BRINGING OUT MY INNER BIKER.

For me, that is going to be a big job and a lot of work. Good news on the bike fiasco though. When I got home last night, my bike was all set up on the trainer, chain fixed, and all. Like I said, it was a puzzle how I managed to mess up the chain the way I did, but after Don thought about it some, he figured out what happened and was able to reverse the "damage." So, I was ready to roll.

One thing that really got me going on the bike trainer idea was the idea that just popped into my head that maybe that was the answer to my weak biking skills. Then I looked around the 'net for some information about bike trainer workouts, but what I found that seemed more valuable was an article, from Triathlete Magazine, 1998, entitled "What is the Key to Killer Ironman Bike Splits?" by Tim Carlson. I don't know who Tim Carlson is, but the info seemed like just what I was looking for.

Not that I plan to have any "killer Ironman bike splits" any time soon. But what the article pointed out was even the great triathletes, Peter Reid, Lori Bowden, Heather Fuhr, Paula Newby-Fraser, to name a few, all have improved their biking skills by indoor trainer workouts. While none of them were particularly thrilled with the idea of resorting to trainer workouts, even after moving to climates conducive to year-round training, all could see the benefits of, and firmly believed, that trainer workouts were what put them over the edge of their competition.

The thing that really stuck in my mind about the article was something Peter Reid said: "I get the same intensity out of a 90-minute workout on the trainer that I do from three or four hours on the road." Now that really appealed to me. I'm all for saving time on workouts without cutting corners, of course. The other, and main thing for me, was the safety factor. If I can get a quality workout in the safety of my own home, you can bet I'll be doing that.

I know last year being paranoid with riding on the road really limited me in improving on the bike. I can't really say that any of my workouts were quality, but they sure were about quantity, with no real noticeable improvements. And no way was I competitive any more. I realize now I simply cannot expect to improve if my workouts don't offer me more quality.

So naturally what I always do is try to find ways to improve on my workouts, which would result in better performance, that also fit in with my abilities and time to train. This seems like it might be the best thing I can come up with for now. Makes me wonder why it took me so long to figure this out!

Today I did a 35 minute trainer ride, mostly to test out the resistance, how much I could handle, and cadence, which I need a lot of work with. I gave up a 45 min. spin class to stay home and fiddle with the bike, but I think in the long run it will help me more.

I'm hoping this in turn helps improve my running and swimming again too.

Tomorrow's agenda is "9 on the 9th." Hopefully I can pull that off. If not the full 9 running, I will now be able to finish up on the bike.

And good luck to all those participating, and to Suzanne and Cindy on their marathons this weekend!