What to do when the weather is just against your long weekend rides

zwuba

Community - what are your alternative workouts when you are not able to do your long bike workouts in the IronMan plan on weekends?

Actually this is just my second week in that plan but the weather forecast doesn't tell me anything I like to hear about the weekend - rain and more rain and a temperature drop by about 10°C.

I really DON'T want to do the exact same workout on the trainer because normally trainer-workouts are at least one step above outdoor session because you simply can control your output much better ... so I'm no looking for alternatives.

Basically I need replacements for a 4h Race-Pace-Plus and a 3h ABP ride.

robin sarner

Iron tx up for me soon. 5 hr saturday indoor is what i am doing about seven times. I did just get back from a big bike week in hawaii though.

DanJacquemin

I actually go out and ride in the rain. Yes, it sucks. But, it could also rain in race day and IMHO, it's good to get in the practice. Plus you'll get a good idea of what is going to go wrong if the weather is not 75 and partly sunny on race day. Nutrition can be a challenge in the wet too. 

Bottom line: you've got to know your limits for speed, control, and eats under less than ideal conditions.

bartstevens

When weather forces me indoors for a long Saturday bike workout, and I mentally cannot handle another 4-5 hour trainer session, I trim the session by 20% and incorporate weight lifting or functional strength work. To break up the monotony, I take breaks on the :45 and do 15 minutes of legs and/or core. I focus on the glutes and stabilizers and include all manner of lunges, squats, clean/jerk and plyometrics- basically stealing from P90X.



I suspect the coaches and other WSMs might object, and I'm certainly no cycling guru, but I find that the breaks helps promote more interval focus on the bike, produce some interesting stress/compensation experiences, and work some areas that often get neglected. My adjustable Power Blocks are wonderful (dumbells are all I need, but I use barbells and other free weights, too. And sometimes even the dreaded bands.) And I've been known to break up an entire 60 min P90X legs or Plyo DVD across a bike bike session. If you have NetFlix, you can find some great workout videos via streaming. For me, the feeling is "What's the alternative? Junk trainer miles watching cartoons?"



The biggest disadvantage is that if you've never incorporated bike and strength in the same session, you probably won't be able to walk until Tuesday. I say bring the pain.

Al Truscott

Dave Scott, IM legend, was famous for his multiple brick workouts. He'd throw in 3 or 4 runs interspersed between biking segments (all outside, though)

Dave Tallo

Ok, I'll be the grouch who says it: ride outside and be grateful for the chance to get stronger! I remember someone in the early days of ST had a sig of "your competition are out training, right now," which at the time forced me out the door in the cruddiest of conditions. Even though I hated a lot of sessions in those particular years, there was a tenacity bred by going out weekend after weekend in the wet and cold(er). It sucks, and it sucks even worse to go out one day, be chilled to the bone and unhappy for xx:xx, only to know that you will be doing the same thing the next day ... but you definitely early some character building points in there.

And while I'm reminiscing, in my day, we used to walk 15 miles to school in bare feet in the snow on cobbles and then get hit for 7 hours with a textbook until we were sleepy. But we were happy!

Al Truscott

Yeah, getting some grit in yer teeth during a RR is good for the soul, but how many times does it take until you've become tough enough? And how long does that innoculation last? I ask because, being mostly retired now, I can pick and choose when to ride and run outdoors.