The Little Things
January 20, 2015

Last week I hopped on my bike trainer, intent on getting in a longer ride (somewhere in the 20-24 mile distance). I tend to hover in the 14-20 mile range for my “long rides” throughout the winter, keeping a good base for the spring. My longest rides over the past two winters have been 28 miles, and I haven’t gone past that point (mostly due to time, and not really having a reason to keep going).

Last Thursday was different, though. It was one of those days where everything seemed to click on the bike. Sometimes staying in one place gets really monotonous, but not last Thursday. I have my bike in front of the windows that look out onto my porch, so I feel like I’m at least close to fresh air and nature.

I threw in a movie, Life Is Beautiful. The movie is in Italian with English subtitles, so I knew that it would hold my attention just a bit more. Life Is Beautiful is one of my favorite movies, and is about a family (mom, dad, and son) during World War II. I find it deeply emotional and touching, and have loved it ever since I first saw it at the end of high school. Movies sometimes naturally allow for a pseudo-interval workout, because I find myself picking up the pace during intense parts, and backing off during the lulls of the movie.

I hit 20 miles and was absolutely astonished at how quickly the time had gone, so I decided to keep going. The movie ended, and I picked up Chrissie Wellington’s book “A Life Without Limits” to enjoy while I kept riding. At some point I decided that I would bike until 30, making sure to focus on form over those last miles (I haven’t ridden this distance since my ride into Mackinac back in August).

Chrissie Wellington Book and Bike Trainer

I didn’t take in any fuel throughout the ride (why is it that 30 miles without fuel on the road is too much, but 30 miles inside is fine?), and felt great, but I did drink about 50 ounces of nuun!

IMG_7983

I hit 30 miles on the bike, and felt great knowing that I set a new distance record for my indoor bike (my outdoor PDR is 64 miles, which I did last August). So, there you go- a new bike trainer PDR! 🙂 Now only a few months until I can get outside again…

Now it’s your turn to share! How do you pass time on the bike trainer or treadmill in the winter?

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2 responses to “A New Bike Trainer PDR”

  1. Jess says:
    January 20, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    Congrats on the new PDR! I love La Vita e Bella, and Iit’s one of those movies that really sticks with you over time. I like to listen to music on the treadmill but I hate wearing headphones – a tricky conundrum.

    • littlethingscaroline@gmail.com says:
      January 20, 2015 at 2:59 pm

      I’ve never seen La Vita e Bella, so I’ll have to check it out. It is a conundrum to like music but hate headphones. Have you ever tried cordless ones?