SSPSTYNBLTIM

With all the talk of illegal substances in the sport, it's wise be wise to avoid speaking of LSD in this first sentence. Thankfully, in this instance, LSD refers to Long Slow Distance rather than lysergic acid diethylamide. Duh.

This time of year is definitely chalk full of these sorts of rides. It's typical to be on your bike for a third of your waking hours! In fact, I just finished a week of training where my shortest ride was four hours, and the week's total was just shy of 30! LSD is a slight misnomer though. "Long" and "Distance" are fairly accurate, but "Slow" isn't necessary the exact truth. Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not going out and trying to crush it with tons of sprints, TTs, huge power outputs, hill climbs, and the like. When the weather is cool and the race season is bobbing just out there on the horizon ( i.e. now), I simply like to find a strong, steady pace that I can maintain for a whole bunch of hours, yet still know that I'm pretty darn worked when I pedal into my driveway. If slow were the operative word, I'd be leaving too much in the tank and not making enough gains for my base. For me and the majority of other riders out there, this time of year is all about boosting our base endurance. With a race season that kicks off in full force with the Tour of California in mid-February and runs through September or even October, it's vital to get in this base training so that we're not burnt like toast in May.

In fact, that's maybe what it should be called. Steady Strong Pace So That You're Not Burnt Like Toast In May… or that well known acronym: SSPSTYNBLTIM

-Teddy King