As promised, I tried something new for my cycling workout today.  I tried this:

This is a cycling training DVD that I have had for years.  And yesterday when I went to use it I had to take it out of the shrink wrap.  So yeah.  I’m not 100% sure but I believe I got this for free with my CycleOps trainer.  Not sure though.

Anyway, I’ve never used a training video before although obviously I know they exist, and I even have a good friend who used to have a special set up in his garage to ride in the winter and watch videos (training and otherwise).  I wasn’t sure what to expect, and honestly I wanted to do something different but I didn’t want a flat out, 100% interval intensity workout since I had a hard run scheduled the next day.

Anyway, turns out the video has a several different viewing segments that you can select and mix and match as desired to create the length you want.

I didn’t even actually do the main workout segment (“The Race”, like I said, I was saving my legs for my next run) but I did enjoy the parts I did.  It was fun to have a structured program to follow, I enjoyed moving up and down the levels of intensity and moving between the different video segments really broke up the duration and made riding on the trainer much more tolerable.  I’m definitely going to look for a good opportunity (scheduling wise) to get more into this DVD and do a good long workout of it that includes the main Race segment.

If you’ve read any of my other cycling posts you know that I normally dread the trainer.  But it’s pretty easy to make it more tolerable.  If you’re actually training for cycling or a cycling-inclusive event (like a tri) I think that training videos are definitely the way to go.  They make long trainer sessions tolerable and give you a good motivational boost and a gauge for how hard you are training and how hard you need to be training.  If you’re just spinning along for cardio training or you’re using the cycling as cross-training then the key is entertainment.  Set yourself up in front of the TV or your computer and queue up a bunch of YouTube videos or Netflix shows and start churning those legs.  I like to listen to audiobooks while I’m riding but that’s just me.

For the time being my focus is on running, so I probably won’t hit the cycling intensity too hard, but after I’ve reached my CPFT goal I’ll start to diversify my effort a little bit.  I’ve already got my eye on some other cycling training materials including some online/downloadable/streaming videos with custom sound tracks matched to the intended pace/intensity that look completely badass.

[Note: no Garmin Connect capture today because my 310XT froze up on me.  It went to the “Transfer Data” screen and got stuck.  It was like that for hours.  None of the buttons would work.  So yeah, no data on this one.  Just a manual place holder on my calendar.]