Guest Blog Author: Sarah Vargas, Team TWENTY24 Junior Development Team, Age 11

It is always good to know when you have bad and good days. After my rides, I used to write down my experience of the ride in my journal. Doing this, I would know the reasons on days that I didn’t perform as well as others. Keeping my data managed in TrainingPeaks is helping me improve my progress on and off the bike. 

TrainingPeaks has allowed me to share my metrics and my comments with my coach. When I finish my rides, I like to keep track of how I was feeling and how I performed. Keeping track of my data from ride to ride can tell me what I might do or have done differently to improve the result of the ride. Certain foods or amount of training prior to the activity can affect my fatigue on the ride. Keeping track of how I feel doesn’t seem like a big deal, but in the long run it can have a major impact. I schedule my events in the TrainingPeaks calendar so my coach can see what I am...

Every Tuesday morning at 7:10 a.m. I head into my "gain cave" in the garage wondering what Coach Kristin Armstrong has in store for all of us who join the KX3 Weekly Freestyle Group Ride on Zwift. I know one thing. I'll feel the somehow-wonderfully enjoyable suffering during the structured group workout, and then I'll transform into a superhero when I climb off my bike 60 minutes later. 

I've engaged in training with a coach in the past, and I am definitely one who thrives on structure when it comes to exercise. I appreciate the tangibles—working with the data to see my improvement, know when I can push harder, or understand when I need to back off and rest. I've always loved a bit of competition—sometimes amongst others yet even more so with myself—just seeing how I can realize my greatest strength and potential.

But like with anything, my energy and commitment can ebb and flow. Just like some days you eat every fruit, veggie, and lean protein...