My Training Philosophy

Passing fifty in age is a milestone, many people said.  Passing sixty is a much more significant milestone because our body ages much faster between fifty and sixty.  I passed sixty last year, and I just added another year to my age a few months ago.  These days I notice my body has reached a specific limitation, most notably its ability to recover from exhausting exercises.  Sufficient rest is an essential part of my training regime these days.  I realized that I could not have the correct output in sports unless I had enough rest.  I cycle, and I do weight lifting these days.  Cycling is a group sport, most of the time.  I have to keep up with the group and not get dropped in a group ride.  In a race, to stay with the group requires sustainability in strength.  These days I train mainly for sustainability.  If I can keep up at a good pace, I can sprint at the right moment to let me take the lead. 

However, I look at exercise at my age as not a race nor a place to record my triumph.  I can be strong and fast, yet I know I have my limits.  To achieve a better version of myself and sustain that in the years to come is the primary goal of my training.  In that regard, my training does not have to break me in the process.  It should strengthen me over time.  I restarted my winter cycle training this week, and rather than training for a higher Functional Threshold Power (FTP), I focus on sustaining a longer ride right below my FTP.  This way of riding is endurance training because riding near and below my FTP is the edge of my performance envelop.  Any power output above this, my heart rate will move above Zone 3.  By staying slightly below my FTP level, I can sustain the power output without spiking my heart rate.  Maintaining my heart rate at Zone 3 means, I can ride at a pace all day long with minimum fatigue.  

I discovered a very effective way to train for endurance this morning while I was on my trainer.  The program is a progressive ramp-up in power output with rest intervals in between each higher power level.  Throughout the training, I maintained my heart zone either at or below Zone 3, which is an ideal heart rate for long-distance endurance rides.  What I focused on was a balance of cadence, power output, and heart rate.  Once I found the right cadence and the required power, I could prevent my heart rate from spiking higher.  If I can strike a balance between these three performance matrices, I have become a good cyclist.  And that takes years of practice, hopefully not too long.

I like to train privately.  I'm not particularly eager to put my training on Facebook or Instagram.  I think by doing that, I remove the ego from the equation.  Having an ego distracts me from the true purpose of my training.  It turns me into a show-off, something that I do not wish to become.  I always keep this in mind these days because many people around me have fallen into this trap.  I seek no recognition or glory when I make a better version of myself.