I feel like I've hit a wall in my training and could do with some advice!

I cycle 7 miles twice a day 5 days a week (yup I commute to work on the road). I have a road bike (Ridgeback Velocity) which is only about 4 months old. I have been cycling this route since I bought the bike, for the first couple of months I really felt the improvement, but now I feel like I am getting worse instead of improving.

My legs are getting tired quicker (I can really feel the bite!) and the bike feels really heavy, I have checked it out and it all seems in good working order - to be sure I am going to get it serviced.

Before my morning cycle I drink plenty of water, but only eat a banana to get me there. I eat sandwicheas, fruit and chocloate or cookies (yum) in the day and continue to drink plenty of water. In the evenings I typically eat meat and vegetables but no real carbs.

Any advice that can help me break this deadlock would really help as I am using these sessions to help me with my triathlon training.

Also, I'm not sure what the best way to train is - high reps on a low gear or low reps on a high gear or a combination of the two.

Thanks in advance!!

Did my first triathlon a month ago and did....alright, the swim was hard (my first in open water), but managed to get out in the top 30. Then, the cycle....I lost a lot of ground on the cycle. In fact it felt as though everyone was overtaking me....

I use my commute to work for my cycle training - 7 miles each way (5 days a week). It takes me just over 20 mins (depending on taffic). I generally keep at the gears 4 or 5 off the top. I try to stay at high reps on a low gear but feel that I'm not really getting anywhere and get frustrated when other commuters over take me. Recently I have hit a wall. My times are getting worse instead of better and legs start to ache earlier in the ride - I really feel the muscle bit!!

I'm not sure what to do. Should I cycle less, change my diet... currently I have between 1 and 2 pints of water before my first cycle and a banana. I eat sandwiches for lunch, plus chocolate or cookies. Plenty of water throughout the day. For dinner I generally have meat and veg, but no series carbs...is this something I should change?

Any advice would be most appreciated as I'm becoming very dispondant with my poor performance.

My next triathlon is in about 3 weeks.

Take a break.
I find if I take a week off, meaning very little stress on my body , I come back a lot stronger than before.
Cross train.
Do some other kind of workout for awhile.
Vary your workout.
Go slower overall, but throw some sprints in there.

Also realize that plateau are a fact of life. You'll even dip down a bit before you start getting better again.

Take a break.
I find if I take a week off, meaning very little stress on my body , I come back a lot stronger than before.
Cross train.
Do some other kind of workout for awhile.
Vary your workout.
Go slower overall, but throw some sprints in there.

Also realize that plateau are a fact of life. You'll even dip down a bit before you start getting better again.
Thanks, I'll give it a go

So you're a commuter doing 7 miles in just over 20 minutes...that's an average of 20 mph. That's awesome...most people on this board would be pleased with that kind of speed on an open road, and after a decent warm up. I hate to think of the conditioning of your fellow commuters.

Do you use a cycle-computer?

So you're a commuter doing 7 miles in just over 20 minutes...that's an average of 20 mph. That's awesome...most people on this board would be pleased with that kind of speed on an open road, and after a decent warm up. I hate to think of the conditioning of your fellow commuters.

Do you use a cycle-computer?
I don't use a computer. There are guys that still zoom past me and obviously thats frustrating. I was considering getting clip on pedals, do they really make a massive difference?

Clips certainly do make a difference! They allow you to use more of your pedaling stroke.

For less than $30, you can get a 'puter with cadence and it will make you a better rider. I use mine to find my most effecient rpm and then try and hold it by manipulating the gears.

Sounds like you might be overtraining. How hard are you riding? I would back off on the intensity for one week. Don't worry about how fast you are riding - just ride at a nice leisurely pace. When you resume riding hard, don't ride hard every day. Take some days easy to allow your legs to recover. Some people follow a regular schedule for easy/hard days. I prefer to see how I feel in the first few miles of the ride and take it from there.

Its normal for fitness too plateaux after a rise from a low level. It takes a lot more effort to get a little bit fitter. If you are not training for an event, then consider a break from training and just ride the bike. Do the commute at a gentle pace, with no training.
Try leaving your computer at home and work on your pedalling style or road-handling skill. Its better to ride at a high cadence in a lower gear. Train yourself to pedal rapidly. Are you using any pedal retesion system (clipless or toe-clips). This will help you pedal more effectively.
At weekends, try a longer ride, 7 miles is not very far. Try a 20 miler to begin with. You should quickly get up to 50 miles for an easy day ride, and 70 with a little effort. The challenge then is to reach 100.

Well, 7 miles is not that far. In facts, for me, it is pretty much the warmup range. What you might be getting is the body just fussing at you for making it work. Once you warm up, things work a lot better and that would be happening towards the end of your ride assuming there are not a whole bunch of stops and waits.

Another thing you might be getting, is there is a law of diminishing returns in conditioning. When you are really unfit, improvements in atheletic performance come with nearly breath taking speed. I wish it kept up with me. Had my pace of improvement continued for say 3-4 years I would have been crushing guys like Lance Armstrong. But as you get fitter, it takes more and more training and more intelligent training to increase performance. Each additional increment takes more.

I agree with everything everyone else has said, tho I am in no way an expert. At the weekend there, I went out with a friend for 3 hours, and about 1.5 of that was settled into a pretty quick rythm. He's 16 years younger than me and taller, with longer legs, so this keeps me focussed and we usually end up getting faster and faster as we test each other. By the end of the day I was hurting but determined to keep on and made myself take a sprint burst to the starting point. For the first time in a long time I had an endorphine buzz. Get into a rythm and keep it for 30 mins or so, then change it a little. Also a partner or group really makes a difference, but I think you're going to have to just get more saddle time and be prepared to hurt.

You haven't said much about yourself or what you trying to achieve. Although 14 miles a day is not a lot, it depends on your weight and prior physical conditioning.

However, assuming you began in an unfit state and are significanly overweight, the 14 mile round trip may be pretty taxing. Perhaps you have overtrained?

Perhaps you should get a heart rate monitor and track your ride time while maintaining a steady moderate heart rate. This way, you can see if your conditioning is improving or degrading. If you are degrading than you have overdone it and need to take a few days off to allow your body to rebuild.

Don't overdo it while riding. you should keep your heart in the Aerobic zone (<80% maximum heart rate) for the bulk of your riding if you can. Othewise, find a heart rate that is comfortable and use that.

Standard disclaimer: If you are starting an exercise program and are out of shape, check with your doctor first.

I agree with the heart rate monitor comment from supcom....try taking your resting heart every morning upon waking....use this as your baseline...as you get fitter it may drop but if its higher than normal you may be overtraining..at 14 miles a day I doubt your overtraining but I'm not sure of your fitness level.


kern

Sounds like everyone is right on. I will add that you might pay more attention to your diet and sleep. You might need more carbs in the evening as well as adding more calories in the morning. Sounds very realistic that you are past the "newbee phase" and need to analyze your program/ eating, you probally are just getting warmed up by the end of your 7 m. What you could get away with in the earlier days is not what the body needs as you become more fit. Try a new route as well, you may just be mentally fatigued/ bored with your current ride.
As for pedal cadence, any program that I have read/ done alternates workouts. High cadence one day, low cadence the next with a few easy days and high milage days mixed in. Keep it up though it's always great to see a new cyclist!!!!!!

i think that riding the same way (same speed, same distance, same gearing, etc) can leave you stale and stagnant over a period of time, both mentally and physically. instead of taking time off (given the distance parameters given here) i would either try different gearing or a slightly different route or more milage (extending the route, even if by 3 more miles to an even 10 miles) >>to shock your body into gains. you should benefit from this given the parameters set forth here.
**disclaimer: i am assuming you are in otherwise good health**
(what zocchi100 says)

Clips certainly do make a difference! They allow you to use more of your pedaling stroke.

For less than $30, you can get a 'puter with cadence and it will make you a better rider. I use mine to find my most effecient rpm and then try and hold it by manipulating the gears.

Actually there is no measurable difference between toeclips and clipless pedals in power and mechanical advantage. When they first came out in the late 70's Clipless pedals were billed as more comfortable. shimano SPD systems ruined that in a hurry! If you go clipless look at Look or Time or Speedplay or Campagnolo. For Commutinjg Toe clips work great because you can often use a "Business Casual" shoe so you don't have to change at the office. You'll gain some stifness from a cycling shoe but I doubt you'll see a huge drop in your times.


Unless you are Lance Armstrong there are always going to be guys who pass you and even he does not win every race. The fact that people pass you while your riding to work means nothing. They may have been riding two blocks or are sprinting to impress you. You have no idea how far they are going or if they ride that way for 100 miles. Either way let them blow out their knees! I don't know your age but this becomes more important as you grow older. I'm 45 and in pretty good shape. I can cruise along at the 20 - 23 mph range on my old Cinelli and be just happy. I keep it at our vacation house in China. The countryside in China is abosultely glorious. I regularly get passed by 20 something hotshots on tiny little compact aluminum frames with aero wheels and their bars too low. I don't care. They will have back and sholder problems when they are 50 and I'll still be riding the Cinelli when I'm 75. Because their bars are too low they'll die lonely and I'll have grandchildren because I didn't make myself sterile trying to gain 15 seconds over a 100K.

You are actually doing several things right
1. You are not pushing a huge gear.
2. You are riding every day.
3. You are paying attention to cadence.

The fact that you seem to be slowing down is probably a natural part of the training cycle. When you started back on the bike there was probably a little bit of adrenilyn involved. Keep at it and your times will improve. But if you are constantly looking for that magic bullet to rocket your speed up then you will constantly be disapointed.

Suggestions
#1
I agree with the poster above me: You do need to get a computer. Get one with a cadence function. Ride to cadence not speed! Ride to cadence not speed! Ride to cadence not speed! Let me repeat that in case you don't understand what I mean. Ride to cadence not speed. You may see to your times slow at first but they will improve if you are diligent. Triathlon riders seem to like a cadence of about 95. If your training cadence is below about 80 slow down and hit a lower gear. Sometimes old farts like me will ride without a computer. But we've been riding a long time and know our bodies really well. Get a computer.

#2
Get a Heart Rate Monitor. For three days a week ride at about 60% of your max HR REGARDLESS of the speed you are riding. Two days a week push up to about 80%.

Once again you will probably see your times get slower at first. Don't panic, that is normal.

Congratulations on your first triathlon and may you enjoy many more! I'm envious of your swimming. I do whale imitations in the water when I swim. :o They don't call me the Cyclingmaniac for nothing! I average over 100 miles per week, swim 6K+ yards per week and suffer through the running with an average of 10 to 15 miles per week! (I swim to get to the bike faster, but dread the run!) My goal is to be competitive in my AG.

Couple of things you might consider:

1) Identify your goal. Do you want to be competitive?; Increase your fitness?; Just enjoy the sport? You need to know what you want to accomplish!

2) Ask LOTS of questions on this board and on others, too! I have found that triathletes are a giving lot of people. You may run into triathlon snobs, but for the most part, triathletes are willing to share their thoughts and knowledge.

3) Do get a heart monitor, but more importantly learn to listen to your body. You will know when to kick it up a notch or to back off.

4) This may not work for you in your triathlon coming up in the next 3 weeks, but you might consider incorporating Power Workouts in your cycling regime.

Hill "attack" workout - (again, after thorough warm up)
1) select a hill with 5-8 % grade
2) Select a rear gear that is at least one or two cogs harder than you normally ride on hills
3) Attack up the hill for about two minutes, at the fastest speed you can hold for that period. This should be very hard. Do not do it longer than two minutes.
4) Turn around and descend, then ride slowly for a several minutes so that you recover completely before the next effort.
5) Repeat 3 or 4 more times.
6) Slow recovery ride home for 15 or 20 minutes.


Flat "Sprint " Workout
1) Select a flat stretch that has no intersections or much traffic for at least 300 yards.
2) Select a rear gear at least two or three cogs harder than you normally ride on flat terrain
3) For 150 yards, gradually build up your speed, then sprint all out, as hard as you can, for the next 100 yards.
4) Ride slowly for as long as it takes for your heart rate to drop to its normal, slow riding level
5) Repeat three or four more times

If you followed this program, you would do one Power workout each week for two weeks, and then a speed workout in the third week. These should be very hard - so only one per week! You will find that in week four, you will be able to ride and climb a bit faster than before.

Hope this helps!

The Cyclingmaniac!

Thanks for the tips. My aim is to improve each day, but I am becoming more realistic and have reaslised that i need to be building the correct muscles slowly. So I will take all the advice I can get and vary the way I ride.

I'm just one of those people that finds it hard to go slow in the short term to get faster in the long term.....I should have gotten through the impatient phase in my teens!!

Thanks for all the advice. I did take a few days off and have started to alternate the way I train. Some days fast some days slow, some days a mix of fast and slow.

I'm in pretty good shape, but I have gone from swimming a couple of times a week to swimming 3 times a week, cycling 5 days a week and running a couple of times in between. I think I was just trying to do too much too soon, even though my fitness levels weren't too low at the beginning.

I have joined a local cycle club and do a 40 mile cycle on the weekends. It really does help to have a group of people to spur you on and chat to.

Bingo. Take a break once in a while. Every one isn't passing you. It seems you are putting too much pressure on your self.Be prepared to accept being passed.It is gonna happen.

Reread your first and last posts, again.

Train hard, and easy, but enjoy your self. You know what to do.

Recovery is when you grow stronger. Rest is the key.