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.
Managing to get back into the routine of Tues-Thurs & Sat-Sun rides this week was a plus. However, with the weather turning to hot (or perhaps cold) garbage, every ride was done on the turbo. I’m already craving a bit of outdoor time, if only to get away from the computer.
This week’s rides were as follows:
- Tuesday – Two Paracetamols & Loud Music
- Wednesday – Constant Interruptions
- Thursday – PC Problems Persist
- Saturday – Workout Of The Week – Grin And Bear It
- Sunday – New Feet
With Zwift Academy ending last week, this week I was looking to retain a bit of structure to my riding.
Three of this week’s rides were Zwift training rides, with an SST session, the “Grin and Bear It” workout of the week, and an FTP Builder ride thrown in as a hybrid endurance / recovery type session.
What I am definitely looking for now is a longer term structured plan. I would like a series of workouts, ideally all around 1 hour, which I can grind through over the next few months. I’m looking to push myself a bit further than I have been doing, but also I don’t like to have to think too much about what I’m going to do when I get on the bike. I’d rather have the plan dictated for me.
With regards to the three structured workouts this week, I think they all went fine enough.
I did do a Pace Partner ride, which I enjoyed – that’s about as recovery as it gets for me. And over the Halloween Weekend I did try to join their Mecha / Dino bots ride, but the pace was just frustrating. Combine that with having set up new shoes and putting a bit too much torsion pain on my knees and I just couldn’t be bothered seeing either of them through.
Overall then a fairly routine week this one. If I can disregard the desire to get outside, the indoor rides are generally more beneficial for my overall fitness, I feel. This is because the easier rides are always easier. There’s no silly hills or whatever thrown in to push me, no need to get out of the saddle for that little climb, or whatever. It’s all fairly monotonous.
And the harder rides are controlled.
But I do miss being out in the countryside, and those outdoor rides are almost always higher calorie burns over the same time frame.
So yeah, aim for the week ahead is – get outside if I can (doubtful), and find and start a new workout plan. There’s tons available on Zwift, but I’m not ruling out another platform to run side by side. I do have a new 14 day trial for the Wahoo rebrand of The Sufferfest, so there’s that to explore also.
The one I am looking at is the Poison Dart Frog series. Mainly because each one seems to be around the hour mark. I’ll mix and match with some easier rides, but aim to push myself harder than I have been doing.