Due to the bitterly cold temps and snowy entry into the winter season many dedicated cyclists in these parts have already begun to relegate themselves to doing the bulk of their riding on the trainer. The training tips are being scoured for that one element missing from their training plans, the basement cycling station is being pulled together, the rollers are down, pro cycling DVDs and tapes are at the ready, and The Cyclist’s Training Bible is being studied. All in anticipation of the long, pathetic, arduous hours that will be spent training indoors until winter releases its hold.
Motivation
I have had to dig out my spot in the basement and once again claim my turf. I’ve got the new Het Volk / Ghent Wevelgem, A Sunday in Hell, and Tete le Course to watch five times along with some older stuff to watch again. I’ve hooked up the new power meter and need to figure out how to train with power. All I need now is motivation. What motivates you? Like many I’m too tired to ride after work and family time and I struggle to scrape myself up at 5:00 am to go to the basement. I play mind games with myself to convince myself to get going. One rule I have established is to never fast forward anything I’m watching at the end of my training session. The reason - it leaves me yearning to know or see the outcome even if I’ve already watched it ten times. I look forward to the next morning so I can jump back on the bike and watch the end. In the same way, television series’ on DVD are great motivators. Get a season of 24, only watch it on the bike and you’ll be hungry to get back to see what that hapless hero Jack Bauer is going to let slip through his fingers next. I have placed the high speed photo of myself finishing second at the Northfield Crit by inches. Any time I start to feel my effort decline I look at it to give me a little lift. The point is that you need to do some serious self analysis and determine what your motivators are and have an arsenal of strategies to spur you on. We’ve all probably experienced the transformation of the mundane hours of training turning in to an addictive drug that we yearn for. I hope that drug kicks in soon.
Having a Plan
I’ve never been able to translate the Training Bible into an effective training routine. I can’t decipher all the elements necessary – how many hours will I train this year? Heck I don’t know. I have three year old twins! Maybe more, maybe less – than what? I need something spoon fed to me. I’ve pieced together different things into what I think is an effective plan. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t but I have a daily plan. Breaking things down into daily bites is vital for me and a training plan is essential for most. Training plans give you specific daily targets which add up to your desired results.
If you read most training guides they say to set your targets or goals for next season now. Great, but what does that really mean? I think everyone wants to do better than last year. Isn’t that good enough? There is a saying that the “Road is the Goal”. This expression has been attributed to many great philosophers from Ghandi to Buddha. The full quote is, “Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.” Getting somewhere should be as much about getting there as about wherever it is you might be going. Embrace this time and know that today is the day you win that race in July.
Comments 19
I’ve seen tete and hell soooo many times, they instantly put me to sleep. On the rare occasion I strap my poor bike up to that torture device, I only look at the watch, waiting for the next interval to start…
Posted 21 Dec 2007 at 8:09 pm ¶35 minutes is the max I’ll ever ride the rollers. 4 one handed one legged intervals at the highest rpm possible, at least it makes it interesting. Next ‘m going to try to do a standing interval.
Posted 21 Dec 2007 at 10:06 pm ¶ski
Posted 21 Dec 2007 at 10:20 pm ¶Maybe you should try another sport. I feel bad for people that ride trainers, rollers, year round. Just plain disappointed…
Posted 22 Dec 2007 at 12:19 am ¶Tone,
It wasn’t my intention to imply that winter training should be done exclusively on a trainer. Weight training, yoga, running, cross country skiing, and other cross-training acitivities are great ways to maintain and improve fitness over the winter months.
Trainer time is a necessary evil that most incorporate into their training plans. I loathe it just as much as the next guy but it’s convenient, measureable, and provides specificity.
Andy
Posted 22 Dec 2007 at 9:17 am ¶I tend to stay away from the trainer and have been trying to ski and eat as much food as humanely possible before the hopeful January thaw that allows me to ride outside.
Did I mention that I am on the Timmer training plan of lifting liquids to my mouth, repeat.
Posted 22 Dec 2007 at 11:19 am ¶training indoors? do you race indoors? exercise indoors , but that’s not training.
my plan has always been to ride outside, my wife won’t let me bring the bike inside anyways…i have the ski’s, but once i get the free time to buy new bindings and boots, pine tar one pair and resurface the skinny ones for race conditions, i’ve wasted all the time i could have spent riding…try it outside, even in the slop, you have more than one bike i hope
Posted 22 Dec 2007 at 2:17 pm ¶Hey andrew - waxing and prepping skis is what you do at night (while drinkin beer, of course).
Yeah, every time I look at whatever training guide I think “hmmm… makes sense”, but then I look at their example training schedules and my eyes roll back in my head and I’m thinkin “no frickin way I could do this …”. So, I just go back to my fallback plan of training whenever opportunity lets me.
As far as rollers/trainers indoors, I’m with Homme. The only thing that works for me is if I follow a clock like a trained monkey. I can’t get any kind of a workout watching a TV. But hey, if the snow is good, I’m skiing!
Posted 23 Dec 2007 at 11:11 am ¶dan, if i don’t have a 6 month old pooping on my lap while i blog or a 4 yr old needing my undevolved attention, or a wife (that has been with me over 10 yrs and still doesn’t know me)needing my input …i’m hitting the road. rollers are for goldsprints, drink beer and ride at night, don’t forget the helmet and light
Posted 23 Dec 2007 at 8:20 pm ¶Skiing, lifting, and all the other cross training is fine if you’re just exercising, but things get tough when you need to stay in race form through the winter months rather than building up base. For that, there really is nothing better than a good, hard, targeted rollers workout. At least they never last too long. 45 minutes is my limit.
Posted 24 Dec 2007 at 6:38 pm ¶Yep, I used to believe in base but not any more, waste of time.
Posted 24 Dec 2007 at 9:58 pm ¶Whoa. I never believed Dave Grey, but if Dewey says targeted workouts are the way to go, then watch out intervals!
Posted 25 Dec 2007 at 6:10 pm ¶michael hutchinson, a world class time trialer from the UK (specifically N. Ireland) lives in London and only rides his trainer for training. all year. then does time trials. he holds the national 100 mile tt record (3:23 i think) and can go sub-4:30 in a 4k pursuit. his personal best 10 mile tt average speed would put him under 13 at the dog. when used properly the trainer (not necesarily rollers) is the most isolated and concentrated form of training and can pay huge dividends..
and melt your bean
Posted 26 Dec 2007 at 10:00 am ¶Yeah Timmer, Nothing beats the specificity of riding the bike and the trainer can be an excellent tool. That’s why I got a power meter just for the trainer. Cross training is great for aerobic conditioning and keeping the bean sane.
As far as targeted workouts go, they’re the only way I can train. I don’t have the time to put in gobs of miles and much of what has been published lately (including studies) suggest that “base building” is a huge waste of time.
To each his own though. The important thing is to experiment with what works for you and stick to it.
Posted 26 Dec 2007 at 10:22 am ¶I say do it ALL. Base, targeted, effin’ around training… that way whichever one of you smart guys are right, I’ll be doing the right thing.
I’m pretty sure NOT riding like I have been doing for this past month and eating cookies and drinking beer doesn’t count as active resting.
Posted 26 Dec 2007 at 11:53 am ¶the best of both worlds: bar rides
Posted 26 Dec 2007 at 4:08 pm ¶whoa dude, nothing beats melting the bean
Posted 26 Dec 2007 at 10:13 pm ¶competition
meditation
crystallization
Last year I stopped riding and exercizing completely in September. I didnt start again until May. I tried the Cloquet crit and kept up with the 1/2/3 pack for 10 laps or so. Training is over-rated.
Posted 27 Dec 2007 at 12:08 pm ¶Andy - I could never ride more than 10 hours per week before I had the bean melt down and even at that I had to take it day by day. When I lived and raced in Florida/Georgia for 3 years I think I rode the trainer mabye 5 times. Living in the Hinter Land == Mucho time on the trainer.
Posted 31 Jan 2008 at 1:31 am ¶Besides Florida/Georgia, I was also in Indiana over the last 6+ years and I really forgot how crappy it is here to ride in the middle of winte.
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