Training & Nutrition - 1 1/2 weeks off the bike

Hey everyone. Ive been realizing my goal of riding 100+ a week for the past month or so. Recently however I moved to a different part of town plus sprained my hamstring to put me off for about one and a half weeks off my steady riding. Today (my leg is back to normal) I went on my usual ride and found myself out of breath much quicker than usual. My legs were tight and fatigued rather quickly. Is this normal? Do I just possibly need to suck it up and work my way up again?

I don't know the answers but I can share my experience. I was off the bike for 8 or 9 days. The first 3 or 4 days I felt strong but winded. So it seemed to take more effort than I would have expected. That went away and I was right back in it after a week on the bike.

I sometimes take a week off (not just cycling, but running, weights, whatever), and I always come back feeling stronger, well rested and generally perform better. I find that the mental break is just as beneficial as the physical one, perhaps moreso.

The rule of thumb (that my experience tends to confirm) is that a week off is beneficial, a week and a half is OK, and at two weeks you are going to have to work to get back to where you were. Of course, this assumes that you have a very good base of cycling (or whatever sport you perform) under your belt already.

Also, it depends on the kind of training you are doing. If you were in race shape, in the middle of your ramp-up, getting ready to peak for a big race, it is going to be a lot tougher to get back there; if you are just trying to put in a lot of miles to stay in shape, it will be easier.

Hey everyone. Ive been realizing my goal of riding 100+ a week for the past month or so. Recently however I moved to a different part of town plus sprained my hamstring to put me off for about one and a half weeks off my steady riding. Today (my leg is back to normal) I went on my usual ride and found myself out of breath much quicker than usual. My legs were tight and fatigued rather quickly. Is this normal? Do I just possibly need to suck it up and work my way up again?

I once heard that the half-life of the training effect is ten days; that is you lose one half in ten days, then another half of what's left in ten days, etc, i.e. an exponential decay. Another poster on a similar thread claimed it was a linear loss of 10% per week, less rapid than what I had heard. I favor my rate, at least because it's more motivating to continue riding. Due to illness, I haven't ridden in five days, a long layoff as a year round commuter.

See that previous thread, "Effects of a Break in Training":

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=460012

thanks Jim. I am almost back to where i once was since the break. thanks for the information