Today’s photograph shows some of the aftermath from my long trainer ride this afternoon.  I needed lots of nutrition to fuel my ride, and several towels to wipe away the sweat.

I did two separate long rides on my bike this week.  On Monday, the weather was so nice, that I was able to ride outside. Today, it was sunny outside, but the temperatures were just above freezing, so I had to ride inside on my trainer.

I found it interesting to look at the data for both rides.  Both rides were very similar in total time and on each ride, my average power was exactly the same.  On my outside ride however, my normalized power was significantly higher.  This means that on that ride, I had some surges at much higher power.  It also means that outside, there were occasions where my power was considerably lower. In fact my power was zero watts at times, because I was able to coast.

When riding on my trainer, I am not able to coast.  If I stop pedaling, the workout stops recording any data.  Inside, I need to pedal constantly.  It is this constant pedaling, that makes these trainer rides so tough.

The good news is that a long trainer ride is very good for me. It is beneficial from both a physical and mental perspective.  The ability to dig deep and just keep pedaling, will hopefully benefit me at my race in a few weeks time.  Even though it is good for me however, I am really hoping that the weather next weekend allows me to go back outside. I am keeping my fingers crossed…