Quote Originally Posted by Drtgirl View Post
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.