Training in Qatar

So how is the training going out here?

It started really well; after 2 weeks of acclimatisation and getting back into the training mindset, I had a good 8 weeks of what I called "strength & conditioning", basically doing weights, core, stretch and flex with a little bit of general aerobic work and some swimming. Nothing too strenuous. Then the turbo trainer and bike arrived and I got into some good old fashioned turbo sessions.

And then it went horribly wrong. I suffered a severe back pain whilst, of all things shaving, and the muscles in my lower back stiffened up considerably for no apparent reason. It took over a week of gentle exercise and stretching for me to be able to train properly again. And then the mind proved weak. I walked to the pool one day and when I got there had absolutely no inclination to swim - stuff it. So went cycling instead. Haven't been to the pool now in 3 weeks, that particular aspect of training has been set completely aside for the time being. I've done some running but that has also fallen foul of the "Can't be Bothered" Fairies and so my time is spent cycling, either outside on my borrowed MTB, on the spin-bike in the gym or on the turbo trainer, and core, stretch and flex work.

Following the threads on the forum it seems you can't mention turbo training without mentioning tabata at the moment. And I blame Sags and Neill G entirely for the additional pain I am putting myself through. As if the 30-minute FTP test wasn't bad enough (especially when the results showed an 8% drop in peak power since the Summer), doing the 6 x 6 min session and then adding the 6 x tabata set on the end was just AWESOME. The plan is to ride a bike of some description every day, with a turbo session at least every other day (done as Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 sessions, then repeat) with recovery rides or gim sessions on the inbetween days. If the mojo returns then I may do some gentle swimming and running as well on these days, but only after the bike stuff has been completed.

So what bike bling have I bought? I have a ceramic bearing bottom bracket and rear jockey wheels ready to fit when I get home, and should also be collecting an 82mm deep front wheel. I'm on the lookout for some new tribars to complete the bling for 2009 and have narrowed it down to 2 choices - all will be revealed in due course.

In the meantime, keep training smart. For those of you in the UK, be careful out on the roads. It can be dangerous out there.