Training Review: April
March was a lot of preparation for training - bought a new-to-me bike, bought indoor trainer, signed up for a training program. April was when I really got serious. Like many things in my fitness journey over the past year and change, my mileage in April is likely more than I’ve ever packed into a single month. Granted, about half of those miles were done while on my trainer and going nowhere in my living room. Here are the highlights:
Fiona has taken a liking to my trainer, though she thinks I make too much noise when I’m doing FTP tests
On the topic of FTP tests, I added about 20 watts from March to April. I would guess that 75% of the increase was improvement in my mental state when riding. The great part of having a smart trainer and a pre-set training program is learning more about my limits. If I was in control of my workouts I would not be hitting such high power levels for as long. As long as I’m careful about not over doing it I think the pay off will be faster increases in fitness
I made it out for my first group ride with the Denver Cycling Club. We climbed up Flagstaff, just west of Boulder. It was a brutal climb (15% grades at times!) but I was the second rider up the climb.
Between the trainer, commutes and outdoor rides I nearly hit 900 miles biking during the month! That’s enough to get me from Denver to Boise.
So far I’m doing okay with the distances that I’ll need to do for the Courage Classic, but I still haven’t hit the same vertical feet. Good thing I still have two more months to train!
May has been a bit busier so my mileage will likely take a dip, but I’ll be sure to take more pictures during my rides since those are far more interesting than maps of my rides.
