Yes, I do have an indoor trainer for my bike, but I have to tell you, it's just not the same. It is extremely hard for this boy to be motivated enough to get on that thing. It reminds me of when I was a kid and had to tell my dog to "kennel" for the night. He would hang his head down, put on his most pathetic 'sad puppy' face, and look back at me as if to say "please don't make me go in there!" That's how I feel about getting on my trainer. Well, that has been the case so far this off season, but it is going to change. I've been on it twice in the last week, and it wasn't so bad. I plan to ride it at least twice a week up until outdoor riding begins.
Of course Amy has been going to spin class at least 4 times a week all during the off season so far. She is in ship shape. So I really need to get into cardio gear now if I want to keep up with her in March. All about motivation.
I have been in the weight room a lot this off season, with a focus on strengthening my legs for cycling, but also working some on the rest of my body. I am happy with the progress. It is just about time to switch from strength building phase to strength maintenance phase, which of course means I will have time to start increasing my cardio workouts. At least twice a week on the trainer, once or twice-a-week playing racquetball and filling in the gaps with jogging on the treadmill at the gym should do the trick. At least up until riding season begins in earnest.
Amy suggested we do a similar number and type of rides in 2011 as we did last year, but ride them at a higher speed. Sounds like a great idea. We love riding centuries. We like new centuries for the exploring new territory aspect of it. And after only two years of riding we already have some favorites.
She also suggested we do the Super Century version of the Mt. Shasta century we did last summer. It is 135 miles with 16,500 feet of climbing. At first I wasn't so sure, but I have since warmed up to the idea. We can handle it. It'll just require some serious training.
If we want to get faster on the flats and stronger on the hills we will need to do intervals. Our version of our local bike club's Throbbing Thigh Thriller ride is a ready-made ride for doing intervals. No climb is very big, but there are lots of them: 40 miles and 3200 feet of climbing.
And if we are going to do the Shasta Super Century, which is basically four really big climbs, we will need to do rides with extended grades as often as we can. These will have to happen on weekends as we don't have anything close enough for a short during-the-week ride.
Here are our goals in the form of real numbers and easily comparable to previous years' numbers:
Here's to a speedier 2011!
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