Posts Tagged ‘Rest’

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Be brave and take a rest day

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Today I’m off the bike. The schedule I have set for the Time-Crunched Cyclist Plan has me typically doing a workout Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The original plan is different with workouts scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. This is something I’ve had to do to fit into my lifestyle.

I imagine there are some disadvantages to not placing the rest days in the spots designated by Chris Carmichael. The two days he typically has set back-to-back are now split in my schedule. That cuts into any buildup he is trying to make. However, I don’t believe it has really hurt me.

Looking back and evaluating my performance with the plan, I’m pretty satisfied. I’ve met or exceeded every workout condition up to this point. The schedule has had to be adjusted from time-to-time, but all the workouts have been completed — until last night.

Sometimes you just have to let the wind win

I remember Jim Cunningham telling me that you have to listen to your body. Sure, there are plenty of times when you think to yourself, “I really don’t want to go ride today.” Even as you say it you know it is just because you are feeling lazy. If you just go start the workout, you find that you are just fine and end up enjoying the ride.

There are other times when you know your body is just tired and if you push it, you could end up with a setback. That is how I felt yesterday as I rolled the bike out for the workout. There was a little warning light blinking in the back of my mind.

I had already decided not to go to Donaldson Center. The wind was atrocious and I was still hacking a bit from the ride Monday evening. That tickling sensation in my bronchial tubes had bugged me all day.

Now I was supposed to go out and complete six 2-minute power intervals. Mounting the bike, I headed out to do the work. However, even the as I was warming up I could feel the air coming into my lungs and exposing the irritated tubes. I decided to forgo anything that would bring about heavy breathing.

It turns out it is what I needed. I felt pretty much like crud for the first 45 minutes or so (that could have partly been due to the fact that I was riding into the wind), but my body finally seemed to come around. By the time I neared home, I was starting to question whether I should go ahead and extend my ride and get in the intervals.

No. I closed things down after an hour and a half. My lungs thanked me. My hope is that tomorrow night my legs will thank me when I race in my first event of the year.

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A little rest does a body good!

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Yesterday I visited my friend Dr. David Mruz at Eastside Chiropractic. He has been a huge help to me over the past two seasons. His support has gone far beyond just keeping my body straightened out! This visit was one of my better ones.

When I got back from the Ride for Mike, I called him up and requested a visit. I was all messed up. Thing is, I had been pretty messed up for several months and we had been working to manage the issues I was facing.

Thank you, Eastside Chiropractic!

Thank you, Eastside Chiropractic!

Not long ago he would have me lay on my back and hold my arms straight up. He would tell me to put my hands back-to-back and lock my elbows. Then he would take my arms and try to pull them apart while I resisted him. I couldn’t do it. Hardly any pressure at all would have one of my arms giving way.

The same thing would happen with my right leg. When he tested my ability to resist my leg would give. When he would have me extend the leg in comparison with the left leg there was a noticeable difference.

He could give me some immediate relief and improve my range of motion, but it seemed I was always going back to the weakness. Dr. Mruz would advise patience and rest. However, during the season I kept pushing through trying to get back to my previous abilities.

Then it was time to train for Ride for Mike. Jim Cunningham, my coach, had me start doing more tempo training. Up to this point I had been training for the frenetic pace of criterium racing with its high wattage, sprint type accelerations. Typically, this would have me turning a bigger ring at higher revolutions.

Now I was holding a very steady tempo no greater than 260 watts  in a medium sized ring at my t-cadence — about 85 to 95 rpm. I was beginning to feel improvement in my right leg and hip even before starting on the Ride for Mike. I was amazed how I had absolutely no pain in my hip upon finishing the 220 mile event!

Having been off the bike for a week now, I am finding that the little quirks I have had are starting to iron out. Yes, when I first went to Dr. Mruz after the ride my neck was a mess! However, my legs (which had caused me problems all season) were doing much better.

Then yesterday I was pleasantly surprised that I had made great progress in the last week. I had only one area of weakness when the good doc tested me. It was great to hear him say, “Good” when he finished testing my right leg. I didn’t even need to hear it… I knew.

There is nothing wrong with a little rest. I’m finding my body is reacting well to the time off the bike. I’m also able to catch up on some off the bike stuff that has been put on hold. Getting some of that sorted out is also going to help me mentally.

The time will soon come when I’ll mount up again, but I’m not going to do it until my body gives me the signal.

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Off!

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

Oh yeah, I have a blog. Sorry I haven’t had anything up recently. It certainly isn’t that I’ve lost interest in the bike! The bike is one of the things that has kept me off the keyboard!

I’ve been involved in workouts for the last eight days. Yesterday was the dreaded 30s – 30s day. This is where you go out and do a 30 second interval at an perceived effort of 9 out of 10 followed by 30 seconds of recovery just to do it again 5 times in a row. Then you get the opportunity to do them all over again 5 more times.

What made yesterday hard was that it came at the end of the busy training week. By the time I got to the last set of intervals, I was dragging. Then it was time to do 3 10 minute intervals just under FTP. Whew!

Now I get to have two days off before getting back on the bike. I’ve really been enjoying the weather and the desire to train has increased as I’ve seen success with each workout. However, the thing to remember is that these two days off the bike are just as important as the days on the bike.

Training is just as much about resting as it is working out. The rider who goes out always pushing and never resting will hit a plateau — or even diminish in power. All of the effort put out during the hard work of the days on the bike is realized during the time you give your body to recover. The combination of effort and rest equals improvement.

So, sometimes the best way to prepare to do well on your bike is not to ride it.

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Ahhhhh, a rest day

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

After only three days back on the bike after a rest week, I’m very happy to announce that today is a rest day! It has been a hard start to my next segment of training. Tomorrow I get back at it with repeats on Paris Mountain. Someday I think I’m going to take a real rest day.

Saturday was my FTP — a 20 minute all out time trial with a build up and cool down. Sunday really wasn’t that bad. It was my opportunity to cleanse my quads from the effort of Saturday. With the weather the way it was, I ended up doing some easy spinning on the trainer while watching some TV.

Monday was a different matter. I did my VO2 max workout with some 30-30′s. The 3 minute and 2 minutes were all over 300 watts. Then it was time for the 3 sets of 5 30 second bursts. I managed to average over 500 watts for first two sets and over 450 watts on the last one. By the end of the last one my chest was hurting. I might have thought I was having a heart attack, but the pain was on the wrong side. Maybe my right lung was getting ready to pop out!

Then last night it was time to head out to Donal… I mean, SCTAC… for the World Championships. Before the race (and it is a race, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise) I was talking with Jim, my coach. He was telling me that my power was looking good and that I should have a good opportunity to participate in the action. At that point, I was wishing I could share in his optimism.

My legs were tired. They felt good… that bad kind of good… where they feel heavy and relaxed. As a cyclist you want to feel that your legs have snap. Instead my legs felt like they were on cold medicine.

To make matters worse, I had not time to warm up. The first lap was going to have to be my warm up lap. On a night when we planned to do only four laps, that is not good. The hounds would be unleashed early and things would get moving soon.

It wasn’t until about 2 and a half laps in that I felt good in my legs. Up to that point I was really struggling to stay up with the pace. My heart and lungs weren’t giving me much trouble, but my legs felt like they were working really hard. Finally, in the third lap I was able to ride at pace without feeling like I was about to drop.

By that time the break of the day had happened. Thad Dulin, Boyd Johnson, our man Hank McCullough, and a couple of other riders had a sizable gap. I wasn’t even aware that Hank was up there, so I was working a bit to help close that gap. Had I known, I would have backed off a bit.

What I discovered in the fourth lap was that while my legs were working well enough to pace in the group and even do some pulling on the front, I did not have any power to launch. This was evident as we entered the final kilometers. The pace picked up and the group surged. My legs felt like they were moving in slow motion. I ended up fading back from about 10th in the field on the last incline and just hanging onto the rear of the field.

My computer tells me I averaged 25 mph for the nearly 30 miles of racing for 1:08. The average power was over 250 watts.  It still makes me chuckle to think that an A group “ride” at Donald… I mean SCTAC… is faster and requires more power than your typical Category 4 race.

That brings us to this morning. No bike for me today. It is a rest day. My instructions for a rest day are, “Relax, nap, take a bath. Go to bed earlier. Avoid your bike and the world of cycling as much as possible today to refresh your mind as well.” Yeah, right!

I do think that on a week during my taper for an A race, I will take a REAL rest day. I’ll take a day off work and sleep in, relax, nap, get a massage, skip the blog, avoid the bike, and get to bed earlier. It would be interesting to see what a real rest day could do for me.

All I know is that after the last four days, I’ll take what I can get!

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Perfect timing

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Saturday evening, I wrote the post for Sunday morning. I wrote how that I was concerned about getting my training in this week. It is going to be busy week. Looked like trying to fit everything in was going to be a little stressful. Then I saw the plan and the pressure lifted!

I typically see my training schedule for two to three weeks in advance. I see the next three weeks just as I am beginning to head into them. Since my weeks run Monday through Sunday and I was at the end of the period, I did not know what this week would hold. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is scheduled to be a rest week!

It makes sense. Jim told me that I was on a two-week-on/one-week-off schedule. What threw me off were the weekends of racing. It messed up the routine and had me wondering what week I was in.

So, for this week, I have three days off in a row. I’ll pick up again on Thursday. Thursday and Friday will be prepping me for Saturday. That day I have my next Functional Threshold Test. The good news for me is that the projects keeping me busy this week will all end around 2 PM on Saturday. I’ll be able to then turn my attention to my test. Who knows, maybe the feeling of relief will help me reach my highest wattage yet.

For now, I’m just thankful that things are working out. Real life and training don’t have to conflict so much this week. Ahhhhhhhh!

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High and lull

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Whew! I don’t know what to do with myself. For three weeks in a row my focus was on competing in races each weekend. It determined how I ate, slept, and exercised. Now it is nearly a month until my next race and we’re starting the process all over again at the beginning. I’m in a lull and I’m not used to it.

This doesn’t mean that I am not on the bike. I still have workouts that aren’t quite as focused. For instance, my instructions for Tuesday were to do some pilates and spin easy on my bike for an hour. Wednesday is my normal off the bike rest day.

The only day when I am supposed to produce a significant amount of wattage is today when I am supposed to go 5 minutes at threshold. Then it is time for some 30-30′s. This is where you go 30 seconds very hard followed by 30 seconds easy. You repeat this pattern non-stop five times. After a rest of about 5 minutes, you do it again… and then again until you have completed 4 sets.

Friday is my choice of exercise for about 20 minutes. Saturday will be a day for rebuilding my base miles. I’ll be spending 5 hours on the bike that day. I’m pretty sure next week will start to ramp up some more.

However, it isn’t the change in exercise routine that has me discombobulated. It is the lack of an immediate goal. With a race every weekend it was a perpetual state of up. All of a sudden I’m back into the train now to enjoy life later mode. It is hard to kick the desire for instant gratification!

I should point out that I say I’m in a lull, not a low. It isn’t as though I’m depressed or anything. It is more like nervous energy with no outlet.

Frankly, this is probably a good thing. This month is a pretty huge month for my life off the bike. I’ve just got to learn how to channel that cycling related nervous energy into the immediate objectives I have for other parts of my life. Mentally, the bike needs to take more of a back seat — maybe it will fit in the trunk — in my life.

Yes, the highs of racing are a load of fun, but the lulls are good. Embrace the lull.

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Ah, a rest week

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Last week was a full week. Sure, the riding made it busy, but there was plenty of other stuff going on to make it a hard week. By the time Sunday rolled around I was ready for some time off the bike. Then I saw that I had a 90 minute workout scheduled. Thankfully, I also saw that this week will be a rest week.

Now that doesn’t mean that I am off the bike entirely, but it does mean that I have less time on the bike. I know my body needs it and I believe my mind will enjoy it too. We’ll see what it does for me the following week.

- Monday – No bike
- Tuesday – No bike
- Wednesday – Core workout/30 minutes on bike
- Thursday – 60 minutes on bike
- Friday – 90 minute endurance ride
- Saturday – 2 hour 45 minute endurance ride
- Sunday – No bike

Only 6 hours on the bike certainly seems like a rest after 10+ hour weeks for the last two. I realize that even 10 hours is a rest week for some cyclists. However, I’m not at that level.

So, what do I plan to do with those four hours? I’m going to catch up doing some of the things I wish I could have been doing while I was on the bike! So, the rest week won’t have a lot of rest — but I know I’ll come out of it with a bit less stress.

Let the rest week begin!

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Vacation and rest – not always the same thing

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Normally when I post here on LowCadence.com I have an idea what I’m going to write about. The title goes in first and then I flesh out what has been stewing in my brain looking to get dished out. Today I realize I need to get something served up, but the broth doesn’t seem very thick today. Maybe it has something to do with vacations and rest weeks.

Last week I was out of town visiting my parents for Christmas. Jim had me take along the bike and I put in some good miles there on the flat roads of southeastern North Carolina. The only proscribed ride that I did not finish was the last one. It was supposed to be a 3 hour ride with three low cadence 10 minute efforts spread through it.

I went out side the night before to make sure everything was ready on the bike. The ride was going to have to start early because I was supposed to leave the swamp and by lunch head back to Greenville. It pays to get prepared the night before. However, going out there showed me it also helps to be prepared before you go on vacation!

My rear tire was as flat as could be. I tried putting air in it to find the leak.  I had some patches I could use to get me going. PSSSSSST. I knew right away I was doomed. It was the stem. Patches don’t work on stems and I didn’t bring an extra tube!

I emailed Jim and told him what was happening. He said to learn my lesson and plan on doing the ride when I got back. Of course, my first real rest week since I started training was supposed to start on Monday. This change of plans would shorten that a bit.

Monday rolled around and I was ready to go… or so I thought. I didn’t have an extra tube at home and Sunshine Cycle Shop wasn’t open yet. I put on a second set of wheels and headed out the door.

It was very frustrating getting out of town. It seemed that I was hitting every red light. Those of you who are on a training plan know how frustrating this is when you are supposed to be holding a steady cadence and wattage. Finally I made it to Old Buncombe and things began to settle.

The plan was to continue down Old Buncombe Road and then cut behind Furman to ride towards 186 and then toward the mountains. Of course, I would have to turn and around and come back to make it only a three hour ride. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance.

Right as I neared Poinsett Highway on Old Buncombe, I started to feel my rear wheel go soft. I looked down and sure enough, the tire was sagging. Within seconds it went completely flat. I pulled off to the side of the road and tried to call my wife. Remember, I didn’t have an extra tube.

After trying several times to contact the Beautiful Redhead, I started walking. In my mind I knew I wouldn’t have to walk the entire distance. I was certain that someone would stop and pick me up. So, I slung the bike over my shoulder and started to make my way toward Cherrydale along Poinsett.

Twenty minutes later, Jason, a triathlete, pulled over and offered me a ride. He was kind enough to take me all the way to Sunshine (the shop was open by this time). I learned he had been going the opposite direction when he saw me. Having pity, he found a place to turn around and come pick me up. Thanks, Jason – and Alex.

At Sunshine John told me I should have called and he would have come to pick me up. That has crossed my mind, but I’m always taking advantage of their service and that just seemed a little too far to go on a cold December morning just as they were opening. John was kind enough to change out my wheels for me.

Turns out it is time for new rubber. My tires were potted with holes and in some spots were getting bare. So, I had new heavy duty training type tires put on with new tubes to fill them out.

Then I got back on the road. However, my schedule cut me short. I still managed to get in the requisite 3 x 10 minute sessions, but my 3 hour ride got cut back to 2. We’ll see what Jim thinks of the effort when I get his report.

So, that leads me to today. I’m not on the bike today, Wednesday, or Thursday. It is a good thing. Three solid days of no stress on my hip should be a good thing. It has been pretty sore for weeks now. I’ve seen some improvement, but then something tweaks it and I have a flare up again. I think this is just what I need.

On the other hand, it is hard to know what to do with myself. It isn’t that I don’t have anything to do! I have plenty! It is more a mental thing. In the back of my mind I’m still operating under that compulsion, “Oh, I’ve got to figure out how I’m going to work my training into the schedule today!”

Stop. Take a deep breath. It is a rest week. Do what you are supposed to do… rest.

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Okay, I compromised

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Yesterday I blogged about my rest week.  Rest is relative, right?  I mean Tuesday’s mean the Tuesday Night World Championships at Donaldson Center.

Yep, I showed up.  However, my thinking was that we only have a couple more opportunities to ride out there before the time change.  I enjoy being out there not just for the riding, but to be with the cycling community.

Not only that, but I figured I could call it a rest ride if I behaved myself and didn’t go tearing off the front.  My plan was to sit in and just do half the laps.  I would then spin my way to the finish for the final one.  That should be a good compromise.

The group decided on four laps.  A couple guys wanted to squeeze in five, but they were over ruled.  Looked like it would be two at speed laps for me.

It was pretty uneventful.  I did sit in in most cases.  The problem I had is I kept getting caught out in the wind on some sections of the course.  I knew where the wind was coming from, but still couldn’t manage to get in the right position.  That caused me some extra work.

The pace was pretty high starting about halfway through the first lap.  I was pretty proud of myself for the way I didn’t get carried away on that first lap.  I entered the second on feeling pretty good.

The speed had the group starting to string out and there were little breaks and chase groups forming during the second lap.  Near the end of it I was in a group that was chasing a rather large group of riders between us and the break.  I did come to the front at this point in order to help pull over to them.

We were going uphill and I was trying to put out a steady tempo that would still bring us up to the riders ahead.  However, after making some good progress early on it seemed like I couldn’t close the deal.  We were stuck with a 30 meter gap or so.  It was at that point my legs reminded me they hadn’t done this in awhile.

Some other riders started to move around me and do the work.  I slowly slipped back.  This was near the end of the first part of my plan anyway.  Suddenly, I felt a hand on the base of my back.  A rider behind (was that you Andy?) gave me a major push – I mean enough to push me past some riders.

Well, I wasn’t going to just pull over after that.  So, I worked my way back in.  It is amazing how that once you get gapped how hard it is to get back in.  Just a short distance can really put you over the red line.  However, if you can just make contact with the group, you will be surprised how your fortunes change.

Rather than go spitting out the back, I was now back in the group and continued to hold the pace until we passed the golf course.  At that point, I knew I needed to back off.  It was an easy ride in from there.  Even better was I came across some friends toward the end and we rode in together.

I think it was a good compromise.

9 days left to help me raise $5000.
$1115 raised so far to fight cancer.
Give to my fight today!

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See, I do listen

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Last week I got some good advice from readers of LowCadence.com and some friends on Facebook.  What was that advice? “Chill, man.”

One reader and rider who has been at this thing for a long time gave the command, “REST!!!”  It is something I find hard to do.  However, I decided to take them up on it.

I’ve talked about this before, but it is a recurring issue for me.  The fact is, I feel that I don’t get much time to ride.  The result of that feeling is that I go pretty hard most every time I do ride.  My thought process is, “I don’t need a period of rest on the bike because I get the rest on the many off days that I get.”

There comes a time when you need to ease it up for days in succession.  A week of taking it easy allows for more recovery when the days are strung together.  My normal approach might make me feel a little better in the short term, but over time I’m going to wear down.

So, this week I’ve decided to take it easy.  Unlike last week where I was forced off the bike due to sickness, this week I’ll stay on the bike but not ride hard.  We’ll see how that plays out.

Last night I took a very easy spin in the rain.  Part of me didn’t want to do it, but the good news is that most of me did.  So, I threw on my rain jacket and headed out.

It was invigorating!  The rain wasn’t unpleasant at all.  The temperature was perfect for riding in the rain.  It wasn’t so cool that I got chilled, but it wasn’t so warm that I started sweating too much in my gear.  Of course, my Specialized SL rain jacket is awesome!

Traffic was extremely thin as I neared downtown Greenville.  However, to avoid any traffic that was around, I headed off onto the paths in Cleveland Park and followed it along the Reedy River until I reached the end of the downtown portion of the Swamp Rabbit trail.  I was 30 minutes into the ride at that point and turned around to head home.

After stopping for a moment to admire the Reedy River falls from the Liberty Bridge, I followed some paths that would lead me up to Main Street.  The downtown area was quiet.  That’s a rainy, Monday night for you.  However, it did allow me to leisurely roll down the street taking a closer look at the many businesses along the way.

Then it was off to Chick Springs Road as I continued to avoid the major streets.  Once I got there I discovered that the road was closed and I had to take a detour.  This gave me a chance to head into some neighborhoods I don’t believe I have ever been in.

Certainly, I was riding on streets I had never been on.  It is a large neighborhood area between Chick Springs and Rutherford Road.  It was one of those instances where I was lost, but I knew where I was – at least generally speaking.  I just kept meandering through the residential streets in the general direction of home.

After an hour and fifteen minutes of easy spinning I arrived back home.  Mentally, it was exactly what I needed.  Physically, I felt pretty good.  The only negative was that my bike was an absolute mess!  Riding through those residential streets and ally ways put me through much more road debris and dirt.

Still, no complaints from me!  Thanks all you who gave me the advice to slow down.  I’ll do my best to keep it up this week.  My guess is by the end of it, I’ll be raring to get the speed up.

10 days left to help me raise $5000.
$1115 raised so far to fight cancer.
Give to my fight today!

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