Big Winds....the mental game

[marni]

you forgot "Embrace the wind, it is your friend" Although I laughed hysterically the first time I heard it , I have learned to resign myself to the fact that there is wind and that I am riding in it. Does it make it more fun? No! but the mental resignation means at least that I am not wasting mental energy whining and *****ing to myself. At times I love listening to the song of the wind in my spokes. especially since it means that I am at least not fighting a head wind but am riding in a cross wind.

I also have my limits and will admit that although I had planned to ride today, I was just as relieved to not have to face the ever present 20-30 mph spring winds across the Texas prairie when my SAG guy reminded me that we had an appointment with our financial advisor. "Oh shucky, darn, pooh pooh!"

[oz rider]

Great video today on Cycling Tips, of a Dutch team training in wind.

[sarahkonamojo]

Love those cute little Danish roads.
Out_S don't stress too much about training in the wind. It won't be so windy in June, just a lot warmer. The trainer is an ok substitute, or a super short ride, just to say you got out...

[Melalvai]

Play games with the wind (keeping in mind the traffic and safety considerations), letting it push you around a bit.

Wear a HR monitor and keep your HR down to a comfortable level. Any time you try to go faster, look at your HR first--you will find that you had already increased your effort without noticing and that you should back off to get your HR back down.

If you have a creative bent make up stories about what you are really doing. I saw a video about a !Kung tribe hunting a fast beast. The team separated the one animal from the herd and then the fast guy ran that one animal down. It was an 8 hour race. He didn't keep it up for 8 hrs by running at a high % of his max HR. I like to think about that video when I'm running.

[out_spokin']

Awesome ideas here. I'm about to do research on the various goddesses of the wind!

That video was pretty amazing, too. I hope to never have my bike flying away from me like that, but it's amazing to see the efforts involved.

and I'm about to re-start HR training, so there's another one...

Here I am, embracing the wind...

[Geonz]

Hmmm.... one thing I do is ust focus on my body and legs and lungs. I had 25 miles into 15 mph winds last Saturday that were finishing up my longest ride this year... actually I *did* make sure to just push things up to the next mph for intervals, just to find a semblance of rhythm and to keep from getting totally Sick Of Pedaling. (It was a sort of necessary commute so I was on my own, on the prairie... and I didn't eat right for it, either.)
Headwise, though, I don't mind it much -- I much prefer power to speed. I really do tend to think I'm getting "bonus" workout for the same miles.