I stopped riding for a month
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Alameda, CA, an island city on the edge of San Francisco Bay
Posts: 671
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I stopped riding for a month
and I can't believe how much of my fitness I lost.
Because of work schedule and a bad cold I stopped riding for about 5 weeks. Before that I'd been in my best shape for years. But after a month, my butt hurts again, my speed and cadence is down, and I struggled on hill climbing.
The good news: my aerobic endurance did not decline (I was not out of breath when riding) and my overall strength and endurance is still far better than when I started riding about 15 months ago.
But still I was shocked at how much I lost in a month, and I'm not looking forward to a winter layoff and a spring re-training.
Because of work schedule and a bad cold I stopped riding for about 5 weeks. Before that I'd been in my best shape for years. But after a month, my butt hurts again, my speed and cadence is down, and I struggled on hill climbing.
The good news: my aerobic endurance did not decline (I was not out of breath when riding) and my overall strength and endurance is still far better than when I started riding about 15 months ago.
But still I was shocked at how much I lost in a month, and I'm not looking forward to a winter layoff and a spring re-training.
#2
I need more cowbell.
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Reno, Nevada
Posts: 8,182
Bikes: 2015 Specialized Sirrus Elite
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Your screen name is so appropriate! I'm assuming you're back on the bike, right?
__________________
2015 Sirrus Elite
Proud member of the original Club Tombay
2015 Sirrus Elite
Proud member of the original Club Tombay
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Alameda, CA, an island city on the edge of San Francisco Bay
Posts: 671
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Digital Gee
Your screen name is so appropriate! I'm assuming you're back on the bike, right?
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 368
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I know what you mean. Tomorrow will be a week now that I haven't been able to ride, due to muscle pulls in my back and right rear leg. At least I hope it's muscle pull and not sciatica, which I've never had before. The bike sits on the trainer constanly reminding me that the clock it ticking.
#5
genec
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: West Coast
Posts: 27,079
Bikes: custom built, sannino, beachbike, giant trance x2
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13658 Post(s)
Liked 4,532 Times
in
3,158 Posts
Yeah whenever I lose the "drive" I find it takes 2X the time off to get it most of the way back.
Strange things can put me off... like you, I had a cold about 4 weeks ago and the days then started getting shorter.
I know that as soon as I climb back into the saddle, it's gonna take 2 months of "suffering" to get back to where I was... and that doesn't help motivate me either.
Strange things can put me off... like you, I had a cold about 4 weeks ago and the days then started getting shorter.
I know that as soon as I climb back into the saddle, it's gonna take 2 months of "suffering" to get back to where I was... and that doesn't help motivate me either.
#6
Left OZ now in Malaysia
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lancashire England, but at the moment on an extended tour of South East Asia
Posts: 826
Bikes: Thorn Ravan Catlayst, Bill Nickson tourer, Bill Nickson Time Trial, Claud Butler Cape Wrath, Motobecame Tandem etc etc
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I agree
I have been out of action too. due to operations, and a touch of manflu
Started back on the bike yesterday and the two rides have taken about 20% more time than before.
Just keep out there and hopefully after a month back on the bike all should/could be back to normal.
But here in the UK winter is starting, at least you are in California, I believe its warm there.
george
I have been out of action too. due to operations, and a touch of manflu
Started back on the bike yesterday and the two rides have taken about 20% more time than before.
Just keep out there and hopefully after a month back on the bike all should/could be back to normal.
But here in the UK winter is starting, at least you are in California, I believe its warm there.
george
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Alameda, CA, an island city on the edge of San Francisco Bay
Posts: 671
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
just a follow-up
after bemoaning last week how out of shape I was, I went out on a previously scheduled metric century on Saturday. First I didn't expect to go, then I thought I'd go but use the various bailout options, but finally I did the whole thing, 60 miles, 2500 ft. climbing. Beautiful day, good ride, made my usual 10 mph (i.e. 60 miles in 6 hrs including all rest stops). Did I mention I got only 4 1/2 hrs sleep the night before?
so it goes to prove once again I don't always know what shape I'm in. I can leave in the morning feeling great and drag my butt on a ride.
Or I can get sick, stop riding, have little sleep, and have a great cycling day. Go figure!
after bemoaning last week how out of shape I was, I went out on a previously scheduled metric century on Saturday. First I didn't expect to go, then I thought I'd go but use the various bailout options, but finally I did the whole thing, 60 miles, 2500 ft. climbing. Beautiful day, good ride, made my usual 10 mph (i.e. 60 miles in 6 hrs including all rest stops). Did I mention I got only 4 1/2 hrs sleep the night before?
so it goes to prove once again I don't always know what shape I'm in. I can leave in the morning feeling great and drag my butt on a ride.
Or I can get sick, stop riding, have little sleep, and have a great cycling day. Go figure!
#8
Wheezing Geezer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Crowley, Tx
Posts: 1,782
Bikes: Bacchetta Corsa, RANS Stratus XP
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Glad you're riding again. 7 days is the longest I've gone without riding since I started 25 months ago. I'm scheduled for hernia surgery in January; we'll see how long that keeps me off the bike.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Weston, Florida
Posts: 130
Bikes: '10 Ridley Noah
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Bud Bent
Glad you're riding again. 7 days is the longest I've gone without riding since I started 25 months ago. I'm scheduled for hernia surgery in January; we'll see how long that keeps me off the bike.
Before the surgery, I was working out at the gym five days a week with a combination of light lifting and cardio. My passion was for those long (40+) mile rides on the weekends. I got as much riding in as I could before the operation in anticipation of a long lay-off... but if I were to guess now, it's gonna' be around Christmas when I climb back on.
All went well with the surgery... they did both sides at the same time laporoscopically and I had a "pain pump" attached for three days afterwards. I strongly recommend the pain pump...
#10
Let's do a Century
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 8,316
Bikes: Cervelo R3 Disc, Pinarello Prince/Campy SR; Cervelo R3/Sram Red; Trek 5900/Duraace, Lynskey GR260 Ultegra
Mentioned: 59 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 651 Post(s)
Liked 879 Times
in
408 Posts
BITS-you're experience is so typical. Several of us were bemoaning the same fact yesterday on a long ride ride on how quickly being in peak condition slips if you're not regularly exercising at that level. The good news is it will come back......Sit back and enjoy the rides getting you back to where you were!!
__________________
Ride your Ride!!
Ride your Ride!!
#11
Senior Member
I just had one surgery followed by another. I had a Nissen Fundoplication on November 7th and hernia surgery (conventional left inguinal) on the 22nd. I did get one short (16 mile) ride in between the two surgeries. I was suprised that I felt that I had lost less fitness than I would have expected at that point. That may be that I just had low expectations. I did walk a lot though, starting hours after the surgery with walks around the hall of the hospital and building to multi-mile walks quickly. After the hernia surgery it took a little longer to get walking much, with a couple days of hardly any walking, but I was back to multi-mile walks after a week or so.
I would probably get on the bike today, but the doctor said to wait until he OK's it after my wife ratted me out for riding between the surgeries. I see the surgeon again thursday and hope to be riding again after that. I an really chomping at the bit to be back on the bike!
In the past I have found that whatever fitness you lose at least comes back MUCH more quickly than if you had never reached that fitness level before. If the time off isn't too long recovery should be pretty quick. At least that is what I am telling myself.
Pete
I would probably get on the bike today, but the doctor said to wait until he OK's it after my wife ratted me out for riding between the surgeries. I see the surgeon again thursday and hope to be riding again after that. I an really chomping at the bit to be back on the bike!
In the past I have found that whatever fitness you lose at least comes back MUCH more quickly than if you had never reached that fitness level before. If the time off isn't too long recovery should be pretty quick. At least that is what I am telling myself.
Pete
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,259
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by backinthesaddle
I can leave in the morning feeling great and drag my butt on a ride.
Or I can get sick, stop riding, have little sleep, and have a great cycling day. Go figure!
Or I can get sick, stop riding, have little sleep, and have a great cycling day. Go figure!