Odd.
I have two cycling events scheduled over the next six months. A six hour Time Trial in Borrego Springs, CA (Nov '25). And a twenty-four hour Ultra event in Sebring, FL (Feb '26). I'll be 80 for the Sebring Ultra.
A relief.
A decade or so ago I trained with Volume (miles and feet climbed) and Intensity (watts and heart rate). I struggled to be Consistent in my training. Cycling events have always anchored my training. I trained to be able to finish events rather than set performance records. I did o.k..
In context.
Cycling ranks fifth on my list of priorities (wife and family, health, finances, clients ... cycling). So, suffice it to say, my training was inconsistent. Without consistency in training everything else (volume and intensity) amounts to little more than `exercise'.
Now.
I train for good health. Eat well. Sleep well. I love my family. I love my work.
Pleasure and enjoyment.
As I close out my 70's and enter my 80's I don't feel the need for Intensity as much. Metaphorically, I suppose I can say that I got rid of the `pain shed' in training. Watts and heart rate numbers are a distant (very distant) goal. I really look forward to training now.
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Exhaustion.
One of the cycling training tasks is to push past perceived physical limits. And then back off to recover and rest. A series of gradual pushing of the boundaries. Careful attention to this aspect of training improves performance. As Larry Graham says: "Too much is never enough".
Time.
I don't/won't have time for exhaustion. Time is now more of a limit than in the past. I'm getting (or `AM') old. Those I love and care about are also getting old. I sense the desire to indulge myself in attending to close family and beloved relationships. And that means cutting way back on exhaustion. It is an indulgence.
But none of what I said above will ever deprive me of the luxury of contradiction. I lack perfection and embrace the right to change my mind if and when I want to.
So there.
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