Another fine guest post by my good friend KK….
I have to admit, I am no athlete and always just did things for fun. People used to say that I exercised a lot, my response was that I just went out and had fun (except rehab which was just work). For the most part it was about getting together with friends. I can’t do what I once could due to age, injury, or maybe I just used up my body. It got me to thinking, what is it that one trains for? What led me to this was the comments that I get for not being on Strava, not having the latest bike computer that monitors my HR, O2, cadence, etc. Do I train so I can go for a great ride in 2 months time? Show my prowess to friends (they already know I’m a shmo)? I’m not going to be going on “Le Tour” any time soon, (or later as a matter of fact.)
My philosophy of riding is when I ride, I ride for fun. The hardest rides I do is when I ride solo – there’s nowhere to hide. I ride by my speedometer, but – this is just a reminder of when I’m in cruise mode and not pushing it. I’ve lived long enough that I can feel my body. I don’t need a HR monitor to tell me that my heart is still beating or that I’m pushing too hard or not hard enough for what I want to do for the day. I know that if I followed a designated training regime I would be able to ride longer, harder, faster but at what cost for the ride today? Stop to watch the bird soar? No way, I’m training! Can’t ride today, it’s not on my schedule! Would I still enjoy each individual ride leading to the ultimate ride two months hence?
I love chasing down a rider in front of me. I also love the feeling cruising at 50km/hr (because there’s a tail wind) and the feeling of the burn when I’m pushing and don’t give up until there’s either no more to give or I’m at the top or have reached the end of my sprint. It still bugs me when some punk blows by me because he’s a real rider and I’m not … and it always did. It also bugs me when I pass someone on their $10,000 bike who doesn’t know how to ride or that I can’t spin up to speeds that I once could.
Most people who train do proxy training, they measure their effort with things like HR monitors. Why don’t they just get power meters and just set their pace based on the readings. In fact why get on a real bike, just do the training in a more controlled environment. I have a friend who use to swear by Zwift for training all winter, no cold, no rain, no getting lost; a 1hr training session lasts exactly 1hr. Rides could be based on exact energy output. Instead of going on a 100km ride enjoying the surroundings, it could be going on a 200kjoule ride, head down, looking at the power meter, waiting for the clock to say your done.
My ride: sunny day, rolling hills, no flats, no stop signs or lights, riding hard, and ending with a beer with friends.
KK