Training ... Whats that ?
I cant really get into a rhythm with training right now because its not the norm for me doing it the way I am having to at the moment. Anyone who knows me will see that I may have put the odd bit of weight back on due to my training schedule changing as dramatically as it has ... Granted, I am partial to the odd pint with the boys on a Thursday night and a Sunday night and that never helps ... The long and short of it is I have changed a lot and that's a purely seasonal thing for me.
I'll explain ...
Last year I was beasting it, I was riding 10km into work, 12km on a lunch time and 10km home on a hard day. On a day where I took it easy I would ride 3km in to work, nothing on a lunch time, 3km home and then a nice 42km ride on an evening. The weight dropped off me ... 5 stone in about 10 month, an achievement in itself I am sure you will agree. This was done in summer time when the dangers where not exactly high.
Whilst on the subject on dangers I feel it necessary to explain why my big change in training. I had a bad winter last year, I had a MTB and I came off it about 7 maybe 8 times always resulting in an injury of some sort, on wheels as big as this I would think it would be nigh on impossible to stack it ... Not the case. There are no two ways about it, falling off your bike is embarrassing and to be honest I am a proud person, not to mention how much it hurts wrapping yourself round some railings on the sea front after losing the back end of the bike and then sliding arse first for 30 feet on tarmac with an inch thick layer of black ice.
I am now riding roadie style, no more tractor tyres for me ... So at a higher speed on thinner tyres with less traction I figure I will more than likely do myself a serious injury or even kill myself.
My solution to this problem during the long hard British winter was more visits to the gym on a fixed bike (Boring) or a ride at home indoors on my new rollers recently purchased from Evans Cycles.
This indoor training right now isn't as easy as it should be because my contact points are just all wrong for being in the saddle for long distance riding, my stock saddle is like sitting on nothing but a seat pole, my handlebars are pencil thin with no padding and my pedals are stock straps with the straps removed ... Needless to say I am not transferring enough power down onto the pedals resulting in wasted energy. My arse hurts because my sit bones are not fully accommodated therefore my sessions are always cut short. Finally my hands quickly fatigue due to high pressure pains on them for extended periods of time. All together this doesn't make for an attractive training session but I get on it as much as I can for as long as I can.
So what now ... Well until I get these parts replaced its just going to be a case on enduring the situation I am in and keeping my fitness to a high standard whilst in the process not killing myself. I imagine I should, all being well be able to purchase the necessary parts for Pippa (That's what I call my bike) over the next few month, by which time the spring should be settling in and I can get back out onto the roads for some proper training ... Until then its winter spinning all the way ...
... Oh the joys !
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