How to Start Training?

[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?

[maillotpois]

Why are you training? What are you training for? I find that a concrete goal is the first step to beginning a training plan. You say you just don't want to be the slowest rider in your group - that may not be specific, achievable, etc. enough to be a real goal. How about finding a ride you want to do - a century or metric - and use that as your inspiration. Or if it really is just "be faster", how about a goal of doing a usual ride in a specific time - and then work on that?

[Veronica]

There is no easy answer. You have to make it work for you. We could all tell you what our training routines are, but ultimately, you have to make yourself get there. Change come from within.

V.

[li10up]

There is no easy answer. You have to make it work for you. We could all tell you what our training routines are, but ultimately, you have to make yourself get there. Change come from within.
V.

Isn't that one of the main purposes of this forum? To help others learn from our experiences? Telling me that I basically need to figure it out for myself isn't really all that helpful...even though I believe you were trying to be helpful.

Why are you training? What are you training for? I find that a concrete goal is the first step to beginning a training plan. You say you just don't want to be the slowest rider in your group - that may not be specific, achievable, etc. enough to be a real goal. How about finding a ride you want to do - a century or metric - and use that as your inspiration. Or if it really is just "be faster", how about a goal of doing a usual ride in a specific time - and then work on that?

I didn't realize how difficult this question was. Why isn't wanting to be able to keep up on group rides a specific enough goal? When I ride on my own I don't have others to help push me. So my rides are slower than when I ride with others. I'm hoping to learn a way of riding by myself that is productive without seeming a chore. Isn't there a way to introduce recreational riders to training without getting into all the technical aspects of it?

[li10up]

SnappyPix-you and I must have been posting at the same time. You and the others are right about motivation. It's just that so many things are learned in life by making games or making it fun somehow. I guess I was just hoping for something like that to translate to this. If I could just find something to make it fun at first I might see improvments in my riding and that would then generate more motivation and make me wanting to train in a more serious way.

I guess I'm just not making my thoughts clear...or maybe there really isn't any easy transition into training.

[SnappyPix]

Telling me that I basically need to figure it out for myself isn't really all that helpful

To be fair, lots of people seem to have taken the time to give you advice, just because it's not the advice you particularly want to hear, doesn't make it unhelpful.

[Veronica]

I'm not telling you to figure it out for yourself. I'm telling you to do it yourself. Your reply to RR makes it sound to me like it's all about attitude and no training plan is going to fix that. You want it to be fun, you have to make it be fun.

I find it fun to keep my HR in my zone. It beeps at me when I go out of the zone. It's a game to see how fast I can get the beep off. But you don't want to wear your HR monitor.

MP is right, you have to figure out exactly what you want.

V.

[maillotpois]

Why isn't wanting to be able to keep up on group rides a specific enough goal?

Because it's completely subjective - how fast are the "others" going from one day to the next? How do you feel v. how they feel on a particular day? V's original idea of working on certain things at different points in one of your usual rides - similar to what I suggested (trying to improve your time on a specific ride you do) - will help you. I find that in order to make myself follow an actual training program I need a real goal: a certain ride or race or whatever. It seems that you may lack motivation more than suggestions for training ideas.

[spazzdog]

OK... dis is da spazz talkin at cha! And I am queen of "having no motivation", "don't like to train", hate to ride by myself", yada-yada-yada.

V. and MP (and others) ARE being helpful in that, in someway or another,we've all been on the short end of the fitness stick for any number of reasons.

RR is also correct that by changing the messages we give ourselves, we can change our atitude.

I finally went out on a ride this past weekend... initiated it, and went with a buddy. In times (recent) past I would not have gone if my buddy had bailed and not come, but I decided in advance that I was doing the ride by myself if need be. The really wierd thing was I suddenly got excited about riding... and had a blast on my little ride (yes my buddy was there).

The point is I changed my message... I decided the ride was important to ME.

If it's important to YOU, it's amazing how much training you'll suddenly want to do. And the gals are right; having a goal (arace, a particular organized ride) makes the training all that much more fun and rewarding.

As for "keeping up", perhaps you're ridng with the wrong group, or the wrong part of the group. Ride with a slightly slower bunch every so often... do't beat yourself to death trying to keep up with folks all the time.

spazz-istotle

[SnappyPix]

RoadRaven - I'm not saying I can't do it; I'm saying I don't like to do it.

And the difference is? (Yes I realise you're physically capable of training, but if you lack the motivation, there is no difference).
As someone who's recently struggled with motivation (or lack thereof), I can certainly relate, but I think you have to start by being honest with yourself and concentrate on WHY you want to train and the specific goals you're aiming for.
Without specific goals, you'll never find the inspiration to do something you dislike.

Unfortunately there isn't a quick fix for power and strength without putting in the legwork.
I realise you know this, but RR's right - a change of attitude is definitely the first key. Concentrate on the positives, your goals. Trust me, concentrating on the negatives will never get you off the starting blocks (I know, I've been there) - and sometimes a complete change of attitude is better than baby steps - it's as much psychological as physical. Baby steps are just one step away from sliding back into not going training at all.

But be realistic - don't tell yourself you're going to do an hour of intervals, if you know in your heart of hearts that you'll only do 3 separate sets.
If you're not doing any intervals at all, even one set on a solo ride would be an easy start and a realistic base to work from - just decide before you go what you'll do.
Don't call them intervals, if that turns you off before you start.
Power surges, sprints - find the jargon that works for you.

I heard a good tip recently for the days when you really don't feel like going out on a ride. Put your gear on anyway, before you decide. Chances are, once you're standing there in full kit, you'll go out for a spin - even just a short one.
Good luck with the training.

[SnappyPix]

Took me so long to write that, I was pipped to the post by V and Maillotpois!