Even though the Courage Classic isn’t a race, I’m training a bit like it is. A friend recently asked what my goal was for the ride and the response I had was “to go fast”. That’ll be hard on a course that is 160 miles long with 14,000 vertical feet and starting at 9,700 feet above sea level. Luckily I’m starting at 5,000 feet and have been able to get a good training program started. Here is a rundown of what I’m using:

Indoor bike trainer - Wahoo Kickr Core - I had been debating whether an indoor smart trainer would actually be worth the investment. Four weeks in I can say it was absolutely worth it. Granted, I had a large dividend from REI this year to offset the cost, but I have seen notable fitness gains in just the four weeks that I have been training. I had considered the Tacx Flux S as it is cheaper and has excellent reviews, however REI doesn’t carry Tacx anymore, so the dividend made the decision for me. The blue mat underneath the bike is just a inexpensive yoga mat, which is a more economic way to protect the floor from my sweat and scratching from the trainer. I was a sweaty mess for the first week and invested in a floor fan. I am really happy with the Maxx Air fan I got. It’s powerful enough to keep me cool but still quiet.

Training software - Zwift - I like video games and being able to see what my friends are up to so I went with Zwift. TrainerRoad has great reviews and the team behind the app is very science driven (see more below), but the gamer in me one out. Right now I’m 4 weeks into the “Build Me Up” training plan and it’s kicking my butt, which is a good sign.
Podcast - Ask a Cycling Coach - the team behind Trainer Road has a weekly podcast that is excellent. I might be biased because their pre-ride nutrition advice equals unlimited waffles and syrup for me, but they do a great job of breaking down fitness concepts, providing strategies to get faster and nearly always have a lot of research to back up their claims. Plus, they seem like really nice guys.
Fitness Tracker - Garmin Vivoactive Music 3 - back in December I was done with my Fitbit for a variety of reasons and I went to REI ready to shell out a bunch for a high end Garmin watch. Luckily, a sensible sales woman asked the important question, “What do you need the watch for?” and proceeded to talk me into the Vivoactive 3 instead. I’ve been really happy with its suite of features and haven’t once wished I had gone with the Fenix 5. The GPS on the watch has been very precise, the heart rate seems accurate, and being able to control music/podcasts on my phone from the watch is nice.

Training Tools