An OS Bike Commuter Hack?

patachin

The day's are getting noticably longer, and hopefully warmer soon.  I'd like to resume riding to the office 1 or 2 days a week, rather than sitting in traffic which is a complete waste of time and other things.

I have 13mi one way trip, the last 8mi of which are on a relatively uncongested and flat (former rail train) bike path (no traffic, only a couple lights).  Assuming I can effectively get in a 20-25' ride on that 8mi stretch, and do it twice/day, can I substitute that effectively for some of my OS bike intervals?  E.g., do a couple int's in the morning and couple in the afternoon (or whatever the OS plan prescribes that day)?

Anyone have any experience trying that, or thoughts about overall impact on training?

I am thinking I probably would not want to pile these commutes onto the existing OS work, which might just be overload.

I did run across this commuter thread also, if you're interested in this topic:  http://endurancenation.us.dnnmax.com/Community/Forums/tabid/101/aft/1425/Default.aspx#22052

Thanks, John

kurshing

I would let the bike ride to work be about enjoyment and not working out. I don't see any reason that few miles would negatively effect your ability to do the rest of your OS training. IF you want to combine the two and you are determined to do so, I would say to enjoy one direction and do all the work in the other. Don't split the work up and separate intervals with an 8 hour day. I wish I could commute on a bike! I am jealous!

Al Truscott

I've been a bike commuter since 1997. Usually 2 or 3 days a week, not 4 or 5 due to the nature of my work. What I discovered last year in my first EN OS was that bike commuting was NOT a substitute for OS workouts. No way could I safely do FTP or even 85% work while biking in to work while dodging risks of low light, sketchy weather, and sleepy drivers. And in the PM, I would be too mentally drained to try anything. I just used the time for "active recovery".

Come summer, in years past, I would add extra miles  @ equivilent of 0.7 IF, but once I started EN training, I would just do my 10 miles each way to loosen up the legs, but not try to get any intensity or volume out of it. More a lifestyle thing than a training thing for me the paast couple of years.

patachin

Thanks Al and Stephen.  I think I agree with you guys.  As I think about last year, when I started riding to work a couple days a week, I reduced my real interval training, and there was definitely a performance fall off overall.  I think what I'll do is stick with the OS plan, and just supplement on the bike for some outdoor fun.  Cheers, John

MattAaronson

I biked to work consistentaly for the last two years. However, now that I am doing the EN plan I have dialed back the commuting in order to make sure I can complete the workouts at the right intensity levels.

My rule of thumb is that if I have a workout to do in the evening I will not commute by bike. So therefore I will commute by bike if I get a workout done in the morning before leaving for the office, if I'm planning a mid-day treadmill run at the gym at work, or on a rest day.

I'd also say that I am fairly incapable of an "easy ride" when commuting. My ride resembles VO2 max intervals between traffic lights. I wore an HR strap during my commute home the other day for the first time and amazingly my max HR during the commute approached that of my EN bike workouts (although my commute is only 18-19 mins).

Cheers,
Matt

gopetego

When weather and job permit, I will commute to work 1-2 times a week. About 18-19 miles one way and not too bad on traffic/lights. Since my gym is right next to office - it makes this possible. And since I do have a section of the commute wear I can definitely get in some focused short intervals (the "Great Swamp") and even a decent steep hill climb, I will on occasion make the effort to "train". Having said that, I believe I would generally use the bike commute to "add" Z2/Z3 volumne to the EN workouts in most instances, not a replacement for EN work.