So I'm transitioning into off-season training. Right now, that means about 2 fewer hours per week, and very little intensity. Most of my bike time is endurance riding, not interval training or sprint practise. I'm only on my bike 4 days a week now [as opposed to 7 before: 5 days of training and 2 days active recovery], and I'm back to weight training the other three days. Which I've really missed.

My job over the next 5-6 months is to maintain and build my "base" with lots and lots of long, slow endurance miles [relatively slow, anyway], and to build strength with resistance training. It also doesn't hurt to work on my "power to weight" ratio, which is a nice way of saying "lose a few pounds." And actually, the pounds only matter going up hills, and weighing less doesn't matter nearly as much as being lean. Especially if you care how you look in the incredibly unforgiving spandex shorts.

The weather is slowly getting iffy. Its now very dark when I leave the house to ride before work. Some days its very chilly, other days temperate. There seems to be more rainy days forecasted. Soon --- I hope not too soon --- I'll be stuck indoors riding endurance on the dreaded trainer. As much as I sometimes can't stand yet another trip up and down the Lakefront Path or out to Highland Park and back, 2 hours on the trainer is worse, much worse. Its boring. And its hard on the body. Outside, you're constantly adjusting pedal stroke, coasting here, pedaling harder there, standing to climb . . . on the trainer its the sameness that gets you. Numbs the brain and causes overuse injuries to the body.

I'm planning to buy some rollers this fall. Heh, check out the fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urJCLJLJX9Q --- at least it won't be boring.