Tuesday Confession
Last night it was raining when we went to bed, and it was already about 62 degrees. So I said to myself that I was going to hit the trainer this morning instead of the road. It's really early in the season to be hitting the trainer but then the reality struck me at what exactly is going on here. At first it makes no sense but follow me here.
I've been stressing to myself lately that I need to make sure I'm having fun on the bike. So if I race, just go out and have fun. On weekend try to hook up with some of the team and enjoy the ride more than making it a training ride. Try to do rides you enjoy as often as possible. Enjoy life.
So when the alarm rings at 4:50 on a Tuesday morning, here is how I enjoy life the most: Go back to bed. No matter what I do, I'm not exactly enjoying myself to the fullest out there when the sun isn't even up and it's 5:23 am. Here's the reality of the situation. If I only ride to have fun, I'll ride 2-3 times a week.
That basically translates to the other 2-3 rides being work. And if I'm going to work, let's make it as short and efficient as possible. That means it's time to hit the trainer, which is exactly what I did this morning.
This might not make complete sense to some people, and I can understand that. But I'm having problems getting out on the road, doing my full interval session, and having time to catch the second train. The trainer makes the ride much more efficient and cuts time off either end of the ride. So I'm done with my ride by 6:30 and showered by 6:40. That gives me 50 minutes to eat breakfast, pack lunch, and relax. If I hit the road I'm often out of the shower after 7:00 and rushing to get out the door in time.
I'm not all in on the trainer yet but I am likely to hit it 1-2 times a week from now on. In an ideal world I would be able to ride my bike 20 miles to work, shower there, then ride home at the end of the day, 5 days a week. But the world isn't ideal so I'm on the train to Brooklyn after having done the trainer thing this morning.
So while it may seem insane, and I admit that it does, it also makes sense in a lot of ways. I'm ok with it for now, especially since the dark days of winter have not yet arrived. In 4 months you may want to point me to my own post and point out that I was ok with this back in August. For now it's ok though.
I've been stressing to myself lately that I need to make sure I'm having fun on the bike. So if I race, just go out and have fun. On weekend try to hook up with some of the team and enjoy the ride more than making it a training ride. Try to do rides you enjoy as often as possible. Enjoy life.
So when the alarm rings at 4:50 on a Tuesday morning, here is how I enjoy life the most: Go back to bed. No matter what I do, I'm not exactly enjoying myself to the fullest out there when the sun isn't even up and it's 5:23 am. Here's the reality of the situation. If I only ride to have fun, I'll ride 2-3 times a week.
That basically translates to the other 2-3 rides being work. And if I'm going to work, let's make it as short and efficient as possible. That means it's time to hit the trainer, which is exactly what I did this morning.
This might not make complete sense to some people, and I can understand that. But I'm having problems getting out on the road, doing my full interval session, and having time to catch the second train. The trainer makes the ride much more efficient and cuts time off either end of the ride. So I'm done with my ride by 6:30 and showered by 6:40. That gives me 50 minutes to eat breakfast, pack lunch, and relax. If I hit the road I'm often out of the shower after 7:00 and rushing to get out the door in time.
I'm not all in on the trainer yet but I am likely to hit it 1-2 times a week from now on. In an ideal world I would be able to ride my bike 20 miles to work, shower there, then ride home at the end of the day, 5 days a week. But the world isn't ideal so I'm on the train to Brooklyn after having done the trainer thing this morning.
So while it may seem insane, and I admit that it does, it also makes sense in a lot of ways. I'm ok with it for now, especially since the dark days of winter have not yet arrived. In 4 months you may want to point me to my own post and point out that I was ok with this back in August. For now it's ok though.
Labels: training
2 Comments:
At 8:58 AM,
Biknben said…
Trainers are off limits until the clocks change.
At 6:06 PM,
Anonymous said…
I say do what is gonna give you the most return on the time you put in. Riding the trainer with purpose is better than sleeping in, if getting fitter/faster is a goal.
-ChrisG
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