Taking days off the bike

speedjunkie
speedjunkie Posts: 69
edited April 2015 in Road beginners
Anyone struggles taking a rest day off the bike ?

I´ve cycled this year around 70x out of 90. I´ve been riding 8 straight days decide take a day off, planning some big rides on the weekend. Im itching myself to go ride !

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Life tends to get in the way I find. I'm impressed with 70 rides though - whats your mileage looking like ?

    Rest days are an important part of improving. Don't neglect them.
  • speedjunkie
    speedjunkie Posts: 69
    cougie wrote:
    Life tends to get in the way I find. I'm impressed with 70 rides though - whats your mileage looking like ?

    Rest days are an important part of improving. Don't neglect them.

    Current Stats since the beginning of the year, most are short rides around 40kms


    Distance 2.618,8 km
    Time 110h 23min
    Elev gain. 27.740 m
    Rides 69
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Good for you! It's difficult for me to get one day a week never mind every day.
  • sheffsimon
    sheffsimon Posts: 1,282
    speedjunkie wrote:
    Anyone struggles taking a rest day off the bike ?

    I´ve cycled this year around 70x out of 90. I´ve been riding 8 straight days decide take a day off, planning some big rides on the weekend. Im itching myself to go ride !

    Are you training for something in particular or just riding 'cos you enjoy riding?

    If the former then take a day. If not, then ride if you want to.

    I ride 6 days a week, but 5 of those are commutes. Even so, it can drain you, but I would rather ride tired than drive annoyed.
  • crikey
    crikey Posts: 362
    Your average mileage is about 22 miles per ride.

    You aren't exactly laying the miles down, so a day off will be neither here nor there... :roll:

    Your 8 day stretch is about 175 miles; a big day out...
  • k3vinjam3s
    k3vinjam3s Posts: 266
    crikey wrote:
    Your average mileage is about 22 miles per ride.

    You aren't exactly laying the miles down, so a day off will be neither here nor there... :roll:

    Your 8 day stretch is about 175 miles; a big day out...


    175 miles maybe a big day out for yourself but for most cyclists that number is nowhere near what they are capable of.

    I too noticed ops daily mileage ain't exactly Steve Abraham mileage but couldn't care less as the enthusiasm he has shows. Good luck to him/her and may his love of cycling continue despite people putting him down like yourself.
  • JayKosta
    JayKosta Posts: 635
    Take a day off if you feel that your amount of day-to-day tiredness is increasing, or if your day-to-day performance is decreasing.

    If you seem to have reached a plateau in your strength and endurance, then improvement will come quicker if you increase the intensity and/or duration of your riding sessions. And that could necessitate taking a day off every once and awhile to provide good recovery for the next session.

    Jay Kosta
    Endwell NY USA
  • eddiefiola
    eddiefiola Posts: 344
    I do short rides everyday at lunch c 38km loop with longer rides at the weekend, I take days off when and if I feel I need it but def think you need some kind of recovery, regardless of what people say about the length of your rides one 38km loop at 250 watts for me is harder on my body than a 3 hour pootle with a group.
    http://app.strava.com/athletes/1815467
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    eddiefiola wrote:
    I do short rides everyday at lunch c 38km loop with longer rides at the weekend, I take days off when and if I feel I need it but def think you need some kind of recovery, regardless of what people say about the length of your rides one 38km loop at 250 watts for me is harder on my body than a 3 hour pootle with a group.
    I'm always confused by people taking exercise at their lunch breaks.
    I can understand how a walk is feasible but not any significant higher intensity sessions.
    How long a lunch break do you get that facilitates a 38km cycle?

    For me, depending on the terrain, weather and intensity the cycle alone would take between 70 and 95 minutes. At 250W you may be a bit faster than that but it's still a decent chunk of time. Then there's the other associated tasks. I'd need at least 10mins to get ready (especially in winter), then the ride and then at least 20mins to get changed and have a really quick shower. If I also wanted to have lunch at lunchtime, which I would, then add another 10 or 15mins. So that's, say, 85mins on the bike plus, 40mins for getting changed, showering and lunch. So I'd need just over 2hrs but I haven't had more than 45mins for lunch in any job in the last 10 years.

    I realise there are those working from home, perhaps self employed, or in roles with very flexible time. Is this the explanation or is there something else I'm missing?
  • eddiefiola
    eddiefiola Posts: 344
    I work from home so have the advantage of being quite flexible, my company is on Eastern U.S time so aren't even awake most of my day.

    Here's yesterdays round which is a typical lunch http://app.strava.com/activities/273829631
    http://app.strava.com/athletes/1815467
  • BrandonA
    BrandonA Posts: 553
    speedjunkie wrote:
    Anyone struggles taking a rest day off the bike ?

    I´ve cycled this year around 70x out of 90. I´ve been riding 8 straight days decide take a day off, planning some big rides on the weekend. Im itching myself to go ride !

    That's quite low number - only 77.8%. Looks like you are taking days off.

    If you take one day off a week you will do 85.7% of days.

    The good thing with the winter and doing indoor riding you can ride more often as you can control the type of ride you do. For example, I might do an hour recovery ride rahter than take a day off.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    crikey wrote:
    Your average mileage is about 22 miles per ride.

    You aren't exactly laying the miles down, so a day off will be neither here nor there... :roll:

    Your 8 day stretch is about 175 miles; a big day out...

    Intensity > Duration.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    eddiefiola wrote:
    I work from home so have the advantage of being quite flexible, my company is on Eastern U.S time so aren't even awake most of my day.

    Here's yesterdays round which is a typical lunch http://app.strava.com/activities/273829631

    Nice work ! I'm jealous ! We'd never get away with that in my company unfortunately.
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    speedjunkie wrote:
    Anyone struggles taking a rest day off the bike ?

    I think I' getting addicted to cycling. Once I'm in a routine I get twitchy if I have one or two days off.

    This year...
    2493km
    111 hours 53 min
    20,381m elevation
    70 rides

    Costing me a fortune in gloves and overshoes.
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Ai_1 wrote:
    eddiefiola wrote:
    I do short rides everyday at lunch c 38km loop with longer rides at the weekend, I take days off when and if I feel I need it but def think you need some kind of recovery, regardless of what people say about the length of your rides one 38km loop at 250 watts for me is harder on my body than a 3 hour pootle with a group.
    I'm always confused by people taking exercise at their lunch breaks.
    I can understand how a walk is feasible but not any significant higher intensity sessions.
    How long a lunch break do you get that facilitates a 38km cycle?

    For me, depending on the terrain, weather and intensity the cycle alone would take between 70 and 95 minutes. At 250W you may be a bit faster than that but it's still a decent chunk of time. Then there's the other associated tasks. I'd need at least 10mins to get ready (especially in winter), then the ride and then at least 20mins to get changed and have a really quick shower. If I also wanted to have lunch at lunchtime, which I would, then add another 10 or 15mins. So that's, say, 85mins on the bike plus, 40mins for getting changed, showering and lunch. So I'd need just over 2hrs but I haven't had more than 45mins for lunch in any job in the last 10 years.

    I realise there are those working from home, perhaps self employed, or in roles with very flexible time. Is this the explanation or is there something else I'm missing?

    I tried it a couple of times but as you say time is an issue. After getting changed and then getting my bike out of the car it leaves time for about a 40 minute ride if I want to get back in time to get changed into fresh clothes before the end of my lunch hour.

    It was ok but a lot of hassle. Getting my kit for riding and fresh clothes for the afternoon and then my bike in the car etc was a lot of work for a 40 minute ride. Which considering it was replacing a full hours walking it's benefit was perhaps dubious.

    Hopefully I'll be doing 30 min rides in the morning when the weather improves a lot easier starting and finishing at home and still do my walk at lunch.
  • oblongomaculatus
    oblongomaculatus Posts: 616
    In 2013, the last year I counted, I rode on 348 days. (Total miles; 12,343) I have to say I nearly always felt fresher the day after a rest, but it seems a waste of a nice day (or a wet day, or a windy day, or a snowy day). Is cycling addictive?

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