Reply To: Long rides on the bike trainer?

#25355
happycyborgrunner
Participant

Hey!

I love doing my long rides on the trainer….it’s safe, comfortable, easier logistics, takes less time.  I get a great workout in that I can do in my room, and still be able to be somewhat social with my housemates.  I did about 80% of my training for my 2nd IM on the trainer.  I got strong.

That being said, I know one of my hurdles is my brain.  I struggle with anxiety getting out on the road, despite knowing that once I’m out there, I’m usually good.  So, the more I ride indoors, the harder it is for me to go outside. And the less I ride outdoors, the less confident I am handling my bike.  And, out of total transparency, I have yet to do an outdoor ride this year, but I hope to get some riding in this weekend on low traffic roads.

One of  my goals for IMLP to work on my anxiety that manifests both with getting onto the bike,and also my expert ability to catastrophize situations- something not helpful in training!   So, I’m trying to discipline myself to do at least one ride outside.  Additionally, I’m signing up for some group century and metric century rides to assure I follow through on my commitment to myself.

This year, I’m investing a lot of time training my brain so that the gains I make in IM training can more easily transfer to everyday life.