Cruising In Place.

It takes me a while to get used to the trainer. Every year "a while" gets a little longer. Adapting from the constantly changing variables of the road to the more static efforts on the trainer is a mental and physical switch that I have to push through.
  
Once I get into it, I can get down to work. Before that? I'm just playing. Hours of undisciplined cranking away in the sweat box, re-developing the skill set that's going to get me through the next six months.
  
Today was one of the first days that I could convince myself to hold any sort of power for any meaningful amount of time. Sprints I can do, because the pain is over quickly. The long, aching grinds are what have been eluding me. I just didn't have the mental or physical toughness for them. If I want to build up my sustained power so I can hang with the group and position myself well for the finish, this is the suck I'm going to have to live in this winter.
  
I'm not looking forward to it.
  
What I am looking forward to is my rest day tomorrow. Maybe I'll set aside some time to re-organize some gear in the dungeon to make the whole experience more bearable. Maybe I'll just take a nap. Either one would do me some good.
  
Slowly I'll starting ratcheting up the intensity and duration. The TrainingPeaks squiggly lines will creep up, maybe even to the point of being normal. Barring injury or illness, they'll keep trending that way right up to the road season, where I'll learn if all the sweat was worth it.
  
Probably not.
  
First I have to get into the groove.

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