Issues with Recovery
#26
Sophomoric Member
36 miles, or 18 miles each way is a pretty decent ride.
A few thoughts.
As far as myself, I'm rapidly approaching the second half century of my life. I've always ridden a bike, but the number of miles varied. A couple of years ago, a ride from my house to Mom's house and back (about 20 miles each way) in a day would just wipe me out. Now, I'm pushing the speed and cargo capacity getting there, and the recovery time is much quicker. Still, a 100 or 150 mile ride is tough. I'm estimating 4000 to 5000 miles this year which will be the most in quite some time.
A few thoughts.
- First of all, get a nice bike. I've had people at the bike co-op laugh at me for showing up on a well battered Colnago road bike, or using a titanium Litespeed as my rain bike. But there is a reason for that, as they're at about the 15 mile point in my ride if I'm just going straight there. I've read about the differences between skinny and fat tires... I still like the skinny tires. I now have a Cross bike, and it just doesn't feel the same.
- Figure out what you need to pack back and forth, and what you don't. You didn't mention what you're carrying. For the most part, keep computers, cookware, etc at each destination. Just carry the bare necessities (such as groceries, flash drives, etc).
- For the biking, you need to push yourself a bit, some of the time. Don't always stop at 18/36 miles. Perhaps go for a few 100 mile rides on the weekend. Play around with varying speed. You might not want to wipe yourself out on a Monday or Tuesday, but you could try using Friday as your "sprint and intervals" day. Occasionally snag your cargo trailer. Nothing beats climbing hills while dragging 500 pounds behind your bike.
As far as myself, I'm rapidly approaching the second half century of my life. I've always ridden a bike, but the number of miles varied. A couple of years ago, a ride from my house to Mom's house and back (about 20 miles each way) in a day would just wipe me out. Now, I'm pushing the speed and cargo capacity getting there, and the recovery time is much quicker. Still, a 100 or 150 mile ride is tough. I'm estimating 4000 to 5000 miles this year which will be the most in quite some time.
I did about 5,000 miles a year for many years until my recent health problems. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn't so much if you ride every day, as many of us transportation cyclists do. A hundred miles a week, or 10 to 20 miles a day--really not bad at all.
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#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 854
Bikes: All 80s Schwinns: 88Prologue, 88Circuit, 88Ontare, 88KOM, 86SS, 88Tempo, 88V'ger, 80V'ger, 88LeTour, 82LTLuxeMixte, 87 Cimarron, 86H.Sierra, 92Paramount9c
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If the issue is indeed recovery, then one big thing that has barely been mentioned is nutrition. How is your omega 3 to omega 6 intake ratio? As a chef you might now about how much oil (and omega 6) the average diet consumes, which I hear greatly impair recovery. For one thing, seems people consume way to much food processed or cooked with not-good-for-you oils such as corn, canola, sunflower, soybean etc. that all lead to muscle inflammation. I hear even most olive oil is no good - cut with other cheaper oils.
Also stretching was mentioned but I have found rolling to be more effective for some things like calves (I just use a short bit of PVC pipe). Often times if you have damaged spots then simply stretching will tend to overstretch the areas that don't need it and understretch the areas that do. In many cases stretching can be unnecessary. Instead the damaged areas need stimulated to break up scar tissues and promote circulation. Putting pressure on the area instead of attempting to stretch a whole muscle group can be beneficial.
Also stretching was mentioned but I have found rolling to be more effective for some things like calves (I just use a short bit of PVC pipe). Often times if you have damaged spots then simply stretching will tend to overstretch the areas that don't need it and understretch the areas that do. In many cases stretching can be unnecessary. Instead the damaged areas need stimulated to break up scar tissues and promote circulation. Putting pressure on the area instead of attempting to stretch a whole muscle group can be beneficial.
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dgasmd
Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling
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04-08-10 09:27 AM