Leap of Faith
Winter often means fewer rides and less time on the bike. The rides we in the northern climates are able to accomplish in the winter are shorter and less intense than rides in moderate weather. If you're committed to continued training and improvement, compensating for the diminished ride time means riding the indoor trainer, lifting weights, attending spin classes, and cross-training (playing basketball and other indoor sports). For the avid recreational cyclist, these activities are focused toward the next cycling season -- the implicit goals are improving strength and aerobic capacity, maintaining or losing weight, and diversifying your lifestyle for a mental and physical break so that the main cycling season is better than ever.
Fundamentally, winter activities aimed at improved performance months in the future represent a leap of faith. When you ride consistently, and begin to repeat routes or sections of routes overlap, you receive feedback in the form of higher speeds, easier climbs, or better endurance, making it easy to gauge progress and remain motivated.
Even workout rides during the season can be thought of as deposits in the bank of fitness, and feedback again comes soon. If you do climbing intervals, you will see within a few days some improvement, or feel less fatigue. If you do speed intervals, you might nip the town line sprint win. This type of training doesn't require the leap of faith that winter training does -- there is very little faith expended.
During the winter months, feedback can go into the deep freeze, as well. The feedback from weight lifting, spin classes, and indoor training is inadequate to measure true improvement on the bike. You enter the realm of doubt, delayed gratification, and faith. It is the trust that the program will work, that shedding 5-10 pounds will pay off, and that sacrifices, diligence, and commitment will mean you'll ride longer, faster, and stronger when the trees bud.
There is a more macroscopic leap of faith over all of mid-life cycling, and that is that in addition to the fun and camaraderie, health benefits will accrue, we will live better and longer. Given the larger leap of faith we all take as cyclists who are trying to extend our athletic careers, I suppose these seasonal leaps of faith are relatively trivial.
Ask any cyclist what exists within this leap of faith, and you are very likely to find a lot of well-informed planning and strategizing. From dietary theories to training hypotheses, many based on sound studies, at least the best we have today, cyclists typically devour information about nutrition, physiology, and training, and use this information to sustain their commitment, to extend and justify their faith.
As you experience your annual leap of faith, be assured that it will pay off, both this year and overall. It is not actually faith, but science, you are using to propel your leap. And that's what makes it safe.
Fundamentally, winter activities aimed at improved performance months in the future represent a leap of faith. When you ride consistently, and begin to repeat routes or sections of routes overlap, you receive feedback in the form of higher speeds, easier climbs, or better endurance, making it easy to gauge progress and remain motivated.
Even workout rides during the season can be thought of as deposits in the bank of fitness, and feedback again comes soon. If you do climbing intervals, you will see within a few days some improvement, or feel less fatigue. If you do speed intervals, you might nip the town line sprint win. This type of training doesn't require the leap of faith that winter training does -- there is very little faith expended.
During the winter months, feedback can go into the deep freeze, as well. The feedback from weight lifting, spin classes, and indoor training is inadequate to measure true improvement on the bike. You enter the realm of doubt, delayed gratification, and faith. It is the trust that the program will work, that shedding 5-10 pounds will pay off, and that sacrifices, diligence, and commitment will mean you'll ride longer, faster, and stronger when the trees bud.
There is a more macroscopic leap of faith over all of mid-life cycling, and that is that in addition to the fun and camaraderie, health benefits will accrue, we will live better and longer. Given the larger leap of faith we all take as cyclists who are trying to extend our athletic careers, I suppose these seasonal leaps of faith are relatively trivial.
Ask any cyclist what exists within this leap of faith, and you are very likely to find a lot of well-informed planning and strategizing. From dietary theories to training hypotheses, many based on sound studies, at least the best we have today, cyclists typically devour information about nutrition, physiology, and training, and use this information to sustain their commitment, to extend and justify their faith.
As you experience your annual leap of faith, be assured that it will pay off, both this year and overall. It is not actually faith, but science, you are using to propel your leap. And that's what makes it safe.
posted by Recycled Cyclist | 3:34 AM
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