Semi serious answer Nath: fatigue IS fitness. If you’ve over-reached your body to make gains then you will by definition be tired. You have to then lose fitness to gain form. The key is to lose fitness on your terms by resting just enough (tapering) rather than letting your body do it for you (over training).

Chill out. Spin the legs. Relax in the bunch. Sprint like a demon 😀

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2012/06/recovery-and-overtraining.html

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/08/peaking.html

BASTARD !!

(just bought “fast after 50” 😳 🙄 )

😳 ❓ 😕 😯

– you’ll be needing it one of these years 🙁 ➡ ❗

I think the Bible is being revamped this year- I may have to buy it despite having the old version on ebook and the MTB one 🙂

I’m not a good ambassador of its sound advice mind you 😉 😀

Legs and mental state, with a cold. that’s trying to seep through I did throw up a little bit last night after posting. My heart rate also didn’t go anywhere near as high as it normally does either. I’m hoping that subconsciously I know I’ve got to save the legs for Saturday and so didn’t give it my all…

In terms of training I’ve had rest days, some are just simple commutes, I think all 3 are needed here to show this:

Last nights race on Zwift isn’t included on those yet..

Cheers for the links & advice.

You seemed to have trained 21 out of 22 days running in there !

I’m amazed you’re not sat on the sofa looking longingly at the bike with me !

Now you sound like Kryton 😀

“Why am I slow, I can’t work it out?”

3 pages of rational training advice later…….

“Oh, by the way, I did do thirty sets of Z6 intervals before I raced and I have a cold and have been racing this other series on a Friday and TTing in my lunch break and helping a friend from work run some spin classes and there was this night time CX race I fancied and TrainerRoad told me I had to skip rest this week so I smashed out a 23mph club run on Thursday!”

😀 😀

Or a bit like Weeksy too:

“I’ve rested…….!!!!!”

“…….once this year!!” 😀

No no…

The blanks & Fridays (and wherever you see 13/15 miles) are rest days, they’re just gentle commutes into work. I’ve been sticking to the plan I posted a couple of pages back.

How fast were you riding on the rest days 😉

Z2s mainly – my mio computer acts as the heart rate police. Soon as I go near 144bpm it starts bleeping at me to ease off 😆

That’s not to say there are brief moments were I’ve gone well over 144… but that’s usually just due to traffic conditions. I also wear a pollution mask so keeping below 144 is a challenge when you’re being suffocated! 😆

Here’s my rest days:

See I do rest! 😆
Btw circles:
Yellow = outside
Orange = Zwift

I have been following this thread for a while now and finally signed up for BC membership and entered the OTRT crit at Abingdon. I have no idea if I am fit enough and riding in the bunch is going to be a new experience, somewhat nervous now …..

Well done Tom…. I emailed them regarding an entry without BC licence, but not heard anything back from them.

Good luck Tom.

Which race have you entered 4th or 2/3/4?

@CH if you do it which would you enter?

@weeksy CH has been racing on a provisional licence at hillingdon

Tempted to enter Round 3 & 4 as it’s only an hour away in the car.

Even a provisional is £23.. but Hillingdon want £10 for a payment for a licence on the day.. I guess a BC licence can’t hurt.. but not got round to it at the moment. May do so on Payday i guess.

Still waiting on the recovery of calf and to see if the percieved potential gains on training actually exist and whether i’ll IMO have some sort of a chance of doing at least 1-2 laps 🙂

This for example is my only outdoor ride on the road i can think of for last year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/799248468

Some of the segments put me at a decent pace… But i’m looking at some others thinking “hell, that’s just not quick enough”… Of course, you never know until you’re out there, but i would hate to do all the prep, planning, just to find i’m done on the warm up lap 🙂

I have just entered 4th cat only and think I will try and stay near the back or on the side of the bunch until I get my bearings and accept that I will get dropped at some point, I don’t have a power meter so don’t know my FTP ect so it could be a real eye opener

@weeksy – ah sorry I thought the provisional was free with a silver membership, my bad.

@tomvet – try and stick in the middle, you have to work harder at the back. I didn’t have a power meter for my first 3 races, and wont have one from mid feb as mine is going back (rented), all my data before that came off a smart turbo trainer and zwift. 😆

I have been following this thread for a while now and finally signed up for BC membership and entered the OTRT crit at Abingdon. I have no idea if I am fit enough and riding in the bunch is going to be a new experience, somewhat nervous now …..

Don’t worry – i don’t think anyone really knows whether they’re fit enough. Did my 1st race last weekend (Wooly Mamil 4th Cat) and was bricking it for the week leading up the race. Ended up finishing 16th.

2nd the advice to try and stick in the middle, if you go straight to the back you’ll get spat out before you know whats happened

Awesome! Well done JD.
Good luck Tom! Let us know what it’s like- I may head up for the final round.

@nath – Rest day in zone 2? That’s not a rest day! Rest days for me are either zone 1 (active recovery) or nothing at all but zone 2 is endurance. I won’t get the heart rate above say 110 on a rest day. At 144 I’d be verging on tempo. Its obviously very individual basing it on heart rate, but your rest days don’t sound like real rest days?

@mtbtomo – my MHR is 198, so 144 isn’t that intense? But yeah I should probably do more Z1.

@CH let me know if you do, I’ll join 😆

What do you think of this?! http://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/rapha-x-cinelli-bar-tape/product/CBT01XXGRYXXX

entered the OTRT crit at Abingdon.

I’m still considering that one. 9am start though on an early Feb morning though 😕

Edit… 1 place left… someone please take it!

@mrblobby what date?

@Nath re Bar tape- I think hiding in the women’s bunch is taking the camouflage idea a bit far 😀

On the 4th.

I will try and stay near the back or on the side of the bunch until I get my bearings and accept that I will get dropped at some point,

@tomvet Say hi to me at the back, then stay in front of me. Then you won’t get dropped – I don’t do getting dropped and will provide words of “encouragement”.

Just enjoy it.

EDIT: Except you’ve entered Abingdon – my old home and not IWS. Just hang on and try and hold a wheel.

On the 4th.

You can thank me on the 4th as i’m dropped / spew everywhere.
I’ve no fitness and carrying a cold but figure I’ll never learn how much slower I am until I race a few.

Excited and nervous!!
With no minor Zwift celebs in tow tomorrow, the morning should be more relaxed!
I’ve had a Race week (taper) rather than a Build week so I should be a tad fresher…..
My bike fit should be better too (well the bars are central in the stem if nothing else 😀 ) and I’m going to mantra myself into RELAXING THOSE SHOULDERS 😉
What with the 50 free Watts from my new helmet, we should be cruising 😀

……..until ‘someone’ gets impatient/cold/coerced into smashing the bunch to smithereens 😀

Tie a rope to him!

@nath, as above, take 1-2 days of actual rest per week. If you really have to ride, then z1 rather than z2 (especially if using Friel’s zones as some coaches would count his z2 as low tempo).
I wouldn’t panic about 1 bad session though, major changes to training plan should come from trend data not one offs

GL to all racing at the weekend

Hahaha weeksy & CH! I’m being good tomorrow, no soloing.

@fifeandy – thanks! I’m not too worried at this stage, will see what tomorrow brings!

Took the missus out for dinner this evening, it’s all looking good for 3rd&4th round of Abingdon 😆

That moment when you go to pack your bag and realise everything is still dirty in the wash basket. 😆

Took the missus out for dinner this evening, it’s all looking good for 3rd&4th round of Abingdon

I may well join you for that.

Edit… I mean rounds 3 & 4, not dinner.

That moment when you go to pack your bag and realise everything is still dirty in the wash basket

I hope she never got pudding when you took her out !

Cor! The sun is bright this morning!! If only I had a nice tinted visor 😀

Murphy did good today 😆

PICS !

PICS NOW !!