Off That

You may have noticed in my previous post that I mentioned my legs being smaller, and that I had no way to confirm that numerically. The reason for that is because I'm not using data this winter.

Currently, I have a Garmin Edge 305 and a couple of CatEye cyclo-computers that all work. The Garmin needs some love every now and then, but you get the point. Why, then, would I not use them?

Because I don't have to. I decided that for the off-season this year, I would ride my bike whenever I could, and I would enjoy riding my bike for the sake of being on it. The theory is that by not constraining myself to training in a digital, numbers-based way, I'll have more fun, train harder, and enjoy myself more. After all, I'm not a professional racer, and that means that I ride my bike for the enjoyment of it.

I know that there are huge gains to be made by following a proper training plan, staying within the specified zones of heart rate or power and playing by the rules of a coach. I just didn't want to do that. I have coaching and training plans very much available and at my disposal, and they're all very good. Sometimes, you just have to realize that certain things aren't for you. Not right now at least.

In the future, I'll spring for a power meter setup and I'll go through all the enjoyment of figuring out my zones so I can train to different specialties.

For now, though, it's all about the fun and the feeling. A lot of people say that's just being Italian, and some might even say it's snobbish to simply rely on the feeling of my training. Really, it is all of that and more. By taking the computers off the bikes, I've really found that I look at the world around me a lot more. Even when there's snow at the side of the road and the sky above looks like it's going to burst open, it's all just so much better to be riding next to a river and really be able to watch the water fall down boulders that have slowly-thickening layers of ice forming. I'm not concerned with exactly how fast my heart is beating, and I'm not concerned with what percentage of my maximum that rate is. I am concerned with the responsiveness of my body on that particular day, how my bike is riding, and how I'm feeling about life.

Really, that's what bike riding is all about. Even when I get back into the digital style of training, I'll still take a lesson from what I've been doing the past few months and take the computer off for a ride every now and then. Sometimes, that means cruising through the hills and communing with nature while at other times, it's a team ride where we forget about the fact that "Today is supposed to be zone 2-3."