Around this same time every year it is customary to look back on the year that was and make resolutions for the upcoming year. For many of us one of those resolutions comes in some form of living a healthier lifestyle. Gym memberships will go through the roof and then by the end of January, 55-60% of them will stop being used.
This time last year, I was one who had stopped racing and therefore was lacking the motivation to just ride. I had lost the desire and couldn't find the fun factor in racing so I found new hobbies. Those new hobbies left my competitive side feeling unfulfilled. I got back on the bike with a goal in mind. I was going to attend a 12 hour race in Ohio and then possibly more after that if I enjoyed it. I did enjoy it but I didn't do any other races the rest of the year.
Here we are and once again I am looking to set some goals for the upcoming year. I have spent the last couple of days researching and debating which races I want to attend this year and which ones I do not. I am beginning to narrow down the list but it looks like I will need to do some riding this year in order to accomplish them.
Instead of waiting for Jan 1 to come around like I did last year, I took the opportunity to do a fitness test last night. With it being late (I actually kept Jenn from going to bed until I was done) I popped in the Spinerval Vol 27 Threshold Test / Suffer Fest. The workout started with a couple of hard intervals before doing a 20 minute time trial at your threshold.
My legs felt stronger than I expected them to but my cardio just couldn't keep up. It took no time for my heart rate to go into a zone 5 and it didn't leave it for the 20 minutes. I am encouraged I was able to keep my cadence nearly the same for the entire test without changing gears. Although I wasn't expecting great results from this first test with all the time off of the bike I have had in the last 6 months, I am expecting to learn a lot about my fitness levels as my training progresses. I am going to do this test every 6 weeks throughout the year. Hopefully it begins to become less of a complete suffer fest.
This time last year, I was one who had stopped racing and therefore was lacking the motivation to just ride. I had lost the desire and couldn't find the fun factor in racing so I found new hobbies. Those new hobbies left my competitive side feeling unfulfilled. I got back on the bike with a goal in mind. I was going to attend a 12 hour race in Ohio and then possibly more after that if I enjoyed it. I did enjoy it but I didn't do any other races the rest of the year.
Here we are and once again I am looking to set some goals for the upcoming year. I have spent the last couple of days researching and debating which races I want to attend this year and which ones I do not. I am beginning to narrow down the list but it looks like I will need to do some riding this year in order to accomplish them.
Instead of waiting for Jan 1 to come around like I did last year, I took the opportunity to do a fitness test last night. With it being late (I actually kept Jenn from going to bed until I was done) I popped in the Spinerval Vol 27 Threshold Test / Suffer Fest. The workout started with a couple of hard intervals before doing a 20 minute time trial at your threshold.
My legs felt stronger than I expected them to but my cardio just couldn't keep up. It took no time for my heart rate to go into a zone 5 and it didn't leave it for the 20 minutes. I am encouraged I was able to keep my cadence nearly the same for the entire test without changing gears. Although I wasn't expecting great results from this first test with all the time off of the bike I have had in the last 6 months, I am expecting to learn a lot about my fitness levels as my training progresses. I am going to do this test every 6 weeks throughout the year. Hopefully it begins to become less of a complete suffer fest.
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