Hi guys I'm looking for a bit of advice on my training and fatigue. Sorry for the long post, feel free to skim!

I'm not a natural athlete, not good at sports, not a fast runner, etc, but not terrible either. I've been a recreational cyclist for 20 years, not racing, but not just trundling around either. In the past I've also done a bit of running, and resistance machines type workouts in the gym.

I'm currently very overweight but have been losing it this year. I have lost about 35 pounds and I have more than that still to lose. I'm losing 2-3 pounds per week on a low carb diet. Weight loss is my primary goal but I would like to be fitter too. I think intervals will help me continue to lose weight.

I've been back riding for about 10 weeks now, mostly in what the TCC calls Endurance Miles and Tempo intensities. I have done some climb repeat intervals too (basically all out 100% to survive the climb for me ). I want a more structured approach to make me faster.

I started Carmichael's Time Crunched Cyclist "New Century" (the 'easiest) program yesterday with an 80 minute ride including 4 x 6 minute SS intervals at 92-94% of my average test heart rate. I found the first interval tough but the other 3 were ok. I felt good coming home, maybe could have pushed a little harder. I was a little tired after riding but nothing to write home about - I have been cycling at those kind of intensities during my normal riding occasionally. I didn't bonk, I was hydrated pretty well. I was a little tired after a busy weekend.

However, today I had to get up early for work(6 hours sleep - only happens once a week) and I am *really* tired. I'm ok when I'm focused on stuff like work (or writing this) but when I'm not concentrating on something I feel a bit empty, listless, and tired. I could easily go and lie down. My back muscles feel like they've had a very good workout, my legs are pretty much ok.

I don't look tired but I feel a bit more irritable than normal. Riding my bike doesn't seem tempting today (its a rest day so I wouldn't anyway) and I'm a little nervous about tomorrow when I'm supposed to repeat the initial workout.

My question is - is this a normal level of fatigue for this kind of program? Should I push through? Will I feel less tired as I continue with the progam?

I'm looking to increase my speed so I can ride more easily with my friends who enjoy cycling and do a bit of touring but mostly just social rides, not pace line type stuff. I want to lose weight a bit faster and get fitter too but I know I'd enjoy cycling more if I was quicker and more powerful.

I completed the 2 x 8 minute time trials as a fitness test Carmichael recommends. My average heart rate was 172bpm and I managed to go about 2.2 miles. There was a headwind and I maybe could have pushed a little harder on the time trials but not much. This was my first experience of trying to go all out and I think I did my best. I know its not impressive but it may give you an idea of where I'm at.

I can't answer your question about whether this is a normal level of fatigue. Probably too early to tell, so give it a little time and see what happens. If you're doing it right, there will be fatigue, but you should be seeing fitness gains and the ability to keep going despite the fatigue.

I'm probably in roughly the same place as you fitness wise, though not overweight. My experience with TCC (intermediate commuter program) is that the frequency of interval sessions is a bit too much for me to recover on a week-to-week basis. Over the course of the cycle, excessive fatigue accumulates for me. My body just doesn't recover from hard efforts like it once did (I'm in my mid-40s). I'll probably do it again at some point this year, but cut back the number of interval sessions to about 2/3rds of what is recommended. You might experiment with doing some cutting back as well if your fatigue accumulates rather than becoming sustainable. (Don't know what to recommend specifically because the programs are structured differently). You should still see fitness gains if you cut back - I don't think you're wasting your time in any way if you don't do 100% of what TCC tells you to do.

I'm not trying to be discouraging. You might find that this is just a little hurdle and you can do the whole program. Just listen to your body. If you cut back, cut back on the number of sessions or the number of intervals in a session, but not the intensity of any given interval.

I wouldn't recommend intervals on a low-carb diet. Your blood sugar is in the toilet because of a lack of glycogen. Just don't ride at intensities which use glycogen. Keep the effort down to where you can speak in complete sentences. It's fine to ride hills, just gear way down to where you are breathing deeply but not rapidly.

Lose most of the weight first, then go on a normal diet and one of the TCC programs while you lose the rest of it.

You can get faster on your current diet. Simply increase the volume, especially the length of your rides. Take it up to 10 hours/week or so. Try back to back long rides on the weekend. Losing weight will make you faster, too. Save the intensity for when you can ride with your buds.