The Weak Link

Finding my 37 miler to be not too much of a stretch, and eager to pile on the miles as to beat the Glorious Comrades to the major milestones, I road a 47 miler this Saturday. I expected to be shot for the rest of the day, but on Sunday.....no aches or pains, the legs felt fine. I just felt like globally warmed dog crap. After my family activities, I laid down to take a little nap and woke up four hours later. This AM wasn't much better. It wasn't until 11 AM that I began to feel like part of humanity, and then it was the mutant part that lives underground and only comes out late at night, the forerunner of the Morlocks, if you will.

So....

1) Don't get carried away out there, fellers. I'm in pretty decent shape for my age but I think I came real close to overdoing it. Don't think you can pick up your new bike and ride up Mt. Mitchell in just three months of riding.

2) You Glorious Comrades are kicking my butt. I admit it.

3) And just when do I feel really really good as a result of all this fine conditioning I'm getting?

The Weak Link

Pardon my Canadian accent.

Digital Gee

Thank God you posted this. I had regretted rising to the challenge almost immediately. I can relax now.

crtreedude 

Well, I did 80 kilometers Sunday. Hint to 50+ers, state your mileage in kilometers - it makes it look more impressive...

The Weak Link

Are you being factitious?

Digital Gee

I'm being monomaniacal.

stapfam

Now be thankfull that you ride on your own. No one else to see how shattered you are getting.

The only way to increase milage is to gradually do more milage. The fact that you achieved the ride without feeling rough, that only came later, means that when the conditions are right- you can go out and do the metric. Then you will feel shattered.

Last year I took a friend on a metric and he was just a casual rider. He was riding but be warned. Straight after thgis ride he felt just a little stiff but it hit his wallet. He realised that if he had a better bike -it would have been easier so start looking for a buyer for the Lemond.

The Weak Link

????Better than the Lemond????

Surely you jest.

Tom Bombadil

I rode 20 miles on Thursday and 33 on Friday (metric age ride of 52km) - my old high was 26 miles. On Saturday I was wiped out. My previous two day high had been around 34-35 miles. Riding 53 miles meant that I spent about 5.5 hours in the saddle (not counting breaks). I had 9 mile and 13 mile segments that were both mostly uphill (3%) and into 20-25 mph winds (and on limestone). Those did not pass too quickly.

I have now mapped out a flat course of about 4 miles, of which approximately 50% is asphalt. I think that's going to be my site for seeing how far I can ride in a day later on this summer. And as my car would be parked at the mid-way point, I won't need to carry anything on the bike, except maybe 1/4th of a bottle of water.

Beverly

Those bike manufacturers are always coming out with something better. I'm now drooling over a 2008 Madone

stonecrd

You increased your distace by 27%, 10 miles may not seem like much but as a percentage that is pretty big. So you should be feeling worn out and I would expect 24-48 hours until you feel perfect again. In another post I talked about a tough 57 miles ride I did yesterday in the heat & humidity. Normally I do 60-65 miles on Sunday and I do this almost every week and I am worn out all day on Sunday. I can get around and do the chores but I am constantly thirsty, hungry and generally tired the rest of the day. After yesterday doing less miles but in the heat I am still worn down today.

My routine is generally not to ride Saturday before my Sunday ride or Monday after, this provides me the best recovery. Some people do mutliple 100 mile days, my body is not up for that, and even more so my mind is not up for that.

crtreedude 

That is a good point - jumping more than 10% may cause fatigue. I don't ride 80 kilometers that often but all I felt was hunger - the fridge felt the impact.

HopedaleHills

I didn't realize how much yesterdays 20 mile hill ride and then mowing the lawn took out of me until I went and test rode bikes today. Their test ride is 2 miles uphill to a school, as many laps around the school as you want and back down. After 5 test rides, I'm toast.

freeranger

@ TWL--you just needed someone to ride with who would pace it out, and stop more often for a drink! I'll bet you went all gung-ho and tried to cram it all in at full or near full speed! Donna and I went out the other day and did an easy (read-relatively flat) 18 mile ride, which had her looking up routes for the next one! THere are some rides around the back roads around us that you can vary from 23 to 43, with moderate hills. So, let me know when you wanna do another ride-I'll be sure to keep us paced, and you never know when you'll need a mechanic along.

The Weak Link

Some of it was that I saw someone about 300 yards in the distance that I gave chase to. Never caught him after about twenty minutes of trying. Not the brightest thing to do.

Next weekend, hammerhead group ride at 8 AM, if I feel like I have the legs for it. They take no prisoners. You'd be welcome.

In two to three weeks, might go for the 50 miler. Got the route worked out, "Joe Ward's 'Chat N' Nibble' ride". Work on them hills, dood!

The following is not a medical opinion, only an observation:
--Tylenol -- worthless post ride.
--Advil-- doesn't last long enough.
--Aleve-- tears the crap out of my stomach, even though I'm on a PPI.
--diclofenac (generic)-- it delivers!

George

I probably should have read this, this morning, before I took off.

Skipper

Did 27 miles Saturday morning with RCK. About 1600 feet of climbing. An hour and a half later I was piloting the tandem with Mrs. Skipper stoking. We did our longest ride to date, 19 miles with about 1300 feet of climbing. This was our first real out of town road ride. Most of our tandem riding has been on the local rail trail with its nasty 2% grade. Sunday afternoon, I headed south on the rail trail for a leisurely 23 mile round trip.

Pretty good weekend in my book.

jppe

I can really appreciate the recovery time...did a 10 miles Time Trial Wednesday night and just didn't feel good until Saturday. Recently I noticed on some of the strenuous long rides it takes several days before the full strength has returned.

Feel good that you pushed the limits....your body is just telling you that you did more than normal and you should feel great that that you can physically do that.

further

Last year I was riding 40 milers on the road (with hills) regularly, 60 miles on rail trail wasn't too hard. So I set out for an epic ride up into the Laurel Highlands, our local mts. These are not huge mts but you're constantly climbing or desending,NO level road. I had my route mapped out, about 35 miles thru the mts, a stop at a store to resupply and about 20 miles mostly down hill to home. Well I missed a turn while in the mts, rode an extra 10 or so miles without any water on an 80 degree day. When I found the store I downed a BIG gaterade and ate something, they didn't have any powerbar type stuff there. So I wasn't feeling too bad when I pulled out and headed down the road for home. After getting down out of the hills, cruising along a fairly level stretch, my right hamstring started to tighten up. I stopped,stretched a little, massaged it a bit and continued on. Within a mile I was off the bike, laying on the dirt holding my leg in agony. I called for help, got a ride home, showered,ate bannanas,drank orange juice and was laying on the bed when the worst pain I have ever experienced gripped my hamstring. I was screaming,biting holes in the pillow,my wife and daughter were scared to death. The cramp lasted approximatly forever.When it did finally end, my riding season was pretty much ended to. A couple weeks later, on nowhere near as hard a ride it cramped up again, and I had to call for help. This year after stretching and exercising all winter it still feels like a weak spot. So what I'm trying to say is be carefull about jumping up the work load, and be real carefull about getting lost and running out of water.

DnvrFox

I went around a corner, trying to get across an intersection fast. I gave a big push with my knee at a distance from the top tube.

Wow, did I ever buy the pain and strain. It took several weeks, a number of trips to my friendly chiropractor (he is GREAT and was a former athletic trainer, and he can look at you walking [actually hobbling] in and know what is wrong). Anyway I strained a whole bunch of muscles, and it took some time to get them all back together again. I also have a hip joint susceptible to acute bursitis, and I have to watch that all the time.

It doesn't take much, just the wrong angle of strain and push! Wow.

George

+1

MichiganMike

I find for me that I go in "plateaus". I don't see a gradual improvement. What I see is a leveling off for a period of time, then an overnight improvement. It was that way when I was a runner too. If I rush things, I end up going backwards, not forwards.

And to show you how observant I am, all these months in my head you were the missing link, not the weak link. I never read it that closely. Of course, after reading some of your posts, I am not sure which is more appropriate.

freeranger

Would that be the Laurel Highlands in Pa? I've ridden a rail-trail in that area, beautiful and scenic! I have an Allegheny Highlands Trail ballcap from out there. And have ridden the Northern and Southern Yough River rail-trails (they weren't joined yet when we rode them). Miss those Pa. rail-trails. A bit to far from L'ville to travel for a ride now.

further

The same. The rail trails are about the only level ground you can find around here. I rode them a lot on my Trek 520 with 28mm tires. I'm staying off them with my Robiax (23mm tires) also the dust from the limestone trail tears up drive trains. That said the Yough River Trail is a beautiful ride. Its complete from Pittsburgh to DC now. That trail was the incentive for me to buy my 520. I planned to ride the whole length but something always interfered.

freeranger

From Pitts.to DC on the Yough River Trail-now that would be one beautiful ride!! I've given thought to retiring (some years down the road yet) to some little town tucked away near a rail trail in Pa., simply because of the scenery. Been all over Pa, and ridden many of the rail trails, and mtn.bike trails. Great state for riding!