Do you ride when you're tired?
 

How 'bout when you just don't feel like it? I do. Sometimes it works. I'll drag my way to the first bridge, and suddenly decide to hit it. It ends up being a good ride, anyway. Sometimes, though, it's a fight all the way through, and even the slower pace leaves me stiff and sore, where a more lively pace wouldn't. Does anybody have similar experience?

Yep. I've even ridden when I was mildly sick. Tired...as long as it's not exhausted...I'll probably still ride. But I'm not fanatical either. If I just don't want to get on the bike on a certain day...I don't. I ride a lot, so it's all good. I've had those I'm tired and gotta drag my ass onto the bike rides turn out pretty good as well.

I ride when I don't feel like it. I use the 20 min. rule. If after 20 min. I still don't feel like ridding I turn around & head back home.

Unless I have at least 7 hrs of sleep I do not ride. I am too tired. I have a sleep apnea, I use a CPAP to sleep at night. So now I have no reason to not get enough sleep. I need a minimum of 7 hrs to fully function the next day. I make sure I get at least 7 hrs of sleep a night.

As far as I'm concerned there is no reason or excuse good enough for anyone to not get the minimum of 7 to 9 hrs of recommended sleep & rest. I know, I've been there before I was tested & diagnosed. I had all kinds of excuses, except what I really thought it was & admitting I had a problem. It got so bad I could spend 12 hours in bed & still be exhausted & tired. I went to my dr. & now I'm glad I did.

Un huh. I think I've been applying that 20 minute rule myself, but just haven't quantified it.

Sometimes I'll ride when I'm somewhat sick, and sometimes not. If it's a cold and I make too many nose blowing/breathing stops, I'm going to pack it in. Last fall was horrible, that way.

I generally feel worse if I don't ride. If I start off feeling like I don't want to ride that changes after riding for a while............. Endorphins !

I agree, 2manybikes - usually. I guess I posed the question, because today, it just didn't work. Fighting every foot of the way, and took a shortcut home.

Funny. Today I was pondering how much real rest and recovery I'll be needing now that I have a proper roadbike that eats miles like potato chips. I decided to rest today, after four days of riding. I took a short ride around the block a couple of times in an easy gear, trying to keep my muscles loose.

Once I get back in shape (after my recent bike/truck acident), I hope to do six days on, one day off, alternating between anerobic hill attacks with the big cog, and aerobic long distance spinning on the flats.

This isn't my first time being out of shape. I tend to get stronger the more I ride, not the more I rest.

Have to.

usually, yes. but i make it my recovery ride, just spin and keep it slow.

A bicycle ride will cure all. Even a short one.

We have one car for our family. So, yes. My wife is usually driving our son around. Consequently, it is either spend a long time on the bus or ride my bike. I pick the bike.
If I start burning out I take a mixed mode commute to work.

I almost always feel better on the bike than what I thought I would feel like before deciding to go ahead with the ride. For the times that I don't, I know that I really do need the rest.

Do you take a day off of riding once in a while? Even two days is not going to change your fitness. In fact two days off may make you stronger. It takes two days for 100% muscle recovery if you really were pushing your limits without a break.

A few years ago at the HHH I spent Friday afternoon at the trade show, went out to eat, camped out for the night and woke up Saturday morning feeling like @#%$. Couldn't even force down anything for breakfast. I almost started the truck and just drove home. Decided to at least start and see how I felt after a few miles. Rode the 100 in 4:39. Still my PR. Now I pay little attention to how I feel before riding, I just go.

SB

It's complicated, 2manybikes. I know about rest days, but with diabetes, I need to control sugar levels every day, and riding is the primary solution. In other words, if I don't ride, I don't get to eat, and I just love food. Weight and overall fitness have greatly improved since getting the diagnosis, but those are only secondary goals. At least I've found a form of exercise that is neither boring nor painful, and I've managed to stay away from medication.

Anyway, it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one to have bad days, and that sometimes rides that start out bad turn out well, more often than not.

You know, not long after posting this question, I saw this from Coloradopenguin. I love it, and think there's a relationship in here, somewhere.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=227656

yes.... i ride when i'm tired.... i ride when i don't feel like it.... i ride when i'm not feeling 100%....

i ride when it's windy..... i ride when it's hot.... i ride when it's cold....

it's too easy to make excuses... i know if i make too many excuses... next thing i know... i'll be a fat, lazy, slug!

Excuses become habits. I have to resist that too. Never too hot or too cold, but I won't ride in the rain - not on purpose, at least.

i just took a new job and i'm working much harder than i used to. i come home later and just feel more run down in general. i usually ride at 5:30am so i need to get as much sleep as possible. on top of this we just got new kittens so they keep us up at night as well.

because of all this, i started to take two days off during the week and ride a bit more on the weekend. at some point you have to realize when you're better off just getting sleep. riding too often when you're sleep deprived can burn you out really quickly.

I have a friend who does the same thing for his diabetes. He is a competitive runner and an avid cyclist. He says the bike riding "stays with him" longer? I don't really understand that.He's on insulin.

Good luck.

Why do you have to ride tired? What keeps you from getting enough rest & sleep?

2manybikes, I'll take his word that riding stays with him longer. I've checked meter readings before and after both when walking and riding. The immediate result is about the same, and that's as far as I've gone with it. Anyway, the right exercise over the right amount of time lowers the insulin resistance of the muscle cells. Someone with experience told me that loading dirt into a wheelbarrow, and pushing it around doesn't help at all. Go figure.

I'll ride when I'm tired, but I'll just cut the ride short of my normal route. I won't ride when I'm sick though, in my case that's just asking for bronchitis.

Depends I guess. Physically or mentally tired? In the case of mental fatigue, a ride almost always turns things right around, it's energizing. But in the case of actual physical tiredness, soreness, illness, I figure I'm better off resting, healing, etc.

Had that gosh darn bronchitis a few years ago - back when I was walking every day, instead of riding. That cough would start, and I would end up lying on the ground. I will never mess around with it, and I'm going to a doctor at the first symptom, not two weeks later.

I meant physical fatigue. For the mental kind, you couldn't be more right 'nother.