Recovery

Anonymous

Hi.

I'm unsure if I am recovering properly.

Today I have done 121miles, the week before it was 101 miles but it was ALOT hotter so it felt harder even though it was less hilly.

Today it went into the dales, did climbs like yorks folley or something and another big one, now I found them ok, infact when I got home I felt surprisingly ok compred to some of my other runs, but now my legs are so stiff and aching more than every, I dont understand why, it is like I am going backwards.

Some weeks ago I did a ride called the Ron Kit, that was about 117miles for me total, was rianing alot, but it was hilly too, it was in the moors this time, rosedale chimney and blakey bank, now I got home from that, I felt perfectly fine for the rest of the day too, not even tired. Today I feel tired and achy.

Tommorow I plan on taking the day off from cycling then on tuesday its this into chiangang so thats going to be like 50-60 miles ride for me all together.

At the moment I am doing around 1000 miles a month, I've become abit obsessed with miles and speed and some people say its doing me bad, I'm always wanting to get in high mileage and highish speed, when I go out on my own I am usually doing 20miles+ averaging 19-20mph, now thats not reall fast but I have only been cycling properly since Feb so maybe I am pushing too hard?

I want to improve, not go backwards, I do want to get faster, I do want to be better on hills and long distance too.

2 weeks ago we did a ride, it was about 163 miles alltogether, that went into the dales too, anyway the last 60miles I blew up on hills, could not take them at all, was falling behind so badly too.

Any advice would be aprechiated. I dont like the idea of cutting down the miles but I guess if it is something I will have to do to improve then its something I will have to do.

Thanks
Willz.

chill123

Listen to your body. If you are stiff, rest or only go for a very easy spin to loosen the muscles. If you are tired, take the day off.

something i learned when marathon training was to sale back your weekly mileage every 4th week. this allows the body to recover while still riding.

here is a good article on recovery for cyclists.

http://www.cycling.dingdangdo.com/training/recovery.php

Doobz

hey willhub, it sounds like you are about to tip over the edge mate. Be cautious because going over the edge will put you off the bike for a LONG time and getting your fitness back will be HARD. Like I said in another topic about your calf hurting "you wont loose fitness in a few days off the bike but if you over train your going to feel very out of sorts for a long time"

have a read of http://www.easycycling.com/training03.htm

I know its hard to stay off the bike for more then two days or so. I had to do it last week because I had some really bad saddle chaffing so could not sit down. Eventually when I got back on the bike I felt great and refreshed -

Dont try be a hero

Anonymous

If I dont go on the bike I'm going to start putting on weight again aint I? I'm happy staying of the bike for 2 or 3 days its just I dont want to put weight on.

dennisn

chill123 wrote:

Listen to your body. If you are stiff, rest or only go for a very easy spin to loosen the muscles. If you are tired, take the day off.

something i learned when marathon training was to sale back your weekly mileage every 4th week. this allows the body to recover while still riding.

here is a good article on recovery for cyclists.

http://www.cycling.dingdangdo.com/training/recovery.php

I'm pretty much in agreement with chill123. The one thing that you didn't really
mention in your post was anything about resting. Lots of talk about great training and
hammering until you drop but not a word about rest and sleep. As far as I'm concerned
not getting enough of either is the main cause for people not improving over the months and years. Now I know what you're thinking - "I barely have time to ride let alone time to be laying around doing nothing. Job and all you know". You need to start thinking about
resting harder, or at least AS hard as you train(and work). If you can't, won't, or don't do this then there will be very little improvement and many, many bouts of burnout in your
future. This happens to a vast majority of cyclist, runners, etc. so you're not alone. Learn how to rest and train properly(get a coach if you need help). Key words being REST and
PROPERLY. Good luck.

Dennis Noward

richa

willhub wrote:

If I dont go on the bike I'm going to start putting on weight again aint I? I'm happy staying of the bike for 2 or 3 days its just I dont want to put weight on.

Why will you start putting on weight? Are you over-eating? A week's recovery can still invovolve plenty of cycling. Just at a pace where it is not stressing your body.

djaeggi

Do you use a heart rate monitor? I'd say it's not the rest that's the issue, it's just you're pushing *way* too hard. Keep the volume but reduce the intensity, that way you'll still burn fat (which is to do with aerobic exercise) but can put more sessions in.

Dan

Anonymous

I dont have a HRM, they seem too expensive the one with HRM or HRM and Cadence.

Every time I have done a saturday or sunday ride I take the day after off and maybe another day, but it must obviously not be enough.

I sleep for around 11 hours, I cant get enough sleep really and am tired alot really, when I feel okish thats when I go out on my bike and I sort of wake up and feel fine untill after.

Doobz

so your not spinning the next day or in the evening after a long ride?

Anonymous

Doobz wrote:

so your not spinning the next day or in the evening after a long ride?

Not I just take the day off.

It just seems to drag on riding at 14mph. I'd go out maybe now but its going to be dark in 1 hour.

dennisn

Learn to train both easier, harder, and longer. Say maybe one really hard, short, interval
type, day each week. A couple of fairly easy ones each week. Then a good long ride
once a week when you have the time. Sounds like you're doing a bit of the same thing day after day after day by riding a hard as you can all the time. This is a really big
no - no in training. Get hold of yourself. Don't try to beat everybody everyday or
hammer just because everyone else is. Buy a couple of good books on training and if
they don't help get a coach if you can afford it. Above all restrain yourself from pounding
your body into the ground on a daily or even every other day basis. Beating youself
half to death once of twice a week is about all us "normal" guys, with jobs and family,
can recover from.


Dennis Noward

Anonymous

I've done a 30-40min recovery ride today, allthough I called it recovery, 8 or so miles, 15mph average, not using any effort at all, I had like one part when I did put abit of effort is, and that was only like 10 seconds and I jumped up to about 27mph then but breaked as soon as I got that speed and slowed back down to 13-15mph. My legs feel abit less stiffer now.

On sunday is another club run, its going to be about 120miles again, do you think I should do it? If so what should I do this week? Tommorow I have to do 25 or so miles as I have to go to the bike shop to get fitted properly so its like 25miles there and back and I dont want to be drifting along at 13mph so I'll proberbly do some steady parts and some slightly pushing parts, proberbly doing it at about 17-18mph av which should be using quite abit less effort than normal as I'm doing 19-20mph usually so I'm trying to tone it down.

After tommorow should I call it a day for the rest of the week? Possibly just doing maybe 8 miles each day untill sunday at a slow 15-16mph pace?

When I move to manchester its going to be college 3 days a week then proberbly the rest of the days hopefully apart from sunday working to get some money in the bank, sunday I will use for club runs as I plan on joining manchester wheelers but I plan on going to the velodrome and getting into stuff like that but my mileage will be ALOT lower.

Also there is no harm doing recovery rides the next day on an evening right? See I prefer this time as the wind is low so not putting effort in and got brilliant views when the sun is out.

djaeggi

Can I make a radical suggestion? Ditch the speedo! You sound far too obsessed about speed; learn to cycle according to your body and learn to enjoy a ride without numbers.

That said, do spend £30 and get yourself a basic HRM and learn how to interpret it so that you know how your body is performing. Best £30 you'll spend.

Infamous

Do you really gain a lot from doing 1000 miles a month? I thought the intensity was more important.

And if you aren't recovering properly (which you clearly aren't) then you won't improve as much. Take 3-4 days OFF the bike and eat more.

Anonymous

Eat more? I eat craploads allready :shock:

I cant take today off the bike I have something to do.

So I should take 4 days off after, totally? Not even easy rides? But then should I do a 100+ miler on sunday, as that is the club run and I like doing them.

And are you saying I should rest more, do less miles, but when I do cycle cycle hard? As thats what intensity is no?

BUICK

Have you seen the current C+ issue? There is an article quoting research which suggests that 80% of your riding should be in Zone 3 (ie pretty easy) with around 12% zone 2 and only about 8% really pushing it. Doing too many of the 'fast' miles actually can actually slow you down and run your whole body down. Seriously.

Anonymous

Well cycling does not seem so good if I have to limit myself to those percentages.

I did a nice easy ride out today, 25 miles, was not pushing hard, always had breath and averaged 18.9mph.

What I think of doing.

30-40min rides on some days, slow pace, not pushing at all

when I commute or ride anywhere, not pushing really hard, but still keeping a av speed.

I guess I'll get better slower than everyone else as I really dont want to be doing snail pace everywhere I go, when I cycle 10 miles to york I dont want to be doing it at 13-15mph as time just drags on.

frodosghost

I think it really depends on what you want to achive with cycling.

For longer term riding, you should slow down. Speed is not everything, it is something that will increase with time, but to start with you should have a solid endurance base before pushing too hard.

Once your body adapts to time on the bike, then start with increasing pace in sessions, which allow you time to recover. This way your body adapts - which I think is more important than charging from place to place.

The opposite is continuing to train your body the wrong way. Destroying is okay with time to rebuild, but continual destruction will lead to an unhappy cycling life...

I guess I'll get better slower than everyone else as I really dont want to be doing snail pace everywhere I go, when I cycle 10 miles to york I dont want to be doing it at 13-15mph as time just drags on.

Keep your cadence high, and focus on your pedal motion. And don't fuss about the speed, every KM you do is one more that will get you naturally faster.

Check This article out!

unclemalc

What are y'all trying to achieve here - personal bests, climbing speed, endurance?? :?

You need to take into account what you want, your age and general fitness. The latest advice in the Bikeradar forum about long easy distances with a bit of pain added is a good place to start.
However, the distance and degree of difficulty you achieve must be equated with sufficient recovery FOR YOUR AGEGROUP. If you are over 50 like me, you really need to take time off more regularly than if you were younger. I know there are older riders out there who can rack up mile upon mile at a steady pace and have done for years and who will not mention recovery as such, but, if you have not done the miles, or who have come back to the bike after a timeout, or who are just starting, take care.
If you are suddenly hammering it AND you are no longer a young thing, you will need the recovery.
I recently have increased the distance for the every-other-day run to 40K, which includes 2 hard sections, fore and aft. The rest of the miles are 'spun' or hammered at depending upon mood. Last week, for the first time, I introduced a new longish steady climb at the end and, next morning I discovered new muscles in the back of my thighs :shock:
So, the next day, I did that climb again but at the beginning, to loosen everything up. Then a day off to recover. The next time I put it at the end again. Eventually it will be unnoticed as anything special.
I've been doing this sort of gradual increase since the spring and I am a different animal completely to the fat b*****d who squashed his 'Spoon' in the early spring.
Ultimately the bike ride itself is the juice. Just enjoy without worrying what you 'should' be doing.

Anonymous

Yesterday when I went out for the 25miles ride, I was not hammering it, on the way there I was doing about 19-25mph, the reason I mention speed is due to the fact where I was doign 25mph I was not hammering it, another 3mph and I would have been, it seems for me between not hammering it and hammering it the gap is very small, I was just cruising at 25 as there was minimal wind, tail wind and it was streight road with a slight dip in it.

The way home it was wet and I was putting abit of power down, headwind and chucking it down so wanted to get home, but I felt fine and happy when I got home.

People tell me when I take it steady I should be doing like 15mph but if I dont look at the speedo and pedal with normal cadance and putting slighty power in I'm doing like 18-20mph and into say crosswind its proberbly 17mph, headwinds I cant help but put effort in, if I dont I might aswell walk.

Surely I'm doing ok if I am not putting tons of effort in and happily breathing etc..?

I'm confused, people tell me different things, I dont know what to believe and take in. When I go on long rides I dont like doing anything under 15, reason been it feels like you aint moving its just so slow, only time I am happy doing under that is when there is tons of hills and I'm saving myself for the next hill etc..

Over the past 3 months I have been doing regular rides, if you look at my cycling log you will see, 100+ usually every week. I dont know if its just got on top of me but I am taking it easy this week and feeling better, later on if it does not rain I am going to go out for a rides, 30 mins or so but I wont be doing a recovery ride, just nice pace, keeping even power on, my normal cadance is between 80-120, when I do put in hard parts now and again I'm doing 23+mph at about 110rpms but I go anything from 110-167 so far, going down a hill was fun other day doing 167rpm and hit 41mph.

Sorry for all the mph mention, its the only way I can try explain what effort I put in.

dennisn

willhub wrote:

Well cycling does not seem so good if I have to limit myself to those percentages.

No one has to hold themselves to "percentages" or "limits" of any kind. You are free
to go out and hammer yourself silly every day of the week, if you wish. You won't
get any faster or stronger or healthier, but you're welcome to have at it. Don't take this wrong, but all you seem to talk about is riding. Resting doesn't seem to be of much
interest to you. I think you'll find(and maybe you already have) that you MUST use a
little restraint in your training. Unless cycling is your job(eat, sleep, ride, repeat, and get
paid for it) you cannot train like the "pros". Your life, like many of ours, is also filled with
wife, family, job, house, and many other commitments that also add stress to the daily
grind. These stresses also need to be recovered from. So, learn to train harder, easier, and longer(it can be done) and learn some restraint. Everyday is not hammer day.
Everyday is not necessarily a riding day either.

Dennis Noward

unclemalc

See - taking it easy and feeling better....

If you bike at ~15mph into a headwind at 10mph you are doing 25mph worth of work - ie, If the wind is strong you can go slower for the same amount of work. The actual 'speed' you are doing is irrelevant UNLESS you are measuring your workrate merely as a function of 'mph' achieved.
I wouldn't. Aim for miles covered without killing yourself, added to some good hard intervals over a shorter distance, or uphill, to raise your heartrate and so that you are breathing hard but NOT so you are in dire straits and about to black out. That will increase your overall stamina and muscle tone.
The next morning, see where it hurts - that's where the work went. Then do the exercise again, then rest for a day. When you stop noticing those areas that are tight or hurt increase the distance/time or interval/steepness of hill/speed up that hill/bigger gear - whatever. Just do it steadily - over weeks if necessary. That way you will look back and be in smug mode because of the improvement and you won't have killed yourself every ride (which meant that each ride had been an imposition, NOT a pleasure) and most importantly - you won't have injured yourself, which means non-cycling recovery time and possible long-term damage.

Anonymous

Cycling at 15mph into a 10mph headwind doing 25mph work? Surely that cant be right, round where I am the wind is usually always 10mph+ and I cycle into these winds at 15-18mph and it certainl does not feel like when I am pushing 25mph out of the wind.

Its when it gets to 15mph, seems that extra 5mph is ALOT more than it seems.

I think what I need to do is set a routine, the thing is it will soon go down the drain as I am moving to manchester, looking for job, college starting etc.. not alot of time for cycling, allthough from York, I am going to cycle to manchester the day I move, my parents going to take all my stuff in the car, looking forward to it!

Untill then, I want to keep doing my saturday or sunday rides, this week is a saturday one, easier than the sunday, I rekon sunday one will be pusing too hard as its rolling and pacey, so doing a pacey sunday ride, proberbly be 100 or so miles which should be fine for me this week as I feel much better my overall mood feels better that I am taking it easier slightly than I normally do.

At the moment.. I have too much time on my hands, this week I am taking it easier though as I have got stuff like cutting the hedge, cleaning my bike, need a new tyre for it and cleaning stuff, PC configruing etc... so filled up.

I have done about 2-3 miles today at about 17mph, sweating like buckets as was in normal clothes, later I plan on doing 8 or so miles at a slower pace, more like a recovery ride, tommorow I plan on doing the same as yesterday, 25 miles as thats the route I take at the same speed ish, unlike most days where it is a tailwind out, its a headwind out this time, so will take it easier, 12mph headwind.

Friday I might do 8miles recovery ride speed and about 2 or 3 of that slightly faster more normal so I'm ready for saturday.

That sound ok? Not doing much riding overall this week, tones it down from the usuall 200+ I do in a week and feeling slightly better. But I would say my legs are quite strong at the moment, certain parts just look weird especially above my knees looks too big. But for some people what is considered a fastish pace, for me its just normal.

alan14

Spotted this on the front page a couple of days ago and it certainly backs up what people are saying in this thread:

Technique: Get faster by riding slowly

Anonymous

When I was riding yesterday, 25 miles averaging 18.9mph I would say I was in zone 1 there.

Most of the time in the past weeks I have been in zone 2 with some burts that would be in the zone 3 area.

Maybe if I do an hour in zone 3 a week perhaps? Thats about 20-25miles.