So we're all pretty much in the same boat this time of year. There you are. You've willed your seasonally depressed self to the bike in the corner. Once again, you're clipping into your trainer with a fan blowing 72 degree arid wind at your already brutally dry winter face. You're getting ready to punish yourself for X-amount of time. You have workout-X dialed into your computer, brain, or printed on now a tattered sheet of paper. Or maybe you're mixing it up for triathlon season and hitting the elliptical or treadmill......you multi-sport stud!
It really doesn't matter the choice of machinery or how difficult your base training may or may not be on this day. The hardest thing to deal with will be the net actual distance gain of 0.0 miles or kilometers at the end of your "journey" (They both read out the same at that point, no conversion necessary). Looking outside is punishing. Snow covers just about every square inch of surface outside the window except the areas you've nearly broke your back to shovel clear. This is the time of year your mind starts playing tricks on you. You start considering taking to the streets when weather "breaks" at 34 degrees fahrenheit.
Always look at the bright side. Now is the the time of the year that you can train with headphones on and not have to worry about vehicular traffic or Chicago lakeshore quad-seat tourist pedaled death buggies. If you're like me, you find the TV, Stereo, or MP3 player to be you're saving grace while throttling yourself toward your pre-spring fitness goals. But even the best training playlists have a tendency to get soggy when frequently perused . This is why we all value keeping our collections crisp. There's nothing like a fresh set of downloads to keep fire us up and keep motivated while working toward our race season fitness.
Music and sport go hand in hand. Discussions about a new album or a night out at a concert has made for great conversation on long training rides. Shared MP3 player car-stereo time has been become commonplace on long trips to and from rides and races. In the past, I've started training-music related threads via team mailing list. These messages always drew quite a bit of "reply all" attention from team members with exception of the few that were annoyed and expressed their "my inbox is my temple" stance.
I've always been pleased to discover many fellow endurance athletes are avid music fans. This love of music isn't coincidental. I believe our musical interests are fueled by some of the same things that drive our passion for sport. The connection between the two rests in the similarity of physical gain. Similar to physical exertion, music makes us feel good and invigorates the body by aiding the release of endorphins. ( check this article out.... ) Pay attention to items #1 and 2 on the list. Actually, I think a day bearing all the listed items could quite possibly make for the best ever (except crying). The point I'm trying to make is that, no matter what level, as athletes we are severe endorphin junkies. But as long as the fix comes from healthy and, more importantly, LEGAL means, who cares!
It's these small physical gains from our workout tune collections that we dearly depend on this time of year. They're used as a substitute for thrill, filling the void of usual highs we gain from rolling hills, wind, and the sun we take in during rideable months of the year. But even a favorite route's dips, climbs, and bends need to be altered due to repetition and/or boredom from familiarity. For similar reasons, our training music must as be updated to keep our fire burning during the winter months. Or maybe you're one of those rare fortunate few that will be able to listen to that classic rock station for the rest of your life. Go on, get your Frampton on! To each, their own I suppose. I can dig it.
It's also the high BPM tunes that aide greatly with controlling tempo, and interval workouts. A geek's confession: I've made BPM a viewable item in my iTune collection to arrange like tempo tunes within playlists. A very simple, but useful tool this time of year when plotting workouts according to cadence and intensity.
The greatest thing about a training playlist is that it let's us unleash our inner freak a bit without consequence (commonly and thankfully with the aide of noise canceling headgear). I mean, if I had to blast my training tunes in the car with the windows down during a traffic jam on the Eisenhower, I'd have a hell of a time justifying some of the shit coming from the speakers (or perhaps better illustrated by popular example). But, hell, I've been listening to Wu Tang now for longer that some kids at the track have been born........son? I commonly put my typical musical tastes aside for a good fist pumping (it happens in my head), adrenaline boosting workout tune. I usually favor some good electronic music, hip-hop, or a good indie rock jam.
So, I've listed some of my favorite workout tunes below. Each song title links where you can have a listen (primarily youtube). If you're playlist has grown a bit tired as of late, I hope you can find a tune or two of your liking to give it a boost. I'd also like to be given some suggestions to expand my own collection and spruce things up a bit. If you feel moved to do so, it would be appreciated. This invite is not limited to cycling folk. I want to hear from any and everyone who love to rock out, even if only from time to time. So here's to working into a successful spring season. Until then, JAM ON WITH YOUR FAN ON!
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
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