Maybe not all miles are created equal but every mile has value. That's just another way of saying that I've started using my trainer again when the weather or clock don't suit my needs. Trainers, or at least my trainer, have downsides: no wind, no forward movement, no realistic road resistance, no mercy on tires, no easy way to measure speed or faux mileage. Advantages, however, include the abilities to: accurately start and finish rides at specific times, maintain specific cadences, use music as a training tool, avoid wind's less savory aspects.
The trainer is also an opportunity for recycling used or otherwise unusable gear. For instance, the tire problem can be alleviated by keeping a trainer wheel with a dedicated tire. The wheel is cracked and thus unsafe for the road; attached are an old cassette and a tire with a shim over a large puncture to go with a patched tube. Without the trainer those items would hold little value and the scientist would have strongly suggested I pitch them.
On my trainer at least, there is no direct and simple way to calculate speed and distance. Fortunately, my computer's cadence counter still functions, since it records pedal strokes and not wheel revolutions. Thus speed and distance can be inferred using arithmetic and knowing cadence and gearing.
Today's a perfect trainer day. It's raining, I have errands to run but I'm still itching to pedal. At 2:30 p.m. my iPod and I will mount up and crank out 45 to 50 "miles." Yes, I do count those miles along with road miles when the end of the month rolls around. Since I don't yet have a heart-rate monitor, I'll be shooting for cadence targets for certain lengths of time with the trainer set at a specific tension. Hüsker Dü and Led Zeppelin will be my companions as I spin.
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