It's not that I actually prefer riding on the trainer or running on the treadmill, but when I train this way, it saves me tons of time. Unless it's a ride over 3 hours (2 more coming up this weekend!), I only need to go into my fridge and grab a bottle of Gatorade and/or Coke to drink. So I save time because I don't need to:
- Mix up one or more bottles of Infinit or defizz Coke
- Load up a Fuel Belt (I have 3)
- Wash said bottles
- Spend time figuring out what to wear based on the weather
- Obsess about the weather
- Drive somewhere cool and/or safe to ride long
- Remember to put on my Road ID (yes I have one now)
- Pack a cooler so my bottles stay cold if I'm riding in Fermilab
- Transfer my "wallet" (it's a small case from a bike ride LOL), phone and spare keys to gym or bike bag
- Choose a nice looking outfit (I must represent, after all!), although I do do this indoors at times
- Load bike into car, take it out, load it back in, take it out, put it into the house
- Remember to pack a bag for dirty clothes
- Apply sunscreen
- Pack extra food if I'm driving somewhere
- Clean bikes
Maybe it doesn't seem like that much time that I'm saving during winter training, but trust me, it adds up quickly. Now, you might think that is balanced out by the monotony of trainer riding and treadmill running. Well, there's that. But I have a good TV and a great sound system and I can have the music LOUD, and all my fluids are COLD.
I also tend to train less in the winter months, and were it not for winter, I would probably kill myself year round! Seriously! Much as I'd enjoy living in a warmer climate, I just don't know how I'd stop myself from wanting to be running, riding and swimming outdoors A LOT all the time!
And since my winter indoor sessions (except for long runs when I'm training for a marathon which I will be after IMCOZ) are typically shorter than in-season, it's an opportunity for me to build/reinforce my personal HTFU, because I hate steady-state stuff on the trainer/treadmill, and typically do progressive rides/runs. That IM-pace ride on Saturday bored the crap out of me to ride steady for such a long time, for example. Rides like that are the exception rather than the rule.
The time I save from training indoors gets reallocated to other pursuits that I really enjoy, like cooking, reading, sewing, more strength training and relaxing. Then there's that lack of yard work in the winter. And you might say, but SNOW! Well, yes, there's that, but I don't mind shoveling when it's just 1-2" and fluffy. To me, it's an opportunity to be outside in it. I should do more cross-country skiing, too, but oh well, not this winter.
I also like drinking wine in the winter with a good, hearty meal. I'm just not into wine in the warmer months.
Finally, my house is much, much cleaner in the winter. There isn't bike and run gear all over the place!
But hey, I'm leaving for Cozumel in 2 weeks and get to temporarily put winter on hold! I used to regularly take a winter vacation somewhere on a beach before I started doing triathlons. I'm going to start doing that again, even if it includes some sort of race. In 2014, I'm going to Vegas in March, and in 2015, it's back to Orlando (can't believe I haven't been to Florida since 2011) for Dopey Challenge. I am also going to try and get down to Florida this coming spring to impose on some friends that said I could come and visit whenever I want.
So as much as winter can be a pain in the ass at times, I'm going to keep my positive attitude about it being an opportunity for me to switch gears for a few months.
