Commuting and Fitness level
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby mikesbytes » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:35 pm
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby oxonabike » Mon Aug 06, 2012 1:03 pm
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby kb » Sat Aug 11, 2012 11:28 am
Apart from not taking easy days easy enough, I've learnt the importance of good sleep and increasing load gradually (in retrospect jumping from 180kpw to 400+ was a little ambitious...)
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Sydguy » Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:37 pm
I struggle to go slow on commutes, and take it easy. There is always someone to overtake and it does not help that I'm running and doing pump classes.
I feel the worst when climbing or trying to sprint. My solution has been to go down a grade on social rides, and not worry about placing in races. It would be nice to take a couple of days off a week from cycling but it is an addiction that needs to be fed.
My current course of action is to increase the workload on my legs, more gym with running and see how it goes. It would be great to race on fresh legs but even 1 or 2 days off the bike I still have sore legs lol.
Massage and time in the pool helps, but I think this is the lot of a cyclist. It is not all bad news I get a pair of jeans every couple of years, and the waist band went from 34 inch tight to 33 inch with at least an inch to spare. So if the price of keeping in shape is sore legs I'll happily pay it.
JM
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby queequeg » Sat Aug 11, 2012 5:04 pm
I am also doing the ESC Challenge. In a typical month I do around 1000-1200km just in commuting (52km per day round trip). I don't push too hard, and with a young family I usually get the whole weekend to recover. Last weekend the whole family got hit with Gastro, so I got knocked for six on Sunday. I was off work on Mon/Tue, and Wed was the first day of my holidays but I was still not quite 100%. I went for a ride on Thursday, but kept to a flat course (Cooks River then out to Kurnell). I ended up doing 146km, and I made up all the distance I would have clocked up on the Mon/Tue/Wed. I skipped riding on Friday but went out today and did another 105km, this time on a hilly course.kb wrote:Good thread. I was trying for the Strava "Every Second Counts" challenge this month and it really brought home how important recovery is. Not just for improvement but motivation and general health (my immune system crashed halfway through). I'll be better prepared next time though
Apart from not taking easy days easy enough, I've learnt the importance of good sleep and increasing load gradually (in retrospect jumping from 180kpw to 400+ was a little ambitious...)
If I want to make the 1788km then I need to do a little over 76km a day. I'll probably aim to some early morning rides this week, but just do some flat courses and keep the legs fresh, then on the weekend I'll do something different. Hopefully I'll make the distance!
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Mugglechops » Sun Aug 12, 2012 2:09 pm
Thinking about going to commuting just 2 days a week and riding more on the weekend. It should still allow me to get 200+kms a week and factor in more time recovery.
Plus my missus wont be thinking I spend all my spare time on the bike
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby rdp_au » Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:07 am
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Daus » Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:44 am
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Rhubarb » Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:17 am
How to apply it is my problem and I seek your advice please.
I commute via bike 5 days a week. Not real far (13kms each way) but hilly. I was fine on my road bike but I have recently bought a velomobile. I had never ridden a recumbent before, let alone a 30kg one, so my legs are still adjusting. The first few weeks were deadly due to the inability to have a rest day. There are only so many ways you can ride easy in a 30kg recumbent up 18% slopes.
Now my real predicament is that I've gone and entered myself in the Brisbane to Gold Coast ride in 7 weeks time. Its nominally a 100km ride but as the velo won't fit on the train home, I have to ride it home as well so its going to be a 230km day for me. Its 7 weeks away and I'm currently getting very tired doing my 10 x 13km commutes every week. the flats aren't the problem, its the hills. BTW- I plan to ride hard down, then crawl home, so its not a hard 230kms all the way.
What do you suggest is the training plan for me?
I was thinking I should do nearly all my commutes (Mon-Thurs) as relatively easy rides, bearing in mind I have a couple of killer hills that still require almost max effort in lowest gear. Most days I can't do it without stopping. The exception will be Friday mornings when I plan to do a longer ride, gradually working up from an easy 50kms to a solid 80kms. On the week of the big ride, I would not ride at all for the 3 days preceeding.
I have sufficient base fitness as I have been commuting on my DF bike for 3 years and have probably ridden about 18-20,000kms over that time, all at a reasonable pace (relative to other commuters ). I'm not yet as strong in my velo as I was on my DF bike and just wanting to fast-track my transition ASAP as well as building for the B2GC ride.
Any advice for me please ?
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Daus » Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:02 am
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby trailgumby » Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:16 am
You still need to mix it up, or you won't improve.
* To trigger adaptation, a couple of harder mornings mid-week where you ride for a couple of hours continuously while eating and drinking on the ride to maintain fuel levels.
* Hardest ride after having the weekend off (eg low cadence hill repeats on the Monday)
* recovery drink immediately post ride (low fat choccy milk) - important for recovery for the ride home, not to mention maintaining quality performance at work
* Easy days in between and on the way home where you either don't ride (preferable), or take it very easy (eg, stick to granny ring and bottom half of the cassette the whole way, on either the velomobile or your DF roadie).
* depending on age, a "recovery week" every fourth or third week where every day is very easy (no ride some days, granny ring etc on others)
* taper week before the event
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Rhubarb » Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:10 pm
Fair question. I still have the road bike but I haven't ridden it since I got the velo 4 weeks ago and probably won't for a while yet. The velo is just so awesome !!!Daus wrote:Thats a big ask 230Km why not take the road bike if you still have it and leave the recumbent for next year.
The velo is actually very comfortable for long rides as your sitting in a very comfy reclined seat so no neck, back or wrist issues like you may get on a road bike. Its just my skinny underdeveloped legs
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Rhubarb » Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:24 pm
I could always take the bus but that isn't anywhere near as much fun.trailgumby wrote:Is your bike/trike your only means of transport to and from work? No public transport or car option for some days?
You still need to mix it up, or you won't improve.
* To trigger adaptation, a couple of harder mornings mid-week where you ride for a couple of hours continuously while eating and drinking on the ride to maintain fuel levels.
* Hardest ride after having the weekend off (eg low cadence hill repeats on the Monday)
* recovery drink immediately post ride (low fat choccy milk) - important for recovery for the ride home, not to mention maintaining quality performance at work
* Easy days in between and on the way home where you either don't ride (preferable), or take it very easy (eg, stick to granny ring and bottom half of the cassette the whole way, on either the velomobile or your DF roadie).
* depending on age, a "recovery week" every fourth or third week where every day is very easy (no ride some days, granny ring etc on others)
* taper week before the event
Thanks for the other tips. I have rethought my approach based on your feedback.
I will commute every day but will make an increased effort to take it easy on every trip, except Mon and Friday mornings where I will push hard up my short sharp hills, as well as adding distance. I will continue to rest over the weekends.
I have swapped out my 11-28 cassette for an 11-32 today to make it more possible to take my 18% hills "easily" in a 30kgs velo.
I will definitely look to have a recovery week in about week 4 or 5 too (I am 44), and taper the last week by riding the Mon/Tues/Wed all very easy, and not riding at all on the Thurs/Fri/Sat before the big Sunday ride.
I will also look into some morning recovery nutrition.
Thanks for your feedback - much appreciated.
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Marto » Mon Aug 20, 2012 4:53 pm
It's hard to back off sometimes when intending to do a recovery ride, so an audible alarm might be a good idea.
Or should I just listen to this for inspiration?
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Comedian » Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:07 pm
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby trailgumby » Sat Feb 15, 2014 5:50 pm
However as long as I am in the ballpark I'm not too worried.
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Krellon » Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:00 am
I know do two high pace and three low pace and it's improved the leg fatigue and recovery rate.
Br
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby kb » Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:14 pm
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby Krellon » Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:55 pm
Yea, If I see another cyclist I have too pass it must pass it.... must.. meh so much for the recovery ride lol.kb wrote:I have one field set to average cadence and one to average hr and just try to keep the former up and the latter down. Easier than instantaneous figures. My difficulty is letting go of the ego when there are over-enthusiastic CCR challengers...
Br
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Re: Commuting and Fitness level
Postby FiveDaysAWeek » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:30 pm
Having read this thread, I guess that if the energy levels don't come back up when I start snacking again it will be time to start backing off a day or two per week. If I can.
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