I ride between 25 and 30 miles before dawn during the week which means I get up at 4 AM and need to do this due to my work schedule. Towards the end of the week I can get very fatigued due accumilated sleep deprivation and sometimes may take a day off--usually Friday. I try to ride 30-40 miles on each weekend day and do one interval and one hill training ride per week.

Now I get that I should take a rest day but why do I feel so out of sorts and crabby? I feel its because I miss my ride and the stress reducer it is for me particularly as my job is very high stress. I sometimes crosstrain or do some brief HIIT workouts on the rest day but if I sleep in a bit I simply don't have time for any extended workouts so might as well get up and ride.

Any advice from someone in similar circumstances--FYI I am 64 but fit although a little over weight-although I am losing that as I continue to ride and diet

Your miles are Good.

You need more Sleep Time.

Yeah, how many hours are you sleeping?

less than 6 Sunday through Friday--about 8 on Sat---not enough--but with work schedule---I am a state director with multiple sites and a few hundred employees---plus routine family obligations I don't see a way to get any more rest time

try to get naps in there... they do wonders. Only 15-20mins once or two times a day can make a big diffrence. I often lay down for 15-20 mins 1-hour or right after a workout. Feel really fresh afterwards. But then again i get around 8-hours a sleep every night.

And by naps, i don't mean falling completly asleep. Just resting, don't watch TV or anything. Just relax

hope this helps

I have been doing something similar (3:30 to 5:30 AM: M,W,F,SAT,SUN) Besides drinking a fair amount of coffee, I try to get a 20 minute nap at lunch in my car during the work week.