Trainer vs. outdoors

[Drtgirl]

I usually spend an hour or so on the trainer. Would this equate to something different on the road? I'm trying to figure out how to build up base miles indoors when the weather's crummy.

[melissam]

Drtgirl,

I'm also using the trainer to build up base miles, and I think it's fantastic! It's a way for me to get training in consistently. I've found that it's easier for me to ride quickly outside on flat terrain with no wind than it is for me to ride on the trainer.

Using the trainer builds up cycling specific muscles, toughens your tush, and gets the cardio-system back in shape. Obviously using the trainer doesn't help your bike handling skills, so be careful on your first few outdoor rides.

While you don't have to deal with wind or hills on the trainer, I find that I do a lot less coasting, and I never have to wait for stop lights. Or mechanicals, for that matter.

Trainer miles are a great way to do workouts at specific intensities -- you can control the pace, rather than letting the terrain or climate determine your intensity.

Just my $.02 -- I'm sure others will have valuable input as well.

-- Melissa

[Drtgirl]

How long are your rides (not including interval sessions)?

[melissam]

It depends.

For example, today I did a 45 minute ride on the trainer, and it included some intervals.

Yesterday I did a 30 minute recovery ride. Intensity was around 65% of max heart rate.

Saturday I did 3 and a half hours at a pretty low intensity (~70% of max heart rate) -- long, steady distance.

Sunday I did 2 and a half hours at an even lower intensity. I'm training the California AIDS Lifecycle ride, so I'm practicing doing longer rides on back to back days.

-- Melissa

[Drtgirl]

3 hours on a trainer? That is insane

[melissam]

The secret is to have something good on TV to watch.

For the longer rides, I have a TV tray next to my bike & trainer with:
1. My TiVo remote
2. Extra bottles of water
3. Food
4. The phone

Another secret for longer rides is that you'd better LOVE your cycling shorts. After this weekend, I've decided to retire a couple of pairs of Bellwether shorts.

[Thorn]

3 hours on a trainer? That is insane

Just call me insane, too, then

I try to get one trainer ride of more than 2 hours once a week. I've managed a little over 3 hours last week. After the first hour, I just fall into a rhythm and the time flows well. Of course, DH also has a trainer so we keep each other company.

We've got a pattern similar to Melissa. Two interval sessions in a week, a short, low intensity recovery ride, a long ride of 2.5 - 3 hours and another longish ride (1.5 hour) at a moderate intensity.

Last year we did similar except that our long ride was just over 2 hours. When spring came around we found that a 3 hour road ride was not a problem to do without any build up. Plus the intervals had us stronger on the hills and spring winds.

I think the mapping between indoor and outdoor miles is a bit fuzzy. It depends upon how hard you work indoors vs. how hard you work outdoors. We "train" in the winter to just ride in the summer so I think our indoor miles give us more outdoor miles than, say, someone who rides hard in the summer and just sits and spins inside in the winter. Very subjective.

[RoadRaven]

3 hours on a trainer? That is insane

Yup - 2 hours is my max tolerance for a trainer! 3 hours? Don't think I could do it!

And like Melissa says - something good on TV to watch (or a good album to listen to)