Indoor Century

[Velobambina]

We are expecting more of the dreaded "wintry mix" for tonight/tomorrow, so I'm going to see if I can complete the Hardcore 100 (the new Spinerval that runs 5.5 hours and simulates a Century) tomorrow morning. I've tried all three disks of this workout--not at once--but managed to do the first two in one session (3 hours, 35 minutes). I'm going to go as long as I can tomorrow and hope to do at least 4 hours. The workout gets more difficult as it progresses, and disk three has a good bit of big gear work. I've really enjoyed doing this one in segments, so the dread factor isn't that high. Unfortunately, I'm not fast enough to log an entire Century--Troy expects you to keep an 18mph pace--but I'll be more than satisfied if I can complete a metric century. Wish me luck!

[Veronica]

Who cares how far you go. Just sticking it out through the whole thing will be an accomplishment.

V.

[Wahine]

Wow VB - That sounds like you've got your work cut out for you tomorrow. Good luck an tell us how it goes.

You're not the only one that can't meet evil coach Troy's expectations. I can almost never keep the same gearing as he suggests for his workouts. He is so mean!!

[maillotpois]

Good luck!!! I just did most of Tough Love today. (Mechanical issue forced me out of our team training ride up Trinity Grade). 2 1/2 hours on the trainer was hard enough. 5 is hard to imagine.

It took me 1/2 hour to realize that there was a CD player in the room I was in and that it's where we store all our CDs. Things got a lot better after that. 2 hours later came the kid crisis and I had to stop.

You are amazing for undertaking this. I want to hear how it goes!

[Velobambina]

I did the entire 5.5 hours of this Spinerval. Luckily, Coach Troy put in several water bottle refill/feed/bathroom breaks (2-3 mins each), so it wasn't an all out plod. The really tough going--big gear work--was during the final 2-hour disk. While I was worried that I wouldn't be able to survive that last bit, the sets are shorter and the breaks are longer, so it isn't really that bad. Thank goodness I paced myself, kept hydrated/nurished, and had some good tunes playing. I manage to log almost 74 miles, but I complied with Coach Troy's gear instructions. To be honest, I'm just happy that I completed it and that I actually feel pretty good.

I believe Tough Love is more difficult because there's big gear work early on and some of the individual sets are long (30 mins, 20 mins, etc.). Hardcore's sets seemed easier and less of a grind, maybe because it felt like there was more variety.

[maillotpois]

Congrats on finishing!! Out of curiosity, how many bottles did you drink and how much did you eat?

The thing I found hardest in Tough Love was the easy gear standing/spinning stuff. My legs are still sore.

You need to have a celebratory recovery dinner now!

[Geonz]

I'm very impressed! I assume you paid a lot of attention to not spending too much time in one position? Bet you feel good now

[annie]

Wow!! That is amazing. I cannot imagine spending that much time indoors on a trainer. You did great and should be very proud of yourself.

Annie

[Velobambina]

Before I rode, I had a big bowl of cereal and a mug of milky tea. Drank about seven bottles of fluid during the workout--diluted gatorade/water & diluted diet arizona iced tea/water. While on the bike, I had several shot bloks (not too many).

Amazing enough, no post ride soreness. I think it's because I didn't get to my LT until the last 90 mins or so. Pacing is key for this one. I did an ABB workout yesterday after work and felt fine.

I made sure I shifted hand position a good bit and moved around in the saddle. Also, there was a bit of standing--not too much--to give your back a break.

Hopefully, the snow will have melted enough today that I can get back outside.