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Motivation Monday: Pacing For Preservation

If you read my previous “Motivation Mondayposts, you'll know I was somehow suckered into riding the Monkey Knife Fight on April 14th.  I'd suggest you read those posts to get an idea of what I've gotten myself into and where I've been so far in terms of training.  The short, short version of it is this: it's a spring classic, PA style.  That means dirt roads, gravel, steep climbs, shitty weather and lots and lots of fun.  And beer.  There's a beer sponsor.  I think it's Funk Brewing, actually.

In past columns, I've detailed some of my training theory behind a ride like this.  Yeah, it's lots of muscular endurance and plenty of VO2 max work.  No, it's not glamorous at all, but it gets the job done.  In all honesty, training never is glamorous, is it?

I've also gone on to explain how you can tell when your fitness has climbed enough for an “out of order” fitness test.  Since then, it's been pretty quiet.  Why?  Well, there are a couple factors I'll detail today.  But in reality, it's just been grinding out intervals and hoping to get fit enough to not die.

And what's my plan for not dying on this thing?  Click through the jump to find out!

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Motivation Monday: Testing Time

If you read my first “Motivation Monday” you'll know I was somehow suckered into riding the Monkey Knife Fight in April.  I'd suggest you read that post to get an idea of what I've gotten myself into.  The short, short version of it is this: it's a spring classic, PA style.  That means dirt roads, gravel, steep climbs, shitty weather and lots and lots of fun.  And beer.  There's a beer sponsor.

In past columns, I've detailed some of my training theory behind a ride like this.  Yeah, it's lots of muscular endurance and plenty of VO2 max work.  No, it's not glamorous at all, but it gets the job done.  In all honesty, training never is glamorous, is it?

Today, I'm going to chat about how you know it's time to test (even if it's outside your scheduled testing time) and modify your program a bit.

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Motivation Monday: What’s London Got To Do With It?

If you read my last “Motivation Monday” you'll know I was somehow suckered into riding the Monkey Knife Fight in April.  I'd suggest you read the previous column to learn a little more about the race itself.  The short, short version of it is this: it's a spring classic, PA style.  That means dirt roads, gravel, steep climbs, shitty weather and lots and lots of fun.

Since I've been suckered into this via a good buddy of mine (thanks again Nate…) I can't let him take me out to the middle of nowhere and leave me for dead.  No sir.  That's not an option.

This week, I'll explore a little of my training theory and what I'm going to do to get my butt in shape to actually finish this ride without breaking down and crying.

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Custom Workouts In Zwift

Zwift has taken the indoor training world by storm, offering massive potential for riding with people across the globe, training through built-in workouts and Fartlek training.  The ability to build custom workouts in Zwift has been teased since the platform launched a few months ago.  In the interim, the lack of ability to build and program your own custom workouts has been a major downside of the platform (at least for many cyclists looking for a training solution on the virtual platform.)

Until now.

The programmers behind the popular online social training platform have introduced the ability to build custom workouts in Zwift.  You don't even need to exit the application in order to design any workout you can imagine.  This short how-to video will give you the basics on how to build custom workouts in Zwift and what they look like when you ride them.

Click through for the video, and don't forget to share with your friends!

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Fartlek Training With Zwift

Zwift is the new kid on the block in the realm of socially driven cycling programs.  It allows you to ride your trainer with anyone around the world.  You can feasibly be sitting in your living room in Newfoundland, spinning away and you'll be able to pass someone from Australia doing exactly the same thing.  Some cyclists have embraced it wholeheartedly and some have scoffed at it.  A lot of cyclists have asked how they can do some kind of training with Zwift, and to this point, there have been few answers.

Sure, there are some workouts built into Zwift and you can always do any regular training plan workout while Zwifting (is that a word now?)  But doesn't that take the fun out of training with Zwift?  Isn't the point of a platform like Zwift to create the sense of actually racing through the streets, ascending climbs and bombing descents?  How can you combine training and fun in one simple package?

In the following video, I'm going to show you how to get some in some training with Zwift: Fartlek training.

What is Fartlek training?  How can it be done with Zwift?  Watch the video and check out the info below to find out.

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