Do you look forward to hard days?

[Pendejo]

I do my biking in late afternoon, and I have to admit that on a day when I'm scheduled to train hard it's kind of like a dark cloud that hangs over me all day long. If the weather gets bad so that I know I can't go out, I'm both frustrated that I've lost a training day, but also relieved that I can put off the suffering for one more day. I'm wondering if there are others out there that feel this same way, or are you all "Hell, I just can't wait to get out there and hammer myself into exhaustion" types?

(Just to answer those who would ask me, "If you feel that way, why do you do it?" I do it because I like being in the kind of shape it produces, because I like the achievements that are the result, and because I'm convinced that it retards the aging process and keeps serious illness at bay.)

 

[jeff828]

I do my biking in late afternoon, and I have to admit that on a day when I'm scheduled to train hard it's kind of like a dark cloud that hangs over me all day long. If the weather gets bad so that I know I can't go out, I'm both frustrated that I've lost a training day, but also relieved that I can put off the suffering for one more day. I'm wondering if there are others out there that feel this same way, or are you all "Hell, I just can't wait to get out there and hammer myself into exhaustion" types?

(Just to answer those who would ask me, "If you feel that way, why do you do it?" I do it because I like being in the kind of shape it produces, because I like the achievements that are the result, and because I'm convinced that it retards the aging process and keeps serious illness at bay.)

Learn to love the trainer, then you will always be able to get a ride in no matter what the weather is like. Make sure its structured though because just getting on with a plan to ride for *** time will kill you with bordum. Do like 5, 5min intervals with 5min recovery in between each & you just knocked off 50min, if you just to get on & ride 50min it will feel like eternity.

 

[normZurawski]

Learn to love the trainer, then you will always be able to get a ride in no matter what the weather is like. Make sure its structured though because just getting on with a plan to ride for *** time will kill you with bordum. Do like 5, 5min intervals with 5min recovery in between each & you just knocked off 50min, if you just to get on & ride 50min it will feel like eternity.

Agree. And buy a lot of fans.

I do and don't look forward to hard days. It gets me out of the house, and after I start I (almost) always enjoy it. Sometimes I'm spent after work and it takes a little time to get the rust off. But I'm always glad I got out, which is why I never really dread any hard workout waiting.

 

[Lucy_Aspenwind]

I do my biking in late afternoon, and I have to admit that on a day when I'm scheduled to train hard it's kind of like a dark cloud that hangs over me all day long. If the weather gets bad so that I know I can't go out, I'm both frustrated that I've lost a training day, but also relieved that I can put off the suffering for one more day. I'm wondering if there are others out there that feel this same way, or are you all "Hell, I just can't wait to get out there and hammer myself into exhaustion" types?

(Just to answer those who would ask me, "If you feel that way, why do you do it?" I do it because I like being in the kind of shape it produces, because I like the achievements that are the result, and because I'm convinced that it retards the aging process and keeps serious illness at bay.)

I do look forward to hard days, especially those ## minute tests for FTP and what have you. Maybe I'm just very hungry for improvement, but I relish every interval workout as I look at it as a means to an end

 

[Doctor Morbius]

If I seem to get a little anxious about "hard" rides or lifting days, then from experience I know to back off for a little while and take it as a sign that I need some extra recovery time. Normally, I love hard days and love to push it.

 

[chainstretched]

I do my biking in late afternoon, and I have to admit that on a day when I'm scheduled to train hard it's kind of like a dark cloud that hangs over me all day long.

When you talk about training hard, how far do you ride approx ?

 

[Pendejo]

When you talk about training hard, how far do you ride approx ?

I compete in 5 and 10K TTs, and train exclusively for those. My weekly mileage is modest, about 100 miles. I try to train hard every other day, but weather and schedule do not always cooperate (I don't have an indoor trainer at my main residence, and in my other residence I only use an indoor trainer at the gym because the biking in that area is bad).

I have a variety of hard workouts. On the bike, it usually adds up to about eight miles of balls-to-the-wall effort, comprised of intervals ranging in length from one mile up to the full 10K distance. On the indoor trainer at the gym I do intervals based on power and time, and it usually ends up being about 25-30 minutes of suffer-fest.

 

[fastcat]

I've got a love/hate relationship with tough days.

On some days, when work has been demanding and I've not had enough sleep then, despite really looking forward to getting on the bike, it becomes hard to summon the motivation to do so, instead of collapsing on the sofa with a glass of wine in my hand in front of the TV.

But on other days, I'll find myself looking forward to a workout from the moment I wake up. I'll get frustrated that I'm at work and have to wait until the evening to get out and do it. Or perhaps I'll feel a little trepidation and question myself as to whether I'll be able to complete the intervals. But when I do it's even better for the anticipation and the satisfaction from completing a really tough workout is great. Today was one such day. Now I need to lie down.

 

[KOM]

My favorite training days when my hard training days coincide with cold, wind, rain...just all around crappy weather. This motivates me because I know that my competitors aren't doing it or just spinning in the gym. It makes me stronger knowing I can train hard in bad weather. Cycling is such a mental sport...Mind over Matter: If you don't mind, It don't matter.

 

[tdl123321]

My Cycling is such a mental sport...Mind over Matter: If you don't mind, It don't matter.

Or mind over Watts. The last couple weeks I've spent quite a bit of time on the trainer and several times I've been really struggling during one of those L4 intervals when suddenly a motivating songs comes on the ipod, or I drift into some day dream of taking the lead up the big climb on our group ride. The next thing I know 3-4 minutes have passed by and I've some how settled in and feeling good. Maybe its just getting properly warmed up, but I think its more of that "mind over matter."

 

[bulaboy]

This summer my hard days are training rides w/a group of guys who are mostly faster than me. Usually 2 times/week. And because I have been making consistant progress in terms of increasing my speed, I look forward to the rides. Even if I do have to bury myself to hang. Having been dropped countless times it is a gas to be hanging w/these groups and on really good days being an animator in the ride. Trainer rides are another story. There isn't a lot to divert my attn from the suffering and I don't enjoy them in the same way. Now w/summer coming to an end I am looking forward to a steady diet of trainer rides for 4 months or so. It will sure be fun to kick some butt though when spring finally arrives!

 

[limerickman]

I do my biking in late afternoon, and I have to admit that on a day when I'm scheduled to train hard it's kind of like a dark cloud that hangs over me all day long. If the weather gets bad so that I know I can't go out, I'm both frustrated that I've lost a training day, but also relieved that I can put off the suffering for one more day. I'm wondering if there are others out there that feel this same way, or are you all "Hell, I just can't wait to get out there and hammer myself into exhaustion" types?

(Just to answer those who would ask me, "If you feel that way, why do you do it?" I do it because I like being in the kind of shape it produces, because I like the achievements that are the result, and because I'm convinced that it retards the aging process and keeps serious illness at bay.)

Hard days are what improvement is all about.

Depends on what people call a hard day, of course.
For me, I would categorise a +5hr ride or +100 mile (162kms), as a hard day.
Anything less than either target is not a hard day for me.

Do I relish those days?
For the most part I do, because no matter what you have to put in that time/distance in order to be able to perform at a given level.
Even if the weather is terrible - I go out and cycle and do what has to be done.
I'm not saying that it is easy to do this - it isn't.
But I still try do it.

 

[Jacob24]

I struggle when I'm not on a hard day, going easy is harder for me mentally than going hard. I look forward to the days when I can go hard, I just regreat it the day after occasionally

 

[FloydLandis]

Somehow you need to teach yourself to love pain. I love that burning slash frustrating feeling of beating myself to exhaustion. I used to hate pain now i am in love with it.

 

[rayhuang]

I do look forward to hard days, especially those ## minute tests for FTP and what have you. Maybe I'm just very hungry for improvement, but I relish every interval workout as I look at it as a means to an end

I agree-I enjoy the hard days because those are the days that I know I will become faster in a tangible way. LIke in one week I am stronger/faster/recover quicker on a familiar ride/hill.

I also enjoy hammering, its just hard now because I know how I used to ride (20 years ago) and how much slower it takes to get faster when your 40, not 20!!

 

[joule]

For me "it depends". During the season, I often meet once a week with a few like minded racers and we pummel each other into submission. Those days I like as it helps to have a friendly competitive bunch to train with. However I dread the mid-Feburary, high intensity sessions on the trainer or often called the "wheel of wonder" (as I wonder what the heck I am doing on this thing ). But I learned this past racing season that I really need to buckle down and stress the system out during Feburary or will be "out the back" come the first race of the year.

I do my biking in late afternoon, and I have to admit that on a day when I'm scheduled to train hard it's kind of like a dark cloud that hangs over me all day long. If the weather gets bad so that I know I can't go out, I'm both frustrated that I've lost a training day, but also relieved that I can put off the suffering for one more day. I'm wondering if there are others out there that feel this same way, or are you all "Hell, I just can't wait to get out there and hammer myself into exhaustion" types?

(Just to answer those who would ask me, "If you feel that way, why do you do it?" I do it because I like being in the kind of shape it produces, because I like the achievements that are the result, and because I'm convinced that it retards the aging process and keeps serious illness at bay.)

 

[K50]

I'm wondering if there are others out there that feel this same way, or are you all "Hell, I just can't wait to get out there and hammer myself into exhaustion" types?

Hell yes, that's me!! I love the hard days. I think the hard days are the best! But I also think that I must be much more masochistic than most people! It's a thrill to hammer up hills at 17km/h. I just can't get enough of it. My problem with training was never 'I didn't do enough', but 'I did too much'... If I could go hard every day, I probably would...

 

[ChibiBiker]

If the weather gets bad so that I know I can't go out, I'm both frustrated that I've lost a training day, but also relieved that I can put off the suffering for one more day.

But, I do it anyway now because I know I will suffer more if I skip too often and make my legs & heart lose what I've built up in tolerance.

Learned it from experiences.

 

[Cyclist14]

My favorite training days when my hard training days coincide with cold, wind, rain...just all around crappy weather. This motivates me because I know that my competitors aren't doing it or just spinning in the gym. It makes me stronger knowing I can train hard in bad weather. Cycling is such a mental sport...Mind over Matter: If you don't mind, It don't matter.

I have gotten to love riding in the rain, at first I used to hate it and every time I raced in it I couldn't crack the top 20 but now I've gotten several top 10's in wet weather. It will pay off if you learn to love the rain and cold.

 

[K50]

I have gotten to love riding in the rain, at first I used to hate it and every time I raced in it I couldn't crack the top 20 but now I've gotten several top 10's in wet weather. It will pay off if you learn to love the rain and cold.

Yeah, that's some of the best advice I've heard!

I noticed that in Canada, many of the top XC pros are guys that grew up riding and training in really 'bad' areas... Like BC; it always rains there, gets really muddy, and the hills aren't hills -they're part of mountains. If you can get through that, you can conquer anything.