March 2013 Mileage

Is your fitness yo-yoing? Mine certainly has been with this weather disruption, you just can't plan for being out at the minute. Snow was the biggest surprise, impacting a weekend and knocking 80-100 miles straight off the March plan.  

Thankfully it co-incided with a virus I caught, so it didn't feel like a complete waste.  I've put a good few days in with the long bank holiday weekend (150 miles) so it's helped catch up some of the deficit from the weather to get me closer to my monthly target of 420 miles. 

March felt like two steps forward with one back, so I was grateful for the additional days as the month drew to a close. Without the snow and virus, I'm confident I would have ended nearer 450 miles. Last year I managed 550, a good result in better conditions.

Reviewing my ride data from the last three months, my average speed is increasing, my heart rate to achieve that is reducing and I've upped the ascent profiles of the rides I've done (see the line in pink in the chart below).  Things are in the right direction of travel - up!

Ascent vs. Miles - March 2013

Today I'm resting.  Effective training is not about riding to exhaustion, it's about good training, rest and recovery.  If the weather improves in April, plan is to put in around 320 miles in the saddle but to spend more time in the gym again working on core conditioning and strength as I run up to London to Paris in June.

Month  to Date
Mileage- 366 miles
Ride Time - 23hrs 27mins
Climbing - 12,872ft
Avg. Speed - 15.6 mph
Avg. HR - 144bpm
Avg. Cadence 94rpm
Calories (estimate) -14,248
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Miles) -38.9 (Flat/Moderate)

Year to Date
Mileage- 911 miles
Ride Time - 59hrs 50mins
Climbing - 27,457ft
Avg. Speed - 15.2 mph
Avg. HR - 144bpm
Avg. Cadence 83rpm
Calories (estimate) -36,940
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Miles) -30.14 (Easy/Flat)