Is my bike too big for me?

[EckyH]

I've also been skipping days in between rides this week and it feels like my legs are much fresher on each ride vs not skipping.

We have a saying in Germany: "Fitness is made at the rest days."
Seems to be true in the US as well.

E.

 

[postman]

Wohoo the miles keep rolling in!
Not sure which one is more accurate, Strava or my watch app, but meh either way. Longest ride yet. 33 miles, or a 3rd of a century. Ventured outside of my neighborhood and rode to the neighboring towns from my house. Got into my neighborhood right at 30 miles. The last 3 were the hardest lol.

A big well done 33 miles,keep rolling.A little story of mine,After being ill my doctor from Leeds said i want you to ride 12 miles each day for five days,then come and see me.On the Friday after 60 miles i rang him.I can't see you today why ,well i have done 12 miles each day for five days,and i am now just outside of Sheffield.And i can't get back in time.

 

[Bristolian]

@philipgonzales3 It's a good idea to have a break day every now and then, especially after a hard ride, as it allows time for your muscles to grow and strengthen.

 

[philipgonzales3]

Copy and pasted from my Facebook post bc I'm too lazy to write this out again lol.

From this past Saturday...
Didn't quite hit the 40 miles I had planned. Trail was closed due to flooding at loop 1604, so couldn't go any further north. Down and back put me at 28 miles (I think) so I went for a few extra miles by the W. Military trailhead where I started. I think I would have made the 40 without the closure but who knows. Got my feet and butt wet from one of the crossings or what not . So darn muddy out there you would have thought I was off roading. On the way back my wheels got caked up with mud from a small mud puddle. Ate it right in front of some joggers. Didn't feel loss of traction or anything. I went from thinking I was good since I crossed the mud puddle to being on the floor from one instant to the next. Hip is going to be sore in the AM but all good! Still counting it as a win overall.

Mostly cosmetic, other than being a little sore and a little shaken up, all is well that ends well I suppose.

 

[philipgonzales3]

Mostly because I hit the 10 image limit in my previous post. Pretty sure I was going 11.7 when I fell. I remember consciously slowing down for the mud, and was past it and must have been speeding up. I was on the ground before I even knew I was falling lol.

Today I went for my usual 15 mile ride before work. I was definitely feeling slow/tired/dehydrated sore. Only averaged around 12mph and I definitely need more rest 😴 so taking the day off cycling tomorrow. Despite that I gave it my max on a small segment that I have been improving on. Last attached image. I'm only 1 sec off 1st place. I definitely know I can shave off a second when I'm at 100%.

 

[All uphill]

Sounds like some painful learning going on!

I'm glad you are OK and hope the bruises heal soon.

 

[philipgonzales3]

It's been a great July.
Overall I have fallen a few times total due to mostly clumsiness and my clipless pedals but most were at a standstill so no real damage besides my slide in the mud that I already mentioned. I also found that when I get into Zone 3 or Zone 4 I automatically start chugging my water. I believe my brain confuses being out of breath with being thirsty and this had let to me vomiting up my water twice. Working on it though lol.

My biggest issue at the moment is Ulnar nerve issues causing numbness in my pinky and ring finger. Started 11 days ago. Trying to engage the core more, keep the weight off my hands, switch hand positions often, and shake out the hand with the issue (my left hand) but may revisit the fitter soon if it keeps up. He offered to take another look but don't want to bug him as it started on a ride when my anxiety was acting up and I had a death grip on the bars. Pretty sure I rode my usual hour in the same position with my arms locked up due to being stiff from my anxiety. It's slightly better now but still experiencing numbness throughout the day and night.

July stats + my ride on Saturday. Wasn't one of my longest but was a tough one. Hit up one of the greenway trails with my old boss. We pushed pretty hard even though we said we'd take it easy lol. All good though!

 

[alicat]

Maybe take some time off the bike and when you next ride make having a loose grip your priority.

 

[PaulSB]

You might look at your average HR along with thinking about your ulnar nerve. Would you really be in Z3/Z4?

 

[philipgonzales3]

Maybe take some time off the bike and when you next ride make having a loose grip your priority.

NEVER, would rather lose my hand/arm rather than take a break! lol
Halfway joking, but only half. I THINK it's getting better as time goes on. I think it was all from mostly the one ride where I noticed my anxiety was high. I think it just takes a while to get back to normal.

 

[philipgonzales3]

You might look at your average HR along with thinking about your ulnar nerve. Would you really be in Z3/Z4?

I don't quite follow. Are you talking about on my Zone 2 rides or my Zone3/4 rides? I usually just glance at my watch and/or look at Strava afterwards etc. Check out the details below. Let me know if you think I should look out for anything in particular?

Here is my Zone 2 ride from today.

Here is my Zone 3/4 ride from Saturday. I'm not very structured with my harder rides, I just push and then stop when I'm tired lol.

I think you mean to look at the average like below?

For Saturday's ride it seems the average (154) is in Zone 3.

Today the average seems the be in Zone 2, which makes sense.

 

[alicat]

NEVER, would rather lose my hand/arm rather than take a break! lol

Upthread you said you had been a road cyclist since late May. Just over 2 months later, you're telling us about injuries you have already got. I'll say it again - take a break until you aren't getting the problem any more and then go easy. If you are enjoying cycling this much, it would be better to take a short break now than have more serious problems later on.

 

[Reynard]

To be honest, I get more enjoyment out of cycling if I just chuck my kit on and go for a nice bimble whenever I've got half an hour or an hour to spare. I started off timing my rides and stuff, but realised that took the fun out of it. I love this time of year being out on the bike, as it's the start of the foraging season - so I get a ride in and do something else I enjoy at the same time.

And if you're struggling with injuries, then take a break. Mix up the cycling with a nice walk or a swim session or something. There's no point wrecking yourself for the sake of chasing a time.

 

[PaulSB]

I don't quite follow. Are you talking about on my Zone 2 rides or my Zone3/4 rides? I usually just glance at my watch and/or look at Strava afterwards etc. Check out the details below. Let me know if you think I should look out for anything in particular?

Here is my Zone 2 ride from today.
View attachment 739458

Here is my Zone 3/4 ride from Saturday. I'm not very structured with my harder rides, I just push and then stop when I'm tired lol.

View attachment 739459

I think you mean to look at the average like below?

For Saturday's ride it seems the average (154) is in Zone 3.
View attachment 739460

Today the average seems the be in Zone 2, which makes sense.
View attachment 739461

I don't go on specific Z2, Z3 or Z4 rides. I do keep an eye on my HR Zones but I don't try to ride in Z3/Z4 in the manner you say you do. I'm not sure what you hope to achieve with that? Most of my riding is in Z1/Z2. I'm injured at the moment but my last ride was a flat 44.4 miles with an average of 15.1 and HR average of 103.

I was remarking on your July 27 ride when you posted a flat 22.9 miles, 14.3 average speed and HR average of 154. Crucially though, in my opinion your ride time was 1:36 and your elapsed time 2:47 meaning for a part of this ride you were stationary almost as long as for the ride. Under any circumstances I would be very worried if my HR averaged 154 on a ride, especially so at 14.3mph with an apparently long stop.

I fully accept I may be completely misinterpreting the data you have posted. I would echo others suggestions you should factor in rest. At least two days in seven, if not three. You get fitter by resting.

 

[boydj]

I don't go on specific Z2, Z3 or Z4 rides. I do keep an eye on my HR Zones but I don't try to ride in Z3/Z4 in the manner you say you do. I'm not sure what you hope to achieve with that? Most of my riding is in Z1/Z2. I'm injured at the moment but my last ride was a flat 44.4 miles with an average of 15.1 and HR average of 103.

I was remarking on your July 27 ride when you posted a flat 22.9 miles, 14.3 average speed and HR average of 154. Crucially though, in my opinion your ride time was 1:36 and your elapsed time 2:47 meaning for a part of this ride you were stationary almost as long as for the ride. Under any circumstances I would be very worried if my HR averaged 154 on a ride, especially so at 14.3mph with an apparently long stop.

I fully accept I may be completely misinterpreting the data you have posted. I would echo others suggestions you should factor in rest. At least two days in seven, if not three. You get fitter by resting.

Your body needs recovery time built into the training program. I trained seriously for marathons over several years. My program was to alternate hard days and easy days, with one full day off each week