Winter Indoor Training

[Mike S]

The time to ride indoors is here!

Somehow indoor riding is more palatable to me in the company of others. We will start having indoor training sessions within the next month or so.

The plan is to have a Thursday night "spin and a movie" session, and a Saturday indoor session with Joel Friel DVD's like last year. There are no further details at this time, but stay tuned.

[aj1152]

I agree with Mike: riding on a trainer is bad, but somehow riding with company makes it seem okay. I did my first trainer ride of the season two nights ago. It took me nearly 45 minutes just to get all my junk together: towel for the ground, drug up the trainer from the basement, set up the computer so I can watch a movie, velcro the sweat guard to the bike, set the resistance, fill up my water bottles, haul the fan upstairs and get it set to blow on me, and on and on and on. In fact, it too me just as long to set everything up as I was actually working out. Pathetic.

I have Netflix "Watch Instantly" now. If we want to watch one of over 10,000 titles, let me know and we can set up my laptop at any of the sessions. The don't have any Spinervals, but they do have "Self Magazine's: Bikini Ready, Now!" and "Offshore Fishing: Deep Dwellers". Not necessarily cycling-specific, but who isn't looking forward to bikini season and getting a little R&R off the coast of Mexico?!

[Mike S]

I was thinking that if I only watched a fitness video once per week, I'd be just fine. Netflix is a good idea for Thursday nights. I might finally spring for a new TV this year, we'll see.

[DaleP]

Hmmmmm...ride on indoor trainer or a root canal...I'll let you know.

[steve]

8 Nov 08 - Saturday - Rainy/cold.

Here are details on supplemental or alternate winter training.

I completed my first 100 mile winter indoor ride for 2008 today on my Cycleops indoor bike which pays for itself every winter. I’d like to do two centuries monthly throughout the indoor challenge of the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) so long as I enjoy doing them. which runs from 1 Nov 08 through 31 Mar 09. It then moves to outdoor rides from Apr 09 to Oct 09. You receive credit for each indoor century and outdoor century during the season and provided you complete a minimum of one century per month you receive a medal at the end of the year. You’ll receive additional awards for accomplishing higher mileage (don’t recall exactly what they are, but think 3000 and 5000 plus miles comes to mind.) So you can do six indoor centuries, which I did, from Jan 08 to Mar 08 that all count towards the goal of one century every month. You can stockpile.. Course, the more centuries you do the better. Stats are always tallied and one can always see how others are coming along.

This year I had 12 outdoor centuries and six indoors. I didn’t realize you have to add the indoor centuries to the total outdoor rides… they were reported as required to the indoor sessions. I’m working on transferring that over now.

The indoor sessions from 1 Nov 08 to 31 Mar 09 is based on the honor system. But there are rules.

My indoor session today included one 5 minute break at the 51 mile mark for a jersey change (getting chilled) and refill of three large water bottles. I view all such sessions as training rides… maintaining an averages of 90 cadence, 163 average watts over the 100 miles. (Power tap equipped) 124 HR (endurance ride) 22.2 mph average.. Total ride time 4 hrs 25 min… no coasting. Used 7 large bottles of Cytomax, 3 gels, 2 cliff bars and Endurolytes. I felt like I do after completing 100 miles outdoors at the conclusion of the ride.

The outdoor riding sessions from Apr 09 to Oct 09 are broken down into organized riding sessons, such as club rides which we did a lot of this year and or organized centuries such as the Lilac century. They then have a long division for rides exceeding 150 miles. I did one of those this year. Personal centuries where you go out and complete a solo 100 mile ride are a pain to document with sales receipts from stores. Or you can use GPS which is nice, which I don’t have.

The indoor season is designed to motivate the cyclist throughout the winter months and give him/her something to shoot for and keep their conditioning up.

Here are some links for UMCA for greater details. Several people in Spokane participate in UMCA. I’m pleased with the program.

UMCA INDOOR CHALLENGE
www.ultracycling.com/standings/indoorchallenge.html

UMCA YEAR ROUNDER - THE OUTDOOR PORTION
www.ultracycling.com/standings/umc.html

[Mike S]

Steve I guess we wont see you again until mid-April when you remove yourself from the Cycleops. Have a good winter.

[steve]

Nov 9, 2008 8:32:37 GMT -8 Mike S said:

Steve I guess we wont see you again until mid-April when you remove yourself from the Cycleops. Have a good winter.

I'll mountain bike... thanks for the kind thoughts though!

[aj1152]

Steve: you're nuts. An hour on the trainer is about my mental limit. I can't even imagine what kind of insanity it must take to spend that much time on a trainer. And it's true, right, that you don't watch TV during these marathon sessions? Even crazier! :-)

[steve]

Nov 9, 2008 10:09:20 GMT -8 aj1152 said:

Steve: you're nuts. An hour on the trainer is about my mental limit. I can't even imagine what kind of insanity it must take to spend that much time on a trainer. And it's true, right, that you don't watch TV during these marathon sessions? Even crazier! :-)

Oh, I admit it’s a bit extreme, but it keeps up the conditioning and is very challenging with proper cadence/resistance (wattage). Receiving credits for UMCA 100 mile indoor rides is the only rationale why I do them. I doubt I’d otherwise be doing them. It can be a little harder to stay focused at say the 80 mile mark because of the never changing scenery. The TV is on for background ‘noise’ but I don’t watch it as my cadence would fall off.