Some things in life are downright puzzling. Composing blogs several weeks in advance is turning out to be like a jigsaw puzzle. The dates I schedule seem to change themselves. Either that; or I can\’t keep track of what I\’ve scheduled for which day; or my eyes are too tired from staring at a screen to process what I\’m seeing.

Working up a training schedule is rather the same way. Which day should I reserve as an easy day? What\’s the best day for working on the short, but super-hard, efforts? What am I to do when I\’m feeling too tired for those super-hard efforts that I scheduled?

For most of us, cyclist training has to be worked in around other important responsibilities: work, family, school, and so on. How do we fit it all in? We all also know that life throws us curve balls sometimes; and when it does, we have to adapt if we don\’t want to go crazy.

Too sleepy to get up for your usual early morning ride? You can at least ride to work; and get in a few miles that way. Do you have a brisk ride scheduled, but woke up with a cold? Do the \”neck check\”. You might be able to go out for an easy ride. Too tired for that all-out ride? Take it easy today and do the hard ride tomorrow.

Keep track of your rides. You can use any notebook; or you can get fancy with The Cyclist\’s Training Diary. Either way, knowing what you\’ve done can help you to work out future training plans. Maybe it doesn\’t have to be puzzling, after all.