January Indoor Challenge

[Veronica]

The new spreadsheet is ready. Again, it's your goal. You decide if outside miles count. :D

We got a total of 314+ hours in December. Nice work, now let's beat it! :D

Happy New Year!

Veronica

[marni]

In spite of the handicaps in my life right now I would like to give this challenge a try as it ties in with my very loosely set goals this year. How do I join?marni

[Catrin]

My first 30 minutes on the trainer for the new year! Also got a decent session in with the weights at the gym, but had to back off a bit today on intensity for both trainer and weights - my neck is KILLING me. I think it is the drastic change in weather...

[Blueberry]

Thank you for doing this again, Veronica!

My goal this month is 15 hours of "activity" and 27 "activities." I will be counting indoor, outdoor, and limited amounts of swimming and elliptical (to give the butt a bit of a break). I am having some success in retraining my bad habits (blowing exercise off for tomorrow for a long list of bad reasons). The high activity goal keeps me accountable, and makes sure I don't do 15 hours of working out on the last day of the month.....

Without prompting, DH said my butt had improved. He doesn't complement often, but when he does, he means it. So - I'll take it!

[Catrin]

Yes, thank you for doing this again Veronica, it is very helpful!

I put down another 18 hours for the month - this will be at least 18 hours on anything that looks like a bike, inside or outside. Probably just wishing for the latter.

[Owlie]

I'm dropping my goal to six hours total this month due to classes picking back up again. I'll see if I can beat that, though. ;)

ETA: Thanks, Veronica, for doing this again! Have fun, everyone!

[five one]

Like Blueberry, I am going to count hours of activity. I find myself not getting on the trainer as often as I used to. The only good time of the day during the work week is very early in the morning. Not a problem unless I don't sleep well the night before - which happens quite often. Thank you menopause! Getting to sleep is not the problem. It's staying asleep.

So, I will ride outside on the weekends if the weather permits. Bad weather means I'll walk/run. I'm going to throw in some hiking (like tomorrow). DH and I have a "date" each Tuesday after work to walk intervals on the stairs on Communications Hill in San Jose. I'm planning on 2-3 one hour trainer rides during the week if I can drag my carcass out of bed at 4:30. I'll count all hours of aerobic activity.

I couldn't make it to 15 hours in December, so I've scaled back to 12.

Thanks Veronica. Good luck all.

[Bike Writer]

Thank you Veronica for setting this up!

I'm going for 9 hours total, last month it was an 8 hour goal and now that the hectic time has passed I'm expecting to make this goal as well. I expect a frequency of riding 4 days a week @ 30 minutes per session.

I just got my first 30 minute ride in this morning for 2012. I'm on my way!

[Norse]

I upped my goal by 2 hours over December. Would have liked to do more, but I am out of town for 4 days this month with no access to anything resembling a bike. Started yesterday with 1 hour and 10 minutes of Fat Burner intervals with my tunes and a bike video of CA wine country. Today, the evil Coach Troy.

Thanks again for doing this Veronica!

[Red Rock]

Hi Everyone!

What an exciting way to start the new year. I'm going to push my boundaries and try to do 22 hours this month. I'm thinking if I do an hour a day for the month, then I'm good. I most likely will be on the treadmill, hiking, or beginning to get the bike out after a very a long absence. I know that if I do something, that is better than doing nothing. On to better fitness!

Red Rock

[rubysoho]

Put down my first 30 minutes today! On my way to 15hrs. Thanks for putting this together.

[MaTadams]

I, too, am wondering if it is possible to join in this challenge. Thanks!

[tealtreak]

Like Blueberry, I am going to count hours of activity. I find myself not getting on the trainer as often as I used to. The only good time of the day during the work week is very early in the morning. Not a problem unless I don't sleep well the night before - which happens quite often. Thank you menopause! Getting to sleep is not the problem. It's staying asleep.

So, I will ride outside on the weekends if the weather permits. Bad weather means I'll walk/run. I'm going to throw in some hiking (like tomorrow). DH and I have a "date" each Tuesday after work to walk intervals on the stairs on Communications Hill in San Jose. I'm planning on 2-3 one hour trainer rides during the week if I can drag my carcass out of bed at 4:30. I'll count all hours of aerobic activity.

I couldn't make it to 15 hours in December, so I've scaled back to 12.

Thanks Veronica. Good luck all.
second your "hurray to Menopause" ...I pass out when my head hits the pillow but wake up repeatedly later....I am told it will pass Like pregnancy woes and puberty!!!) haha (:

[tealtreak]

The new spreadsheet is ready. Again, it's your goal. You decide if outside miles count. :D

We got a total of 314+ hours in December. Nice work, now let's beat it! :D

Happy New Year!

Veronica
Thank You!!!! I am totally counting outside- had an awesome ride on a new trail today (:

[Red Rock]

Yes, Thank you V for all of your time and effort to set this up and do the leg work. It's not like you have a whole lot of free time yourself.

I put in my hour today on the treadmill. It was amazing how I felt afterward. I hope this continues.

Red Rock

[jyyanks]

Yay! My first bike ride on rollers today. I hit a snafu last month and didn't meet my goal so am going to try for 8 hours again and hope to meet it. I did my first 30 minutes and started my diet so hoping that I can fit back into my "skinny" jeans by March :)

[marni]

second your "hurray to Menopause" ...I pass out when my head hits the pillow but wake up repeatedly later....I am told it will pass Like pregnancy woes and puberty!!!) haha (:

and it does eventaually, but then as you get older, you may develop some sort of estrogen dependent cancer, which usually requires tamoxifen which blocks the estrogen from your body and puts you back into menopause again. Been there, doing that, including the night sweats, weepies and hot flashes. At least thin time I know it is for a good cause.

Sending sympathetic hugs to all of those suffering from horomonal miseries of whatever type.

hope the new year brings some relief.

marni

[kjay]

Goal of 12 hours means a distribution of 1/2 hour a day for six days a week, which is not a challenging goal but am facing an imminent hip replacement, and pain too often trumps my desire to exercise. This challenge should help me.

Thanks, Veronica!

[Catrin]

Got in an hour of spinning last night, along with a 5 mile fitness walk prior to class. The instructor used a different type of playlist for him and it was a pretty aggressive class - and a quite good one!

[Owlie]

...And we're...not getting anywhere.
I've got a cold (I think I got it from my sister). It's not even a useful cold--it's just a sore throat and generally feeling icky.

[Veronica]

43 minutes - Uphill Grind.

Veronica

[Susan Otcenas]

Can I join again?

The December spreadsheet appears to be locked, so I can't add my last 2 hours, but I feel pretty good about making 16 of the hoped-for 18 hrs in December given my travel schedule.

Planning to go to cycling class tomorrow, despite the chest cold from hell. Even if all I do is rotate my legs in lazy circles, that's OK. I'm going stir-crazy!

[Veronica]

Yeah - we locked it at the beginning of January. We didn't want people accidentally adding to the old one.

Thom's got some ideas of how to jazz it up as time goes - with charts and graphs and whatnot. :D

I added it in for you.

Veronica

[Catrin]

45 minutes easy spinning last night, watched an episode of ST: Deep Space 9 (my favorite of the various ST incarnations). I actually didn't MEAN it to be an easy spin but for some reason I couldn't get a hard workout on the trainer last night but am trying to figure that out. I posted about that elsewhere.

[rubysoho]

25 minute* easy, recovery spin for me last night. Meant to do 30 minutes but my right knee started hurting about 15 minutes in. I don't know why. Made it another ten minutes to see if anything would change and it felt like it was getting worse so I decided it was better to stop. Again, not sure what happened as I'm on my own bike - not the ones in the gym that hurt. Hopefully it is something left over from my impromptu 5k this past weekend followed by a hard spin on Monday.

My sit bones were hurting too. :mad: I don't know why the knee and sit bones are unhappy right now. Nothing has changed on my bike. Although now that I am looking at it the seat might have dropped a little in the front. I'll check it before I get back on this evening. For now it is time to go to work.


*I added 35 minutes last night to my time because I did an extra 10 minutes on Monday to warm up before a yoga class at the gym

[Anelia]

There was nobody to ride with, so I preferred 1 hour stationary bike after the weight training.

[Anelia]

Yesterday there was nobody to ride with, so I preferred 1 hour stationary bike after the weight training.

[Red Rock]

I have not reported for two days since one day we closed on a condo and then today was my Bday. So I cake to make and assorted other errands to do. Hibby goes back to work tomorrow, so I plan on getting my hour in.

Red Rock

[ivorygorgon]

DH, me, and a friend from our cycle club are getting together 2x a week for a trainer class. I think it is 1.5 hours 1 day and 2 the next day. The program we are following was designed by a cycling coach and is designed for Peak Endurance and climbing. We went to the first "class" on Tuesday and it was a doozy!! I am really looking forward to the class and it was fun to do it with a small group. Our club puts on a trainer class that has a large (30-60) turnout, but it is too far away for me to travel from work. We are also going to continue to spin 2x a week and do our regular weekend rides.

[Bike Writer]

Happy belated Birthday Redrock!

Wow, we had very unusual weather in Michigan for January. 54F+ and I got in a great ride outside today.

It's just amazing what a difference sunshine, breeze on your face and outdoor scents can do for a person. I feel great! How is it that those things make an hour on a bike go by in a couple of blinks and 30 min on the trainer can seem like a l-o-n-g time?

I was gone for 2.5 hours with just a tad over an hour of ride time, the rest was spent sightseeing, watching kayakers on the river, geese and swans and sadly a couple of pretty long phone calls work related :( but I'd rather be working out in the sunshine anyway :)

[Catrin]

Considering how wild the weather is, and the occasional demands of my neck injury recover, I've decided to use this challenge to focus on my over-all activity level like a couple of others have. I moved my goal up to 30 hours and this includes all formal exercise activities: riding outside, spinning class, indoor trainer, hiking and weights. As I am no longer in personal training, sadly, this will encourage me to keep up with what I know I need to do in all areas.

[marni]

well I admit that I am a luddite. Where does on find the January spread sheet for the indoor biking challenge?

marni

[Catrin]

well I admit that I am a luddite. Where does on find the January spread sheet for the indoor biking challenge?

marni

Veronica will email you the link :)

[Owlie]

10 minutes on the trainer before realizing that doing it with a cold and at 10:00 at night is probably not the best idea.

[Blueberry]

I so hear the doing it at 10:00 at night;)

If I exercise much past 8, I have troubles sleeping (though I have to say - this challenge has had me sleeping much better - on average).

I'm 7 for 7 this month. I am allowing myself to cross train this month as I wish - which I suspect will result in less total rest days. My legs were trashed yesterday, and felt much better for a 45 minute zone 2 spin. This is a positive change!

[Red Rock]

All of my good intentions came to a smoking end this week. Wed was my Bday so I was totally distracted. Then I have had thyroid issues, like lack of energy and not sleeping well at night to give me problems. Hubby is watching the football, it is a nice sunny day but it's very cold outside. I'm thinking about eating lunch and then hitting the treadmill. That way I have food in me before even trying to do something. Then I can watch the football while I'm walking. *cross fingers*

[Catrin]

Unheard of nice weather in January for central Indiana! A bit cooler than yesterday, but highs still in the 40's. I got in an hour on the road - was going to ride longer but the wind started picking up and my neck started complaining. It has really improved with the PT, even after only 2 visits, but I am not pushing it.

When I got home from my ride I broke out my mountain bike and just played in the grass for awhile, rolled off a couple of curbs to make certain I still remember how to roll over small obstacles. Well, any excuse will do right now :) I didn't push it and it felt great to be back on my mountain bike - even doing such simple things with it - the first time I've been on it since my fall in late October.

[Norse]

I will be out of town next weekend so it was all evil Coach Troy this weekend. Mental Toughness on Saturday and The Pain Cave yesterday. I did enjoy a nice 45 minute walk through the neighborhood with Katy dog yesterday. :) I would have liked to have gotten outside for a ride (what a strange "winter" we are having) but I had a lot to get done and it is just easier and quicker to hop on the trainer.

[Susan Otcenas]

Yeah - we locked it at the beginning of January. We didn't want people accidentally adding to the old one.

Thom's got some ideas of how to jazz it up as time goes - with charts and graphs and whatnot. :D

I added it in for you.

Veronica

Thanks, V!

[Susan Otcenas]

Great class this morning:

Warmup to low Z2 over 5:00

3 x 1:00 at 110 rpm in Z3, with 1:00 recovery between each at low Z2, 90rpm

3:00 Z1 recovery

4 x 0:45 alternate leg pedal drills with 2 min Z1 recovery between each

3:00 Z1 recovery

3 x 3:00 at 110 rpm, max effort with target avg of high Z4. 3:00 Z1 recovery between each.

8-10-12-16-18-16-12-10-8 seated strength pyramid: This entails dialing up the tension so hard that you are starting at a very very high load at 50 rpm. At "go", the idea is to, WHILE SEATED, stomp the pedals as hard as you can with the goal of hitting 80rpm by the end of the designated interval (8 seconds, 10 seconds, 12 seconds, etc.) These are all out efforts; your max power numbers will go WELL beyond Z5. 2:00 easy pedal recovery between each interval. The first couple aren't so bad, but by the time you get to the 16 and 18 seconds intervals, it gets very difficult to sustain the max efforts at such a high resistance.

5 minute recovery.

Um, I"m a little sore.... :D

[Blueberry]

Does anyone else use Garmin connect? If so, have you noticed lots of Server Down messages of late?

Seems to be much more frequently of late (and my device isn't great for gathering data by hand).

[maillotpois]

Does anyone else use Garmin connect? If so, have you noticed lots of Server Down messages of late?


I use Strava. I really love it.

This good weather is really putting a damper on my indoor training! :p

[marni]

Today when I took the dogs out at 7:00 AM the sky and the light were both an ugly bruise/mustard/wrath of God yellow. At 7;30 it started blowing, raining, hailing and flooding. Between 7:30 and 10:30 we got five inches of rain, and the water in the street was halfway up the driveway and fountaining out of the man holes.

I was happily seated on my indoor trainer, doing steady heart rate intervals in z2-4. Did an hour and a half.

While Texas is still in a drought and we do need rain, this was too much, too fast. But it was interesting to watch the storm while I was riding. The dogs were distinctly not amused as there was nothing in the trainer room to hide behind, or under so they sat curled around themselves at either side, whimpering and trembling.

Interesting times.

marni

[Catrin]

Yesterday I walked for 1 hour and 15 minutes on the track at the gym (this didn't go in the spreadsheet) and took a 1 hour spinning class (this did).

I wanted to do weights yesterday, but my calves were sore from the weekend - which never happens so I took it as a sign to back off.

[marni]

yesterday when I took the dogs out at 7:00 AM the sky and the light were both wrath of God mustard yellow. At 7:30 the thunder, lightning and rain started. At 8:00 the wind started and at 9:00 the hail followed. It all tapered off by 10:30 but we got over 5 " of rain, and all the local streets were flooded halfway up the lawns. Since I couldn't get out to get to my regular training session I put in 2 hours of sustained high cardio intervals on the trainer. I might get in a road ride tomorrow if the weatherman is correct about his forecast, but I was sure glad to be inside on the trainer yesterday!

marni

[WindingRoad]

I'm curious how high does some of your heart rates go when you are pushing hard?

[Blueberry]

I'm curious how high does some of your heart rates go when you are pushing hard?

This is going to be highly dependent upon your age, and your physical condition (and body). Personally, I've seen 182 on a ride climbing a mountain in the sun. For intervals on a hard day, I'm in the 165-172 range generally. But that's a very hard day. On a more moderate day, I might not push beyond 165 on the high end.

[katluvr]

I am only at 10% and it is the 11th of the month. So maybe I'll make it to my goal by end of month? Or not??!!

K

[Catrin]

I'm curious how high does some of your heart rates go when you are pushing hard?

As Blueberry said, this is going to differ from person to person, and for me at least, my HR gets higher in colder temps.

The highest I can seem to get it in spinning class is 154 or so, and I have to be putting in 100% effort at a high resistance to get it that high. My heart rate recovers very fast, so I've a hard time keeping it in my desired zone during class.

On the road it will get in the high 150, lower 160s when climbing and that is pushing hard. Mountain biking it gets higher, so far the highs have been in the upper 160s though I suspect that will get higher as I get into more challenging terrain. Average HR is higher on the mountain bike than either road or spinning class.

[Veronica]

I'm curious how high does some of your heart rates go when you are pushing hard?


It is going to vary greatly.

I did a ride on Saturday with a pretty tough climb. The first time up it my HR average was 157 with a high if 170. My lactate thresh hold for climbing is 178.

We rolled down and did the same climb again this time working much harder and my average was 165 with a high of 180. I was 3 minutes 40 seconds faster the second time over the 1.75 miles.

Veronica

[Miranda]

yesterday when I took the dogs out at 7:00 AM the sky and the light were both wrath of God mustard yellow. At 7:30 the thunder, lightning and rain started. At 8:00 the wind started and at 9:00 the hail followed. It all tapered off by 10:30 but we got over 5 " of rain, and all the local streets were flooded halfway up the lawns. Since I couldn't get out to get to my regular training session I put in 2 hours of sustained high cardio intervals on the trainer. I might get in a road ride tomorrow if the weatherman is correct about his forecast, but I was sure glad to be inside on the trainer yesterday!

marni

I just had to say this made smile because I know EXACTLY what that color looks like! And appreciate someone else that knows that IS, as you say, the wrath cometh color of the sky. Here in the midwest tornado alley that is Mother Nature's yellow flag color of caution.

Glad you still got a good work out inside.:)

[WindingRoad]

I was just curious because I noticed my heart rate gets pretty high in spin class. I managed to push it up to 186 in class last night, my average was 168 though. I can comfortably stay at 175 for a long time. I'm 35, I actually have a naturally slow heart rate. My resting is about 48 BPM. I guess I was just worried that was too high?

[Veronica]

HR is a very individual thing. My resting is around 40 - 42. I've seen it as high as 192. I can sustain 178 for a 10 mile climb and I'm 45.

I think the real indicator of aerobic health is how fast will it drop when you decrease your effort.

Veronica

[indysteel]

I was just curious because I noticed my heart rate gets pretty high in spin class. I managed to push it up to 186 in class last night, my average was 168 though. I can comfortably stay at 175 for a long time. I'm 35, I actually have a naturally slow heart rate. My resting is about 48 BPM. I guess I was just worried that was too high?

How did you feel when it got to 186? As others have said, max heart rate is varies from person to person. Even your own max will vary depending on the activity. It also tends to go down as you age. The more important question to ask yourself is how you felt when your HR got that high. In other words, what was your perceived level of exertion?

My max HR is high. Very high. I can get it into the high 180s/low 190s without too much trouble if I'm climbing. I saw it hit 210 once in Brown County S.P. When I'm in good shape, that max doesn't feel so bad. When I'm not in good shape, it is extremely hard to stay at that level without simply stopping.

[jusdooit]

My HR has gotten as high as 189 (I think). 175-182 seems normal for me while under workload.
Had a great trainer workout last at LBS. Going back tomorrow night for more punishment.

[WindingRoad]

All right then that makes me feel better :-) Indy I don't feel bad at 186 but I can definitely tell it's hard. I also notice my HR on average is higher in spin classes which I think is because the rooms are so hot. I have gone up as far as 190 but not recently because it made me concerned. I guess what made me start thinking about this was a physiology lecture I attended earlier today and she said that your heart becomes less efficient at 180-200 BPM due to the fact that your heart has to have a certain amount of time between beats to fill with blood again. She also said that exercise over time drops your average HR but it was making me think then why now am I noticing such a high HR, of course I wasn't always an active person so who knows what a spin class might have done to me in my 20's??? Ok now I am rambling....

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm curious how high does some of your heart rates go when you are pushing hard?

My max HR is 190. But you'll almost never see your max, except during a threshold power test or a VO2 Max test, etc. Most people back off before they get to their true max HR.

I regularly get up into the mid-high 170's when we are doing Zone 4 or Zone 5 work in my cycling class. But that's anaerobic work. My aerobic threshold is 143.

Susan

[WindingRoad]

So is it too late for me to join in? I just got the trainer unpacked and the rear tire on my road bike changed out to an old crappy one. Now I have no excuses :-) Like I mentioned before, sometimes I really think those super hot spin rooms get to me a bit so I would like to do more base work here at home. Seems like spin classes are just too much fun so I end up pushing hard most of the time so I need some easy rides too.

[rubysoho]

I guess what made me start thinking about this was a physiology lecture I attended earlier today and she said that your heart becomes less efficient at 180-200 BPM due to the fact that your heart has to have a certain amount of time between beats to fill with blood again.

That is interesting. I wonder if there is more information about it out there.

Reading about other people's heartrates makes me think I might talk to my GP next week (going in for some back pain I've been dealing with). My HR will spike up pretty quickly, and relatively high compared to what is listed here. I know I am around the 180 range when I can feel it pumping in my chest. Around 170 is where I start sweating quite a bit. I've seen it as high as 192 and I backed off because I felt that surely it couldn't be a good thing.

I had set my HR monitor to show me percentages instead of BPM and it definitely was over 100% at one point. I think 110% maybe? My guess is that I don't fall into the "normal" ranges so I switched to BPM and I am checking on how well I feel at the different levels as a clue to which range I am actually in. Although my "science" is more like: do I feel like I am going to die? No. Ok, then I am good to keep going! :rolleyes:

[Catrin]

So is it too late for me to join in? I just got the trainer unpacked and the rear tire on my road bike changed out to an old crappy one. Now I have no excuses :-) Like I mentioned before, sometimes I really think those super hot spin rooms get to me a bit so I would like to do more base work here at home. Seems like spin classes are just too much fun so I end up pushing hard most of the time so I need some easy rides too.


I doubt it is possible to be too late :) I am sure Veronica will send you the link to the spreadsheet.

I wimped out last night due to the weather and heavy legs from my hard leg strength session on Wed., so I skipped spinning class and had a light 45 minutes on my trainer at home.

[linzq]

Hey, this looks like just the thing to keep me accountable. Can I join too?
:)

[maillotpois]

My real goal for the year is 2 classes per week - they're an hour and a half, power based, and really push me. (They also periodize, so it's not all go go go.) I find that is all I really need to be able to turn out a solid double century on the weekend (if I am building my weekend mileage rationally). Last week I "cheated" and rode outside one of the weekdays. :rolleyes:

Threshold intervals last night. Long ones. At least the cadence was lower. I can push a large # of watts at 70 - 85 RPM but the ones that are 95 - 105 make me crazy. Suffering is good, though.

I am trying to use a friend of mine as a pain totem during the really hard intervals - I try to visualize him to make myself push through. This is a guy who's close to 60 who did 2 super rando series last year (including the one I did) on a fixed gear bike. It was such fun watching him get up and down some of our climbs. Really inspiring and shows you there's always going to be someone crazier than you.

[Susan Otcenas]

Pretty sure I'm not going to make my goal. I just hired a coach for Ironman Canada. She's going to take me off the bike almost entirely for awhile. This is going to be a huge mental adjustment for me! But her assessment really is correct. At this point in the season, I have little to gain on the bike, but TONS to gain by spending more time running and in the pool. So, that's what I'll be doing. I'm hoping I get to go to my cycling class one day per week, but I'll do whatever she tells me to do.

[Red Rock]

Well, I had a terrible first week or so of the month. I am happy to say that I have now added two more hours. It is such a mental boost and motivator to see the percentage change once you input your numbers. I hope that I can keep this up for the rest of the month.

After all some is better than nothing.

Red Rock

[five one]

Here we have this indoor challenge, and almost all of my time has been outside. I figure I may as well count it since I'm being active.

The front derailleur on my trainer bike had something break on it several weeks ago. I finally determined it was beyond my very limited repair abilities, so it's in the shop. The weather has been unseasonably nice, so all my riding has been on the road.

That may change soon. Rain is forecast for later this week.

[sideways_skies]

I know it's a bit late, but I've been tracking my hours for January. Any chance of me joining, too?

[Catrin]

Here we have this indoor challenge, and almost all of my time has been outside. I figure I may as well count it since I'm being active.

The front derailleur on my trainer bike had something break on it several weeks ago. I finally determined it was beyond my very limited repair abilities, so it's in the shop. The weather has been unseasonably nice, so all my riding has been on the road.

That may change soon. Rain is forecast for later this week.

Some of us are counting our outside riding and others, like me, are counting all activity (spinning, trainer, weights, etc). In the end it is a personal challenge, and whatever it takes to encourage ourselves is a good thing :) It seems that currently the only time it gets warm outside enough for me to ride is when I am either working or ill :(

[Veronica]

Here we have this indoor challenge, and almost all of my time has been outside. I figure I may as well count it since I'm being active.




Yeah, it's going to be hard for me to make my goal. I like riding outside in the sun.

The challenge is what YOU make of it. I'm only counting my indoor time because I need to get my butt on the trainer and do those more intense videos if I want to finish the ride I've got planned in April. I never push myself outside the way I do on the trainer. :D

Veronica

[Catrin]

... I never push myself outside the way I do on the trainer. :D

Veronica

I am the opposite - for some reason I can never push myself as hard on the trainer. However I am improving, I just have this mental barrier of 1 hour on the trainer - mentally I can't sustain it for longer than that. The road/trail is quite different...

[Norse]

Just back from visiting sis in FL so its back on the trainer for me. Left the bike (the '04 Trek 5.2) with the LBO for a tune-up while I was gone and they had it ready to go when I got back yesterday. Did 30 minutes of Fat Burner intervals this morning and the shifting is sooooo much smoother now. Less than 1 week off the bike and my legs felt sluggish and my waist (even though sis and I walked each day) expanded. :eek:

[katluvr]

I have not been on my bike since my last spreadsheet update. No way I'll make my goal unless I plan to spend the whole day on the trainer...a inside trainer century! That does not sound like fun!
K

[maillotpois]

Tuesday's class was a total of 20 minutes at threshold - OY! I'm hoping today is easier. :rolleyes: I had to schedule work calls around class because DD's play is tonight. Priorities. :)

[Blueberry]

Tuesday's class was a total of 20 minutes at threshold - OY! I'm hoping today is easier. :rolleyes: I had to schedule work calls around class because DD's play is tonight. Priorities. :)

Love it :)

I think I need to get more organized on a training plan in February. I've gotten myself past the "I don't want to exercise" point - it has become part of my routine, and have kept up my goals (and am doing really, really well on my January hourly goal). Now, I need to focus on improving my eating and training with more focus (instead of exercising just to exercise). But - that requires setting some goals (and planning the rest of my year:eek::eek:). :p:p

[maillotpois]

Good for you! I find long range goals are really the best thing to keep me motivated. I'm literally using my to do list from my failed Terrible Two as a training plan. :) That's in June. I have monthly target rides between now and then as well.

Sometimes it's hard to find the right combination of things that work. I've had plenty of unfocused and unmotivated years and I know how hard it is to break out of that slump.

[Blueberry]

If I can get in, I'm thinking about doing the century version of this (http://bloodsweatandgears.org/main/start.htm). If I can snag a spot - it has been selling out quickly. I'm just worried about the time cut offs + that much climbing (and the fact that I don't live near great hills for training). I did the 50 last year, half a$$ed the training, and finished (though it wasn't pretty).

Then maybe an iron or half iron aqua bike in October? Maybe.... So much is still up in the air - it's hard to plan!

[Catrin]

Last night did close to an hour on the trainer and a bit over an hour with weights. It was a good workout! Spinning class tonight...

[maillotpois]

That looks like a great event! That would be motivating for sure.

[Veronica]

Recharge for me this afternoon. I was suppose to run, but the rain has come.

Veronica

[Catrin]

90 minutes spinning tonight, it was a good class! Tomorrow night will be trainer time!

[maillotpois]

Not feeling it today. Cramps (menstrual, not leg). Struggled. Oh well. Some days are tough.

This is a relatively easy weekend ride-wise, so that's good. Except for that Trinity grade/Spring Mountain ride Sunday. :rolleyes: But it's less than 100 miles, so all things are relative. :D

[Veronica]

I hope you have decent weather.

Veronica

[maillotpois]

I hope so, too. Saturday is MTB so it doesn't matter - Sunday will be the real ride. While I don't relish the idea of descending the back side of Trinity in the rain (and heavy rain will apparently cancel this it as it is a club ride), I am actually really excited to finally USE the full fenders on my Volagi! :D I put them on the one day in December we had a little rain and then it stopped raining completely. :rolleyes: I truly think I caused the drought.

[Miranda]

Did an hour of brisk walking on the dread-mill today (cross-training). Can you feel my joy just free flowing out of that last sentance?:rolleyes: NOT! lol. Unfortunately I can't do any impactive sports, so no running. But grateful pedaling is not that;). Anyrate, didn't record it in the log, but will record this (see below) after I teach it in one of my Spinning classes...

Chris Carmichael's Weight-Loss Workout
This one-hour workout delivers the double whammy of torching calories and building high-end aerobic power you can put to good use the rest of the season. It's strenuous, so do it a maximum of three times a week to allow for adequate recovery and best results.
6 minute: warmup
1 min.: fast pedal, spinning a light gear as fast as you can
1 min.: recovery spinning
1 min.: fast pedal
1 min.: recovery spinning
5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with 2 min. recovery spinning between each
6 min.: recovery spinning
5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with
2 min. recovery spinning between each
8 min.: cooldown
Total time: 60 min.

The work-out is an interval based ride that's also a good way to mix things up even if your goal is not weight loss (as the title holds). Simple, yet very effective. That's my favorite. Just thought I would share.

:)

[tealtreak]

Did an hour of brisk walking on the dread-mill today (cross-training). Can you feel my joy just free flowing out of that last sentance?:rolleyes: NOT! lol. Unfortunately I can't do any impactive sports, so no running. But grateful pedaling is not that;). Anyrate, didn't record it in the log, but will record this (see below) after I teach it in one of my Spinning classes...

Chris Carmichael's Weight-Loss Workout
This one-hour workout delivers the double whammy of torching calories and building high-end aerobic power you can put to good use the rest of the season. It's strenuous, so do it a maximum of three times a week to allow for adequate recovery and best results.
6 minute: warmup
1 min.: fast pedal, spinning a light gear as fast as you can
1 min.: recovery spinning
1 min.: fast pedal
1 min.: recovery spinning
5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with 2 min. recovery spinning between each
6 min.: recovery spinning
5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with
2 min. recovery spinning between each
8 min.: cooldown
Total time: 60 min.

The work-out is an interval based ride that's also a good way to mix things up even if your goal is not weight loss (as the title holds). Simple, yet very effective. That's my favorite. Just thought I would share.

:)
Wow- thanks- good timing- it is 37 and raining so indoors today! This is different than the intervals I have been doing- shorter and more of them (:

[Miranda]

Wow- thanks- good timing- it is 37 and raining so indoors today! This is different than the intervals I have been doing- shorter and more of them (:

You're welcome- glad you like it. I did teach it for my Spinning class today and it went over great! :cool:

[snowtulip]

I've been off my bike for almost a year and on Friday finally recieved the doctor approval to get back on the bike:D

I know it's late in the month, but I think this will help motivate me to get back in the saddle. My goal is to try 10 hrs a week (outdoor/indoor).

[Veronica]

Did Dropping the Hammer today - love that video! I am drenched. :p

Veronica

[Owlie]

So, after not doing anything for a long while (homework, bike-in-shop and being tired/a bum), I did half an hour on the trainer. I had to take a break to cool down because I was getting uncomfortable. I really need to get that fan back from my sister.

[Norse]

About an hour of Hillacious yestday and 1:20 of an Aero Base Builder today. I should be able to make my goal. :)

[Catrin]

Neck is complaining today, so went hiking instead of hitting the trainer. I had hoped to ride outside today since it is so warm, but there are too many slick spots and snow patches on the pavement...

[Owlie]

After a month of feeling a combination of exhausted and sick, I finally got my butt back on the bike (on the trainer) for an hour of ladders. Actually, I did an hour and five, because I had an awesome playlist and wanted to finish the song. I'm not sure I can feel my left sitbone anymore. :eek:

Everything hurts now, but it feels good. :) I'm probably not making my goal this month...

am I the only one who dances on the trainer?

[jyyanks]

I wish I could do an hour on the trainer! Impressive. Right now 30 minutes is tough!

[Owlie]

I wish I could do an hour on the trainer! Impressive. Right now 30 minutes is tough!

I'm finding that it's really hard to just pedal for an hour. Ladders are easiest for me because it's 1- or 2-minute chunks with 3-minute warm-up and cool-down.

[marni]

right now I am working sustained cardio on the trainer since we seem to be having a weekly weather event of pestilence, plague, fire, famine, wrath of God wind hail heavy rain and flooding on the day I usually do a long road ride. This week I made it for an hour at hr 117 ( which for me is the 75-80% ) followed by 1/2 hour of stair step intervals of fast easy spinning. Texas badly needs the rain, and I need the cardio conditioning, but really this weekly terror of the skies is pretty silly.

marni

[Norse]

A little under an hour of Global Vision's Maui Rollers today. Wish I could actually be in Maui! Probably a Spinerval tomorrow.

[tealtreak]

y'all can laugh at me this summer when it is 99 at 9:00 AM- but I had an awesome 3 hours outside in the 60 degrees! heaven..........I am quite lactic acid stupor-ed.........

[Owlie]

y'all can laugh at me this summer when it is 99 at 9:00 AM- but I had an awesome 3 hours outside in the 60 degrees! heaven..........I am quite lactic acid stupor-ed.........

:P

It was the perfect day to ride--sunny, around 40--I'll take it! Unfortunately, it was also incredibly windy. So I ran some errands and have been attempting to do work.

I'll get my hour on the trainer in tomorrow. I slept in today and am still feeling the after-effects of yesterday.

[Catrin]

Sunshine today! 40 degrees today! 30 mph winds today...sigh. 1 hour on the trainer and 1 hour with weights.

[Owlie]

Half-hour on trainer because I forgot what time it was. I also forgot to eat beforehand. (The only thing I've had to eat today was breakfast!)

[Norse]

One hour and 25 minutes doing threshold tempo intervals while watching the unranked Gopher womens' basketball team defeat 9th ranked Ohio State. :D (sorry OS fans ;))

[Crankin]

I am not doing the challenge, but I rode my trainer for maybe the 3d time this year (I have been going to spin classes 1-2X a week). I did half the Chris Carmichael workout that someone posted here, 35 minutes of fast spinning and endurance intervals. I did one set instead of 2 of the endurance intervals, as there is no way I can be on the trainer for an hour unless DH is there to talk to me.

[Catrin]

I have met my goal of 30 hours exercising this month - I chose to count all activities to encourage myself. While not that much time was spent on the actual trainer, I did put in a lot of spinning time - and of course there is also the time spent throwing weights around.

I did, however, get in about 2 trainer sessions a week, and that isn't bad considering how hard it is for me to get on the thing.

[Norse]

34 minutes of Spinervals' Time Saver - Techniques session put me over the top this morning. :)

[rubysoho]

Didn't meet my goal for the month but since I was side tracked with physical therapy for a chronic back/neck issue I don't mind.

[Anelia]

I didn't participate in the challenge because I didn't know what goal to set. Everything depends on the weather and January was too cold because I have 19 hours on the stationary bike. Now the temperatures are really really low, about -4 and +4 F so every day I go to the gym to ride the stationary bike and every other day to do weight lifting. I have 12 times weight lifting (about 40 to 60 minutes each) and 4 times running: about 30 min each. The hours I spent on the bike in January are only 13 :(

[Bike Writer]

Holy Moley, we had temps @ 57 degrees F today. For Michigan on January 31 that is amazing!

Can anyone say outdoor riding today :D:D:D

Color me happy!

[Catrin]

Yayyyy! It is that warm here as well...but too windy to ride :(

[maillotpois]

Well, I didn't meet my goal, but I am satisfied. I only had one day where I missed indoor workout because of work - the rest was because I rode outdoors. :)

I'm not tracking my indoor miles anymore (I used to try to track them on Bike Journal, but I am tracking everything on Strava now and BJ is just too much of a pain for me), so it's nice to have another accountability tool. Thanks for that, V. :)

[Blueberry]

I met my hour goal, but didn't meet my activity goal. DH and I both have (we think) been fighting a bug (or massive allergies) for about a week. We're both drained/sore throat/congested/etc. - so I'm OK with it.

I'm trying to get into one of my major rides for the year at midnight tonight (when registration opens). The training better begin in earnest soon!

[Owlie]

I did half an hour yesterday. Considering how crazy this month has been, I suppose I'll take 50%...

[Miranda]

Tomorrow is the 1st day of February.

So are we starting another one of these little shin digs?

We have had some unseasonably warm days here in the midwest.

But realistically winter has a ways to go yet.

[bmccasland]

Well I didn't meet my goal. A weekend of the stomach flu, and a migraine cut into my weekend cycling time. At least I got to my office gym twice as planned. Well except for the snow days. :rolleyes:

[five one]

I started the month with a goal of 12 hours. As I got close to that I upped it to 15, then 20. Didn't quite make the 20, but I'm happy with 91%. I used my trainer 0% - busted front derailleur until recently. The weather has been too nice to be inside anyway.

[katluvr]

I totally failed this challenge! :( But I will keep the goal and maybe over the next few months I meet it. I do need to get back on the bike more regularly as I have a weekend bike trip planned in mid April.

K

[Veronica]

I didn't come close either. Running is my priority though and I did make my goal for that.

Not sure when I'll get a Feb. spreadsheet up. We have family here this weekend and work and doctor appointments are taking up too much of my time.

Veronica

[Blueberry]

So long as Veronica doesn't mind, I'll take a stab at creating something.

I'll post here when it's ready.

[Veronica]

Thank you! :D

Veronica

[Blueberry]

Thanks, Veronica:D:D

Seriously - this has been such a big help to me that I'm certainly willing to help with it.

I've created a spreadsheet. PM me for the link.

I've borrowed from V, but any errors and omissions are mine alone:o

[Dog]

Wahoo....met my goal (thanks to Spin classes). I didn't get out on my bike in January due to the weather and Nordic ski classes on Saturdays. It looks the same for the next few weeks with a possible organized ride late this month (Chilly Hilly). I love this challenge....it keeps me focused!
Thanks Veronica!

[Red Rock]

I can't rember what I ended up with. But I know it is more than I would have done had I not had the motivation from all of you. Next time, I won't set myself up to fail:o.

Red Rock