Originally Posted by
Trackliche
And how did you find this affected your event performance? ((Mind out of the gutter here, please!))
IOW, did you see that the training setup seemed to pay off? Did you come into spring with a higher level of fitness than before?
I'm currently working on this setup. My trainer/rollers are good, and I'm waffling on the lifting setup; it's a big commitment in money and especially in space.
My gut says the emotional payoff (your "cognitive load of training" is a phrase I'd like to adopt, please!) would be worth it alone. I'm the type to get really down when the gym gets super crowded for a few weeks or the weather is really crummy for a while. Did you see a big quantitative as well as the qualitative effect there?
TC
I returned to bike racing after a 30+ year absence only two years ago. I used traditional training methods last year which meant plenty of LSD training over the Winter. The training consisted of 90 minutes on the rollers each night and 90-120 minute road rides on the weekends. I started racing early (mid-March) in order to get me up to racing speed by the Summer. Last year was a limited success due to a prolonged bout with Bronchitis followed by a gardening accident which knocked me off the bike for a few more weeks. My mental focus never did recover from these issues and I will say last season felt like a bust, except that I met the goal I posted in my signature on this forum. It was to compete in 100 races and my final tally was 109. So goal complete, but overall not feeling good about last season. Lesson learned: Have more goals.
This year's my goals are again posted in my sig. To that end, I am focusing on the entire season. I have bought a new trainer and a power meter to shift to power based training along with a periodization-based training plan. This is all new to me, but so far it is working pretty well. I'm down 20lbs thus far, so I am progressing on goal number 1. The other goals will require focus through October and beyond, which I what I lacked last year. I am using the TrainerRoad software, which is compatible with my trainer and more importantly with my iPhone, which means I can record data while on the rollers, the road, and the track(once I get new cranks). Since my goals are focused on the entire season, my training plan us mapped out through October. I know October is a long way away, but I am comfortable enough with varying individual workouts based upon how I am feeling. This also means I will continue some high intensity training days in the basement even during the Summer, which I've never done before.
Anyway, here's a snapshot of my training plan that I put into an Excel spreadsheet. The blue and adjacent cells are completed training days. The white and adjacent cells are planned trainings. Bright yellow cells are FTP test days. Pale yellow cells are optional outdoor training days. I already have all of my vacation days and race days planned for the season. Now all I need to do is execute.
I'm pretty psyched right now, but I'll let you know if it all works out towards the end of October.
P.S. I have everything setup in the basement and after dinner I give Mrs. D a kiss good night and head downstairs for the next two hours.