Rain, snow, sleet or hail may not stop the postal carriers, but it drives most of us inside – or it brings out your inner Belgian persona. The good news about riding inside is you can bring the outside in by simply using an outdoor ride file and then breaking down the wattage demand minute by minute or section by section and riding the same ride inside.

As I was riding by an old Vermont barn this morning, squeezing in a ride before the impending rain that loomed over the Adirondacks across Lake Champlain, training related principles came to mind. It was a recovery day, so it gave me the time to focus on this approaching dilapidated structure. What I noticed was the tilt in the weathered barn, and I wondered how did it survive another Vermont winter? I then tried to figure out the why and the how of its impending collapse. Looking closely I noticed the foundation had some large cracks, and it had shifted the whole structure closer to the inevitable.

Training is just like building a structure (a physiological structure). You can make it grand by starting with the foundation (the form, neuromuscular pathways, mitochondria and capillaries). Some call this the Base, or Aerobic Base Building. Generally this involves exclusive work in Z1 and Z2 and can last as little as a month and as long as many months depending on your starting point. Knowing your thresholds allows you to determine your training zones, starting point, tentative duration, and it also allows you to monitor your adaptation to your training. Once you’ve built your foundation, you can then go into a Build or Anaerobic phase of your training. This is just like putting the walls up of your house, and in general this phase lasts for weeks or a couple months. In general the mix of training is 80% aerobic and 20% anaerobic in this period. From there some people put the roof on in what is known as a Peak phase, this is where volume (time) drops and intensity comes up.

So, what are you building when you ride? A better and stronger you? Or a structure, like that barn with a weak foundation? Are you building something that will collapse in injury, illness or burn out? It is only in a structured and balanced training program that we arrive someplace better – someplace stronger. Yet, structure takes planning, discipline and patience. Too many people want it NOW and try to shortchange the body or process. Each ride and workout represents a brick in the foundation or part of the wall. Each is dependent on the others, they are not exclusive entities to check off a “to do list”.

The great news about riding inside (outside from being in an indoor cycling class or in your house catching up on infomercials that month after month promise a quick fix that does not exist) is that you can bring more structure and discipline to your routine. You don’t have to climb a big hill or yield to the temptation of out-sprinting the child who passes you on his tricycle and heckles you. Remember, when riding outside, there is a plan to follow and that plan doesn’t include hammering the next person who passes you in a group ride or racing to that next sign. A plan brings clarity and reassurance--just like a blueprint to a great building--that there is a better outcome to follow…as long as you are strong enough to follow that plan. So the next time you ride inside take the opportunity to bring more structure, to work on foundational skills and “fix” or tend to what needs attention in your fitness foundation. If it is rest, rest…sleep in, sometimes that is the best training, if it is a Z1 day enjoy it. If you’re the kind of person who likes to live on the edge try this ride:

Time (minutes)	Zone	RPM	Purpose
10	Zone 1	80-100	Active warm-up, challenge yourself to stay in Z1 with cadence changes every couple minutes!
tbd	Zone 2	90+	Aerobic stimulation, gradually ease up to the upper side of Z2 in a higher than normal cadence range over the course of a couple of minutes.  Then hold the top of your Z2 wattage while focusing on form, and breathing.  Once HR starts to drift up or wattage goes out of control (becomes inconstantly choppy) do a 5 minute interval in Z1.  Repeat this process for the duration of your workout focusing on each time trying to hold the Z2 interval a little longer.  As you improve your base you will notice that soon you will be able to hold this interval for an entire ride!
5	Zone 1	Normal cadence	Recover, and think – take stock in what can be improved in the next effort!  Then repeat the previous zone.
10	Zone 1	varied	Cool down, you earned it!  Download your file and learn from your effort!

So the next time it rains enjoy a moment to reflect on the mission and purpose of building the best you possible.

Here’s to more spring showers, and to the rain on your roof that keeps you dry.

Joey Adams, M.S.
CycleOps Master Training Specialist
Owner of Intelligent Fitness @ intelligentfitness@comcast.net
(C) shared with permission to Saris and Intelligent Fitness customers