skydive69

I would also consider getting a heart rate monitor. I subscribe to the theory that one should train in either the 65-70% MHR zone or the 90%+ MHR zone. The fomer zone allows recovery and enhances base building and the latter increases lactate threshold which is vitally important for going faster with less effort. The inbetween zone accomplishes neither. You mention "training intervals" in the subject of this thread. Once you build a base of a few thousand miles, interval training is one of the best ways to force the body to adapt to higher levels of fitness and prepare one for the vigors of racing if one is interested in racing. Intervals, even if you have no racing ambitions, will make you a stronger, faster rider, and train the body to ride with an oxygen deficiency (anerobically) and with lactic acid buildup. Through interval training, I have trained my body to ride for reasonably long periods at 97% of my maximum heart rate, and my body has learned to not only clear lactic acid (it either learned to clear it, or it would suffer), but mentally I have adapted to the fact that I can ride not only anaerobically, but with heavy lactic acid buildup (when the body can no longer clear the LA). Bottom line: If you want to be fast, you have to train fast. If you want to be a good climber, you have to climb often. There is no free lunch.

You will find proponents of LSD (long slow distance). That will train them to be long, slow riders. When I was a competitive runner, I used to run (no pun intended) into the LSD philosophers all the time. On race day, they never seemed to be on the podium. A good example is a friend of mine. He is always doing centuries and double centuries. We had a planned 24 mph training run last Saturday. We dropped him early on. He was last heard bleating, "I have to do some interval training!"