Finding the Motivation to Train When the Weather Isn't Cooperating
You may not have noticed today, but if you saddled up the bike, laced up the running shoes or hit the pool while the weather was yuck, you probably got a jump up on your competition come this spring. While others may skip training sessions and eat a little more than they need out of boredom, frustration or laziness, you're sticking to your goals. But if you need a little more motivation to keep you on track, keep these points in mind this winter:
Training gives you more energy in your everyday activities. Do what you can. Keeping up your overall energy is positive for not only your training goals, but for your job, relationships and sleeping habits.
Time spent dialing in and adapting to a position and/or technique during the winter will translate into better aerodynamics, comfort or efficiency come spring. You may not otherwise have the time once the competitivie season nears to work on and adapt to positive changes. The time is now!
Training in the rain and cold gives you experience you can use in a race or event. You'll know how to dress, how to keep your glasses clean enough to see, and how to fuel. Just as importantly, you'll learn how to handle your bike in the wet.
Riding on rollers will help you develop a smoother spin. A smooth spin indoors will translate into energy saved in races outdoors. Keep in mind that the steadiness necessary to ride rollers is not much different than that needed to pass between two riders in a pack.
Heading to the gym with your significant other can be time spent together that you may not get once the season of speed starts and your varied abilities keep you from riding or running together.
Remember that time doesn't need to be spent only riding your main race bike. It's okay to ride your endurance rides in your time trial position, for instance. Adapting to a time trial bike or track bike during the winter means less transition pain during the race season.
The pound of body weight you ride off today will translate into one fewer pound you have to carry up a hill come early spring when the ride tempo begin to rise, meaning more chances that you'll stay in lead groups from the start and gain motivation and confidence you can carry into your season.
Riding indoors allows you to catch up on all the action movies you missed during the summer when you were riding your bike! It's also great for listening to news, stories or music podcasts. Want to learn a foreign language? You're a captive audience on the trainer and you can repeat the phrases easily enough.
Skiing, skating and other forms of cross training do translate aerobically to cycling, running and swimming. If you are cross training and raising your heart rate in zone, you are getting the training done. Don't get down if you a cyclist and can't ride. If you're cross training, you're training, and it will pay off.
Let's face it: the more you train over the winter, the more you get to eat.
And finally, it will
be difficult to justify to your significant other that you need a new
bike come late winter if your current bike doesn't look well ridden.
So, get out there and put some miles on that thing!