CompuTrainer Class: 1-Leg Drills II

This week felt close to a repeat of last week's class, but it was the only time I've ever felt like I was going to throw up on the bike. I tried something different for breakfast and it was not sitting well—I will not be having that for breakfast again! It wasn't even a hard workout, and I was struggling to keep it together. During one section of one of the high-cadence intervals, I was about to check out—just wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, fell way below the required 110, and didn't notice. Then Parri pulled me out of my haze with a little encouragement; it was just what I needed at the time, especially because I know that if she can do it (as a super power rider), I can do it too (as a sprinter).

I did need some explanation, though, and asked Todd why we are practicing so many high-cadence drills when we never spin that fast on the road. He said that if we can spin at a higher cadence but the same gear as our competition, we'll out-ride them in general and pass them when we shift gears. That put it into perspective and I managed through the rest of the workout I did. I still had to get off the bike a little early (which is OK because then it leaves me time to chat when we're done and I'm not worried about being late to work) but managed 1:30 with a warmup before the workout started.

• 1:30 total, 133 HR (174 max), at least 20 miles (plus whatever I did in the first 17 minutes)
• 10 min aerobic warm up, 153 HR
• 3 min break, then 10 min slightly more aerobic work, 152 HR
• 2 min break, then 8 minutes of 1-leg drills, 30 sec each leg, 45 sec each leg, 60 sec each leg, then 45 then 30
• 2 min break, then two 2-min and two 3-min 110 cadence intervals with 1 min rest between
• 4 min break, then 4 minutes of 1-leg drills, 30 sec each leg, 45 sec each leg, 30 sec each leg
• 2 min break, then three spin-ups where we started at 90 RPM and worked our way up to 110, which we held for another minute or two

My other conversation with Todd was regarding training. I love getting opinions from skilled, knowledgeable people, and Todd is definitely that. I will probably (soon) have to add another day to my current 3-days-a-week riding plan, and I'm definitely game for that. I want to help Team Belladium as much as possible, and being strong and in good riding shape is the way to do it! So I got on the bike tonight, on the trainer, 45 minutes, basically just to get the legs moving--this won't be counted as another ride during the week, but it is preparing me for night-time rides on the trainer, which is what's going to have to happen at least one day per week since it gets dark here before 5pm. Thankfully Valerie and I can ride during the day most Fridays!