An effective training regimen requires you work really hard during your hard workouts (and go super easy, on your easy ones).  I went really hard today but the results were below average, so was it a bad workout?

Absolutely not!!  Just because I was not able to achieve any power records on my bike today, doesn’t mean I didn’t make any gains.  I know that I worked really hard and gave everything that my mind and muscles could give.  My legs hurt just as much as when I produced more power on the same workout last week.

What is important to remember, is that a workout can’t be taken in isolation.  It is impacted by so many things.  How much training have you done in the days leading up to the workout?  A lot or very little?  How stressful has your life been outside of training?  Has a stressful day at work, sapped your energy?  Have you been fueling correctly or did you not eat enough?

I’m not completely sure why my power was lower tonight.  I’ll be doing to some thinking about why that might have been the case.  What I will not be doing however, is beating myself up about the results.  I know I work hard today, really hard!!