Thursday, August 20, 2015

Why I do CompuTrainer and not ride outside?

Why do I CompuTrain? This is a question that I get asked the most.

"You're a strong cyclist! Get out on the road!"
"Stop being lazy!"

It's not about me being lazy. It is not that I am a strong cyclist. I have gotten stronger in cycling, but I have a confession to make. I do not like cycling. I am a very nervous cyclist. I always have been except in race mode. It is something that does not come naturally to me. Swimming, I feel like Dory from "Finding Nemo." When I'm running, I feel like Forrest Gump. You know, "Run Joy Run!"

When I am in the CompuTrainer Studio, I know exactly what I am doing. I am concentrating on my form: Keeping my abs drawn in, shoulders down and back, not mashing down on the pedals; I can focus on my breathing; I can focus on my nutrition; get a quality workout done in a finite amount of time.

CompuTrainer appeals to me for many reasons, but the main reason is my schedule. My work schedule is at times, very unpredictable. I may only have a total of 4 hours to bike, shower, change and be back to train a client. So this is why it appeals to me. A lot of people will argue until the cows come home that I need to be on the road. I will get on the road when I can arrange my schedule in a way that will work for me, but this will work for me and what my training plan says. Oh, don't worry coach, I will get my 4 hour ride in with that 40 minute run.

I digress, but a lot of professionals also use CompuTrainer. For me, I'm learning a lot about pacing, shifting, gearing, how hard I'm working or not working. It's about bridging the gap between perception and reality. I know when I am bullshitting my workout and when I am busting my ass with my power output numbers, my heart rate, my cadence, etc.

So there you have it. I still do not like cycling but I tolerate it as a warm up for the run.

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