Weekly Training summary
In an ideal world, I would have the time each day to find the perfect balance of personal obligations and personal wants and needs. I'd be a great family man, an efficient employee and a professional cyclist. But as I've written before, finding the balance can be a bit of a challenge at times and when it doesn't add up or one thing outweighs another, the personal wants and needs are usually the first to get bumped off the list. Thankfully, SDAY has always been a supportive wife and now mother and knows how important cycling is to me. She's always helping me find time for the wants and needs of life and because of this she's probably more invested in me, than I am.
In that ideal world, a few hours of each day, some more than others, would be spent on the bicycle. That's no where near the case for me at times so being flexible and tuned into your body can be the best weekly training asset that you can posses. When I'm pressed for time and I know I'm not going to be able to get out for three hours on Wednesday and maybe I only had an hour on Monday, Tuesday was a wash but Thursday and Saturday look promising. I do everything I can to make those hours really count. If it's only for a few hours throughout the week, feel free to step up the intensity on each ride. If your feeling pretty decent, then why not put in a decent effort. If you plan on a quick, intense ride and don't feel up to par when you out there, listen to your body and back off a bit.
Other thoughts for when you don't get the ideal training time in... Find other options or substitutes. Try running or even walking. Sometimes the best training after a long busy day at work is a good walk in the evening. Get an early dinner, take a walk and retire to bed early. The next day you'll find yourself feeling pretty crisp and ready to tackle some intensity on the bike.
Don't stress. That just makes thing worse. The more relaxed you can be and laid back about your training plan that seems to be gaining speed without you, the less fatigue you'll gain as you try to catch back up. If things don't go as planned, maybe adjust the plan to fit a busier schedule or change the focus of your training slightly. Maybe it's best to shoot for another race to peak for. What ever you do, don't hold yourself too accountable for the obstacles that life tends to throw at us and most importantly, have fun. Ride your bike because it makes you healthy and because you like to ride your bike. And don't forget to give the other cyclists that you see out on the road or trail a friendly wave or nod.