how does one approach the training paradox created by the omnium?

 

[TShame]

That is a tough one.

I would train exactly like the competition will be (first day events, second day events, full rest day)

Building endurance is just part of it. You have to learn where to conserve energy.

Going all out to win the pursuit, only to get dropped in the next race is counterproductive.
Better to be third in one race and finish top ten in the next.

When is your first omnium competition/results?

 

[westmixxin]

Learning how to conserve energy is very difficult because usually we want to exert is much as we possibly can because we want to get ahead in the one work ourselves out but learning to conserve is exactly what helps us last the distance. You have to go the distance because when you do that it makes a situation that much more satisfying.