My only event for this year (after bailing on ultra due to knee issues) is now a no-go due to bereavement so there is nothing on my calendar for events or training as the plan would have ended in a week.
I’m struggling to do anything with the bike or kettlebells (and generally too if I’m being honest) but I know the person wouldn’t want me to skip my bikes - they always pushed me to ride and would ask after what feels like every ride how it went - so I want to at least get my calendar filled to try and find some normality (this is the longest without exercise in maybe 20 years).
So to the crux of the matter, I cannot do 60 mins right now so planning to try 30 mins sessions. In building a plan would PB work better with the plan set to 60mins and then adjust the current block to 30, or do it all set to 30 and up to 60 in the future? Or does the AI overlord not care? I was thinking about planning so when I look at the calendar it’s there which would help me start.
Or the other option is just to chuck in a single base block and reevaluate my life in 4 weeks. However, that requires a bit more daily work as you can’t set the length of the workouts across the whole block, which I guess might require a feature request, albeit a low pri one as most people use PB.
Hey sorry to hear you’re going through a tough time. I think starting small with 30 min sessions is a great idea, just to help get you back into a routine.
When my mom died, I wasn’t sure whether training would help or hurt me. The day after I intentionally picked an insanely difficult workout, but my heart wasn’t into it. Just try it and see if training helps or depletes you. Then you know what you have to do.
What worked for me were just free outdoor rides with no particular structure. I don’t think I ever hammered it, I simply went with the flow.
Exercise is good for mental health, so I would suggest forget about maximizing training (efficiency) and just ride. For fun. As much as you feel like. Maybe even just try to ride even if you don’t feel like it and see how it goes.
First and foremost I’d like to just express condolences from myself and also the rest of the TR team.
Those of us who have been in these situations before know that they are often life-changing and extremely difficult to deal with. I’d encourage you to take some time to do what feels right in your life before jumping back into cycling.
With that being said, it sounds like you’re finding some motivation from this to continue doing what you love in honor of this person’s encouraging attitude and often times the things we love, especially when involving physical exercise, can serve as our own form of therapy, so I understand your desire to get some rides on your calendar as a reminder to stick with it.
In that case, @ivegotabike’s advice of using TrainNow could be a good option as it will often give you a few different workout types to pick from which might be nice when you’re not sure how you’ll be feeling from one day to the next.
Otherwise, I’d say that creating a plan with Plan Builder and setting all of the max duration caps to 30 minutes as you mentioned would be a good option. You can always use Workout Alternates to find a different-length workout if you’re feeling up for it at some point.
It’s pretty easy to manipulate your plan down the road even if you feel like you want to increase the duration of all your scheduled workouts at once, so I wouldn’t worry about setting them all to 30 minutes for now. This way you won’t feel any pressure to step it up before you’re ready. Ultimately, the AI overlord won’t mind either way.
I’d like to also mention that it’s important to take care of yourself during this time, both mentally and physically. If your knee is causing issues, I’d address that before continuing to train. I know in these times it’s easy to want to just ride to try and clear your mind, but I’d hate to see this injury get worse down the road and cause more issues for you. You don’t need that right now, so do your best to take care.
Let me know if we can help out with anything at all moving forward. We’re always here if you need us.
Honestly, if it were me, I would first just try to get out on my bike (or a run, hike, anything really) with no intention of performance and just get out there. Then if you want to sprint for that county line sign or push it up that hill, then do it. But I’d first just try to get outside and enjoy it.
When I’ve been in a position like that (work stress, bereavement, moving, or just majorly thrown off for some reason) my performance just isn’t going to be there so trying to ‘train’ is likely to just bum me out further.
To each their own. But consider just getting out and enjoying the fresh air and some physical movement before trying to train.
Honestly, it’s not the training per se, I just want to look at a calendar and something be normal. Currently, it’s empty apart from the entry that says funeral, and I just want my mum. I’m middle-aged and the whole street has heard me sobbing and asking for my her. Objectively I knew it would happen cos everyone does eventually, but I’m decidedly not great and pretty emotionally variable.
Just ignore this, I just need somewhere to let my feelings out and I’m sort of anonymous here (unless you’ve seen my bike then you’ll recognise me!) so I’m just talking to the void. Sorry for putting anything on people here.
Hei don’t feel sorry for tour feelings. I lost my mom when I was 29 and it sucks regardless. It sucks now it sucked then it will suck in 5 or 10 years. Mom is mom and you‘ll always think about her. Don’t push the feelings away and just go with the flow. Take a long walk and just let the thoughts flow trough you. It won’t be „normal“ again after loosing a parent but you‘ll heal and move on. If the full calender helps you with that, then fill it. But don’t be too hard on yourself. The loss is taxing enough for body and mind. All the best for you and your family
That’s totally cool, we are here for each other. Good luck on your healing journey.
Structured training did help me with that, especially during the last year of my mom’s life. It served as a form of self-care and therapy. (My mom died from cancer, and it was clear early on she wouldn’t survive.)
Try to let things settle down, and then see if training helps you. I think some form of regular schedule will help you find a new normal. (The way I think about it is that you want to find a new equilibrium after a substantial alteration.)
