There are few pleasures in life as great as to achieve a goal, to accomplish something that doesn’t come easily. Great lessons are taught through this activity; we learn that it is our determination and not our doubt that defines our limits. We learn that through studied discipline we can cultivate the skills required to work incrementally towards becoming what we want to be.
This is true for our personal, social and professional lives – and any other aspect that I may have left off. But to achieve our goals is usually a rather complicated mess; it requires introspection, it often requires reliance upon others to do their part or at least not interfere with you doing yours, and it is usually rife with hard choices of long-lasting and difficult to understand consequences.
In its most basic form, Cycling provides us a path to discovery in a less complicated model than do our actual lives. We train our bodies, we become more healthy. We become more healthy, we train more. We become stronger, we go faster. We derive more pleasure from our efforts. We experience reward for sacrifice. We associate progress with the pain of an effort. We enjoy Cycling more. We ride more. We become healthier still. We become stronger still. We go even faster. We suffer more. We associate more pain with a greater sense of achievement. And though it all, we discover it that unlike every other walk of life, in Sport we are islands: what we find here is only what we have brought with us.
Eventually, exercising will become training. The activity becomes richer with the application of the discipline that comes with this rebadging. Exercise is something you do regularly but without structure. With training comes a study of your body and how it responds to stimulus. Long rides have a different effect on the body than do short ones. Successive hard efforts have another effect, as do longer and shorter periods off the bike.
Training Properly requires discipline and patience. It means you don’t just throw your leg over your machine and pedal off to ride along tree-lined boulevards. Training Properly means having a plan for each day. It means heading for the hills one day, and the plains another. It means controlling yourself and not trying to set your best time up the local climb because you feel good that day. Training Properly means restraining yourself on a group ride and not joining in on the town line sprints if your plan doesn’t call for it. Training Properly means leaving for a ride despite the rain falling from the heavens and the loved ones whom you leave at home.
Training Properly comes down you and you alone; much can be learned from books and coaches, but the path is yours to walk. The discovery is yours to experience and to shape into what you are seeking. There are, however, some basics to keep in mind. Also keep in mind I’m not a “Sports Doctor”, “Physiotherapist”, or “Smart”. And never take medical or sporting advice from Some Guy On the Internet.
Be patient. Have discipline. Train Properly. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
What a wonderful bit of philosophy - I must say, the joy of doing something which you can tangibly appreciate the benefits of your efforts, without anyone else there to ruin it, seals it for me
Other point well made by others, is that one of the most important parts of training is resting properly - I forget this frequently thinking lots of anything is better, but quickly plateau until I stop riding for a few days
@mcsqueak
whilst the obvious goals are racing performance, surely anything you feel you might achieve, but might be a bit beyond you, will provide all the target pressure you need? - I set something every 3-4 months over the year to keep the fear level up - mostly Sportives that seem too far, and luckily this year, also the Keeper's Tour weekend, but if you don't target something, it seems pretty hard to maintain focus
@frank
Bad pains include different types of knee pain and chronic pains in, for example, your shoulders, back, or neck. Knees are especially sacred and should be looked after carefully; see a Physiotherapist for this and if they prescribe time off the bike, take it.
(Fixed your post, in case any of my patients are reading this....)
Training properly, for me, is striking that very fine balance between "not training", and overtraining/underresting. As a full-time waiter, the question I always ask myself is, "Did I rest enough since the last workout?"
And sometimes, the answer was "No!", but I kept going. After the end of last year's triathlon season (blasphemy!), I just kept going, setting PRs in both a 5k and a 10k running race just a week later and observing Rule #9 while ascending rainy climbs. And then one day, after a particularly long run followed by an especially nasty shift at work, my knee complained.
I kept going - I worked through that weekend, and come mid-week, was back at the bottom of my favourite mountain, zipping up the windshell. "I'll train through, it's just a small niggle" I repeated to myself with every pedal-stroke, eventually shoving my left knee down with my arm to help it.
But I broke down completely a week later. We took our bikes down to the (ice-cold) south for a fast-yet-constant-paced ride in the quiet rolling desert hills. I was paired with a mate and his PowerTap, so the effort was steady - and I felt mighty proud that I was matching him (he's been cycling for far longer). Until, at one point, I froze completely. The knee just refused to move. I dropped, stopped, and tried to move it. Pain with every movement. Humbled, I turned around and made my way back one-footed. Oh, and it just started raining.
The month and a half of recovery from what turned out to be ITBS was dreadful. My bike was hanging above my bed, a constant reminder, and I faded out of the group. But my return will be worth it - I've since returned to nearly the same mileage as before, except my cadence is higher, the stroke smoother, and power greater. I fixed issues that I couldn't fix without a complete break of habit. That, and I treated myself to a sweet pair of Mavic Zxelliums, in white of course.
@Dr C
For bad pains it's probably also worth getting your bike fit checked over.
Excellent piece frank and great comments added by all BTW.
The common theme from everyone is about getting to know one's body, be it how it responds to the training/riding effort placed on it or how well it responds to the chocolate, donuts and booze being consumed. Once you have developed and nurtured that relationship, the results will be forthcoming. Oh yeah, rest that thing as well. I think that is the most important part of the regime.
@Marcus
for that price, do you want me to send any business your way? May help with your training? It's equivalent effort to a 4K run or something isn't it?
@roadslave525
We come from a very similar place, I think, but you seem to have learnt the lessons of self control that I need to get my head round.
In that ideal world that we all believe will happen next week when we've got work, the family or the weather under control I'd ride five days a week with the sort of mix between high and low intensity that you talk about albeit with a weekly full gas session. Unfortunately, I'm no more likely to get my shit in order than Greece will cut public spending so I probably average two proper sessions per week and for what ever reason I generally make sure that it's the interval sessions that get done. Subsequently, I spend a pretty good chunk of my training time buried in Zone 4 with Zone 5 coming in second.
It's gotten me good and fit, fitter than I've been in the years since I left school so it's not all bad but I am sensing that I've reached a plateaux and I'm finding it a bit harder to motivate myself which I think is a consequence of the plateaux and the fact that there is only so much of your time that you can spend on the rollers.
The good news is that decent weather and lighter nights are on the way so it should be easier to get out and ride longer and slower. The bad news is that works getting busier so I'm not sure that evenings are the answer. I'm going to start racing in a week so that will give me a real good idea of where I am with everything.
I'm going to have to have a look at that book you mention. I can get pretty good at eating well in the summer but in this sort of weather, it's not so easy - sushi and salad is not quite as appealing as a nice baguette and some soup.
@roadslave525, @Chris
I couldn't get through that book, though now that I've lost some weight I should try again as I will likely find it less depressing.
http://www.velominati.com/book-review/book-review-racing-weight-2/
@tessar
Welcome, and I feel your pain, mate. Overnight (literally) I went from preparing to take on the world sporting-wise to spending the next 12 weeks in a wheelchair. It is very difficult to wait out your injury, but worthwhile in the end.
The point about breaking bad habits is also well taken; sometimes a real break is worth a lot. But similarly, that break can also lead to other bad habits, like eating and drinking too much.
Be patient. Have discipline. VLVV.
@Buck Rogers
That's almost exactly how it went for me; Started in 90-91, Catted up quickly (from IV to II over 3 seasons). Then I devoted all of my non working time to being on the bike. Killed two relationships (with girls in case there's any confusion @Marko). Then while dating what I thought was the perfect girl for my sport, a flight attendant who was gone 2+ weeks a month, I really ramped up the training/ racing with my sights set on Europe. I was f'n flying fast, fit. I did a roughly 300K ride one day (Bridge of the Gods loop twice, 30Kph ave for you locals), felt great, then raced 2 days later with a good result. Rode home from the race and got the "you and that fucking bike" argument for the nth time (this was 1998). Hung the bike in the garage and got back on it 2 years ago. But it really wasn't the argument, or the girl. I was totally burned out on being on the bike, even though I was almost ready to make the leap.
Point being, it has to be fun ultimately, even through the suffering. When it becomes a chore that you have to do, the reason to ride or race is lost.
@The Oracle
@Dino
A Wisconsin Mini-Cogal has been planned to coordiate with Steampunk and Josh's visit to madison. Wiscot is planning another effort in May.
@Kyle
If the mini cogal needs more riders I would be honored to join since I am new to Madison and need fellow cyclists to ride with