Motivation for Hard Intervals?

[Starfish]

I did a search and didn't find what I wanted...let me know if there is an old thread that covers this...

I have not done much in the way of interval training, per se, on the bike. My last experience with true interval training was many years ago, in the pool. For that, it was easy to stay motivated to work super, duper hard, because I was swimming a circle in a lane with teammates, and (1) I am competitive, and (2) you can't just quit in the middle of the pool.

This year, I want to get faster on the bike...so here come intervals. I ride alone, and the couple of people in the gym I sometimes workout with don't do intervals and aren't competitive. My spinning class doesn't do cycling style intervals...the instructor is not a cyclist.

Question: How do you MAKE yourself work to maximum intensity on the bike for structured intervals? You know...for the whole set, when it isn't fun anymore, and there is suffering involved.

I know from the pool that intervals will make me fitter, stronger, faster. I just need to figure out how to make myself suffer without teammates to push me. Help!!

[blueskies]

Well, when I'm suffering, I don't call it suffering in my mind. I call that feeling "muscles growing" and I picture that happening. I mean I vividly picture my legs turning into TdF style cyclist's legs.

And I imagine getting dropped. And dig in deep to stay on, and then to get back, and then to pass... even though I'm by myself. This feeling is easily & strongly brought back to me, because I've mostly ridden with men who are mostly faster & stronger than me. In fact, at my spinning class on Saturday, I was killing myself to "keep up" in my mind with the big strong guy next to me, and actually went into an aero tuck even though I knew I was in spinning class & knew that having a smaller profile in the "wind" wasn't really making any difference. Except in my mind, it was.

Or, I wear a heart rate monitor, and it's just a commitment to keeping the number in the range. A fierce commitment, if need be.

And I know that it's just for a short time, so I tell myself "you can keep going... just a little bit more..." Because really, I can. And you can.

It's not hard for me with intervals, because they are intervals, if that makes sense. I know the break is coming in. What I don't get is how people keep themselves psyched up for the unrelenting pace of actual racing.

[Veronica]

Spinervals!

V.

[ehirsch83]

Heart rate!! Having to reach a number and then keep it is all the motivation I need. And then I yell at myself,hehe if you were to drive past me doing one you might think I was slightly schizo..

I say things like go go go !! get the heart rate up, you can do it! Move those legs lift them go,etc. WHatever I need at that moment

[Tuckervill]

Could someone explain exactly what intervals are?

I know it's a series of harder efforts, punctuated by light effort, but what's a typical pattern?

And, blueskies....I imagine the fat melting off my legs when I'm riding or working out. I can't do the calisthenics we do without relating it to an actual movement I would do in real life if I had the opportunity. "putting a box on a shelf...putting a box on a shelf..." is the kind of thing that goes through my mind.

I guess an active imagination would be helpful to stay motivated.

Karen

[Pedal Wench]

I'm following a training plan that uses intervals. I hate 'em.

I use a stopwatch, and I know when I'm supposed to start, and it's just not an option to stop until time is up. They're short -- 30 seconds, followed by 4.5 minutes of recovery. I do three sets, then recovery for 10 minute. Three sets of those. ouch. Then there are the three minute high cadence ones, or the 10-second max cadence. And, the always wonderful one-legged drills. 60 seconds left, 60 right, 60 both, repeat 8 times.

Quiting is not an option.

[Geonz]

I'm not su;re I"m that good at it, but I basically imagine when I'll want to *use* those stronger muscles and convince myself that by hurting a little now I won't have to hurt as much later. And thinking things like "Yea? Now is when you **think** I'll stop, since it is hard. Well, that's when *They'll* stop, but not me!@!"
Now I have to make myself stop eating these cookies so that I can be lighter, too Sayin' it out loud helps...

[Thorn]

Spinervals!

V.

Yep...I concur...when I tried the stop watch method, I'd miscount, or stop early (hey, they *hurt* ). Put ECT in charge of timing my intervals and I become a mindless little lemming doing exactly what he tells me to, forcing the heart rate where it should be. Sometime when I finish a set I'm amazed that I kept going. Sure, I could cheat with ECT, but, for some reason, I don't.

[Veronica]

About the only things I'm good at doing outside on my own are Hill Repeats and rides where I stay in the training zone the whole ride. And that only works because I set the HRM to beep at me!

V.

[Pedal Wench]

Put ECT in charge of timing my intervals and I become a mindless little lemming doing exactly what he tells me to, forcing the heart rate where it should be. Sometime when I finish a set I'm amazed that I kept going. Sure, I could cheat with ECT, but, for some reason, I don't.

Evil Coach Troy? Yeah, him and Coach Chris (Carmicheal) both inspire me to keep going. If my plans intervals were longer, I would have to agree that Spinervals or Trainright would be the only way I could do them. I just hate the music so much...

[OakLeaf]

I use the interval workout on my Garmin. Actually I programmed a custom one so that I could include a warmup and cool-down and still download the entire workout in a single track. You can program intervals and recovery periods by time or distance, and set (or omit) goal HRs or speeds. Very cool.

[Pedal Wench]

I use the interval workout on my Garmin. Actually I programmed a custom one so that I could include a warmup and cool-down and still download the entire workout in a single track. You can program intervals and recovery periods by time or distance, and set (or omit) goal HRs or speeds. Very cool.

Oh! I have a Garmin, and have no idea how to do that! Care to share specific steps to do this?

[RoadRaven]

Could someone explain exactly what intervals are?

Hey there T!
Yup, you have described them, and Pedal Wench has described them.

You can base your intervals on several patterns... heart rate, time or distance.

I do two types of intervals; one based on HR and one based on distance.

The heart rate one goes like this...

-warm up for about 30mins - low intensity riding, HR elevated but not so you can't talk (for me, about 120bpm)
-lift your speed/intensity til your HR hits lactate threshold or close and hold for 30secs (for me 158bpm or more)
-then relax and let HR drop (for me, under 120bpm)
- as soon as your HR has dropped, hit the gas again and try to get into your LT again

The distance one goes like this... I have 1.3km of false flat I do this on

-warm up for about 30mins - low intensity riding, HR elevated but not so you can't talk (for me, about 120bpm)
- I go flat out "up" the false flat, I focus on power output, not speed, my HR lifts of course
-as soon as I get to the turn-around point I go into recovery mode as I pedal "down" the false flat
-repeat

OK... important things about intervals... realise that you may only be able to do 2-3 to begin with. Accept that and don't beat yourself up if you aimed to do 3 and only managed 2. Listen to your body - thats important.

Don't do this type of interval 2 days in a row. It is important for this type of training to be effective that your heart has fully recovered from the exertion - sometimes your heart can remain slightly elevated the next day - particularly the more you are doing.

I typically do about 7 intervals on an interval day... I have done as many as ten, I have often stopped at about 5-6 - it is tiring - prepare to be very tired afterwards.

Do make sure you cool down for 20-30 minutes - you will have just pumped a heap of lactic acid through your muscles, you need to spin those muscles out...

[RoadRaven]

Question: How do you MAKE yourself work to maximum intensity on the bike for structured intervals? You know...for the whole set, when it isn't fun anymore, and there is suffering involved.

I know from the pool that intervals will make me fitter, stronger, faster. I just need to figure out how to make myself suffer without teammates to push me. Help!!

Hmmm... how do I do it?

I work through my children and their cousins...

For example, I decide I have to do 3 today - so at the start of each one I say - this is for Bart, then... this is for Lisa... then, this is for Maggie... ( not the real names of my kids ) and i always do them in birth order so I don't lose my place

This also helps me focus on just that one interval and not how many I have to go - I am doing this one for Maggie, and I have to do it the best I can for her.
When I finish I also know how many I have done, I just count through the kids... I have found when I count using numbers, I lose my place...

[blueskies]

Here's an article on dissociation while exercising that I read recently:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/he...ssandnutrition