It’s probably a little too early to start reminiscing about my training, but I wanted to remember what happens to me in a turbo session. I love being on the bike – outside, I do not like being on the bike inside. This is about the training session here. Here goes.

Today is my longest session on the turbo so far. I think from now they don’t increase in length anymore. They get more intense, but time wise this is the max. It’s 90 minutes long. Just 90 minutes training for something I really want to do, but it’s been playing on my mind all day. I have a late conference call and so can only get on at 6:45. I’m hungry, I’m really not in the mood. My legs are a little sore from yesterday, I’m trying to convince myself I don’t really have to do this. But jeez, I really do. My biking is not where I want it to be and if I miss this session well, next weeks just gets harder. Right then, faff around, get changed and get on.

Philippa helps a lot at this point, she’s watching tv in the front room with me and literally in the second minute she says ‘you’re doing really well’. I don’t feel like I’m doing well, my thighs are burning already. I know from experience as I warm up, this will go but right now another 88 minutes seems too hard.

7 minutes in, feeling a bit better. I look over to my plan on the chair next to me. For this ride after 15 minutes I have to ride hard for 4 minutes and have a 2 minutes rest, which I’ll repeat 8 times. Riding hard is well into that ‘aaaargh my legs burn!’ Zone. It’s not a fun place to be but the intervals do make the time go faster.

Pilla tells me she’s proud of me and that there isn’t long to go.

15 minutes, I ride hard. It hurts. Breathing hard by the end of it and the sweating is literally pouring off me. I can’t do another 7 of those. 2 minutes rest, feeling ok, lets just get the next 4 minutes done. After this one I’ll be a quarter of the way there on the intervals.

As much as I want to ‘be in the moment’ and I enjoy what I’m doing I spend most of the time looking at my garmin. 20 minutes down, 70 to go. The intervals come and go, I get to 4. Halfway. I have a towel but it’s drenched. There’s a puddle on the floor.

Another interval. Legs burn. 2 minutes of gentle spinning to recover. 5 down, for the first time I think I’m going to complete this interval set, then I know there only 29 minutes of cool down cycling after it. Ace! Pilla is now telling me frequently how well I’m doing. It helps, but I don’t say much if she says it during the intervals, I feel like if I stop concentrating I’ll stop.

Why don’t I stop? I could just get off bike. I could literally just stop pedalling and this would be over. I know I’ll beat myself up if I do, let’s just get this done. I only get the chocolate milk at the end if I finish the session properly.

Into the last interval, quite enjoying the discomfort now that I know it’s my last one of the night, get this done then its just 29 minutes of regular cycling. I get it done.

Pilla tells me I’m doing well. Again.

I’m drenched, not long left, two thirds of the distance done. Why do I keep breaking everything up into segments? Doesn’t matter, just keep going. 18 minutes left, 80% done. 10 minutes, Pilla does a little ‘well done dance’. Love it, love her. 5 minutes, 4, 3, 120 seconds, 90 seconds less than a minute. Done.

Pilla cheers.

Sit on the bike for a minute. Feel awesome. Bring on tomorrow!