The last couple of years, I’ve been mostly focused on finishing my triathlons instead of doing better. This year, I want to go faster.
Going faster means doing everything you did, just better. And unlike when I was 15 years old, time is working against me. Every year gets harder… not easier.
One of the areas ripe for improvement was my bike training. Bike training is boring. And I hated sitting in the garage endlessly pedaling.
And I wasn’t trying really hard. And you can see that from the average heart rate that was almost always routinely below the minimum target range.
Oh the excuses I invented:
- My legs hurt too much
- It’s too hard
- I don’t like this! WAAAAAAAAH!
- I need to pedal at 90 RPM and I can only do it at this more comfortable gearing that feels nicer!
This year, I chose to do something about it. And last night I did my first long bike ride where I chose to not half ass anything.
The pain. The excruciating pain. Oh the pain!
All of these years, I wondered why is biking so much easier than running? And the answer, much like the mystery of my weight loss, was hidden in plain site: because I push a lot harder when I run.
