How to Handle The Transition From Indoor to Outdoor Training

No matter which endurance sport you train for, the transition from indoor to outdoor training is often more challenging than athletes expect.  We dive into all of the things to consider and expect when you make this transition.

Read this Coach Tip Tuesday: 

http://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/coach-tip-tuesday-how-to-hanlde-the-transition-from-indoor-to-outdoor-training 

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Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or health goals. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening
• 0:16 Transitions are Hard
• 0:54 Indoor Data
• 6:04 Training Differently Indoors
• 11:50 How to Ease the Transition from Indoor Training to Outdoor Training
• 15:27 The Bottom Line
• 16:06 Closing

Transcript

(0:04 - 0:22)
Hello, and welcome to the full circle podcast, your source for insights into the science and art of endurance sports training and racing. I'm your host coach, Laura Henry. Today is coach tip Tuesday, spring has sprung.

(0:22 - 0:41)
And that means that endurance athletes all over the Northern hemisphere are starting to make the transition from indoor to outdoor training. The transition from indoors to outdoors isn't as seamless as many athletes might imagine or expect. In fact, I've observed that the first outdoor workouts of the season are almost always harder than athletes anticipate.

(0:42 - 0:54)
And that in turn is at least somewhat disappointing and frustrating for athletes. There are a few factors that I think contribute to this. And I think there are a few tactics that athletes can implement in their training so that they can ease their transition from indoor to outdoor training.

(0:55 - 1:20)
The first factor that I think contributes to outdoor workouts feeling harder than expected is that athletes are spending longer training indoors and training indoors more frequently than they previously have. So they're spending larger batches of consecutive time, meaning many months at a time training indoors. And I also have observed that athletes are actually training indoors more frequently, even during the quote unquote, nice months of the year, maybe out of convenience, maybe because that's what feels comfortable to them.

(1:20 - 1:30)
But there's a lot more indoor training across the board year round. That's happening for athletes. Indoor training platforms such as Zwift and Ruvi have risen dramatically in popularity.

(1:30 - 1:47)
Smart trainers and treadmills have come down in price, and there are more types of gym memberships than ever before. All of this has made indoor training much more accessible, comfortable, and enjoyable than it's been in the past. One of the downsides to these types of training platforms and technologies is that they are extremely data driven.

(1:48 - 1:59)
Specifically, they showcase speed data. As anyone who has been following my blog and podcast or who's ever coached with me can attest to, I am a fan of data. Data is important in my work with athletes.

(1:59 - 2:18)
Since I coach remotely, even my local athletes that are local to me in central New York, I'm not there with them in person every single day. So data allows me to get a sense of what happened during each athlete's workout. Along with post-workout notes, data enables an athlete to share a more complete picture of what they felt and what they experienced during a workout or during a race.

(2:18 - 2:33)
However, indoor speed data is an issue because it isn't ever accurate. Ever. I really try not to deal in absolutes because truly there aren't many cases where there are absolutes.

(2:33 - 2:59)
But this is actually a rare case where I think that an absolute is appropriate because it's the truth in my experience. Unfortunately for many athletes, they believe speed data that they see in indoor training, whether it comes from a speed sensor, a smart trainer, indoor training platform, or a treadmill. Then when athletes transition to outdoor training, they are confronted with the reality that the indoor speed data that they had been believing for a long, sometimes six months or more period of time is inaccurate.

(3:00 - 3:10)
Sometimes, definitely not always. It might be close, but this isn't horseshoes. And close isn't honestly good enough when it comes to what athletes believe about their paces or speeds.

(3:10 - 3:22)
One of the most important things about data is that data is only valuable when it's accurate. Bad data is worse than no data. Indoor speed data can be inaccurate either way.

(3:23 - 3:38)
Meaning it may be showing that an athlete is faster than they really are, or that they are slower than they really are. However, in my experience, it's never accurate. That realization all by itself makes the transition from indoors to outdoors frustrating and disappointing for athletes.

(3:38 - 3:58)
This is especially true if the athlete was quote unquote faster indoors than they are actually outdoors. I have watched too many athletes be reduced to tears when they are confronted with the reality that they are not as fast as they thought they were. Understanding that indoor speed data is inaccurate is an important part of managing expectations when transitioning to outdoor workouts.

(3:59 - 4:15)
Remember, bad data is worse than no data because it's this misleading, because it's this deceptive. This is why bad data is a problem. So yes, this means that you don't actually know exactly what you're capable of speed or pace-wise if you've been training indoors exclusively for many months.

(4:15 - 4:37)
But if you really think about it, even though indoor training platforms claim to tell you what speed you're going, what they are really doing is just scratching an itch for you. The companies that design these technologies and these platforms are providing you with a metric that they know is important to you and is important to all athletes. My humble and perhaps radical and strong, but my humble opinion is that it is a marketing tactic.

(4:37 - 5:10)
The hard truth is that indoor speed never correlates to outdoor speed. And if athletes are believing and relying on indoor speed data, this presents a big challenge for athletes when they do head outside. So one of the biggest pieces of pushback that I've received from athletes over the years when I say this to them is that, well, why would they give me that data if it's not accurate? It's really hard for athletes to imagine that companies may be misleading them, that they might be using this as a marketing tactic, that companies might actually be putting a feature on the market that isn't correct, that isn't accurate, that is in some and many ways a lie.

(5:10 - 5:14)
I get it. It's disappointing. It's hard to understand, especially if you're an honest person.

(5:14 - 5:24)
And don't get me wrong. I'm not calling these companies crooks or anything, but I am saying that they know their audience. And in order to sell their products, they're going to make sure that they contain the features that are valuable to their audience.

(5:24 - 5:41)
So all of this being said, this is okay that indoor speed data is inaccurate and all hope is not lost. There are several training methods that are accurate indoors and work just the same outdoors as they do indoors. Some of these are rating of perceived exertion, which is also known as RPE or effort-based training.

(5:42 - 5:54)
And this is the true king of all training methods. And again, my humble opinion, heart rate-based training or power-based training for cycling. I say for cycling because I am not convinced that power-based data for running is quite there yet.

(5:54 - 6:04)
It's very algorithmic. It's not measuring torque the same way that it's being measured in a power meter on a bicycle. So I remain skeptical, but that's probably a whole different podcast for a whole different day.

(6:04 - 6:25)
The second thing that I think contributes to a tough transition from indoor to outdoor training is that athletes often train very differently indoors than they have to train outdoors. In many ways, indoor training is a five-star all-inclusive resort compared to outdoor training. I always encourage athletes who I coach who are training indoors to replicate outdoor training conditions as closely as possible.

(6:25 - 6:37)
This includes, but it is not limited to, the following tips and advice. Train using a method that translates accurately to outdoor training. As mentioned earlier, there are several training methods that translate accurately and well to outdoor training.

(6:38 - 7:01)
Using one of these methods, rating of perceived exertion, heart rate-based training, or power-based training on a bicycle as your training method indoors is a great idea because then you are able to really hone in on the method and build your experience and confidence in it. Then, when you switch to outdoor training, you are not going to have to get used to a different training method in addition to all of the other changes that outdoor training brings. Next, ride your bike in the position that you are fit for.

(7:01 - 7:16)
Do not ride on the hoods if you are fit into an aero position. Your bike is configured to the fit position that you are fit for. If you ride the bike differently than how you were fit to it for an extended period of time, the bike is not set up and optimized for the different position that you're riding and your probability of injury goes up.

(7:16 - 7:39)
And related to this, when you do transition to doing your workouts outside, ensure that you are riding your bike in the same position, fit position, that you have been riding indoors. If you switch to riding a different fit position, for instance, riding in the hoods instead of in the aero bars, if you've been training the aero position, the probability of you getting injured goes up significantly because you are using your body in a different way than you have been training. So this actually can cause an overreach.

(7:39 - 7:50)
It can be a case of too much too soon. Next, do not ever have two hands off of your bicycle when you are riding on an indoor trainer. One of the worst things about indoor trainers is that they balance the bike for you.

(7:50 - 8:04)
This is difficult to replicate indoors unless you're riding an indoor rollers, which a lot of athletes don't do. Most athletes are training on indoor stationary trainers where the bike is stabilized. And as a result, athletes often will sit up and take a break and take their hands off the bicycle.

(8:04 - 8:15)
This entirely changes your bike fit position. And it trains a behavior that is completely, completely contrary to how you actually need to ride a bicycle. You wouldn't ride a bike outside without both of your hands on the handlebars.

(8:16 - 8:35)
Ensure that you always keep one hand on the handlebars inside, just like you would have to if you were outside. Next, carry your fuel and hydration the same way, using the same fueling and hydration products that you would use outdoors. Use the same vessels to carry your fuel and hydration, such as bike bottles, a bento box, a running fuel belt, a running hydration vest that you would outdoors.

(8:36 - 8:49)
Do not use extra tables, the treadmill itself to store fuel or hydration. If you wouldn't be able to do it outdoors, do not do it indoors. Finally, this is a big one, and I know that a lot of people disagree with me on this because they don't like it, not because it's not good advice.

(8:50 - 9:04)
So here we go, folks. For the love of all things sprinkled, do not use your phone when you're training inside. Would you text, scroll Instagram, respond to emails while you're on an outdoor bike ride or on a run outside? Really? Would you? If you wouldn't do it outside, do not do it inside.

(9:04 - 9:21)
If you must answer a text or a phone call, stop your workout just like you would if you were outside. The postural changes that occur because of this behavior are significant and cannot be understated. And in my humble opinion, we haven't seen the full negative effects yet because the smartphone phenomenon is only 17 years old as of this year in 2024.

(9:21 - 9:39)
Train the posture and position that you will be utilizing outside by training the behaviors that you will be engaging in outside. Engaging in different behaviors indoors may seem innocent enough, but I have seen firsthand how doing this snowballs. Transitioning to outside and all that comes with it, the terrain, the weather is tough enough on its own.

(9:40 - 9:54)
It is made significantly more challenging when you have to change even more things, such as how you're riding your bike, how you're feeling and hydrating. Changing too many things at once is asking for trouble. And this advice applies to more than just endurance sports training and racing.

(9:54 - 10:04)
All of this being said, there are some truths that must be acknowledged about certain indoor training habits that are inherent to indoor training itself. And these cannot be changed. These are just how it is.

(10:04 - 10:23)
Treadmills and ERG mode on smart bicycle trainers are running you. You are not running under your own power or pedaling your bike under your own power. If you are running on a treadmill or utilizing ERG mode on a smart trainer, this is significant and it's important to understand because outside you are 100% responsible for powering your running and your cycling.

(10:23 - 10:38)
If you're having help and a treadmill belt and ERG mode are help, even if it's hard to admit, it is going to feel challenging and difficult when you must operate exclusively under your own power. When you go outside again, there's not anything you can do to change this. So it becomes something to be aware of a truth to be acknowledged.

(10:38 - 10:58)
And it's something that always is different about training indoors than outdoors. The fact that you are not necessarily operating under your own power is just one thing that is different indoors than outdoors. There are a lot of things that will be different outside than they are inside temperature, precipitation, terrain, traffic, other people, the stress that comes from all those things, like that mental stress that's imposed.

(10:58 - 11:06)
That's why a lot of people default even in nice weather to coming inside because maybe they're intimidated by outside. They're scared of it. It's more convenient to be inside.

(11:07 - 11:19)
And we need to train mental behaviors as well as our physiology, as well as the physical aspects of training. Training is not all about the physical. It's honestly just as much about the mental, if not more so about the mental side of things as it is about the physical.

(11:19 - 11:30)
And another thing that's really important to remember is that when you do go outside, you do have to balance the bicycle. This changes how you handle it, how you manage it, how you interact with it. So these are all things that are different from indoors to outdoors.

(11:31 - 11:52)
So this being said, ensuring that the things that can be the same indoors as they are outdoors are actually the same really helps decrease the number of new things that athletes are facing when they do go outside. If you've been riding a different bike fit position, fueling and hydrating differently, having a machine assist you, that is a lot of things to be adding in to be getting used to. Indoor training is a wonderful thing.

(11:53 - 12:15)
The most valuable thing that it does is that it enables athletes to train year round. It also enables them to train when conditions outside are truly unsafe. So if a hurricane's coming or if there's a tornado or if it's really just unsafe outside, it provides a really nice option to still get the workout and you don't have to skip a day or try to rearrange your schedule just because the weather is unsafe or there's some kind of unsafe condition going on outside.

(12:15 - 12:31)
And for many athletes in many parts of the world, training outside year round is very challenging if not impossible in certain circumstances. Most of the athletes I've worked with over the years need to train indoors for at least part of the year. Depending on how long the winter season is where they live, some athletes need to train indoors for more than half of the year every year.

(12:32 - 12:49)
And so I say all of this because indoor training is valuable and it's here to stay. Just because it's different than outdoors doesn't mean it's not valuable. And I know that I've been sounding kind of negative so far on this podcast about it, but what I'm really trying to highlight and draw everyone's attention to is that there are really a lot of differences that I don't think people really thoughtfully consider.

(12:50 - 13:06)
And then they're left wondering, why is this so hard when they go outside? And that's the question that I'm seeking to answer today. So how do we best manage the transition from indoor to outdoor training? And so we can help athletes be able to train successfully under the specific conditions that they will be racing in. And this is almost always outside.

(13:06 - 13:31)
When athletes are transitioning from indoors to outdoors, I always recommend that their first outdoor workouts be shorter duration workouts. I have seen many times over, I can't even count it, how doing a long workout more than an hour as one's first outdoor workout of the season is a surefire recipe for frustration, disappointment. And in my experience, coaching athletes who have self-reported this to me, tears, actual tears.

(13:31 - 13:49)
In all honesty, going too long too soon outside also significantly increases the risk that an athlete will sustain an acute injury. The effective dose for outdoor training workouts is low at first. Even if you have a high base or a high workout volume that you've been carrying, you do want to reduce down the volume of these individual workouts when you first transitioned to being outdoors.

(13:49 - 14:11)
The effective dose can increase relatively quickly within a few weeks, but at first, the most appropriate and effective dose is low, less than an hour usually. And though I warn athletes about this, my experience has been that most athletes do not believe it until it happens to them. Many athletes will ignore this advice and they will jump right into trying to do a long run or a long ride as their first outdoor workout of the season.

(14:11 - 14:27)
This is so super unfortunate when this happens because helping athletes remain injury-free is one of the most important parts of my job as an endurance coach. It's actually one of the main reasons why athletes hire me. They say that when they contact me, that they're hiring me because they want someone to help them manage their training so they don't get injured.

(14:27 - 14:44)
So I'm always really sad for an athlete when they find themselves in this situation where they maybe haven't put the thought into how they should transition to outdoor workouts, or maybe they haven't heeded the advice. And it doesn't necessarily pop up as an injury right away after that first workout. In my experience, it generally pops up within two to three weeks afterwards.

(14:44 - 14:59)
So it's deceptive. So athletes don't necessarily self-identify that what they've done with going outside and going too long too soon after going outside is one of the issues that snowballed into an injury situation for them. But I've just seen it too many times.

(14:59 - 15:13)
I know that this can be a cause for injury. So in addition to sticking to shorter durations when they transition to outdoor training, I also recommend that athletes do not do any structured workouts for the first few workouts that they do outside. So no intervals, no speed work, that sort of thing.

(15:13 - 15:27)
As previously discussed, there are already a lot of changed variables in play when an athlete transitions from indoors to outdoors. Attempting to do an interval workout as one of the first workouts is another thing to add to the list of changed things. And quite frankly, in my humble opinion, it's an unnecessary one.

(15:27 - 15:52)
No matter how much experience an athlete acquires or how long they train for endurance sports, the annual transition to outdoor training after being inside, especially after being inside for a longer period of time, six or more months, is always going to feel different and somewhat challenging. It is really important to fully embrace and accept this truth. Athletes would do well to give themselves some time and some grace as they navigate this transition by planning for two to three weeks when their only objective is to get used to being outside again.

(15:52 - 16:11)
After that period of time, they can build their durations, incorporate more specificity and intensity, and progress towards their goals from there. With a pragmatic perspective and a pragmatic approach, the transition from indoor to outdoor training can be made with ease and with joy. That was another episode of the Full Circle Podcast.

(16:11 - 16:28)
Subscribe to the Full Circle Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. If you like what you listen to, please be sure to leave us a rating and review as this goes a long way in helping us reach others. The thoughts and opinions expressed on the Full Circle Podcast are those of the individual.

(16:28 - 16:50)
As always, we'd love to hear from you and we value your feedback. Please send us an email at podcast at fullcircleendurance.com or visit us at fullcircleendurance.com backslash podcast. To find training plans, see what other coaching services we offer, or to join our community, please visit fullcircleendurance.com. I'm Coach Laura Henry.

(16:51 - 16:51)
Thanks for listening.