When to rest and other general advice

milton50

HI guys,

I currently ride 5-6 days a week and usually in the 15-20 mile range. It's usually one of three routes I do which are similar in that they have one big climbing section and then are mostly flat. In the near future I'm going to step up the distance so I do a couple of 40+ runs. But in the meantime my question is this;

My training goal is basically to beat my best time round a specific route but if I can't do that then make sure I post a time within a certain consistent range (so say 5% over my best time). Now on some days my legs will feel noticeably heavier and less powerful and it will take more effort to get into what I would call a 'decent' time range.

From a fitness point of view is it better to grin and bear it on these days or take a break and only ride when I can maximise my potential. That might be a 'how long is a piece of string' question I'm not sure.

Also, if my goals are as follows;

- Be competitive in local sportives (i.e one day win them)
- Be competitive in local TT's (i.e one day win them)
- Attempt the 2010 Etape

Is it a good strategy to constantly be aiming to beat my personal best times or should I be devoting most of my time to longer runs at a lower effort level?

Thanks

Mettan

Milton50 wrote:

HI guys,

I currently ride 5-6 days a week and usually in the 15-20 mile range. It's usually one of three routes I do which are similar in that they have one big climbing section and then are mostly flat. In the near future I'm going to step up the distance so I do a couple of 40+ runs. But in the meantime my question is this;

My training goal is basically to beat my best time round a specific route but if I can't do that then make sure I post a time within a certain consistent range (so say 5% over my best time). Now on some days my legs will feel noticeably heavier and less powerful and it will take more effort to get into what I would call a 'decent' time range.

From a fitness point of view is it better to grin and bear it on these days or take a break and only ride when I can maximise my potential. That might be a 'how long is a piece of string' question I'm not sure.

Also, if my goals are as follows;

- Be competitive in local sportives (i.e one day win them)
- Be competitive in local TT's (i.e one day win them)
- Attempt the 2010 Etape

Is it a good strategy to constantly be aiming to beat my personal best times or should I be devoting most of my time to longer runs at a lower effort level?

Thanks

Hi - personally, I'd revert from doing 5 - 6 days a week to doing 3 or possibly 4 days a week - try and incorporate some rest days into your schedule - you'll then probably feel fresher when you go out on a training run and perform better (and enjoy it more) - regards trying to do a "PB" every time you're out, again, personally, I'd do maybe 1 or 2 Higher intensity sessions per week in combination with 1 or 2 Moderate intensity sessions - if you can manage 5 - 8 hours a week on the bike with a mixture of High and Moderate intensity runs you might then be in a good position to perform "adequately" in a Sportive or Club TT - if you want to do better than "average" then you'll need a more specific training regime (see Alex, Ruth, Toks etc), and probably more time on the bike. Sounds like you're doing alright though so far.

chill123

if you body need to rest rest. if you are away and there is no chance of cycling then maybe try and get some cross training in:

http://www.cycling.dingdangdo.com/train ... clists.php

i've found rowing (in the gym) to be a big benefit to my cycling. failing that get out for a run if you can.