Lethargic idling.

Base period number three is now well underway. After a holiday-sort-of-week (very easy recovery week) in Finland I flew back to here, Villamartin. The first week was, ehh, pretty weird and even rough. Afterwards, it wasn't bad or anything and I was doing relatively ok, but going from being highly fatigued to highly fresh was drastic. At the end of last training phase I was actually struggling to get my heart rate up to stay 160, and now I was struggling to say below 160 when I started again. Definitely frustrating. Yet, after the first three-day block things started to get back to normal, if there is such thing as normal in training – I mean that going from freshness to fatigue back and forth, where does the normal fit in that? And I guess that it doesn't matter so much at all.

Otherwise life is pretty easy going. Train-eat-sleep works well for the moment and I'm quite happy with what is going on, or perhaps what all isn't going on.

Now that the spring is coming, and therefore the race season is ahead, I've circled some provisional dates in my race calendar, but nothing conclusive. That doesn't say, that I don't know where my primary goals are in the coming racing season, because those dates have been long circled and many times. Still, I don't feel like fixing any sort of racing calendar just yet. Maybe next time though I'll scribble about races, motivation and targets as I'm moving to the build periods and things are starting to get more specific in my training.

Rest days, as today, are usually cool. This morning was even cooler in terms of room temperature as well as my wake up in the morning. I eventually woke up to a thunderstorm – I would have been seriously irritated, had it been training day coming up. Now that it was rest day's morning, I was just happy to lie down, listen to the rain and think whether I'm gonna have three or four cups of fresh coffee when I finally get up. So far three, but I'm already thinking of a refill.

Who the heck was Gill Bates?

To that question I can only answer from my side. Firstly, maybe it is worth to open up the reason behind this particular topic – so, why I ended up even trying to answer this question was triggered by my very own thoughts today, hence the header. I shall open that incident in detail later on.

Generally, the thoughts vary in between the session depending on factors such as the type of the session and so on. In other words, if it is more about base endurance type of stuff my thoughts at least wonder around more than during intervals and not to even mention gym sessions. However, there are general pathways that the mind goes, which is practically always the same.

Pathway 1 is the neutral one. You feel ok, but not quite sure how it all will turn out, so most of the time you just try feel your legs and how they're working. Then comes the comparison to earlier similar work outs and interpreting the data on the small screen attached to the stem. ”Last time I did this and that and now this and that”. There is also occasional thoughts of something that just has been going on lately or some planning ahead.

Pathway 2 is the invincible one. You feel superb that day and stare at the screen in amazement and don't want that to end. Again, the comparisons come into play in a way that you just think how much you have developed and more importantly how much you will develop. These sessions are often the breakthroughs for motivation and so on. During these rides the occasional thoughts are rare as you just flow through the day and wish the same form to continue and you may even start daydreaming.

Pathway 3 is the miserable day out. The feeling is utter crap. You continuously try your legs out and at first think that ”Ok, it's gonna turn alright after an hour or so.” - yet, it doesn't. You just keep staring at the numbers and curse. The cursing continues as you just keep checking the time and realize that there still three hours left and the feeling ain't getting any better. Now the occasional thoughts are just normality and boy, they definitely are not of the inspiring nature.

Still, each and every workout ends the same: ”What will I eat when I get home?”.

Despite the pathways are quite clear, the occasional thoughts are the ones that actually make all more interesting. The just tend to come out of the blue and be whatever. Now let's go to the incident of the day. I was doing 54^th minute of a 60min base interval and the thought hit my head:

”Was it Gill Bates or Bill Gates to own Microsoft?”

Have a good day!

About backing off and giving it all.

Quit the mumbling and do your efforts. I did say that a dozen times to myself last Tuesday, but in fact, I just couldn't do my efforts. Eventually I backed off from that one training session, which was preceeded and followed by endless debate whether or not to back off, whether it was giving up or not. It was first time for long, when I simply couldn't do what it said in the program.

To me, there are two types of backing off. One acceptable, one not so much. I think it applies as far as those acceptable backing offs ain't becoming a daily routine – I'm sure you know what I mean. If it is one odd day out, it is alright. That day I just couldn't I deliver and it could see it and feel it, but still I started every single effort to see whether I could do it. And then when I couldn't, I did back off but not before I was clearly out of the effort. However, the day I just decide I feel bad and back off, someone is to kick my ass – big time.

The reason behind the odd day, as I later found out, was in my eating, or better, the lack of it. I had eaten too little between the training session, which then lead to empty tanks and at last dropped power output. Hence, the backing off. Problem solved, and today a modification of that very same training session was no problem and after that I had an apple pie to start my recovery. So good.

Otherwise, it has been very windy, but good. Training has been well and no major problems. Just gotta keep on the good path, but today a welcomed day of rest! Coffee, chill and more coffee.

Spain in photos.

Ride.

Ride more.

Get lost in the middle.

Then ride again.

And a bit more of riding.

Road block.

On a family hike.

Checking it out...

...then consult.

Vamos Torre.. and my favourite ever leftie!

Obviously my view of Spain in photos is a little bit biased and twisted, even I admit it.