Take a break or keep on training ?

Hey everyone,

I'm mad because I'm finally starting to see a significant difference in my overall cycling performace, and the season is pretty much over. My question is, should I take a break even though I only started in July? I did around 900 miles this summer, but my main goal is to train hard (on the trainer and in the gym) and get stronger for next year.

Thanks,
-Greg

So why stop if you are still going strong?
Where did you get the idea that you need to take a break when you just started?

just askin'

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Greg,
A big part of the rationale behind a post season break is to give yourself a mental and physical break after a long hard season of training and racing. It sounds like you got a later start and haven't been hammering away since the dead of last winter.

OTOH, you plan to start in with a solid winter of FTP and base building and presumably ride a lot next season. I don't think you need a formal break, but think about doing some fun longer rides this time of year and perhaps less structure to your weekly training. You don't necessarily have to hang up the bike but don't get so fired up about training that you burn out mid winter or worse yet, early next summer just as the season heats up.

IOW, think about riding but without a lot of structured workouts and use this time of year to do some fun longer rides when you can and to just enjoy being on the bike. With a little mental break and time away from harder workouts you should be ready to ease back into structured winter training in a few weeks.

Good luck,
-Dave

If you're not tired from a lot of training you don't need to take time off. Keep on training and when you feel like you need to rest you can do it then (either by taking some time off or tapering down your volume and intensity).

For a little perspective, I did over 900 miles in July, some 800 in August (8000 total in the last 12 months), and because I spent most of September "detraining", e.g. just riding and resting based how I felt on a particular day, at this point I don't feel like taking any time off before my serious training for 2010 season starts in a couple of weeks. I may take 5 days completely off just to overhaul my bike and a get a mental break from the routine.

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If you are like me you won't train as much in cold weather so why stop, besides it appears you are still young and can take it.

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Dope,when training and talent just aren't enough.

Only because I live in northern New England and in the next couple of weeks I won't be riding outside at all, but I was talking about going right into training all winter long without a break after regular riding.

Thanks everyone, that's what I was hoping for. I don't want to stop at all, quite the opposite, I want to train harder than ever. Every ride that I do now I'm pushing myself very hard and feel better than ever. I just want to make sure that I don't over do it without knowing when enough is enough, thus the reason for my post.

Thanks again, the next thing is getting familiar with uses such as watts, FTP, cadence and others. For now I only go by my mph and time averages.

-Greg