Fifty Plus (50+) - Lost time...

I can get out there and push pretty hard (for me). I come home tired, sore and happy.
I understand the whole concept of rest and recovery days, the time needed for muscle fibers to repair themselves; that it's more beneficial to rest some days than to ride.
So... why do I have such a hard time doing that?
Oh, I've had the best intentions but, then, I'll see the blue skies (winter here today? Clear blue skies and temps in the 70s. We don't get this kind of weather in the summer) and the road calls.
I have no choice, I have to go out.
Just for a short ride.
Nice and easy... nothing hard. Well, that doesn't always work out, either :lol:

After giving it some thought, I see that there are two things working "against" me.
One is that -exercise aside- I like the feeling of riding. Just the sheer joy of motion on two wheels... the hypnotic spinning of the cranks in never ending circles... the air as it moves around me... the sights, the sounds, that feeling of being wherever I am because I got me there. It's the feeling of being alive.

The other is that after letting 20 years go by without those joyous feelings and no real idea of how much longer I'll be able to do this, I am making up for lost time. That a day off the bike is another day lost, an affirmation of those 20 years that I now resoundingly reject.

Heaven help me, I think I've got it bad...


On another topic... it's been a month since I've reintroduced myself to the steel world via my Jamis.
It really is a different world, too.
I've been smitten enough that -in that month- I've not been on my CF beauty at all.
Well, now I've adjusted pretty well to the Jamis.
Sure it's noticeably slower than the Giant -no surprise- by about 3 or 4 mph.
Sometimes it's faster than I can believe and sometimes it's no faster than the bike I dumped as "too slow", my Kaitai.
There's still a difference there... the Kaitai was a hard-to-push around "slow" and the Jamis is a graceful-and-easy "slow".
It always felt like it took way too much effort to to move the Fisher forward... I never had enough "oomph" to move it any faster, while the Jamis always feels like I have more head room.

So, imagine my surprise when I finally pulled the OCR down off the hooks and took it out for a spin (got my Hincapie ride coming in a few weeks, got to get ready for it) and... it's fast!
I forgot.
The difference in speed between it and my Jamis -depending on the terrain- could be closer to 5-7 mph.
The Giant just glides.

But one thing they do have in common? They are both smooth as butter.

So... what's the point of all this?
There is none.
Just random thoughts on a sunny Wednesday morning.
And it's supposed to be an "off" day. We'll see :lol:

Let the Force be with you, young Skycycler.

Probably the heavier bike is doing a little muscle building that really shows when you hop back on that light carbon.

Hate to say it but I am not going out and pushing it at present. The cold weather has been with us a bit too long at present and a trip to the cafe- see how cold I am and adjust the distance is about all I am doing. May be only 20 or might get up to 40 miles if I am lucky.

And on the different bikes- The TCR is my ride at the current time. But about a month ago I took Boreas out. What a difference. I know I bought the TCR as a second bike to stop wearing out Boreas on the foul days that we seem to get- but that ally bike does work for me. Or perhaps I ought to work on the TCR a bit more to get it better set up.

Can't say Boreas is quicker or gives me a better ride but it is just set up a bit better. But as both bikes are set up almost identically-I still can't see why one of them gives me such a better ride.

I think rest v. ride depends on your goals. If you are following a program that calls for rest because your body needs it, then rest. If you're out there for fun, then take it when you can get it.

I recently read that most recreational cyclers ride at a moderately hard pace. Therefore, they good at riding moderately hard. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to turn you into a racer.

Personally I love that "go forever, wind in my face" pace. It's magic!

... a day off the bike is another day lost...

+1 I knew there would be a nugget of wisdom in this post if I just looked long enough. :beer:

I think rest v. ride depends on your goals. If you are following a program that calls for rest because your body needs it, then rest. If you're out there for fun, then take it when you can get it.

I recently read that most recreational cyclers ride at a moderately hard pace. Therefore, they good at riding moderately hard. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to turn you into a racer.

Personally I love that "go forever, wind in my face" pace. It's magic!

That's what I'm talking about.

+1 I knew there would be a nugget of wisdom in this post if I just looked long enough. :beer:

Yep, there often is... but I make you search for it. Such is my way

If you want to make sure you go easy on your easy days . . . go fixed gear. But something low, i.e. 65 gear inches.

That way, you have to spin like the proverbial hamster in it's cage and even then you can't over-do it.

Works for me (well, except mine is 75 in. and I don't do the hamster thing).

Rick / OCRR

I can get out there and push pretty hard (for me). I come home tired, sore and happy.
...
So... what's the point of all this?
There is none.
Just random thoughts on a sunny Wednesday morning.
And it's supposed to be an "off" day. We'll see :lol:

tomorrow is just beyond the fingertips
if the magic carpet awaits, and you're able, I say 'Ride On'!
or
'Play On'
or
'Listen On'
or
'Think On'

'Off' for one thing means the switch is 'On' for something else