rousseau

I've noticed that every year by about mid-July or so I reach a level of fitness where the legs feel reliably powerful. Longer climbs aren't painful anymore. I can gun it for a 10 km stretch with the fast guys in the group without having to ease off. I don't need any days off the bike anymore--the days I would have been feeling beat up and not wanting to leave the couch, like in April or May, I just do recovery rides instead.

I'm speaking as a middle-aged hobbyist who doesn't race but still likes to go fast.

This year I've purposefully upped my distance and time on the bike, and that has resulted in increased speed and power, which has been really gratifying. One thing I'm starting to feel these last couple of weeks, a very interesting phenomenon, is a distinct lowering of my appetite. Has anyone else ever felt that?

At the beginning of the year I'd be ravenous after a three-hour ride, but these days I honestly just don't feel all that hungry. I know that exercise is supposed to be an appetite suppressant, but I've never really felt that effect so strongly before. My very basic and uneducated guess is that my increased fitness has meant that I'm not actually working as hard as I was earlier in the year, so I'm probably burning more fat during rides than glycogen. My pants have been feeling a bit looser in the last month too, which I think is further evidence of this.

I wonder what I can do to avoid getting stuck at a plateau? Should I push myself harder to make more gains in fitness? I'm going to see if I can do that, because the idea of slowly degenerating as the months turn inexorably to fall (urgh, hate thinking about that) is too depressing to contemplate. I wonder if I can maintain some or most of my fitness through the winter and pick up early next spring from where I leave off in the late fall?

So many tantalizing possibilities.

Alias530

Yep my 3 minute training intervals are knocking at the door of 500 watts (480-485 ), feeling good.

ThermionicScott 

Same here. Been riding all winter and not middle-aged yet, but feeling strong and energetic at this point. It's a good feeling.

dvdslw

The more you ride the better you feel. Due to our kids being on summer break, a 10 day vacation to visit family (no room for bike), and one less day off from work due to employees rotating time off for vacation, I have ridden twice in the last month and can feel the difference. On my last ride hitting some hills that I usually don't even think about were tougher than usual and keeping a fast pace was a bit of a struggle. There's nothing better than having "good legs" and I hope to get back in to a routine so I can get that feeling back as well. Keep it up!!!