SURE, there are other things you can do to augment your cycling training besides hitting the trainer. In the long-term, it’s definitely NOT just about the bike.
I have a goal, though, damn it (5000 miles for the year – and I’ve significantly curtailed that from what it was at the beginning of the year) and I’m going to hit it, or I’m going to hurl trying. Maybe…
MY quandary is that I need to chillax a bit (and I’m a firm believer in that being a big part of the fitness regimen – see this post from May). I’ve got 131.8 miles to go; I’m in dire need of a rest day; the snow keeps falling (which means it has to be moved) and we’ve got family coming for the New Year’s weekend.
REST may win. I am sore from head to toe, okay more like from calves to shoulders. And a little neck. Head, good. Toes, okay.
Here’s How I Got Here
- MONDAY the 20th
- Rest Day
- TUESDAY the 21st
- Fulgaz – Brugge Oostende
- 29 miles
- 1:25:42
- TSS = 108
- Worked in 5 miles of Sweet Spot Training (SST) and 3 sets of HIIT (Tabatas).
- WEDNESDAY the 22nd
- Zwift – London
- 21.1 miles
- 1:07:21
- TSS = 74
- Mostly Tempo and a PR up Box Hill!
- THURSDAY the 23rd
- Fulgaz – Creede Highway 149
- 21.9 miles
- 1:04:14
- TSS = 62
- An easy and fast spin (85 RPM avg.) on a mostly downhill course.
- FRIDAY the 24th
- Fulgaz – Hidden Valley RT; Golden Gate Cooldown; Pacific Coast Highway Cruise
- 22.9 miles
- 1:12:31
- TSS = 76
- Did these three (3) different rides I had never done, mostly to get some miles in.
- SATURDAY the 25th (Merry Christmas!)
- Zwift – Yorkshire; Duchy Estate Sprints
- 18.2 miles
- 1:00:03
- TSS = 68
- Short course (~2.5 miles) with a sprint (total of 8) on each lap
- Felt it today. As hard as a tried I could not get the HR up to what I normally can. Tired legs and body…
- SUNDAY the 26th (boxing it up)
- Fulgaz – Brugge Oostende again
- 29 miles
- 1:26:53
- TSS = 79
- Mostly about the miles today and I knew there were several hours of moving snow to come.
- Moving snow afterwards (see pic below)
- 2:36:38
- Avg. HR = 103 (max 135)
- TSS = 103
- Editors note: Did another 2+ hours Monday the 27th, this time recording the distance; about 3/4 of a mile walked.

Moving snow, I’ve learned, is a great workout too – especially for the core, back and shoulders. Combined with, or as a follow up to a ride, it makes for a great day of training! The blower does a lot of the work certainly, but a shovel is still needed for those hard to blow places.

And there is something else that can be done with that snow…
Zwift and Fulgaz – a Great Combination
FOR me, having the ability to ride both in an animated and in a “real virtual” format via Zwift and Fulgaz makes all of this inside riding much more bearable. Add some good tunes, and focus on those (get through the song, then check the stats), or the scenery, depending, and plowing through those miles indoors can be fun, or at least do-able.
I’VE done several posts on the Zwift and Fulgaz dynamic over the last several years so if you’re interested in learning more just search for either term and you can meditate over those missives.
What About the Results?



AS it turns out I took another day off yesterday (somewhat forced due to the day job and some chores that needed doing (did those over the “lunch break”), and today, voila, a 96% recovery and Whoop tells me I’m primed for strain.
Today’s Adventure?
I’M not quite sure yet but I think it’s going to be a Zwift workout: Matt Hayman’s Paris-Roubaix. I have yet to complete it; it’s a challenging all around effort that is best done after a rest day (or two). Maybe today’s the day I’ll actually finish the entire thing.
IT doesn’t look good for that 5000 mile goal (132 miles to go with only 3 days left).
REST did win out and I still received the reward – my CTL (Chronic Training Load) score is trending up and so is time in the tub!
HERE’S hoping that my recap gets your juices flowing and gives you some ideas as to how you can mix things up a bit.
WE hope you had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you a joyful New Year filled with exciting experiences and fantastic fitness. Let’s Kick Some Passes’ Asses! next year, or even this year.
IF you have skies or snowshoes, that is. It’s starting to snow again.