Steady state riding

[50000tears]

As I have been looking to increase my training lately I am concerned that I am not making the best use of my time. Although I am doing a block of high mileage (well for me at least) at the moment, I am not very good as the steady state stuff. I tend to ride whatever miles I have set out to do as hard as I can. At the moment that might consist of a hard club run, a few 25-40 mile hard rides which I guess would be at tempo and even on my longer rides I always seem to want to hammer away for long periods of time and come back totally cooked.

As a result of this my legs never feel completely recovered riding 5 or 6 days a week and I often set out already tired. I don't necessarily mind this as I do understand about training periodization and also do have a easier week every 4-5 weeks to recover fully.

Next week I am changing my training to take out 2 of the mid length rides and do hill repeats instead. This obviously gives me 2 hard sessions a week and 1 moderately hard, the club run which is quite competitive. I am now thinking that I must make the other 2-3 rides steady state so that I can be as fresh as possible for the hard workouts.

I know I have rambled a bit but I guess my question is that if I reign back on my long weekend ride and have just one of two more 1-2 hour steady rides in the week will I still see a benefit from them? The reason I always push hard is because I always think that that is what I am supposed to be doing, and riding within myself wont generate a training adaptation. Is riding at a pace where I can still hold a conversation time well spent or of very little benefit? If no benefit then why do it at all? I have been riding for 8 months and so built up my distance and improved my speed a fair bit over this time so I accept that I may still be in a part on my fitness curve where any time of the bike, without over-training is beneficial.

I don't have a HRM so all of the above is done on perceived effort.

 

[JasonHolder]

This could be a post of mine!! except you're incredibly polite and likeable, and I dont ramp up the HIT during base in a periodized program.

If your dropping 2 25-40 mile steady rides a week to up the anti with hill sessions. Well, you're ditching the training plan. I did 2 hill sessions in 5-6 weeks base.

I also posted saying don't get frustrated being slow whilst guys are fast and ramp HIT up. Honestly

If you've based a plan with any thought at all. Trust yourself, trust your decisions and trust your base. Enjoy the time on bike.

And look forward to finishing base being able to do 100-200 milers like myself no problem, and arrive at HIT period dribbling to get onto the hills like I am!

I have cut my base short by 2 weeks because I am gagging to get out and thrash it out. I posted somewhere its mentally challenging slogging out slower miles.
But well worth it in my eyes! All the fooking best!

 

[screenman]

What do you want from your training, or put another way what are your goals?

 

[50000tears]

Jason can you elaborate on what you felt the long easy miles gave you? My problem with staying on this path, although as stated not many of my miles have been steady, is that I am wondering apart from some aerobic fitness whether I am getting enough out of it. In going for a base build training, it was that so when I do go for hill repeats and HIIT work the solid foundation will help me improve month on month with no big dip on the horizon. No scientific basis for this but made sense in my head as have heard that just HIIT without a decent base lets you peak well for events but is hard to sustain, and there is a bigger difference between when you have it, and when you don't.

It was posted in your thread though was that you were clearly fit to begin with and had been at a good level before. I had neither of these and am older, so it will be a longer journey than you were on.

 

[50000tears]

What do you want from your training, or put another way what are your goals?

Not hugely specific but my aim is to improve my fitness enough to first ride in my club's quick group and then to become one of the better riders there. I am pretty sure I can become a good climber too as have the right body shape for that and already one of the better climbers in the slower group I ride with. So hope to go for some local hill climbing comps eventually. Not terribly exact I know.

 

[JasonHolder]

An even better reason to roll a good base and adapt to a good base fitness.

"HIT peaks without base is hard to maintain" NO, its impossible. People simply burn out. Its pyshiology. *spelling.

What I gained from it-

ability to ride 200miles@18mph when I started I rode 100@16mp
Economy is greatly improved
I have halved my times up 2 minute climbs.

 

[montage]

What are you training for? Go hard when you plan to go hard, go really easy when you aren't going hard. If you cannot go easy, don't go at all.
Ignore Jason - if you want to know why just read pretty much any other thread in this section

 

[50000tears]

What are you training for? Go hard when you plan to go hard, go really easy when you aren't going hard. If you cannot go easy, don't go at all.
Ignore Jason - if you want to know why just read pretty much any other thread in this section

I understand the process of 2 or 3 hard sessions a week and the rest easy but just want a better understanding of how much physically the easier rides give you. I know I cannot push hard every ride, but knowing this and doing it are not the same for me. I just feel that if I am not working hard then I am not training. If the steady stuff is just so that I am fresh for the intense stuff, but gives little fitness wise, then why not stay at home of the sofa?

Wouldn't do this by the way as love cycling too much.

 

[JasonHolder]

10th Kom out of 500
2minute climb improvement

5 minute climbs

 

[JasonHolder]

I understand the process of 2 or 3 hard sessions a week and the rest easy but just want a better understanding of how much physically the easier rides give you. I know I cannot push hard every ride, but knowing this and doing it are not the same for me. I just feel that if I am not working hard then I am not training. If the steady stuff is just so that I am fresh for the intense stuff, but gives little fitness wise, then why not stay at home of the sofa?

Wouldn't do this by the way as love cycling too much.

2-3 hard sessions a week during base is too much. That is HIT week frequency!

Climbers find they are good and get better at climbing because they lover climbing. Unfortunately it is common to feel no worth from endurance training. And press the HIT like you're contemplating now. Stick with it set some goals, but base isn't a race. Take it steady. Now is not the time for above threshold stuff. Time will come

 

[montage]

I understand the process of 2 or 3 hard sessions a week and the rest easy but just want a better understanding of how much physically the easier rides give you. I know I cannot push hard every ride, but knowing this and doing it are not the same for me. I just feel that if I am not working hard then I am not training. If the steady stuff is just so that I am fresh for the intense stuff, but gives little fitness wise, then why not stay at home of the sofa?

Wouldn't do this by the way as love cycling too much.

recovery rides increase blood flow, aiding recovery, but importantly they attend to the last bit of your post - you love cycling. It helps to keep cycling in the daily routine. How many hard rides you do, and what you do in them really does depend on what your goal is and how you are building up to it.

 

[50000tears]

Just to be clear tomorrow sees me complete my 4th week of base training, even if much of it was not the level 2 stuff it should be. I was only planning 2 more weeks of it anyway.

I will do these at a proper level 2 pace, club run as the exception, if I can convince myself of the benefit in doing so.

Jason whilst your mileage was mighty impressive I work full time and have a family to consider and a dog to walk every day. I cannot begin to dedicate the time to replicate your efforts even if inclined to. Fitting these high mileage weeks in has been tough with very early weekend rides and late weekday evenings. Not going to cry about it because if you want it enough you find the time from somewhere.

 

[ayceejay]

When you do a lot of miles it is not uncommon to go stale especially if you ride on your own. If you had a training partner this would help immensely, not necessarily every ride but see if there is someone at your club interested. Another option to stave off the monotony is what runners call Fartlek (perp) the word means speed play and what you do is vary your speed as the mood takes you, it also helps if you vary the terrain pedal like mad in a low gear or push the biggest gear you have - the objective is ti have fun not to bust a gut.

 

[50000tears]

When you do a lot of miles it is not uncommon to go stale especially if you ride on your own. If you had a training partner this would help immensely, not necessarily every ride but see if there is someone at your club interested. Another option to stave off the monotony is what runners call Fartlek (perp) the word means speed play and what you do is vary your speed as the mood takes you, it also helps if you vary the terrain pedal like mad in a low gear or push the biggest gear you have - the objective is ti have fun not to bust a gut.

One of my biggest obstacles to riding steady is that I live in a pretty hilly area. And as hills are a focus of mine I tend to want to attack just about all of them and get up them as fast as I can. My own worst enemy I suppose.

 

[JasonHolder]

Just to be clear tomorrow sees me complete my 4th week of base training, even if much of it was not the level 2 stuff it should be. I was only planning 2 more weeks of it anyway.

I will do these at a proper level 2 pace, club run as the exception, if I can convince myself of the benefit in doing so.

Jason whilst your mileage was mighty impressive I work full time and have a family to consider and a dog to walk every day. I cannot begin to dedicate the time to replicate your efforts even if inclined to. Fitting these high mileage weeks in has been tough with very early weekend rides and late weekday evenings. Not going to cry about it because if you want it enough you find the time from somewhere.

Absolutely! Time is hard to find i empathise with you! Montage is good here, go hard on the hard days and easy on the easy. DO THAT.

If times a problem to roll out 60-100 mile rides, consider a balance/compromise. Tempo for2 hours instead of endurance for 4 sort of thing. But stay away from HIT just yet. Arrive at hills phase fresh and pumped to get started. I would rather be under trained and super fresh then over trained* faster and tired with lower interest and will to push in what the love is. Hills