Each week I try to review and reflect on my previous week on the bike. This allows me to see how my fitness and ability is progressing on a wider timescale than day to day. For previous weekly reviews please click here.
This week consisted of six riding days, although none were over the hour mark. Partly this was because of the heat, and party because of bad timing.
This week’s rides were as follows:
- Monday – Earned An Easy One (Outdoors)
- Tuesday – Out For Lunch (Outdoors)
- Thursday – Love Heart(rate Data) (Outdoors)
- Friday – Cheeky 10k (Outdoors)
- Saturday – Legs Went Half Way (Outdoors)
- Sunday – Oh By The Way (Outdoors)
After last week’s craziness involving the 4DP test, I went a little easier on myself this week. It was nice to know all my new numbers, and one of the goals from last week was to order a new heart rate monitor. I’ve now done that, opting for the Polar H10 – expensive, but hopefully worth it.
It was nice to get back to seeing my heart rate data, and having that metric available now means the Garmin ‘training status’ screen is working properly again.
It’s going to be a while (about a month?) until I have sufficient riding data to bring this back up to something useful, but at least it’s tracking again.
All of my rides this week were outdoors. Whilst not a first for me, that is unusual and in truth, more taxing on the legs (in my opinion) that doing at least one ride on the turbo.
I think the Aerobic Power chart reflects that from the week. Each day was roughly the same intensity. Struggling with keeping to a set pace when outdoors is a big thing, and I genuinely think that approach is highly inefficient in terms of raw training ‘gains’.
Now, I should have prefaced that last statement with the obvious fact: I am not training for anything. Well, maybe my first 100km ride coming up in a months time. But I’m not training to race or compete, or anything like that. So really, it’s just about keeping fit and healthy.
My ‘The Sufferfest’ trial account expired this week. As I haven’t been inside (it’s been far too nice weather) I haven’t plugged in my credit card details just yet. I will be doing, as soon as the rain returns. Any day now 😀
As above, the efficiency / training regime will commence properly once I am back on the turbo. For now, riding outdoors, I try to do it for the fun. Yes, there are parts where I do efforts, but I am overall a lot less strict about targets and such like when outdoors.
I’m honestly not sure what the week ahead looks like, weather wise. I’d suspect it’s roughly more of the same. And if so, that means more outdoor rides. Make hay whilst the sun shines, and all that.
With that in mind, my only goal will be to hit that 100km target. If I do go indoors then this will change to getting on to The Sufferfest and doing whatever is the next most appropriate strengths / weaknesses workout.