Originally posted by RiPHRaPH
but on any given day i don't know how strong i will be until i am 15-20 minutes into a ride (or longer) so it is hard to build up to one day without knowing how your body is going to respond.
I never know how my day is going to be until 15-20 minutes of riding. I call that warm-up.
If I started out mashing right away, I think everyday would be a disappointment. More often than not I tell my wife I am going to take an easy, liesurely ride. After 15 minutes or so, I feel like pushing it harder and usually do.
There are hundreds of training methods in books and in this forum. Generally, they all claim a need for rest periods and/or hard and easy days of riding. I've never seen a valid training program though that didn't start with a warm-up, end with a cool down and include some stretching.
Be happy! You really aren't supposed to know how your day is going until 15 minutes into the ride
