Think I've over trained and have a race in 3 days

matt-h

Hi all,

I think I have over trained - if this is possible.
Over the past 6 weeks I have seen my fitness increase by a considerable amount.
My climbing and ave speed are the best they have ever been.

However, the last 2 evening cycles my thighs have been really sore.
I thought last night was an off day and went out again tonight - big mistake, I was ok cycling at normal pace but any effort felt really tough on the thighs.

I have an XC race on Sunday, does anybody have any advice how to properly recover?
I should have listened to my body yesterday, rookie mistake

Matt

ilovemytinbred

I am guessing it is just short term overdoing it? Obviously try things like massage, good nutrition etc. But the main thing that seems to help me is sleep. Can you get a few extra hours in the next couple of days? On thing to avoid (IMO) is doing nothing on the bike between now and the race, On Sat you are still going to want to do some hard efforts, just half an hour total ride time, but otherwise your legs are not going to get going. Plus have a good warmup before the race.
You may not be optimal for your race, but you might be fine, especially if you are a youngster.

njee20

Keep your feet up, give yourself a massage - techniques on YouTube (or get a proper one), drink lots, very gentle spin on the bike.

Sleep. Protein.

You're not overtrained, you're tired.

matt-h

Cheers guys, common sense then really.
And i agree, tired not overtrained

Matt

Wormishere1

As the above.

I found having cold baths twice a day really helped me recover when I was running. No need for Ice etc, just enough cold water from the tap to cover your legs. Getting in the bath is horrible, but after 30 seconds you don't feel the cold - honestly. I can't say how much they helped my recovery times!

Woodmonkey

So? How did the race go?