After the Suzu Triathlon last August I completely stopped cycling. 23
weeks of zero cycling - ending today with 60 minutes on my indoor trainer.
I had hoped that 40k per week of running along with my weekly swims
would allow me to maintain most of my cycling strength, but I felt
like was operating on maybe 30% of last August's level. According to
this recent NYT article "if you want to keep your ability to row, or
run, or swim, you have to do that exact activity". Running is not enough, runners propel
themselves by calves and ankles, while cyclists primarily use
quadriceps.
The exercise physiologists suggest that it would not have taken much
time to maintain my cycling fitness - the key is to substitute
intensity of effort for time: "the training needs to be almost like
racing". Next winter I will try to do one intense hour per
week.
For now though, with Ironman China only 10 weeks away, I need to
start doing much more specific (bike) training.
I guess bike commuting through Winter doesn't cut it then..? Good luck on the road to China!
ReplyDeleteYou are much tougher than I am. Even walking up the hill to work in Roppongi today was almost too unbearably cold for me. Don't know how I trained for IM New Zealand in the winter two years ago.
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