I hate the gym, but I go, I go, I go. The other day I was having trouble getting through the last couple of intervals of my workout and I just thought about getting dropped on a hill and powered through them.

I can only stand 50 minutes, in part owing to boredom. For the harder workouts, it's because I'm spent. I get through the time by having a structured workout. A definite plan each day and a menu of different plans over the course of the week, including alternating easy and hard days.

Intervals are good for a number of reasons - one of which is that you dearly want the time to pass during the hard part and kind of wish it would go slower during the easy part.

I listen to music, but I can't read or watch TV during my harder workouts - if I do, I lose focus and the intensity of the workout goes down. On my easy days (sometimes on an elliptical trainer), I can read while I workout.

One part that I haven't solved is that workouts are good for getting the heart rate up and (I hope) building CV stamina. But they don't try my leg muscles like a hard bike ride. Even pedalling an upright stationary bike or a spin bike, it's somehow not the same. I've contemplated adding some very hard intervals and also perhaps to do some weight lifting. But nothing in the gym compares to trying to keep up on a hill after 3 hours in the saddle.