Just a Thought

I overheard some roadies talking the other day about training. One of them was expressing his frustration over how hard it is to make a 50-60 mile "flat" ride in Birmingham. Although I didn't fall over laughing, the internal smirk still permeates. For the casual cyclists and gym crowds just looking to stay in shape, I would expect to hear something along these lines. However, for someone aspiring to be a competitive cyclist, which I would assume of anyone regularly putting in that kind of mileage, hills and “training outside your comfort zone” are a large part of the equation. Occasionally, someone will ask me about my training and what I feel is the most important aspect to improvement. Until now, I always talked about things such as consistency, proper rest, and nutrition. While those are all very important, EFFORT and INTENSITY are often overlooked (especially among the endurance sport crowd). This is one of the most critical lessons that I learned from 15 years of competitive swimming.