Motivation, Motivation, Motivation

I have installed a 32 inch LCD TV in front of my trainer with a DVD player, along with a set of wireless headphones. I watch DVDs and it has helped me a lot.
I also now vary my training routine as opposed to just blasting through 20 mins. at 90% of max.

kopride said:

...Any thoughts on staying motivated during this dreariness? What do you Scotsman do?

I feel your pain. Morning temps are hovering in the twenties these days and I'm back indoors till spring. Last winter was a full 7 months of indoor training accompanied with skiing to break the monotony. It sure is hard to get used to sweating buckets while going nowhere all winter.

What's helped me more than anything in the past couple of winters is to write down a set of well thought out goals right now before the winter training begins. I took a long look at me previous season and set some goals for next season. Then I turn those into training related goals and sustainable power targets that I'd like to hit by spring. Specifically I target a 5 minute MMP I'd like to sustain, a 20 minute MMP, and the FTP I want to take into next season. Add to that a strategy for CTL ramping and a preseason CTL goal and I'm a long way towards establishing my winter training goals.

Then when the boredom sets in or I'd just as soon skip an indoor session after a busy day at work I think about those goals which typically gets me on the trainer. CTL in particular serves as a sort of electronic conscience to get me on my bike but this winter I'm going to make sure I don't build that CTL too soon or at the expense of my power goals.

Nothing wrong with your idea of some SST to kick off your winter training, but I'd definitely set some goals and write them down to carry you through the coming months.

Good luck,
-Dave

know the feeling.........another horizontal rain, 40F day.

made easier with garage setup: 42" TV/DVD, amp/stereo speakers, 30 custom Zone 3 & 4 workout DVD's I made with bike/funny/politically uncorrect slides played to my favorite 60's,70's,80's music.

could only take 1 hour of those awful coach troy bs workouts, now can do 3+ hrs.

kopride said:

Its that time of year again: dreary November wet rainy weather, holiday eating, fatigue. I'm trying to stay motivated, but man, every minute on the trainer feels like an eternity. What happened to that shining feeling of only a few weeks ago when I was cruising through beautiful fall weather, red leaves, cool but not cold weather, and I felt like I could ride forever? Replaced by staring at a powertap screen and watching nonsense on TV. Or, putting booties, gloves, and tights on, only to turn around early when the cold rain starts coming down. UGGGH. The worst is struggling even to complete workouts, no less hit better numbers.

In other words, I am going to start a six week recovery period. Put the 2 x 20s and hard intervals on hold in exchange for 1 x 40s at the very low range of the SST. I might even have to take a spin class from time to time just for a change of scenery.

Any thoughts on staying motivated during this dreariness? What do you Scotsman do?

Well, I'm not a Scot but I am originally from Northern England... and the guys north of the border really didn't have it much worse so...

Goals. If you have no realistic goals you will probably not do a whole bunch of worthwhile stuff when you have to train in an environment you don't like. Figure out what where you could realistically get too in 1 year and plan how to get there. Take a good look at where you're at right now and take sometime to make plenty of mini-goals along the way that will make it seem easier to reach your ultimate goal.

Personally, all I need to do is stand infront of the mirror in cycling shorts and that's all the motivation I need to get 90 minutes in and deal with the comments from staying on the trainer 30 minutes too long. 😄

During the winter in England you'd sometimes get snow and it'd be below freezing and that meant walking across the yard in boots, cycling shoes in hand, to go train in a garage that wasn't insulated and was about 25F. I now have the problem in the summer, when it's still around 100F outside (now living in northern california) that it's almost as hot in the garage even at 10pm. Training indoors is rarely fun - but it's a great training environment.

I can't watch anything when training - and I've recently noticed that listening to music makes my mind wander and the power drops by ~20 watts. Sure it makes for a sucky ride not listening or watching anything on the trainer but when you jump on the scales at the end of the week and you're consistantly a pound or so lighter then you have your little "happy moment" that makes it seem worthwhile.

kopride said:

In other words, I am going to start a six week recovery period. Put the 2 x 20s and hard intervals on hold in exchange for 1 x 40s at the very low range of the SST. I might even have to take a spin class from time to time just for a change of scenery.

Any thoughts on staying motivated during this dreariness?

I have really started to cut back the daily grind of 20 minute intervals and cut way back on the cycling and now doing maybe 8 hours a week tops on the bike at mostly endurance pace. On the weekends I am doing about 3-4 hours on the CT on Sunday at endurance pace and than just one intense session a week and one of medium intensity and even mix in some eliptical.

My goals have changed pretty radically as I have added back in 3-4 days back to weight training. Finally after three weeks my numbers are going back up on the weights. I am back to a little bit better than where I was about 1 year ago. In about a month I should see some real numbers. Get the deadlift back to 300lbs and than break it.

I have also gone back to something I have not done for like 3-4 years. The calorie counting which lead me to the G-flux/PN and signed up for a program. They said they can work in the cycling into the program. Time to see I get to the point I always wanted to...I am actually a bit excited by the whole thing.

-js

jsirabella said:

My goals have changed pretty radically as I have added back in 3-4 days back to weight training. Finally after three weeks my numbers are going back up on the weights. I am back to a little bit better than where I was about 1 year ago. In about a month I should see some real numbers. Get the deadlift back to 300lbs and than break it.

-js

You know better than talking that trash here 😄

Slinging Steel!!!!.....music to my ears
Let me know when you bust out the new PB on the deadlift.

swampy1970 said:

Well, I'm not a Scot but I am originally from Northern England... and the guys north of the border really didn't have it much worse so...

Goals. If you have no realistic goals you will probably not do a whole bunch of worthwhile stuff when you have to train in an environment you don't like. Figure out what where you could realistically get too in 1 year and plan how to get there. Take a good look at where you're at right now and take sometime to make plenty of mini-goals along the way that will make it seem easier to reach your ultimate goal.

Personally, all I need to do is stand infront of the mirror in cycling shorts and that's all the motivation I need to get 90 minutes in and deal with the comments from staying on the trainer 30 minutes too long. 😄

During the winter in England you'd sometimes get snow and it'd be below freezing and that meant walking across the yard in boots, cycling shoes in hand, to go train in a garage that wasn't insulated and was about 25F. I now have the problem in the summer, when it's still around 100F outside (now living in northern california) that it's almost as hot in the garage even at 10pm. Training indoors is rarely fun - but it's a great training environment.

I can't watch anything when training - and I've recently noticed that listening to music makes my mind wander and the power drops by ~20 watts. Sure it makes for a sucky ride not listening or watching anything on the trainer but when you jump on the scales at the end of the week and you're consistantly a pound or so lighter then you have your little "happy moment" that makes it seem worthwhile.

Exactly same weather conditions over here (Ireland), as northern England.
: but I make a point of getting out on the raod instead of using the rollers.
Being brutally honest, I haven't got the patience to sit there pedalling on a set of rollers for hours on end.
Even if I had TV setup in the shed/garage for the rollers, I still could not sit there pedalling.

I still go out with the local club each Tues/Thurs evening for 2- 3 hour spin each evening.

I was telling the coach of the local club, about the training that we used to do back at my original club in mid-winter when I used race.

Back then, we used go for a six mile run (3 miles uphills), then do a series of indoor exercise (pressups, squats, climbing ropes, barbells, punchbag, weights etc) before playing an hour of indoor football.
At weekends we'd be out pedalling 60-80 miles on saturday and sunday.
The motivation back then was to be part of the team which was a winning cycling team.

Thinking about it, I found that setting a target/objective is essential to keep motivation high.

For example, I set a target of doing 12,000 miles in one calendar year 4 years ago.
Great sense of satisfaction when you achieve whatever target, you set.

I do a lot of touring/charity events these days.

The guys who trained me in my teens, all seemed like old men back then.
(they were in their forties).
These guys were superfit when they were training us.
Many of them raced at (amateur) international level - three of them road professionally on the Continent (with top teams) in the 1960's.

I see these same men still pedalling today at the same touring/charity events that I partake in and they're still able to ride hard.
They're in their 60's and they'd still probably kill guys half their age.

Their secret?
Love of the bike, training hard and training regularly and living the life of a cyclist (watching their food, eating healthy food, minimal/no alcohol).

I want to be able to do what they're doing - if I hit my 60's!

I'm pumped for winter training! With mountain bike races all spring, and cx in the fall this is the only time I get to really focus on power training. I'm starting up on lots of 2 hr endurance rides at 70-80% of FTP on the computrainer. Maybe one interval session a week and at least one 3hr+ ride outdoors when the weather cooperates. I'm also doing martial arts cross training 2x per week to keep my fast twitch parts from deteriorating.
Lots of people have goals for 5, 20, and 60 minute power. By the end of february I'd like to be able to hold 250 watts for 2 hours on the computrainer without it being an exhaustive effort.

I've got to muster up some motivation if I plan to cycle outdoors tomorrow. Last weekend we started in cold weather, rain and 25 mph wind gusts. It did warm up toward the end and started raining again toward the end of a 50 mile ride. I mentally handled that pretty well. I ended with a .97 IF for a 3 hour "pushing against the wind" type of ride.

Tomorrow morning will start mid 20's F and warm up to about mid 30's toward the end. I suppose I best get my mind right because the cold weather season is now in full effect.

I have yet to do over an hour indoors on the trainer. I did the ride above last weekend in the cold rain purely to avoid being on the trainer and because I use the trainer through the week days I hope to have at least one day outside.
I've got 24 hours to get psyched up for the frigid start. Once my group starts sending emails about riding I will get in the groove. Tis the season.

I have been on the bike indoors 3 x this week and my conditions are not nearly as harsh as you UK folks who train in garages. (Excuse my sissified US whining). But, Just to add to my misery, we had a slight dusting of snow which means our road crews will be out cindering with ground silica, i.e. shards of glass. No real affect on steel belted car tires but they cut cycle tires to ribbons. I will be replacing the Mich Pros with trusty C-gatorskins and will get out this weekend. Hopefully, I will be riding instead of fixing flats.

I do agree that I have to sit down and formulate some goals. I do have a general goal of trying to hit 300 FTP by spring, and had 20 minute intervals in that range a few weeks ago, but life, career, and 4 kids hits hard on those goals in spurts, just when I get into a groove, I will have a long trial, kids sports, etc. , and go back a click or two. I am looking forward to when the last kid is out of diapers.

As for my fellow ironheads, JS and Felt, I am recovering from a serious bout of kettlebell induced elbow tendonitis and wrist pain, so I am back to exclusively doing bodyweight exercise and rings until I recover. I can do those exercises without pronation, which is when I experience pain. As long as my wrists are paralell, I am ok. Those kettlebells give amazing results but very easy to overdo it or hurt yourself. The rings allow me to do dips and chins with your wrists turned paralell, otherwise I would be completely out of the box upperbody wise. Probably good to mix it up a bit anyway. As soon as I recover, I will resume the kettlebells but I will keep a much closer look at my form. Good luck with your deadlift goals JS

I know all to well our foe "tendonitis" and have a slight bit in my elbows that I felt yesterday doing shoulder presses. Once I got warmed up (knocked the rust off the joints 🙂 ) the discomfort subsided enough to get in a good workout.

Best wishes on the healing of the joints so that you can get back to what you enjoy.

Jesse

limerickman said:

Thinking about it, I found that setting a target/objective is essential to keep motivation high.

I want to be able to do what they're doing - if I hit my 60's!

Agreed. Life really is a marathon and not a sprint. The guys (and girls) riding and still enjoying themselves into their 60s (or 70s and beyond) are really the folks that "won." I figure between the fat 60 year old TV couch potato who looks back at ribbons and medals from his 20s (and bragging rights at the pub) and the 60 year old still riding charity races and being out there (with no awards to look back on), the guy still pedalling wins. It is hard to keep that in perspective, but even at 42, I see it. Guys that were real studs in their 20s are these middle aged loads who can barely ride a mile on a flat bike path with their kids. But there are enough of those old geezers who ride a century with a big smile on their face out there that you realize its just about getting on the bike day by day, week by week, and year by year. 😄

kopride said:

I have been on the bike indoors 3 x this week and my conditions are not nearly as harsh as you UK folks who train in garages. (Excuse my sissified US whining).

Actually, having it a little too cold is better than too warm. In a typical winter training session I'd have to start wearing a shirt for the first 10 (or so) minutes and didn't need a fan until around 30 minutes. Plus it gives you motivation to keep breaks/rest to an absolute minimum. I actually wore leg warmers or long bottoms while riding the trainer....

... now I have exactly the opposite problem in summer, thanks to the Sacramento summer heat. Toasty.

It aint the most fun place on the planet but at the end of the day the ol' trainer is just about one of the best places to get quality work done.

Felt_Rider said:

I've got to muster up some motivation if I plan to cycle outdoors tomorrow. Last weekend we started in cold weather, rain and 25 mph wind gusts. It did warm up toward the end and started raining again toward the end of a 50 mile ride. I mentally handled that pretty well. I ended with a .97 IF for a 3 hour "pushing against the wind" type of ride.

Tomorrow morning will start mid 20's F and warm up to about mid 30's toward the end. I suppose I best get my mind right because the cold weather season is now in full effect.

I have yet to do over an hour indoors on the trainer. I did the ride above last weekend in the cold rain purely to avoid being on the trainer and because I use the trainer through the week days I hope to have at least one day outside.
I've got 24 hours to get psyched up for the frigid start. Once my group starts sending emails about riding I will get in the groove. Tis the season.

Now you're just teasing us with these... hmm, strange numbers? 😉 IOW, how's your FTP coming along? 🙂

Piotr said:

Now you're just teasing us with these... hmm, strange numbers? 😉 IOW, how's your FTP coming along? 🙂

Good eye Piotr.... Felty, there's no way you managed 0.97 IF for 3 hours straight. Looks to me like your FTP is higher than you think....

-Dave

daveryanwyoming said:

Good eye Piotr.... Felty, there's no way you managed 0.97 IF for 3 hours straight. Looks to me like your FTP is higher than you think....

-Dave

I don't know 😕
One day I will get this straight. :o

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Piotr said:

Now you're just teasing us with these... hmm, strange numbers? 😉 IOW, how's your FTP coming along? 🙂

Not too good
The last 3 weeks of working overtime on the weekdays has hurt my training.
I hope that next week I can get back into the groove.

Felt_Rider said:

I don't know 😕
One day I will get this straight. :o

[img]2.bp.blogspot.com11 15 08 1.jpgOpen ↗[/img][img]2.bp.blogspot.com11 15 08 1.jpgOpen ↗[/img]I can't seem to upload an image so I added a blog entry for you guys at the following link. Ride Data

OK. I think with a normalized power over 3 hours of 189watts, your FTP is a little bit higher than the 190watts you posted in the 2008 FTP thread...

Maybe you should do your testing outdoors...
... or just turn those cranks a bit faster in a bigger gear when you're on the trainer. 😄