Recovery advice please chaps
Discussion
Set out last Thursday afternoon to ride from Pezance to Oxford.
Thursday 70 miles
Friday 80 miles
Saturday 80 miles
Sunday 95 miles
Racing this Saturday but very wary of having a decent recovery. Planning on today/tomorrow off and Wednesday maybe a spin, Thursday commute then Friday rest. Is two days enough do you think?
Thursday 70 miles
Friday 80 miles
Saturday 80 miles
Sunday 95 miles
Racing this Saturday but very wary of having a decent recovery. Planning on today/tomorrow off and Wednesday maybe a spin, Thursday commute then Friday rest. Is two days enough do you think?
yonex said:
Set out last Thursday afternoon to ride from Pezance to Oxford.
Thursday 70 miles
Friday 80 miles
Saturday 80 miles
Sunday 95 miles
Racing this Saturday but very wary of having a decent recovery. Planning on today/tomorrow off and Wednesday maybe a spin, Thursday commute then Friday rest. Is two days enough do you think?
should be ok, I'd do an hour on Friday, just keep the legs turning on flattish roads if pos.Thursday 70 miles
Friday 80 miles
Saturday 80 miles
Sunday 95 miles
Racing this Saturday but very wary of having a decent recovery. Planning on today/tomorrow off and Wednesday maybe a spin, Thursday commute then Friday rest. Is two days enough do you think?
Thanks for the advice guys.
I think i'll ride in to work tomorrow, it's just a flat 10 miles each way, prolly leave the chain gang on Wednesday night and then do another light session. It's weird, never had to think about recovery before but these long miles back to back are a new thing for me! We had one rider who had taken part in the Etape, he reackoned it was a fair bit more taxing overall. The UK has plenty to offer if you make the effort, guilty of looking abroad all the time myself but will go back to Dartmoor as soon as I can.
I think i'll ride in to work tomorrow, it's just a flat 10 miles each way, prolly leave the chain gang on Wednesday night and then do another light session. It's weird, never had to think about recovery before but these long miles back to back are a new thing for me! We had one rider who had taken part in the Etape, he reackoned it was a fair bit more taxing overall. The UK has plenty to offer if you make the effort, guilty of looking abroad all the time myself but will go back to Dartmoor as soon as I can.
Tomorrow is now an enforced rest day...which means missing chaingang night. okgo said:
The more you train the more you can train and all that.
My last rest day was Sunday 26th and I feel pretty decent. Not sure if I'll have a complete day off this week yet.
Age can effect this theory drastically. In my 20's I had 2 days off the bike in a year. I used to do lots of 'active recovery' rides, mostly 20mile round trip commutes on fairly flat roads in between hard workouts. But in your 40s and over, the occassional complete day off each week is necessary to really aid recovery. Worse thing you can do in the season is take a week off, this can 'de-train' you very quickly, even after a heavy week or 2. Best to keep the legs turning I find.My last rest day was Sunday 26th and I feel pretty decent. Not sure if I'll have a complete day off this week yet.
I guess it must vary person to person, the guy who beat me in the TT hasn't had a day off the bike in over a year, and he is 41. Another chap who must be around the same age has had less than 10 days off this year, crazy how some people can do it. But I really do subscribe to the theory that the more you train the more you can train, the body adapts. After-all the only way to get stronger is to push your limits I guess.
MTFU is appropriate I feel 
No, in all seriousness, I took 2 days off before a long (187mile) ride and felt fine for the ride. The days after were just taking it easy but still riding and I don't think I've had a day off since (although most of that is just 6 miles each way commuting). Weirdly, I felt awful on my commute yesterday but fine today (it's weird how the body works).
No, in all seriousness, I took 2 days off before a long (187mile) ride and felt fine for the ride. The days after were just taking it easy but still riding and I don't think I've had a day off since (although most of that is just 6 miles each way commuting). Weirdly, I felt awful on my commute yesterday but fine today (it's weird how the body works).
okgo said:
I guess it must vary person to person, the guy who beat me in the TT hasn't had a day off the bike in over a year, and he is 41. Another chap who must be around the same age has had less than 10 days off this year, crazy how some people can do it. But I really do subscribe to the theory that the more you train the more you can train, the body adapts. After-all the only way to get stronger is to push your limits I guess.
I had the odd twinge in my left knee on day three which is an old injury from a few years back, never felt it before from cycling so its purely down to lots of miles. I guess I am being cautious with it. Will spin tonight and see how I feel as I haven't ridden more than 40 miles in one go for months and pretty much none of those mile were outside TT's and racing. Only issue right now is I am starving hungry all the time and there are bucketloads of crap kicking around in the office! okgo said:
I guess it must vary person to person, the guy who beat me in the TT hasn't had a day off the bike in over a year, and he is 41. Another chap who must be around the same age has had less than 10 days off this year, crazy how some people can do it. But I really do subscribe to the theory that the more you train the more you can train, the body adapts. After-all the only way to get stronger is to push your limits I guess.
That's a good attitude and approach, you have to keep experimenting, as you say we are all different and that is the key to it all, finding 'your' best regime. The tricky bit is, when to stop pushing the training when you are actually at your limit (whatever that may be), fatigue will soon set in and although you are training well, your performances will drop off, listen to the body, you'll soon know when it happens, but it seems you ain't got there yet, so press on fella !!! ;-)I've just been on a boat on the Norfolk Broads Friday to Monday with family and friends. Great holiday, but zero bike time. In 2 weeks I'm going to Portugal for a week of cycling holiday (can't wait!).
Anyway - last ride was Thursday, first ride yesterday afternoon. My legs felt very weird. Interestingly though, I had some good times! Going for it this week though.
For me, it seems, the rule is "not too many days off" !
Anyway - last ride was Thursday, first ride yesterday afternoon. My legs felt very weird. Interestingly though, I had some good times! Going for it this week though.
For me, it seems, the rule is "not too many days off" !
Raced tonight...couldnt help it!
Legs were ok but I lacked focus. Helped control the bunch with another team mate and let the breaking riders with another team mate get away. I finished 11th but prolly should have been 7th on the wheel of my team mate. Good power overall I felt and great positioning just didn't stand up and go at the end, really should have won the bunch...nevermind. First E123 at the weekend so going to give it socks for that.
Recovery complete, day off, hour on a turbo then race
Legs were ok but I lacked focus. Helped control the bunch with another team mate and let the breaking riders with another team mate get away. I finished 11th but prolly should have been 7th on the wheel of my team mate. Good power overall I felt and great positioning just didn't stand up and go at the end, really should have won the bunch...nevermind. First E123 at the weekend so going to give it socks for that.
Recovery complete, day off, hour on a turbo then race
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