Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Doesn't pop off on mine, but I think someone mentioned trimming the plastic back a bit for a perfect fit.

I have a HRM2 attached to mine, I believe it's the same shape as the HRM3 and I just used a Stanley knife to take off ~2mm of rubber off from around the connectors on the strap. Been working perfectly for the past 2 weeks.

Hmm, I have a Stanley knife.. I'll have a look, thanks.

I keep on starting a workout in the morning and then bailing as soon as it gets tough. Then going back for a different session after work coz I'm pissed off about the morning. I used to be fine training early morning.

Any ideas what may be the craic? The mojo is up and down and has been for weeks. Trained hard and did a lot of riding in summer and not really had a break.

Is my body starting to tell me to calm the f down? Struggling to bring myself to take time off, feel guilty about the idea - stupid.

Trained hard and did a lot of riding in summer and not really had a break.

Really hard mentally to maintain training for this long. Take a week off and see how you feel? Better now than later.

hippy's training plan Oct: Get on the piss, sit on the sofa
hippy's training plan Nov: Get on the piss, sit on the sofa
hippy's training plan Dec: Get on the piss, sit on the sofa

Have a rest if you're tired.

Perhaps try a caffeine drink before you start, something with a little sugar to give you some energy (even just a milky coffee). If you're going in after sleeping, fasted, your workout might be too difficult for your fasted state.

Skip the morning and shift to an evening workout and see if you're any better?

I've got very slow, which I don't like.

When I was a bit quicker I was doing something that looked roughly like this:
Monday - rest
Tuesday - 3 minute intervals
Wednesday - 2 hours Z2
Thursday - 2x20
Friday - 2 hours z2
Saturday - rest
Sunday - 4 hours z2

Does that look reasonable to go back to over winter to try to build a bit of fitness and pace for when the days get longer?

Monday - Belgian beers
Tuesday - German beers
Wednesday - Polish beers
Thursday - English beers
Friday - Belgian beers
Saturday - Belgian beers
Sunday - Think about riding

Sunday - Polish beers

FTFY

Last night was English beers so technically it's all arse about.

Ditch one of the Z2s for something a bit faster? 90 mins of Tempo or so? Not sure I'd bother with 3 minute intervals over winter but then I know bugger all about training.

^^ You're not going to get the right progression with that attitude...

Take a break. It sounds like you are mentally tired, so having a few weeks off should see your motivation levels return. You can still ride your bike if you want, but ride without a computer, or any goals and just enjoy it. Or you can just not ride for a bit.

Don't feel guilty, you're not paid to ride and do it because (I assume) you enjoy it, so try and get that enjoyment back.

What are you training for? That looks like a lot of work for not much gain, i.e. it's mainly steady state stuff that won't make you faster.

@Dammit

I'd bin off all the z2 stuff in the week and replace with good quality z3/4 work, increasing durations at this effort as fitness increases. Saying that, I'd only do two sessions a week at this level.

Nothing wrong with some vo2 work, but probably only worth throwing in a session once every couple of weeks at this time of year.

Sunday social at z2 is all good though.

just enjoy it

Does Not Compute

I broke a bunch of club TT records this year by doing a fair bit of LSD (the boring kind) like normal but being consistent with my turbo training. Consistent, meaning I didn't skip any sessions because life. I only do one a week but I make it count and like I said I hit it almost every week whereas the year before I managed to find a lot of excuses. If all that stuff you've got going on is on the turbo you'll be sick of it. If it's getting out and about doing different shit maybe it'll work for you.

What are you training for? That looks like a lot of work for not much gain, i.e. it's mainly steady state stuff that won't make you faster.

Training to be able to attack the road with a bit more vigour, really that's it. I enjoyed it more when I could smash it about a bit faster. I know the speed with which I used to be able to climb Ide, for example, and it's untouchable to me right now.

I broke a bunch of club TT records this year by doing a fair bit of LSD (the boring kind) like normal but being consistent with my turbo training. Consistent, meaning I didn't skip any sessions because life. I only do one a week but I make it count and like I said I hit it almost every week whereas the year before I managed to find a lot of excuses. If all that stuff you've got going on is on the turbo you'll be sick of it. If it's getting out and about doing different shit maybe it'll work for you.

LSD? Long Slow Dull?

Problem for me in this weather is that two hours outside= Feet Of Corpse, so I was intending on sitting in front of the TV, reading a book whilst spinning away at 200 watts for a couple of hours just to get some (virtual) miles in the legs.

I'll likely finish this year on 5,000 Km, which is shameful.

In contrast, I've flown 97,965 miles this year. Sitting on my arse, as it gets gradually larger.

If you're on the turbo, sack off anything under Z3. Don't waste your time.

Do 3 workouts a week.

Maybe
2 x 15 hard
2 x 20-30 middle
1 x 45-90 middle.

If you're untrained a lot right now, keep the duration shorter. Take longer rests between efforts. And keep the power down.

Then if it's okay, go out at the weekend one day for a longer ride. Not slow, pushing on.
Have you tried leg warmers under bib tights.
My right foot goes numb sometimes, but I got some neoprene overshoes and wear merino socks and thick bib tights and my legs stay warm and my foots been okay.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/endura-deluge-zipless-overshoe-aw16/rp-prod80220

Long Slow Distance, it's not dull as it's outside. Ok, it can be dull if you're like me and do it by riding up and down an A road for hours but that's still less dull than doing the same thing on a turbo. Normally over winter though the rides aren't stupid long and slow is relative.

Feet, I dunno. I just wait for mine to go numb and then they're not an issue! :)
Until you get home and realise that you're missing some toenails.

I hope you're carbon offsetting...

Let me take your flights to Oz and you can use the time to train.

Your 'work' might suffer. Cheques will not be honoured

@TTM @andyp @hippy
If i try to train 'hard' in the morning i'm always caffeinated and fuelled first. Seems like my body clock has just totally shifted to working in the mid-late afternoon rather than any time before i've got two meals inside me.

Problem i've been having though is that a lot of the time i think my head may be failing before my legs, which does make me feel like it's a mental thing. I've not been doing massive miles recently, am just feeling a bit directionless and ticking over. I don't feel totally mashed all the time like i would if i had been overrtarining.

Would be nice to have a little pause and re-set before starting again proper perhaps. i love the 'idea' of training and am not lacking the motivation, i just seem to be losing the fire as soon as training starts, like my head is sick of the battle to push on.

Am gonna try at least 3-4 days off as much to regain a bit of mental steel i think. and it will put a bit of a full stop on the constant dwindling that i am feeling now.

Do 3 workouts a week.

Maybe
2 x 15 hard
2 x 20-30 middle
1 x 45-90 middle.

I'll give this a go, cheers.

Something's better than nothing. And doing something consistently is king.