Mountain Biking - hmm i think i'm riding to much (how great)

well today was my 5th day straight that i hit the trails and i could tell by the lack of kick that i had uphill. on day 1 i did 23 miles, day 2 23 miles, day 3 28 miles, day 4 25 miles, and today a sad 15 miles of limping. i realize that some of you out there can and do ride on a daily basis but for me i think i've reached the point where my body just needed a break. i've had a week off from work, no comitments, no hunny do's, just do what i want but starting monday i'll have to settle into the 1-2 times a week riding schedule. so i definitly wanted to make the most of my time. for those of you riding everyday do you feel at some point that your body has just had it or am i showing my age (32)?

yes...I burn out. It is common with any exercise and varies from person to person. But if I have a week off, I ignore all pain and ride 7 days straight...no need to waste a week off with staying at home.

well i'm definatly not gonna stay home :) i'll probably just go surf

I wish i could go riding every day (i love holidays)


Stupid school...

Or just don't ride so damn far on each ride LOL! It's about quality not quantity when you are our age.

what do you do while riding as far as hydro replacement?propel has added 5 miles to my rides.i also do a large protien intake about 1/2 hr before a ride like ensure or yogurt or protien bar and a lot of water on the way to the ride say 1-2 literes depending on heat of day.also i eat yogurt within 20 min. after finishing a ride and it keeps me from burning out so much.i will also not ride the same trails each day either just to keep the mental fatigue out too.i ride at least 5 days a week rain or shine unless too much snow.i do not do that kind of mileage each day but i try to do a 50-50 of climbing each ride or more if i have had a bad day at work or the wife is mad(did a lot of climbing today,7 miles of it on a 10 mile ride)i do get tired but id rather fall down trying to ride than cut grass on my days off.i ride after work and daylight determines my distance alot of times.hope this helps.keep on riding and enjoying

I try to ride 3-5 times a week...sometimes road, sometimes trail, sometimes I make 6 rides, sometimes only 2...all depends on the weather/work/money/honey-do's...

When I ride ALOT, I can tell the difference...when I use to just HAMMER the trails every day, I got burnt out physically and mentally...

When I started training for this century coming up in May, I started riding more but with combos of road and trail...believe me...after riding 20-30 miles of road for a few days, just 10 miles on a trail seems like a gift from God...also I can tell a difference in my power: I hammer hills in bigger gears, I've got more speed, and my lungs don't tend to want to pop through my chest after each section (they just bulge a lil' thru my ribs...)

Commute!

well i ended up riding another 20 plus miles on the 6th day and took it real easy. i took my time up hills granny gearing and enjoyed the downhill. this was definately the most miles i've done in a 1 week span so i'm pretty happy with my performance. as far as trail drinks and snacks, i normally just have H2O and a couple granola bars. as far as not riding so far i ride loops and most are over 20 miles but i tend to take a few alternate paths that lead to more technical sections and add a few miles to that. i don't think i'd want to ride 1/4 of a loop and turn back around.

Just face it, you have done a lot of miles in a short space of time. You would normally build up to this sort of milage and effort over a few months, not do it all in one week. The other thing is not just eating on the ride. Diet will play an important part in doing 20 miles a day with effort. Eat more calories, eat more carbs and fat, and drink more.
Age doesn't come in it, well not when your as young as you are. Difference is with age comes experience, and that is what you should put this episode down to.