General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Commuting for volume Rss Feed  
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2013-10-31 2:56 PM

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Hamilton, IL
Subject: Commuting for volume
I need more bike volume. That's all there is to it. Last year I got about 700 miles in and spent some good time in the saddle over the winter on my trainer, but I just don't seem to be making the gains I'd like.

Don't get me wrong, I'm making gains, slowly and surely. I really just see my 2012 miles and then my 2013 miles (go ahead, look at my logs, they are up to date) and its a glaring deficiency in my workout schedule. I'm starting to get moving again on tri training (I probably should never have stopped, but summer and HM training happened) and I'll probably spend some time with the race bike on the trainer again- maybe a better trainer. But I'm struggling with the concept of commuting on my bike. Generally, this is a thing I like to do, but the colder it gets, the more of a hassle it becomes. Today it is pouring rain, and I haven't bought fenders yet, so I opted not to commute, so more prep is needed.

I do not currently log my commuting miles (I'd guess 50 miles a month, but could be more) and I do not log the rides I do with the family anymore. In fact I do not even have an odometer on my commuter or my mountain bike.

So, here's the two part question with some more details.

1) Should I even bother commuting on the bike? [More details: total commute on Mon-Tue-Wed is 2.4 miles round trip, Thu-Fri is 12.4 miles round trip. It seems counter productive to spend all the time prepping with outfits and such for a cold commute over the distance of 1.2 miles if it doesn't really give me much in return]

2) IF I do commute on the bike, do I bother logging it into the training log, or just do what I've been doing because it's not true training?

[edit: this may be better suited for Triathlon Training, not sure why I put it into the Peloton forum, so if a mod would like to move it, I wouldn't be offended]

Edited by Danno77 2013-10-31 3:03 PM


2013-10-31 3:47 PM
in reply to: Danno77

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Subject: RE: Commuting for volume

My commute is slightly shorter than yours, maybe about 3km, but it is definitely worth it. Not so much for the training aspect, but for the amount of time and money I save instead of driving, or time instead of walking, so I'd encourage you to commute. I don't change my clothing though. That seems like too much of an effort. I have an older cruiser bike with big fenders and a chain guard. I wear a waterproof jacket and some waterproof overpants that I just strip off at work. 

Damn, I just reread your post better, I guess my commute is slightly longer than yours on Monday, Tuesday & Wedensday since my 3km is each way.

Anyway, here's what I do and it might work for you.

Monday, 6km round trip. Don't log that at all. I ride my cruiser. I think it has some value of just spinnng the legs out.

Tuesday and Thursday, 7km round trip. I stop at the pool on the way home. Don't log that at all either. I ride my cruiser. I don't really focus on cool down in the swim workout though, I use the rest of the ride home for that.

Wednesday and Friday, ~32km round trip = 3km to work, 13km to the velodrome after work, 16km home from the velodrome. I ride my road bike and count the ~32km of commuting time as training, but they are mostly warm up and cool down and the workout is done on the velodrome.

Can you do some drills or a short structured workout on Thursday & Friday?

2013-11-01 10:58 AM
in reply to: jeng

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Regular
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Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by jeng

My commute is slightly shorter than yours, maybe about 3km, but it is definitely worth it. Not so much for the training aspect, but for the amount of time and money I save instead of driving, or time instead of walking, so I'd encourage you to commute. I don't change my clothing though. That seems like too much of an effort. I have an older cruiser bike with big fenders and a chain guard. I wear a waterproof jacket and some waterproof overpants that I just strip off at work. 

Damn, I just reread your post better, I guess my commute is slightly longer than yours on Monday, Tuesday & Wedensday since my 3km is each way.

Anyway, here's what I do and it might work for you.

Monday, 6km round trip. Don't log that at all. I ride my cruiser. I think it has some value of just spinnng the legs out.

Tuesday and Thursday, 7km round trip. I stop at the pool on the way home. Don't log that at all either. I ride my cruiser. I don't really focus on cool down in the swim workout though, I use the rest of the ride home for that.

Wednesday and Friday, ~32km round trip = 3km to work, 13km to the velodrome after work, 16km home from the velodrome. I ride my road bike and count the ~32km of commuting time as training, but they are mostly warm up and cool down and the workout is done on the velodrome.

Can you do some drills or a short structured workout on Thursday & Friday?



I could probably do some short workout and drills, but it could not be in conjunction with the commutes at all unless you are referring to doing them whilst on the actual commute. I live in a pretty rural area, the short commute is in my small town and the long commute requires I ride on a rural, but paved, road. I'd be all over a velodrome if there was such a thing in this part of the world.

I wish I could just throw something waterproof on and call it a day, but my long commute requires a complete shirt change (at a minimum) as I wear a dress shirt with tie for work. When it's over 50F I drip sweat (there were mornings where the bike ride was in humid 90F weather), when it's under 45F I freeze for the first half and then sweat for the second half. (The short commute is really only an issue when it's super cold.) The layers that are required with gloves and armwarmers and socks and shoe change, it just gets cumbersome for that short commute.

Realistically, i should be prepared to bike in weather that dips into the negative temps (F) or sometimes holds in the single digits for days on end during the winter. In the warmer months, it will hold around 90s(F) day and night and peak at times well over 100, especially with heat index. Part of my problem is that I need to HTFU. I'm working on that, I'm not one to say I can't bike because of the weather, just trying to justify it for myself.





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2013-11-01 12:04 PM
in reply to: Danno77

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Vancouver, BC
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume

I hear you. I'm just lucky because at my tech job, I can wear jeans every day, so it simplifies things some. Also, Vancouver climate is pretty moderate, so it rarely gets below freezing or above 25C, so I don't really freeze or sweat on my short commute.

Good luck figuring things out.

2013-11-01 12:09 PM
in reply to: jeng

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Regular
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10001002525
Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by jeng

I hear you. I'm just lucky because at my tech job, I can wear jeans every day, so it simplifies things some. Also, Vancouver climate is pretty moderate, so it rarely gets below freezing or above 25C, so I don't really freeze or sweat on my short commute.

Good luck figuring things out.



I'm sure I will, it's just nice to have a place to complain.

Really, though, I guess I'm trying to figure out if there is any training benefit from the short commute.
2013-11-01 2:44 PM
in reply to: Danno77

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Vancouver, BC
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume

Yeah.

Honestly, I'd say probably not a specific benefit, but might be a good way to spin out tired legs from other workouts. I probably wouldn't replace another workout with your commute. But something is better than nothing right? Gotta do what you can.



2013-11-01 4:28 PM
in reply to: jeng

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Master
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PNW
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by jeng

Yeah.

Honestly, I'd say probably not a specific benefit, but might be a good way to spin out tired legs from other workouts. I probably wouldn't replace another workout with your commute. But something is better than nothing right? Gotta do what you can.




This is how I look at it. My commute is a little longer than yours (5 - 6 miles each way) and it doesn't feel like much in terms of training at all. There are days that I hammer as hard as I can between lights just to burn off some steam, but in reality, it's mostly to make me feel better, not to give me any training benefit.

When the weather was nicer, I would take the long way home (added a loop out into the country) to get in a training ride since I was already dressed and all. Those rides were always harder than regular training since I carry everything I need in panniers (glass lunch containers are HEAVY!) and my commuter bike is an old steel monster. I don't bother with doing this anymore since it's dark so early but maybe that's an option for you if you really want more miles?

That said, the short commute is still 1) better for my mental health than driving and 2) activity. This time of year, I don't do any other riding during the week really. Weekdays are for other training in my schedule so if I never bike commuted, I'd only touch my bike on the weekends and that just makes me feel guilty.

2013-11-09 12:58 PM
in reply to: Danno77

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Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Leave earlier, take a longer route get 45 minutes or so in each way and you will feel the benefits. I love commuting for miles (19miles each way), makes the work days much easier mentally.
2013-11-09 5:03 PM
in reply to: oweiss

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Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by oweiss

Leave earlier, take a longer route get 45 minutes or so in each way and you will feel the benefits. I love commuting for miles (19miles each way), makes the work days much easier mentally.


This...there is no reason you need to go straight from your house to the office. If you want to get more bike miles in, leave earlier and ride more miles. Ride to your Th/Fr office everyday. Just on M-W, turn around and go back to the office that's close to home.

I just started commuting to work 3.5 weeks ago. It's actually perfect for me. 16.5 miles each way, so about an hour if I take the most direct route which is just enough time to warm up a bit, throw in a few decent efforts, then cool down a bit. Or if I'm tired, I can cruise the whole way. When I'm feeling like more of a bike workout, I take a detour on the way home and go ride some hills.
2013-11-09 5:37 PM
in reply to: #4889442

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Regular
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Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
If I'm biking extra miles then it will not be a part of the commute. I don't see the difference between biking for exercise and then grabbing my work clothes and work bags and heading there. Why would I go to the trouble of packing my laptop and work stuff into a bag and then carrying that for another hour? So, again, this just confirms that the commutes themselves are just to short to be worthwhile from a training standpoint.
2013-11-11 12:24 AM
in reply to: Danno77

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Lakewood, CO
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Not to be sarcastic but at 580 miles for the year - 50 miles a month commuting is a whole extra year of training for you.
Of course this is coming from someone who actually has a shorter commute than you. I figure I get about 150 to 180 days in a year at just over a mile each way. That is 300 miles a year - That usually equals about a month of riding in the "normal" season for me in typical year - this one wasn't.
It is still time in the saddle as was said, can be a good spin out of the legs.
Yeah, it is usually not fun to bundle up for sub zero, but my thought is that I would only spend 7 minutes in it versus the 20 minutes walking. Although I have to admit our winters are a lot milder than yours.


2013-11-12 8:46 PM
in reply to: Danno77

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Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by Danno77

If I'm biking extra miles then it will not be a part of the commute. I don't see the difference between biking for exercise and then grabbing my work clothes and work bags and heading there. Why would I go to the trouble of packing my laptop and work stuff into a bag and then carrying that for another hour? So, again, this just confirms that the commutes themselves are just to short to be worthwhile from a training standpoint.


Well, if you're unwilling to add miles to your commute, then I probably wouldn't bother with it either. Especially if it was a hassle to layer up in cold gear. I'm lucky in that we don't really have a winter here, so my commuting clothing is the same all year.

So that said, you still have a problem. As stated in your OP, you need to bike more and you're not making the gains you want with your current training schedule. So what are you going to do to change that? Given that you're only 1-6 miles away from work...just wake up early, hammer out a trainer session, shower, then drive to work?
2013-11-12 9:32 PM
in reply to: peto_primo

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Regular
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Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by peto_primo

Not to be sarcastic but at 580 miles for the year - 50 miles a month commuting is a whole extra year of training for you.
Of course this is coming from someone who actually has a shorter commute than you. I figure I get about 150 to 180 days in a year at just over a mile each way. That is 300 miles a year - That usually equals about a month of riding in the "normal" season for me in typical year - this one wasn't.
It is still time in the saddle as was said, can be a good spin out of the legs.
Yeah, it is usually not fun to bundle up for sub zero, but my thought is that I would only spend 7 minutes in it versus the 20 minutes walking. Although I have to admit our winters are a lot milder than yours.

No offense due to sarcasm taken, that was my thinking as well! I hopped on the mountain bike this am and made the trip in 15F temps and will probably continue to do so. I figure the more often I do it, the better I'll get at figuring out what makes me warm and what is a waste of time. I learned today that there are some "duh" things regarding the cold and bike usage that I need to resolve. One is the trigger shifter on my mtn bike is slow as molasses making it nearly impossible to change more than one gear every 10 seconds (not a big deal) and also, the rubber on the brakes is like a solid block that really increases stopping distances! When the roads are nice I'll stay on the fixie, so most of those woes won't be a big deal.
2013-11-12 9:37 PM
in reply to: Jason N

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Regular
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10001002525
Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by Jason N

Originally posted by Danno77

If I'm biking extra miles then it will not be a part of the commute. I don't see the difference between biking for exercise and then grabbing my work clothes and work bags and heading there. Why would I go to the trouble of packing my laptop and work stuff into a bag and then carrying that for another hour? So, again, this just confirms that the commutes themselves are just to short to be worthwhile from a training standpoint.


Well, if you're unwilling to add miles to your commute, then I probably wouldn't bother with it either. Especially if it was a hassle to layer up in cold gear. I'm lucky in that we don't really have a winter here, so my commuting clothing is the same all year.

So that said, you still have a problem. As stated in your OP, you need to bike more and you're not making the gains you want with your current training schedule. So what are you going to do to change that? Given that you're only 1-6 miles away from work...just wake up early, hammer out a trainer session, shower, then drive to work?

I'm working on it! I've got big plans for me and this trainer this winter. Part of what killed me this year (2013) was that the weather went from really cold to freaking hot with no in between. That totally killed my desire to log miles like I did last spring when it was amazing and summer was slow to start. The solution, obviously, is to HTFU. I'm working on it! I have long-term tri goals, too, which generally help motivate me. If I'm not training for a race I start letting the training slide.
2013-11-20 10:49 AM
in reply to: Danno77

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Champion
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Southern Chicago Suburbs, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume

Originally posted by Danno77
Originally posted by Jason N
Originally posted by Danno77 If I'm biking extra miles then it will not be a part of the commute. I don't see the difference between biking for exercise and then grabbing my work clothes and work bags and heading there. Why would I go to the trouble of packing my laptop and work stuff into a bag and then carrying that for another hour? So, again, this just confirms that the commutes themselves are just to short to be worthwhile from a training standpoint.
Well, if you're unwilling to add miles to your commute, then I probably wouldn't bother with it either. Especially if it was a hassle to layer up in cold gear. I'm lucky in that we don't really have a winter here, so my commuting clothing is the same all year. So that said, you still have a problem. As stated in your OP, you need to bike more and you're not making the gains you want with your current training schedule. So what are you going to do to change that? Given that you're only 1-6 miles away from work...just wake up early, hammer out a trainer session, shower, then drive to work?
I'm working on it! I've got big plans for me and this trainer this winter. Part of what killed me this year (2013) was that the weather went from really cold to freaking hot with no in between. That totally killed my desire to log miles like I did last spring when it was amazing and summer was slow to start. The solution, obviously, is to HTFU. I'm working on it! I have long-term tri goals, too, which generally help motivate me. If I'm not training for a race I start letting the training slide.

Have you thought of joining a cycling club?  I know Burlington has one and they also have a Triathlon club.  Maybe you can hop onto their ride schedule.  And having others to ride with will make the long rides shorter but will also make you want to go ride more.  Just a thought.

2014-02-13 12:37 PM
in reply to: crowny2

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Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Real quick update. I have been using commuting to increase my volume, but I determined a while ago that it wouldn't be enough to really compensate for the lack of overall training volume. SO, I've got a solid training plan right now, and am seeing some speed and volume growth, but until I really get outside on my race bike, I really don't know how that will translate.

November's totals were 38.4 miles of commuting and 168 miles of training.
Decembers totals were 35.9 miles of commuting and 71 miles of training.
January's totals were 85.8 miles of commuting and 174 miles of training.

I've been on a roll with commuting in 2014, I ride to and from work daily. This hasn't been as hard as I expected, primarily because I work at a school and they cancel when the weather is horrible, anyway. I'm more worried about being able to keep this up through rainy season! It's not me that I worry about, it's the stupid tablet & ipad and files and books that I have to carry around. I'm really not scared of -20F anymore, maybe I'll get that way about rain at some point.

My training miles are probably worthless, but I have put in more saddle time, for sure. The miles are mostly from my mag trainer, but with some spin bike at the YMCA. I do not record exact ODO miles, I've noticed that RPE and HR puts me more at like 90% of my total on the trainer, and the spin bike overestimates so much that I only record 2/3 of that distance.

At any rate, I'm definitely on track to a much better year, but it's only halfway through February...


2014-02-13 12:55 PM
in reply to: Danno77

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Veteran
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Seattle, Washington
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by Danno77

I've been on a roll with commuting in 2014, I ride to and from work daily. This hasn't been as hard as I expected, primarily because I work at a school and they cancel when the weather is horrible, anyway. I'm more worried about being able to keep this up through rainy season! It's not me that I worry about, it's the stupid tablet & ipad and files and books that I have to carry around. I'm really not scared of -20F anymore, maybe I'll get that way about rain at some point.



Ever thought about getting a dry bag for this?

Nice work on the bike commuting!
2014-02-13 1:03 PM
in reply to: MechEChick

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Hamilton, IL
Subject: RE: Commuting for volume
Originally posted by MechEChick

Originally posted by Danno77

I've been on a roll with commuting in 2014, I ride to and from work daily. This hasn't been as hard as I expected, primarily because I work at a school and they cancel when the weather is horrible, anyway. I'm more worried about being able to keep this up through rainy season! It's not me that I worry about, it's the stupid tablet & ipad and files and books that I have to carry around. I'm really not scared of -20F anymore, maybe I'll get that way about rain at some point.



Ever thought about getting a dry bag for this?

Nice work on the bike commuting!

I have several dry bags (Back Country camping is another passion of mine), so I could definitely see having to do this. Just dry-bag the contents of my backpack (or whatever is on my rack) and ride in it! Currently I have a stash of emergency garbage bags at all of my work locations.
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