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Archives for November 2012

Noob Mistake: Never Resting

11.13.2012 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Riding hard is fine — as long as you build some rest into your training schedule.

During the summer months, I find it easy to hop on the bike and for at least part of my ride — if not the whole thing — really push it. After all, if I’m going to become a better cyclist, I have to push myself, don’t I?

The trouble with that thinking is that it piles too much stress on the body, and instead of being a way to improve, the rider who always pushes it can easily become fatigued and ride slower, not faster.

But even when I’m pushing it during the summer, I build rest days into my schedule. Partly, that’s dictated by work. Sometimes, I just can’t get home early enough to get in a quick 15-20 miles.

Mainly, though, it’s a self-imposed layoff. I usually bike four days a week, so I have some rest days built into my schedule. If I do manage to ride a lot during the summer, I still won’t go more than five days in a week. I have found that at my age, rest is vitally important.

Endurance coach Joe Friel points out that fatigue keeps your body from breaking down entirely. It forces you to rest. But newer riders who are trying to get fast to keep up with the A riders in their group, or who push themselves six or even seven days a week run the risk of overtraining  — when they’re putting in a lot of effort, but not showing much in the way of improvement. They could even be getting worse.

So you’ve got to rest from time to time. Friel recommends three days doing a low intensity exercise, such as swimming. If you decide to ride, stay away from other riders, so you don’t give into the urge to race. If those three days of light work don’t help, get off the bike altogether and rest. Sleep. Sit around. It’ll do you good.

Now that winter is approaching, most of us will be doing a lot less cycling, although some of us will set up the trainer and go hard at it several days a week during the off season. Calmate! Take it easy. Work on building your endurance for the upcoming riding season. There’s no need to approach that with a sense of urgency.

Experienced riders know this. It’s the noobs who push too hard. Now’s the time to build some much-needed rest and rebuilding into your routine. You’ll be better for it when spring comes along, and you decide to get in shape for that first big organized ride. With enough rest, you’ll be able to build up to it quickly.

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Categories // training Tags // noob mistake, rest

New Personal Mileage Record

11.11.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

I reached 4,000 miles for the year last week.

It’s not the first time I’ve ridden that far — I finished 2010 with 4,100 miles. But it came more than a month sooner this year, and I’m guessing I’ll finish around 4,500 for the year this time around.

It sounds like a monumental achievement. It’s not. In fact, finishing the year with over 4,000 miles is relatively painless. Consider: There are 52 weeks in a year. If you ride 100 miles a week, you’ll have gone 5,200 miles in a year.

Now, living where I do, I have an advantage over many of this blog’s readers. Just this morning, for example, I rode in shorts and a short-sleeved jersey — no base layer, no arm warmers, none of that stuff. Temperatures were in the mid-70s (low 20sC) and the biggest problem I had to contend with was the stiff wind from the southeast. So I have a better shot at racking up 100-mile weeks throughout the year than most.

I don’t do it, of course. Stuff happens, like my ridiculous month of October this year. But even with a setback like that, I find that if I make an effort to stick to some sort of routine, I can get in the miles I need.

I try to ride Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Tuesday ride will likely be around 15 miles — just an hour on the bike after work. With the return to Standard time, that might be cut out soon. My Friday route is about 20 miles, Saturday 25-28, and Sunday 30-50. Add those all up, and it gives me about 100 miles, give or take. Realistically, it’s more like 85-90. Still, that’ll get you over 4,000 for the year.

I don’t set a mileage target at the beginning of the year. I just let the miles pile up as they will. This year, I dabbled with the idea of doing a metric century ride every month, not to add to my total mileage, but to increase my tolerance for longer distances. That lasted four months, then I lapsed back to a 30-45 miler for my long ride of the week.

I suspect next year’s riding will be a lot like this year’s. No big plans, just steady pedaling. And if I find I wind up with even more miles than this year, well, it’ll just be something that happens.

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Categories // Records & stats Tags // mileage

The Big H

11.06.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

About four years ago, I went in for a colonoscopy. My doc said it was time, what with my age and all.

The buttologist had some good news: “No polyps,” he said. “But you’ve got hemorrhoids.”

Yeah…well, I didn’t need him to tell me that. I’ve had them on and off for years. They haven’t really increased since I’ve been biking, but they’re more noticeable.

Sometimes, I’ll finish a ride, and in just a few minutes I’m ready to grab the good ‘ol Preparation H. That works very well, by the way. But within a few days, I have to go for it again.

I wonder if biking has anything to do with it?

Not directly, apparently. I consulted the usual well-regarded online sources of medical info (Web MD, Mayo Clinic, etc.), and they all say one of the causes of hemorrhoids can be sitting for long periods of time. But the only kind of sitting they cite is sitting on the toilet. Sitting on a bike saddle isn’t mentioned — nor are other sitting activities, like sitting in an office chair, or a fishing boat, or at a card table. It’s the sitting that puts pressure on the veins that swell, causing hemorrhoids. I supposed sitting on a bike for several hours at a time would have an effect.

The medicos also recommend getting up and walking around periodically, to take the strain off the buttosky. Does standing to pedal count? I’m sure that stopping for a rest once in a while would work.

Well, it’s not something I’m going to get all worked up about. In my case, it’s not much of a problem, and as long as that Prep H is in the medicine cabinet, I’m good.

I wonder, though — does this sensitive subject affect any Bike Noob readers? Are you having more serious symptoms than I am? How are you dealing with it — if at all?

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // health, hemorrhoids

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