Interval Exam Training

I've started training properly again this week. Or at least, I've tried to. To be honest I've been trying to since the 1st of Jan but Uni work has rather got in the way. Still the case if I'm honest, but I've got my exam on Tuesday so latter half of next week should be good fun! No lectures, no work, no pressure :D Always important to get the priorities right as well, one thing I am not is a Pro! Cycling is a hobby (ok, passion verging on obsession) but that's all it is at the moment. 


I tried to do a hilly interval session on Tuesday but was feeling a bit run down, I think it was the Uni equivalent of the sniffly 'back to school' bug that seems to circulate Primary Schools. Either way, it rather messed me up on Tuesday. I couldn't get my heart rate anywhere near what I needed and eventually crawled home to a phenomenal, competition creaming average speed of just over 13mph. So I had yesterday off, had a lie in (bliss) and resolved to try to do the planned session for today. Which I did. Long story short. 4 sets of sprint-ervals didn't seem like much of a task last summer...but boy was it interesting today. For a start it was windy, properly strong onshore wind and I'd chosen (ok not chosen as such-it's the only flat road around here) a coastal road. So that was fun. Unfortunately I didn't quite have the horsepower necessary to capitalise on the tailwind when it was there. Then there's the winter bike; which don't get me wrong is an awesome piece of kit-it just isn't made for sprinting. All that really just exacerbated the fact that I'm not sprint fit at all. By any stretch of the imagination. Riding shed loads of hills does wonders for your strength and threshold power but doesn't really do much for speed or those super short sharp efforts. The good news is, I can only go faster from now on-and progress is something we all like to see!


Also it was unseasonably warm today. I rode in a base layer, jersey and gilet and was too warm for a lot of the time. What's going on? Suppose it could just be the Aberystwyth Micro Climate again. I heard it hailed back home, so yeah...I'm not complaining!


Sorry this is brief, but I've still got an essay to be doing! I'll check in again at the weekend perhaps, plan on getting some ride footage with my handlebar camera again.


I hope you hang around for that :)