How to Start Training?

[li10up]

The full title should be "How to start training for someone who hates training?" I hate "exercise" but I like to play. What I mean is I hate stationary bikes, treadmills, rowing machines, stair-climbers, etc. But I love to play...ie, racquetball, volleyball, softball, bike riding, etc. I can play for hours but when I exercise I'm ready to quit in like 10 minutes.

On the other side of that coin is me being tired of being the worst rider in the group. The Sat. morning easy/beginner ride I lead is the only time I'm not the slowest rider. When I ride with my bike friends they are all stronger than me. This is good because I am getting better. But I'm not getting better fast enough. It would be nice for me to be able to pull into the wind for a change rather than having to sit on all the time.

I used to ride alone but now I've found I prefer the company. But I probably need to ride alone at least once a week to do some training. So, what can I do - and I'm talking baby steps here - to start training. Once I get out there any thoughts of training are gone and I just decide to ride for fun. I really need some help on how to start training for someone who hates that type of stuff.

Anyone have some advice for me? Remember - BABY STEPS.

[Veronica]

Do you have a local ride that you just like to do? Turn it into a training ride. Time yourself on it, pick certain parts of it where you'll work on different things.

V.

[li10up]

On the local rides I'm just trying to stay caught up.

[Veronica]

I meant go out and ride them by yourself.

V.

[RoadRaven]

If this was one of my students telling me they 'can't' write essays, or that theory is 'too hard' to understand, I would tell them to change the messages and explain how we can change the way we think by repeating something every day for a few weeks - even something we don't believe - and our brain will begin to believe the words we say... kinda like self-imposed brain-washing.

Veronica has given great advice. Start with a course you enjoy and make the ride a specific ride.

You want to get faster to stay with a group... I am guessing you need to increase your hearts ability to work at a higher power output. Intervals are a one way to do this. So make one ride a week a specific training ride, and if you choose intervals, then start with 2-3 intervals during that ride.

Ride as hard as you can for a minute and then rest for a minute then repeat.

Ideally you should work up to riding as hard as you can (if you use a HR monitor, ride into - or as near as possible to - your lactate threshold zone and stay there for 3mins, resting still for only one and repeat about 6-7 times. Its exhausting, but it is one way to improve pack-riding skills on a solo training ride.

Like V says, just start with one ride a week and vefore and during that ride, change the messages you are telling yourself.

Stop telling yourself you hate training. Start telling yourself, this ride might be tough but I will not keep getting dropped. Training rides build my mental toughness, not just my legs. I am an athelete and one thing atheletes do is ride with a purpose.

When you are ready to make a second ride a week a training ride, do it with one of your faster friends. Ask them to ride just above what you feel is your top comfortable speed (they sit at that speed, no surging or slowing) and you just hang on and sit behind them. This is a great way to improve your speed. Not only do your legs learn to go faster and push harder, you get a psychological edge... because suddenly you know you CAN ride at that speed and that is a great thing to know.

Yes... baby steps... yes... time... but if you make even one ride a week specific, you'll find it easier to achieve your goal.

[li10up]

RoadRaven - I'm not saying I can't do it; I'm saying I don't like to do it. I don't enjoy it. And since I'm a grownup (sort of) nobody can make me do it. You have some very good points/suggestions. But I was hoping for some suggestions to make it fun at first and then maybe I might actually sort of enjoy "training rides." Intervals, and heart rates and training zones and thresholds...yuk...just makes me want to go watch TV instead. I quit wearing my heart rate monitor just because I kept watching it all the time and wasn't enjoying my rides. Once I took it off I enjoyed my rides a lot more.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit. What about if during a solo ride I sprint for a road sign, or a specific tree, or the next intersection. And if I did that several times during my ride, not necessarily at any certain time interval, would that be of any benefit? Wouldn't that be sort of like interval training without the regimented aspect of it?

I'm just trying to come up with "fun" ways of introducing myself to "training"...of just getting in the mindset and hoping it will take over. Maybe by slowly introducing my body to this additional stress my mind and body will accept it more easily?

[Veronica]

For example I have my regular after work ride. There are two smallish hills on it, that are pretty close together, so not much recovery time. I get out of the saddle and push as hard as I can and I try to have the same speed at the top on both.

Coming back on this ride I have a one mile shallow up hill. Whatever speed I am doing when I get to a certain telephone pole, I have to maintain to the end, so for about 7 tenths.

I don't do this every time I go out and ride this ride. Sometimes there are other folks out there and I ride with them. Sometimes I just ride and look at the critters and the hills. Sometimes I push hard the whole ride.

V.