I had an interesting experience in the gym tonight. I was at my usual RPM class and was finding it as tough at always. I was distinctly under the impression that, as time went on, it was  suppose to get easier, but tonight I found it as brutal as ever.

I got the class early so, being the brave soul that I am, went right to the back on the class and got on a bike there. As the class filled up a girl took the bike diagonally in front of me which turned it into a really interesting class for me. I know what you must be thinking, that I  spent the next 50 minutes watching the girl in front bobbing up and down, but it wasn’t like that. I could see the screen on the front of her bike and spent a lot of time comparing her workout to mine and, as a result, think I got some interesting insights into my cycling. I was about to compare my out to hers.

Now,I am taking the assumption that we are both pretty fit. She probably has a job and doesn’t have as much time ot train as I do and, as I am pretty fit right now and have been getting out a lot, thought it might be a like for like comparison. It was really interesting and a bit of an eye opener comparing our outputs.

Firstly there was a bit of difference in RPM or cadence. While we were sprinting, I could only get up to about 120 at a big push,  while she was up are 135-140. Similarly her power output was usually much higher than mine. While I was putting out around 150 watts, she was up nearer 300. The measure of power is off course is a measure of work by time which will will affect by the resistance we both had the bikes set at. However, I did notice that we were using  similar resistance settings as well.

Its difficult to know whether our differences in output levels are due to my lack of fitness, or are contributed to by my Cerebral Palsy? I have been training hard lately and feel really fit right now, have been getting out as much as I can over the winter too. I suspect that it is probably a combination of both fitness, and a consequence of my CP. For example, I read that one of the manifestations of CP is a reduced lung capacity. I am very aware that I seem to get out of breath more easily than others.

Having searched the Internet for information of the effects of exercise on CP, I have found next to nothing. There seems to me a real shortage of data and information on it. I am making a big effort to record all my training data in the hope that, as well as comparing it to able-bodied people, I might be able compare my performance to other people with CP and get a more accurate measure of my performance. I hope also that, if there is a shortage of information on CP and fitness, I might be able to start using my data as an example.

I have recently been in contact with Scottish Cycling to enquire as to whether is a group, or race circuit for disabled people in Scotland, and there appears to be nothing.  I find this quite ironic because a number of the British paralympic cycling team are from Scotland.  I have however subsequently been in contact with British Cycling and have discovered the paracycling race circuit. This is a series of races that take place throughout England and where anybody is  entitled to enter.

I believe that they have tried to establish a similar race series in Scotland but have, as yet, been unable to do so. This might be due to the lack of population is Scotland, meaning that there are a lot fewer disabled cyclists going about Scotland. Or perhaps it is due to the lack of initiative or will to set one up. Perhaps this is a project for me for the future.

Meantime, I have to try and keep up with the able-bodied people in the club. This usually works out ok and there are groups that go a bit slower and I can manage to hang in there when we are out on a ride. I do have a tendency to compare myself with other riders in the club which is not always very productive. When I am training on my own I feel pretty good sometimes. I have made tremendous progress over the last 12 months however, when I go out with the club, sometimes feel like I am back where I started and am the slowest riding in the club.

I am sure it is not always good to compare myself with other people. It is particularly unhelpful to compare myself to able-bodied riders. I do forget that I have Cerebral Palsy and this make things more difficult. Things take a lot more energy and I need to remember that and be proud of what I am doing and not get despondent when comparing myself to others.

Had a great run to North Berwick again yesterday.  I seem to go down that way all the time at the moment and get a train home again. 9 days out of 10 the wind is coming from the west and blows me down there and the train home avoids a long slog home into, what can be, a really strong wind.

Although it is early in the season, I am beginning to think about the things I want to achieve this year and how to start training for that. Now that I am using a heart rate monitor (HRM), it allows me to structure my training better.

I’ve recently been in contact with British Cycling and discovered a race circuit for disabled people, called para-cycling. There is a paracycling race in Cumbria this April at the beginning of the season, so I am going to train for that race. I have never raced before nor indeed, even cycled with other disabled people so it will be a completely new experience for me.  I’m looking forward to meeting other disabled cyclists as well as having the opportunity to measure my performance up against them.

The other thing on my mind today was the 10 mile time trial. I’ve become very conscious when I’m out,  trying to maintain a good steady effort for around a half hour at a time. Again, this is when my HRM comes in handy as a measure of the effort I am putting out.

Its still a bit cold and already I’m looking froward to the weather getting a bit warmer so that I can really get my teeth into my training. I made great progress in my cycling last year and hope I make as much progress this coming year.

Feeling a bit fed up right now as I am choked with the cold still, although ti is much better than it has been. I don’t tend to get colds very often so when I do its a real pain. Not been out on the bike for almost a week now and I’m scratching to get out.

There seems to be two lines of thought about the best way to deal with having a cold or ailment like this. On the one hand it is tempting to rush out and think that the fresh air might help blow away the cob webs so to speak and help you feel better. On the other hand some folk argue that you should wait a good while after you start to feel better to make sure whatever you have, or had, is gone.

I’ve arranged to go for a short run tomorrow so time will tell what is the right way to approach it. What do other people do? How long do other people wait?  Or do they stop at all?  I’d be interested to know.

Since the middle of December I have been attending spin, or RPM classes on a regular basis at my local sports centre. The weather is cold and makes getting out on the bike difficult and sometimes the turbo is not so appealing, so have been going to RPM.

The first time I went, I thought it was 50 minutes of sheer pain!  After the first 15 minutes I was looking at the clock wondering if I was going to make it to the end of the class. However I do find it really good  training and have learned a bit about training methods that I can apply to my own training.

Of the things I have learned and I feel the most valuable of them must be  interval training. Intervals can be used to enhance performance in a number of ways. By timing intervals you can work on climbing, sprinting or can can be used to increase your endurance of both. For example, for ten minutes I might up the resistance and come out the saddle for 60 seconds, every alternate minute. 60 seconds is a lot for me at the moment but, if you are stronger than me,(which wouldn’t be hard!)  you might do it for longer. I also find it valuable to do this with sprinting. Every alternate minute for about quarter of an hour, I sprint as fast as I can for 30 second, again helping to improve my  performance.

I’ve been learning lots about training techniques that seem to be working for me and will share more about them in subsequent posts.

Happy New Year everybody! I hope everybody has had as peaceful a time as I have over the festive season and are ready to start 2012 with energy and Enthusiasm. I feel fantastic and am  looking forward to the coming year and all the things I want to achieve in it. I am not a great  one for setting new years resolutions, but this year I have a couple and they both involve sport.

My first it to try to find a course to start in the autumn to study sports coaching or sports science. I all ready have a course booked for the spring of this year. I am going to be sitting my cycle coaching level 2 exams. This will enable me to couch young people in a group and I am looking forward to assisting the club with the junior section in the future. My second resolution is to work harder at my own cycling and to train harder.

I went cycling on New Years day which was a really nice  way the start the year. There was about 15 of us and it was windy but nice. Yesterday I did a few hill reps close  to home, and today got an RMP class planned. I feel fantastic and really enthusiastic about training agian.

I am trying to structure my training better and have designed a spread sheet to record all my data on. I train with a Heart Rate Monitor and record the  time in, about, and below my training zones. Also record things like the average speed, number of miles I have done, and a few comments about the conditions and how I was feeling. With this I am hoping to build up a picture of my training and hopefully the progress I make. Hope I keep it up and get really fit over the coming year.