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.
A bit of an easier week, all in all. Some may even say a bit of a meh week. And those people would be mean.
Mostly I thrashed myself in the Workout #5 of the Zwift Academy 2021 series, and that kinda impacted my weekend. Well, that, and the weather.
Here are this week’s rides:
- Wednesday – Soaky Dokey
- Thursday – Rust If You Must
- Friday – Zwift Academy Road: Workout 5 | Upper Threshold Blocks
- Sunday – Rubik’s Cubed
Only the four rides then this week. Even so, I managed to surpass the 100km riding goal. Only one ride was outdoors though, and I am all too aware those indoor kilometres aren’t quite the same.
After last week I definitely needed to go a tad easier on myself. It wasn’t so much the intensity last week as the number of rides. Six riding days is one too many, I feel. Five is best, four is “good enough”, at a push.
Not being able to get outside much is kinda frustrating already though, and we have a long winter ahead of us. Heck, it’s only just Autumn.
When I did go out midweek I got wet and dirty. Not great. Also I’m getting a little wary of going too far now until my chain gets replaced, as I’m certain it’s on its last legs. Or last sprockets… or whatever those chain connectors are called.
Although it doesn’t look it from the graphs, the ride that hit me the hardest this week was Workout #5 in the Zwift Academy 2021 series.
Now, it’s highly possible that this is because I opted to do that ride after three days riding – rather than at the start of my riding week, which would likely have been entirely more sensible.
Looking at the graphs, the Wednesday outdoors ride was harder all in all. And I’d say that was the case – particularly in trying to get home in time to beat out the bad weather (mission: failed!). But that likely took its toll on me and as such Friday was harder than it otherwise might have been. Mentally, anyway.
Yet again I failed to get in a Zwift race.
Bit disappointing this. I keep saying I will do it, and then, truth be told – I get lazy. The idea of basically FTP testing myself is not the most appealing thing, when the alternative is a nice and easy FTP Builder workout 🙂
Thing is, I saw this TED talk a long while back by this guy who looks a bit like Han Solo, and he said the pros don’t smash themselves twice in a week. Essentially the thing I took away from that talk was: most of the week should be the easier / endurance stuff. Then once a week, maybe twice, you smash yourself hard. That’s what the pros do. Amateurs tend to do it the other way around.
Yes, that’s my excuse. I’ll follow what the pros do.
But yeah, this week I won’t promise to do the Zwift Race. Or, a Zwift race, shall I say. Maybe the issue is I’m not being specific about which race I’m doing.
What I plan to do is finish off the Zwift Academy 2021 workouts early this week, and then do the Finish Line ride later in the week.
Doesn’t that go against what I just said?
Yeah… I guess it does.
I’m just wimping out on that race, aren’t I?