is it just me or in these strange times I find just pottering around the lanes in the sunshine is more appealing then intervals and structure.
no stressing over numbers and targets. just ramping up tss with no mental strain.
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Not just you. Sometimes we need to remember our reasons for being here. I have gone too far down the “training” rabbit hole at times, and dig out to rediscover the “soul of cycling” by forgetting that junk for a bit and simply ride for fun!!! Crazy, right? 
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I’m doing mostly zone 2 for 3 - 4 hours with 1xshort VO2 session and the odd training tt on Strava to keep things interesting - maybe actually a big base will make me a better rider in the end because normally this time of year I’m thrashing it up and down the road in a skinsuit! - this is fun especially as UK weather has been great - having to dust my tt bike though which I have never done before 
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Wait…you mean riding bikes is supposed to be fun??? 
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One of my lockdown goals is to ditch all the tech – even gears! – and take the single speed out once a week in the sun for a fun rip around. Curb hopping, skids, going as slow or fast as I want, high-speed cadence downhills, stopping to take a pic… 
Makes going back to the trainer dungeon a bit of a drag but also gives me something to look forward to.
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Yup, I am planning to break out my old trials bike to add some hopping and play riding in. It sat and collected dust for 3 years due to my “serious” cycling push these last few years. That and riding the MTB with NO DEVICES and a “focus” on play riding with a technical skew are something I really enjoy, but didn’t do enough of recently.
No better time than now to reset and maybe rediscover why we all ended up here in the first place 
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I’m trying to do longer gravel rides instead of sustained stuff just to get away from work stuff / kids 
. I also like to listen to the IM Talk Podcast while doing that, they have quite a refreshing way of looking at the current situation.
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Agree. Nothing like hours of just constant pressure on the pedals. No structure pre se but, it’s all about that bass (base). 
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Agree with you there. I’m super thankful I live in an area where I’m good to go outside, as that makes a world of difference to my mindset.
Still biking inside at the moment, but with a fairly aggressive cycling focus most of my runs are fairly unstructured and done by feel, and I’ve been taking advantage of the nice weather and freshly melted trails. 
Turned out to be a great mix- the running gets me outdoors and keeps the enjoyment factor there, and the structured training on the bike keeps some goals in place in lieu of work of school.
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I did two longer fixed gear rides last week after missing my commuter and you are spot on with the simplicity of it being energizing and sanity inducing. The second ride was off-road on singletrack and I had a shit eating grin on my face the whole time.
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I’ve got to find some tame single track around here to take my cross bike on…
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Weather has been sunny and dry.
Why wouldn’t you want to be riding outside.
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I totally agree. Sometimes I think that the podcast doesn’t cover enough of the joys of cycling than just competing.
Despite being allowed out to cycle (I’m in the UK) I have been using FulGaz to break up the Trainerroad sessions. I didn’t want to cycle miles away from home like I would normally do.
Next week I have a week off from work. Of course this will be no different than a normal week other than no work I have decided to give myself a challenge for that week. 500km in a week. I have picked my 6x FulGaz routes. It isn’t the same as real outdoor riding, but does break up the training rides. I can do routes I will never get to do.
This challenge if more mental than physical. A week off with no work will most likely be more challenging mentally than having work to do.
Staying all that. I look forward to getting out again for real once again.
Normally I’d be all about TR or maybe a little Zwift, but these days I can’t stomach the trainer (except for maybe a group workout with a good friend). Besides, it’s really the only way for me to keep anxiety and depression in check right now. At this point, I’m just riding for fun, and building that base that I so desperately need.
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Having enjoyed several weeks of being outside and doing loads of fun, unstructured riding i’m all worn out with it and needed a few days off. Too much of a good thing.
Fortunately (?) the weather has turned to crap so i’ve knocked up a TrainerRoad plan for the next month in the garage.
I need to swing the pendulum back again so i don’t get bored and lose focus in being fun and fast.
