How To Go Nowhere Fast

This past week was a less than stellar training week...

HOLD ON!!

I need to vent on myself... I hate to use the term "training" anymore, not sure why I ever did? Maybe at one time I thought I was training to do something, and maybe I DID? All I know is now I ride bikes because I love it. "Training" is when I force myself to do stupid shit (to me) like ride the trainer, walk/jog on a treadmill or lift weights, so I can not make a complete and utter fool of myself when I do sign up for a race or go on a ride. The rest is just... riding my bike.

When I get to ride outside you will never see me do hill repeats (although at one time I did, ug!), force myself to keep my heart rate in a certain zone, or waste precious ride time doing intervals anywhere but on the trainer. I am, as my profile says- A Junk Mile Specialist. Of course, you also will NOT see me on a podium anytime soon with this training philosophy. Then again, I think in 5+ years of racing I have been on the podium three times, one of which had no prize, and no podium, so I guess I have to call it twice).

I do not look at my bikes, any of them as training tools anymore. I think that's one of the reason I've been off the road bike for so long. I started looking at it as a training tool and not a vehicle for exploration and fun on two wheels. I love my Salsa Campeon, but I guess I sometimes feel when I'm on my mountain bike (any of them), I feel like I'm on MY bike, the bike that will take me places and see new things. The bike I feel is "me." OR I'm just a lazy f*ck, know full well my Campeon needs tuned up, a new front derailleur and a bunch of other worn out shit replaced, so I ride my mountain bikes all the time.

Don't get me wrong I have some VERY loose training philosophies that I subscribe to, but not one person, racer or coach would dare agree with them. Don't care. I basically build a base, then do shorter tempo rides (off road and on), do some easy rides, do some rides that mimic a race or two, and take some days off. Don't go hard the week of a race, enjoy long rides in the mountains, enjoy carbo loading as much as possible, rest when I feel tired, and ride far when I don't. I race races I dig, when I can, and finish what I started as often as I can. I ride when I can, mostly by myself, and around family commitments and real life first.

OK, now that we know that I pretty much ride when I can and try not to suck, we can return to what I was talking about...

I got no "real" hours in. I did what I could, when could. I will say the week did suck hard, since the week before I had over 10 hours of saddle time. Oh well, I'm not gonna beat myself up about not getting some real rides in, in late January, I have PLENTY of other things to beat myself up about.

I do hope to get my cheeks in the saddle this week and in the woods, but if not... there is always a race or two to set my sights on and get me through those indoor workouts.

Later.