For you HIM in training folks who are doing AM training

I did all my rides after work and ran before work.  Easier to fit a 1 hour run in the morning, and a 2 hour bike after work for me.  I agree that I would never be able to get up early enough to fit in a 2 hour workout before work.

I'm a run AM, ride PM kinda guy like many of the others.  Usually its only one night a week that I've got a "medium" ride of 30-40 miles, so I just kinda know that that day is gonna be shot.  I try to sneek out of work a half hour early just so I can keep the daylight on the ride.

Side note, last night was my planned 40 mile PM ride.  Didn't go quite as planned, see my "what a crappy ride" post for details!

I do threshold work in the early mornings on my trainer.  Get up around 4:50...spinning by 5am.  I was doing 3 workouts a week like this but changed my plan around slightly now that the weather is better and I can get much longer weekend rides in.  Tuesday mornings I still do a trainer session that will looks like this:

WU-15 easy

MS- 5 x 5 minutes @LT, 5 mins easy between sets 

CD-10 or so.

Another one in the rotation (taken from Triathlete mag a few months ago)

WU-15

MS-15 x 1 min pretty much all-out, 30 rest between sets, followed by 10 minutes @ race pace

CD-10

These early weekday morning trainer sessions have improved my overall bike strength immensely. 

With a 3-month-old in the house, my training schedule has had some major changes.  My weekday morning workouts start between 4:30 and 5:00, but usually max out at 90 minutes.  Swim workouts are done over lunch.  Now that The Kiddo is old enough, I'm able to do at least one evening run during the week with her in the stroller, plus the long Z1-Z2 run over the weekend. 

The hardest part is getting in that long ride.  I can usually squeeze it in during the day on Sunday, but if the kid demands extra attention, I've been known to do it on the trainer between 8pm and midnight.  Fortunately Monday is my rest day, so the late night ride doesn't nuke any other training days.

If you cannot fit in 35-40 mile bike rides in the morning then focus on the quality of the workout.  I do all of my weekly riding in the morning on the trainer.  As I got closer to my target HIM race I would ride 1.5 hours with the bulk of that above 85%FTP.  I get up at 5:00 am, ride 1.5 hrs, out the door by 7.  Have everything prepared before you go to bed so you can jump on and go.

FWIW I did not ride more than 2.5 hours in prep for my HIM.  95% of my rides were on the trainer and the focus was on quality because I do not have alot of time.  I was prepared...it can be done.

Like most I get the longer rides in on the weekends.  But if it's a weekday I will be up at 4:30 and on the road by 5.  Unfortunatley I can only safely stay on the roads until about 6:30 and then traffic is out of control plus then I can still get out the door for work by 8.  Tough for me to think about a long pm ride (after 5) simply because of traffic where I live.  I do occassionally take a few hours off work to do an afternoon ride if the schedule requires it.   Every year it seems the cars get less and less aware of the bicyclists.  Hope this helps!

Amy 

my midweek rides are trainer rides at or above threshold, or with an aggressive group of roadies that want a 1.5 hour hammer fest to start the day.

i save the long endurance ride for the weekends.