Training & Nutrition - Optimizing training with this schedule

I need some advice on how to optimize my training/riding give the following constraints. I am a stay at home dad so riding during the day is not possible, so I either ride at 5 AM before my wife goes to work, or at 9:30 at night when I get home from work. Then I usually can ride one day on the weekend.

How would you structure your riding given those restrictions? I mainly ride for fitness and recreation, so I am not really training for a race, but I would like to do a couple centuries this summer and possibly MS 150. I would like to do the Bike Across Kansas next summer. I don't know if I should do intervals, speedwork, etc or just stick to basic riding keeping my HR in zone 2 or 3.

Please help.

Husker

I guess that almost everyone is trying to juggle family and work committments with cycle training, although your time constraints sound more severe than most. To structure training I think you'd have to decide how many hours a week you could train. Maybe there would also be a way you could exercise during the day without having to cycle. Quite a lot of my own training is done after 9 pm when my son is asleep. In addition to using a trainer I do off the bike workouts (which don't require much equipment). I've found the training programs that can be found at http://cyclo-club.com to be really efficient in terms of results they give without requiring huge numbers of hours on the road. There are plenty of workouts which take as little as five minutes, and training plans for centuries, climbing etc.

Good luck.

I agree that if you have a trainer that would be the best thing to do during the week. It will be tough to ride at your available times since it usually isn't light outside. If you dont have to be home in the morning until 7 or 730 you could jump on the trainer at 5 and ride until its light out then go outside for the half hour or so you do have in light. Let us know how your training goes.

I don't know if I should do intervals, speedwork, etc or just stick to basic riding keeping my HR in zone 2 or 3.There's no way for anyone but you to know these answer.

Think in terms of exercise theory. A couple of my favorite "advisories."

Remember the hard/easy rule - in other words, usually -every other workout is hard or easy.

Remember the necessity of sub-maximal - to maximal ratio. That means, only a fraction of your total time spent can be "all out" efforts - usually less than 30%.

Understand the specificity of your workouts to your goals. Your approach to working out should keep in view how it reflects the conditioning needed to be fit for your goal scenarios.