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.
Overall I would say I was happy with the week, but it left me feeling more tired than I might have otherwise expected. Riding a small amount each day, over six of the seven days, definitely seems to have taken its toll on me.
Here are this week’s rides:
- 20th – Zwift Academy Recovery Ride Open (Indoors / Zwift)
- 21st – Zwift Academy Road: Workout 4 | Threshold Under/Overs (Indoors / Zwift)
- 22nd – Wasn’t Feeling It Today (Outdoors)
- 24th – It’s Not Winter. Yet. (Outdoors)
- 25th – Pace Maker (Indoors / Zwift)
- 26th – Parks & Recreation(al Cycling) (Outdoors)
One thing this week had going for it was a good mix of indoor and outdoor rides. Basically three of each.
Starting the week indoors, I took part in the mandatory Zwift Academy 2021 recovery ride. That wasn’t great. Not sure what the aim of that ride was, but I feel I missed it. It wasn’t recovery in my mind, and the route choice was unusual if it was supposed to be. But whatever, it had to be done to meet the criteria for finishing Zwift Academy, so at least it’s over with.
Then on Tuesday I carried on with Zwift Academy rides, but opted for riding solo, rather than with one of the online groups. The reasoning here was two fold. Firstly I’d had a bit of a miserable experience the day before, but the second and bigger reason was that I wanted to do the workout on my time, not on the hour as per the available group rides.
It is cool that the workouts can be done whenever, and that then they still count.
I found the ZA 2021 Workout 4 to play more to my strengths. It’s looking like from here on in, the rides are more this sort of thing, so the next / final two should be easier, if that’s the right word, than the first three. Maybe.
That said I’m not after an easy ride.
As the graphs show below, perhaps my easy ride attitude has caused the stagnation or at least, the lack of continual growth.
When I was looking at the charts from this time last year, my form has massively dipped. So yeah, it’s not all in my head.
Now, why would my form be down on last year?
Well, illness. I’ve had several since then, and recovering has been tricky. Also, I strongly suspect I was doing way more consistent inside SST sessions back then. Whilst not exactly enjoyable, the fitness benefits of the indoor structured training are vastly better than random outdoor rides, I’m sure. No science there though, just feelings.
What is obvious is that my single fitness test has proved a dramatic increase when I push myself. So I’m happy about that. But by and large my riding over this year seems to have been easier than last.
At the end of the day it all comes down to purpose and intention. I am not training for anything in particular. Just health benefits.
Therefore my purpose is not to continually improve – but that would be nice. And my intention is to maintain my fitness, which I feel I am doing. My weight is under control, my alcohol and bad stuff intake is under control, and way better than where I was two years ago.
It’s nice to look back each week and reflect, but it can be easy to focus on the negatives.
Speaking of which, I still haven’t done a bloody Zwift race! Arghhhhh.
I guess that, along with Workout #5, can be the targets for the week.