If you are stuck indoors and struggle to keep motivated I'd like to share something with you. The first thing is to have a definite plan of what you are going to do. I find it much easier if I know the plan, goals, work out type etc before I get on the bike. Otherwise you risk just floating along for a while and not really working out. Indoor training is an excellent chance to define the structure of you ride.
There a numerous turbo trainer workouts on the web but I've found success from two very different sources. First is the excellent turbo trainer guide from Rebecca Ramsay which you can get here. If you need more motivation then I've had great success using the training videos from Sufferfest. I find them very engaging even after multiple plays. I made the Significant Other laugh when I described crossing the line, arms aloft all in the comfort of my garage!
One other thing I've tried is to take one of your regular rides and make it into a turbo training session. You need to work out intervals, resistances and nominal cadences but it is worth it to create a bespoke workout. I found this useful when I hadn't been on the road for a couple of weeks and was missing it.
As I've said I use the turbo in the garage. This is not ideal as it tends to be cold. If you are stuck in the garage (or similar) I would like to suggest two things. First make sure you warm up for long enough. There's nothing worse than trying to train with cold muscles. It doesn't work and you may harm yourself. The second is make sure you have enough clothes on to keep you warm. I actually find it more comfortable to wear longs on my legs and a long sleeved top. I find this way keeps the sweat more under control and keeps things like the forearms and knees warm on longer sessions. Try it if you get cold sometimes; you may also find it works for you!
One last thing on my indoor work. I have engineered a solution for the spin bikes at my gym so I can at least get a cadence reading. It involves a second cadence sensor for my Garmin, and a reflective strap. Going to the gym is a nice change and there is always stuff going on to to keep you from getting bored. If I want to workout to one of the videos above I can play them on my phone, otherwise I can just listen to some music. But the cadence reading is key. Perhaps your gym will have more technological spin bikes.
Getting out
The last two weekends have seen the weather just about ok for cycling. Both days were windy, last weekend particularly so and this weekend's ride was also rather cold. I had a bit of a disaster recording last week's ride so won't actually post it here. All I can say is that if you use a Garmin on multiple bikes remember to set it back to the correct bike. And if you manually stop it recording when you pause to sort it out, remember to restart it! I was a muppet....
I didn't think I would get out this weekend and was preparing to pop on the turbo tyre and also preparing to enjoy the view of my garage again. But the outside beckoned and the temperature was right on my cut-off so I went out to see what was what. It was surprisingly pleasant and I really felt that my indoor training is beginning to show results. Not that I was especially quick or anything, but I felt like my body was under less stress for the same sort of result. That's always got to be good.
The ride
Just a couple of other cyclists today. Another roadie coming up from Cupar to Pitscottie looking like it was hard work. It probably was, he'd have been cycling into the wind and uphill. An unpleasant combination. Then the mountain bike user who was also having trouble getting speed up on the downhill from Largoward towards Elie. This is a road where I usually have to watch that I don't get too fast. Today it was hard work to get up to 20mph. We shared a word as I went past. I hope he enjoyed the rest of his ride.
Road users of the day
A lot of great driving today. Plenty of space being given, overtaking at appropriate places etc. Thanks to all of you who drive like this. It is very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy the friendly thank you waves I often make.
Idiot road user of the day
Of course there is always the flip side of the coin. And today it was the very few cars who seem to think that I only need a little space even if there is nothing coming the other way. I can see why I get squeezed sometimes; not that I can condone overtaking me when something is coming the other way but I do understand it. But I fail to get the squeeze when there's nothing coming on the other side of the road. Just get on the other side of the white lines please!
I especially enjoyed the overtaking manoeuvre from the Vauxhall Astra who overtook me with other traffic coming the other way. Cheers....
