7 miles a training ride? It takes me longer than that to warm up.

I’m with you on that.

My (direct) commute is pretty short at 5 miles each way. I used to thrash it both ways every day, and all I did was develop sore legs and an ability to race between traffic lights. It did nothing for my fitness, and I regard it now as “junk” mileage.

Now, I ride in less often, but when I do, i make it a 15-20 mile trip each way. That way, I can decide whether to ride at recovery pace or thrash it, but either way I get some benefit.

Also, in terms of what you’re eating, be careful: 7 miles of riding each way doesn’t really require that much more calorific intake for the day (especially if you have a sedentary job – arguably, you don’t need any extra calories). I find a high carb diet (as described by woool) just makes me more hungry, and crave carbs more. The result for me is to get fat.

If you’re going to consume protein (which I do after training rides and other hard efforts), the DON’T mix it with milk. The protein in the milk (casein) results in slower absorption of the (usually whey) protein in protein shakes. This makes the shake less effective (even if consumed within the 20 minute window post exercise).

The best piece of advice given my many above (including TJ inadvertently), is to slow down. Ride steadily. You’ll be much less tired and will give your body a chance to adapt fully to the change in expectation on it.

It really is just a case of getting out there and doing it.

When I first started commuting I went from riding once a week at the weekend to commuting 5 days a week plus a weekend ride. It seemed like hard work for a while (translated: it was killing me!) but now I’m commuting 5 days a week, doing a couple of evening rides and doing a least one 3-4 hour ride each weekend.

My 6.5 mile route was taking around 40 minutes and I can now do it in 20 minutes if I push hard.

19.5mph! Thats an impressive average speed Bob.

Thanks for the replies 🙂

I think my main issue is blasting it and going too fast. I took it steady this morning and feel a load better already.

aP – Member

7 miles a training ride? It takes me longer than that to warm up.

Thats just where my thoughts had got to on this. I used to ride just 2.5 miles each way, mostly flat but going home the last section was uphill, albeit not steep but I invariably struggled up it. Sometimes I’d keep going past home and ride up the valley for a bit and found that 2-3 miles later I was fine and wanted to keep going. So now on my 5 mile each way commute I just take it as easy as I can, use it as gentle exercise NOT training.

I think my main issue is blasting it and going too fast. I took it steady this morning and feel a load better already.

Good choice. And remember not to overdo the food..!

Now, instead of working (well, you’re on here aren’t you… 😉 ), plan an extended route (say 15 miles) to ride home. If necessary, going at the same steady pace.

You’ll be fitter than a butcher’s dog in no time, and not in the least bit tired..!

😀

19.5mph! Thats an impressive average speed Bob.

Aye that’s beasting it the whole way and it’s not done very often! 😆

I thought I was doing well with a 19.2mph average last night, you’ve made me feel inferior now 😉 I’ll have to try harder tonight.

Hope you don’t mind my jumping in on this on – your thoughts please folks..

Just started my 8 mile each way commute, having harldy done any riding on months…today will be just the 2nd consecutive day…..
45 mins to get in today, typically 55 to get home (based only on the last 2 days… down the canal on the way in, back up 39 locks on the way home…….), i try to just keep things moving in the one gear, not pushing it for now (saving that for later when I plan to perhaps use the locks on the canal as an ‘interval’ for example, or divert off ……. 8) )
Job is ‘sedentary’ i.e. – sat sitting all day….

Couple of q’s / clarifications…
Ultimate goal is to be fitter an lose weight – do I need amend my diet – i.e. i’m cleaning up what i eat so, do as stay as I am – brekkie + coffee b4 I leave for work. Coffee on arrival, lunch at 12’ish, ride home at 5’ish…
Building up water intake through the day as I know I don’t drink enough and that alone can lead to feeling tired.

So, given the above should I look to change anything or leace things as they are whilst I adjust to the commute – current plan is to do 4 days, Weds off as I’m up at 5.30 that day and simply cannot be bothered… i’ll let the train take the strain 🙂

Cheers
Chris

marsdenman,

difficult to say without knowing what you are eating at the moment and how tall / how much you weigh / want to lose etc…

people likes to eat different things…. It’s proabably best on a new thread.

Kev

Like TJ says. SLOW DOWN!

Commuting is not a race. There are no medals and glory at the end. Have a nice spin and vary your route.

I did 40 miles a day, 5 days a week for 8 months, through wind, rain and snow. I’ve never felt fitter or happier. These days its a paltry 26 miles a day. Everybody has days when they feel slow and rubbish and tired. Listen to your body, slow down, eat well, rest up. You’ll feel fitter and stronger again soon.

If you wear a watch, take it off, or if you time your commute, stop. Spin. If you’re getting into the commuting thing, or if you’re now in the habit of just getting to work ASAP, chances are you’re using your fitness to just push harder and harder. Back off, take it easy, enjoy the flowers in the verge. Stop at a pub for a swift half, get chatting to a fellow commuter.

marsdenman –

It’s the old adage: energy in vs energy out.

Energy in

What many people forget when consideringh how mcuh they need to eat and what exercise they take, is this: a man needs on average 2,500 calories a day to maintain an equilibrium. This means that some people need more, and some less.

So, assuming that the amount you are taking in based on your existing exercise levels is not making you any fatter…. then, doing c90 mins of exercise a day will definitely help lose weight. But – if you’re alreay taking in too much, and are getting fatter, then your exercise will only slow or stop the rate of weight gain.

Therefore, you need to look at your diet in the round. Don’t try to change it all at once, and don’t think that you can ride and not eat anything. If, say, you eat a bar of chocolate a day, then drop one bar a week, then two a week and so on. same goes for everything else: make it gradual.

My advice re breakfast would be to eat nothing before you get on the bike in the morning, but then to have your breakfast at your desk when you arrive in work. I believe that there is a theory that doing steady exercise at this time of day increases the rate of your metabolism, thus having a lasting effect on calories used during the day. This also means that small meals more often is a good way to go – don’t leave yourself to feel starving before having something to eat.

Energy out

There are differing schools of thought on how hard you should ride and of there are “fat burning zones” of exercise. The traditional view is LSD: long steady distance to burn fat.

However, a 45 minute commute can be used to achieve this quite well. I’d say ride steadily to and from work. Don’t try to kill yourself on the way in and out, but ride at a pace where you could still hold a conversation if someone were riding alongside you.

Assuming you have addressed the energy in aspects, then ytou’ll gradually start to lose weight, as your exercise is upped on a daily basis.

Fitness

Cycling fitness is something that is built up over time. You need to load (or overload) your body and then let it recoover (and thus build itself stronger). Therefore, assume that you gradually build up your steady riding to and from work over a period of weeks to the point that your body has adjusted to this new level of workload. After this, it’s the time to use the return journey as an opportunity to batter yourself. But don’t do that every day – maybe only a couple of times a week.

Think of it all as a long term plan, and gradually integrate all of the changes into your lifestyle. As ADH says, it shouldn’t be a time when you thrash yourself – quite the opposite. To that end, don’t try to make it too “hair shirt” – one gear may work in the future, but don’t force yourself to singlespeed it while you don’t have to.

Top points still coming in 🙂

For lunch today at 12:30 I had a large bowl of pasta, potatoes, tina and sweetcorn and I am now starving, I think I need to look at what i am eating a little more closely.

When you guys say I should learn to spin, what is it you mean, sorry for being a nubbin 🙂

A lower gear than normally required and spin the cranks in a smooth manner rather than grinding away in a higher gear at a lower crank speed

uh-huh, I used to be a real grinder, still am on occassion, but riding on the road I notice I tend to be spinning along 30-40 rpm higher than most of my buddies, yet this feels totally natural now.

Commuting is not a race.

Wrong. It’s just that there is no start line, no finsih line, no prizes and no podium but it’s the best racing I’ve ever done 😉

Spinning helped me no end when it came to improving my climbing technique.

I’d grind my way up then have to stop for a breather every so often but now I just spin my way to the top and it’s so much easier.

Keva – for sure, had thought about the new thread idea but it seemed to fit in with this in a way, figured resulting answers could potentially assist anyone else viewing the thread.

OMITN – cheers – the ‘single speed’ thing is actually trying to keep to just the one from the large selection available 🙂 and I do keep it to a pace where i am comfortable and I guess, could talk… no pushing it just yet, once fitness etc picks up then it’ll be steady away into the office, looking to work myself more 1-2 times a week on the return trip, figure it will be 2-3 months before i start on that kind of activity though.

Food, need to do a calorie count – as leader of the STW Fatclub I’ve not exactly lead from the front – ‘stayed the same’ for about 6 weeks now – 15st 2lb (5ft 10in, age 40….) so not going up anymore…. nor has it been dropping…. Target is 14st.

I have a little fridge in the studio so could easily adopt a ‘quailty cereal’ at the desk policy in the morning and I guess I could start to take mayo (light) and pickle out of my sandwich at lunch…… 🙂 , cheese will be removed just as soon as i finish the organic mature lancashire we picked up last week……
biggest downfall is the bag of crisps a day…. my one vice, I know i need to start the weaning process…. that would take 170 calories a day out of the equation, and I know they are not ‘quality calories’ either……

Thinking about this, bit of prep and I can knock up pasta salads etc for lunch, couple of days worth in the fridge at home, bring me lunch box in each day (as i do now anyway).

As the penny starts to drop I see it really is incremental rather than step changes which I need to make, no bad thing….

Cheers again
Chris

MartinGT -spinning is a good thing – i used to grind along taking everything in the middle ring – even thought of going to a 1 x 9 setup at one point, then I went to see a physio about knee issues and he showed me the error of my ways…….

Others have mentioned the need for rest days.
It can be very difficult to keep your speed and effort down, especially when people pass you and so on.
I find a heart rate monitor great to help me keep the speed down. Sometimes on the hills your heart can get up to 80% without you realising it, and on a rest day you’ll be trying to keep it down around 60%.
It also means when people go past (as they undoubtedly will) you simply remind yourself today is a rest day and keep an eye on your heart rate.

marsdenman; if you can, try and do some more miles on the way home – and add some hills into the mix – it’ll increase your calorie spend and up the training benefits.

…oh and if all else fails, I look at some commute photies for impetus. From yesterday’s:

acjim – thats my ‘medium term’ plan 😀
Short term is to make the commute a real fixture in my day, making sure i enjoy it and feel comfortable at the end of each trip. Once I settle into a routine / pace (nothing fast, not in this to kill meself….) then i’ll start upping the ante as i’m pretty sure there’s fun to be had ‘beyond the towpath……’

woool – nice shots, I will be packing my ‘point and shoot’ as of next week…..
Bluebells are starting to show…… 🙂

Chris – no worries. FWIW I don’t always practise what I preach, but have, since a weight “high” in Jan this year, worked my way down by a stone. I have another to go.

Stoner makes good points about a HRM – I use one. However, it is by no means essential. Just sticking to the “talking” pace thing works pretty well as a rough guide. And, also, go by feel; if some days it’s really windy or you just aren’t feeling it, don’t push it. On others, you’ll feel like you can fly, so let go a bit.

The food thing I find harder. There is a lot to be said for keeping a (real and realistic) food diary for a week to see where you can make improvements. But, as I said, don’t try to starve yourself – that won’t work either.

The plan should be long term down (weight) and up (fitness).

For lunch today at 12:30 I had a large bowl of pasta, potatoes, tina and sweetcorn and I am now starving, I think I need to look at what i am eating a little more closely.

Yep, going wrong there – waaaay too many calories if all you’re doing is riding 7 miles home after sitting at a desk all day (not too many of that becomes a 50 mile ride home).

Read up about the glycaemic indix (aka GI) and how high GI foods – starchy stuff like pasta – make you feel more hungry that low GI foods.

woool – nice pics. Wish my commute looked like that….

I used to do a 6 mile each way commute 5 days a week (20-25 mins each way) and would eat a fair amount through the day. My once a week commute is now 34 miles each way… 6 weetabix for breakfast, sausage roll and danish pastry when I get to work, and then what ever else I can find to stuff down my neck during the day. I’m always surprised by how knackered my legs can feel during the day, but then come to life again on the way home… just as long as I don’t bonk!

Usually takes me 2 hours in, 2.5 on the way home 😉

Usually takes me 2 hours in, 2.5 on the way home

will probably take me that long for the homeward trip in summer – passing the Riverhead Brewery having ‘done a ride’, sun out etc etc etc…. will test any man! 8)

omitn – thanks again.

Chris

My (direct) commute is pretty short at 5 miles each way. I used to thrash it both ways every day, and all I did was develop sore legs and an ability to race between traffic lights. It did nothing for my fitness, and I regard it now as “junk” mileage.

Well this just shows how different people are, and with the comment about the food above. I ride about 10 miles per day Mon-Fri thrashing it through the traffic and I’m plenty fit for sprints, climbs and all day rides. No problem doing 50 miles in Wales over six hours. And I eat like a horsey (two big platefulls per day plus brekkie & snacks) and only weigh 9st with 14% body fat. I use high gears most of the time and rarely ride at a leisurely pace. by the end of the week I’ve usually clocked up about 85miles and a 1hr swim (70-90 lengths, mood depending)

different folks have different strokes and all that.

Kev

different folks have different strokes and all that.

True enough. I’ve cut my commuting mileage (unless it’s an extended commute), but upped my non commuting riding. Still not doing a vast amount – no more than 150 miles a week, but feel better when I do it than when doing short bursts to and from work.

Mind you, I’m not sure thrashing myself straight out of the door and then sitting down at a desk for 12 hours did much for the dispersal of lactic acid..!

yep. different people have different body types, some of us are built for long distance and endurance whilst others are built for sprinting and some are in-betweenies. I’m pretty good at short fast stuff and ok-ish at long distance. I wouldn;t want to ride over 60miles xc in a day and if I did that much I probably wouldn’t want to ride the next day. Some people can do 50 miles day after day after day. See, if i did 150miles in a week I’d be slaughtered !

Sorry, 150 miles road. 🙂

I’m built for sprinting, which is ace, cos it means that I become good at it very quickly, but it doesn’t do me any favours for distance fitness, which I always have to fight at building and maintaining.

150 miles a week on the road is nothing, alas. I too would be slaughtered if I was doing 150 miles a week off-road..!

Right, I’m off for my first club time trial of the year – 10 miles of embarrasment..!

I no longer feel inadequate BoardinBob, tonights average speed 20.0mph, new personal best of 59.25 set, amazing what a wee bit of sunshine and a strong tailwind does 😉

The bar has been raised! 😆

And my bike computer died tonight!

Think there are so many factors, I struggle to do my 6 mile commute 5 days a week, my trip to work is easy and takes around 23 mins almost all downhill and a drop of 370m, my trip home takes around 50 minutes and I then have to climb back up that 370m, I generally try and take it easy as even one day would break me if i forced it. If those 6 miles were flat I would have no issue doing it every day.

Well last night I took it steady, stayed in a high gear, got home felt loads better.

I am going to do it all week next week and see how I feel 🙂

Cheers guys 🙂