For the majority of triathletes, the winter of 2009/2010 has been one of the most challenging on record.  Unless you're fortunate enough to call Arizona or southern California home, snow - and plenty of it - have made for almost universal inaccessibility of our usual routes causing us to us to retreat indoors for cycling workouts.  While snow shoes and kick-boxing are great ways to mix it up during winter, there is no substitute for "getting specific" in early spring.

What do we mean by “getting specific”?  To have fun and get the most out of your race, eventually you need to begin logging consistent miles on your bike and recruiting your muscles consistently in the way they will get used on race day.  There is no substitution for this, particularly if you are newer to the sport of triathlon.  Two of the most commonly cited reasons for avoiding riding indoors includes “being too hot” or “getting bored”, both of which can be overcome with a little creativity.
To help address over-heating, reach for synthetic cycling clothing instead of cotton t-shirts and soccer shorts.  At a minimum, wear cycling shorts with a proper chamois to avoid chaffing and promote a comfortable seated position.  Always make sure you have 16-20 fluids available per hour or more for each hour riding indoors; a good suggestion is having one bottle with sports drink and one with water for longer rides.  Lastly, invest in a fan and park it in front of your trainer at home and if your workout is particularly challenging, slightly open a window, as well.

For motivation, join a spin class or two per week.  Most often these free of charge at health clubs and offer great motivation while affording the opportunity to suffer with twenty of your closest friends.  If you don’t currently belong to a gym, spin classes are but one of the many great benefits to triathletes.  If you’re on the trainer at home, throw in a movie (laptop or TV) or create a motivational playlist for your iPod.

Sample Indoor Workout

• 60 minute total duration with 10-15 minute progressive warm-up
• 4-6 repetitions of “big gear” repetitions at a low pedaling cadence lasting 3-5 minutes each at an intensity level of 7-8 out of 10
• 2-3 minutes of recovery spinning between each interval
• 5-10 minute cool down spin