The Faster Master Part 4 - Suffer

okay... so i know that i told you last time how important it was to rest and recover.... but it's equally important to be willing to turn yourself inside out, let sweat drip from your nose, put your head down and grit your teeth, and fight your way through burning legs, aching backs and inadequate lungs....

doesn't sound like fun... i know... but the truth is, the more you are willing to suffer during training rides, the better your future rides and races will become... if you are able to squeeze out 2 more hill repeats or extend your TT but another minute, your legs will feel that much better next time, and those hills won't seem so hard....

the easiest way to do this? find a training partner who is equally fast or faster... and challenge them on training rides... "first one to the top of the hills wins".... "race you to the end of the double track"..... "sprint you to the blue sign"..... they all help.... and it's an easier way to get in the dreaded intensity that is so hard to do on your own....

i'm lucky... i get to spend time with Eric and Mark Batty... both faster than me... so i'm always chasing them ... or just trying to stay on their wheel... but i've also put in a lot of time doing 1-and-1's in the winter.... 1 minute at above threshold, 1 minute to recover.... they're great intervals for building up your body's ability to flush lactate without sending your HR through the roof....

find a friend.... go out and hurt each other... and THEN recover and rest... :)