a fun and effective approach to endurance training!
branduro - noun - from "brando", my name, and "enduro", the style of racing consisting of multiple timed segments. branduro is the way i like to ride and run! and you might like it too.
branduro training is making dedicated changes in speed/effort throughout the course of a ride or run, based on landmarks and the terrain. In running, this is like fartlek training, and has been around forever as a type of long or interval run. In cycling, this is similar to an enduro or gran fondo event with "on" segments sprinkled throughout a course. With branduro, this is how I do pretty much every ride and run, from short recovery to long endurance to climbing or speed focus and even races.
I have two main goals when I train - get faster, and have a good time! I want to improve my abilities, build fitness towards longer and faster rides and runs, and set PRs. I also want to enjoy the training and feel connected to the effort, learn the terrain, take in the scenery, and come home feeling good (maybe tired, sore and hungry - but still good!).
After trying (and improving with) different training plans and apps over the years, I was starting to burn out and level off, and wondered if I needed a coach, or a different plan, or what. During this "interlude" I started winging it branduro style, and found that it was really enjoyable and didn't leave me wondering "what if" or if i needed "more." I was also hitting bike PRs (Breakthroughs in Xert, 5 minute power duration PR, etc), and, on pretty low miles, readapting to running after a long cycling-only period.
Training plans and programs can incorporate all sorts of details and metrics for tracking, planning and improving, and these can be helpful, but they can also lead you off course. branduro keeps it simple - focus on doing a good effort until you get to the next tree/cairn/switchback/intersection, and then evaluate and adjust. What is a good effort? See the next section!
The Endurance Diet is a book by Matt Fitzgerald where he describes the five eating habits of world class endurance athletes:
Eat everything, eat enough, eat carbohydrate-focused, eat quality, and eat individually.
It's a great book and common sense approach to nutrition, which is so easy to overcomplicate. In thinking about these eating habits, I have come up with five training habits for branduro:
Train everything - train every zone, from recovery pace to neuromuscular sprints. Train every skill, including cornering, descending, technical trails and riding in a group. Train every output, from high cadence efforts on the flats to churning grinds on the steepest climbs.
Train enough - improvement is only going to come from overload, which means doing enough, and then a little bit more going forward. It also means don't overdo it. Embrace how you feel - backing off today often means surpassing tomorrow.
Train aerobically - this is a bit of a corollary to number 1 in that while you do want to train everything, endurance is an aerobic sport and the bulk of training should be aerobic/endurance/maintainable pace. This doesn't mean slow - as you get fitter, a pressed endurance pace can really rip. This level of training is the mortar that holds all the faster stuff together, and it's also good for you (see: Inigo San Millan, Zone 2 and metabolic health; exercise for cardiac patients; etc.).
Train quality - this means a few things: pace, form, and focus. Try and pace efforts so they are somewhat even. When you need to back off, do it. Improve weaknesses so that form doesn't suffer with fatigue. Try and minimize stopping time. Train deliberately, and use the lap button! (more on this later).
Train quality also means to take care of yourself so your body can do its best - get good sleep, eat well (follow the Endurance Diet!) and stay hydrated.
Train individually - this means tailor your training to yourself and the demands of your upcoming events. See how your body responds and trust your instincts. Work on your own strengths and weaknesses - or don't! It's all up to you to get the most out of your exercise time.
The only equipment you need to branduro (in addition to your bike or running shoes) is a bike computer or watch with a lap button, and a calendar or training log/app to record your sessions. Speed/pace, heart rate, GPS and power are all great, but not necessary.
Remember, branduro is simply making dedicated changes in speed/pace throughout the course of a ride or run based on landmarks and terrain. Each time you change speed/pace/output, you hit your lap button. Why use the lap button? There are a few reasons:
The first is to help you track and remember what you did on your ride.
The second is that this small action (pressing the button) is a reminder that you're making a deliberate change in your output, and that as long as you're on that Lap, you should try and hold it.
The third reason is that it can help break long rides and runs that might otherwise seem overwhelming into manageable sections.
A quick note about numbers: I've already mentioned Zone 2 in the endurance habits (aerobic training); and I'm going to show some numbers to describe branduro rides and runs in the next section; and they can definitely be useful. Plus, they are everywhere! But if you find yourself stressing over what kind of numbers you "need" to do, chasing numbers on a ride, or thinking too much about them when you're back home, then hit the lap button and reset your outlook!
The essence of branduro is to go out and do rides you enjoy - breaking up the ride into laps and applying the Endurance training habits above - seeing how the body responds, and continuing to build towards longer and faster rides while having a good time!
I've talked a lot about branduro so far. Now it's time to see some branduro rides and runs in action! Below are some good examples of branduro sessions. By looking at the lap history, you can see the focused efforts (you could even call them intervals), and by looking at the map, you'll see the connotation between the ride or run name, and where it was and what I did.
Running - Twin Fork Pickups
This is a classic "pickup" run done in about 30 minutes. It starts off with a warmup and then, when I feel ready, I start doing little speed intervals from one intersection to the next. The nice thing about a run like this is it can really wake the legs up after a morning or whole day sitting and working. The first speed lap usually feels awkward and slow, but by the last one, you feel like a runner again, and your pace has sped up for the same effort!
Bread and butter endurance - Oxford Lollipop
The Oxford Lollipop is one of my staple endurance rides. It's about 1.5 miles of warmup, and then into three ~4 mile segments on a mix of paved and dirt roads. I started doing this when when I was doing a TrainerRoad plan and wanted to do a workout outside, and it's become a common destination.
The great thing about repeating a ride often is you can do it so many ways! When I've had time off or I'm not feeling too speedy, I can do the three segments at a zone 2 endurance pace, and it helps me find my legs. Or, if I'm in the midst of some good days I can push a little more into tempo/sweetspot, or as a mix of endurance with bursts on the small hills. And, when I'm feeling good and have good conditions, I can really push it for a PR!
Spontaneous new rides - Mixte Mixer
Mixte Mixer was one of the rides where the concept of branduro started to come into focus. I went out intending to do the Oxford Lollipop, but just didn't feel like it. So, after the first 4 mile endurance segment, I decided to go straight instead of left. I randomly mixed in a ~1.5 mile effort of fast pedaling to the next stop sign, then cruised through Niwot and went hard on two short inclines. It was a nice mix of efforts and landed me a breakthrough in Xert. It also reminded me of the importance of being spontaneous and feeling free to ride how I want.
Indoor - Morgul Bismark (FulGaz)
I do a fair amount of trainer rides, because of both weather and convenience. I've done a lot of Zwift, but these days I'm really enjoying FulGaz. The nice thing about FulGaz is there is a good selection of local rides for me that I can do, and with the right settings, the climbing feels real (hard!) and the flats and downhills are solid for endurance. Plus, the screen shows stats for all of the in-ride segments, which I use for my laps. In FulGaz I like to do:
Boulder Roubaix - three endurance segments
Morgul Bismark - 4 short, hard climbs
Chapman and Flagstaff - pure climbing
Sunshine, Lookout Mountain, Colorado National Monument - climbing, followed by endurance under fatigue
In Zwift, some of my favorite routes for branduro are Surrey Hills, Bigfoot Hills, and Richmond UCI Worlds. These are a good mix of endurance when you're not on segment, and pushing it when you are.