I understand that it is advisable to take a rest day at least one day a week from cycling to let the muscles heal and grow. But I have discovered that I feel crappy on the days I don't get a ride in. I sometimes feel downright depressed. I read something someone said that they had "developed a relationship" with his bikes. I can say that I have done the same. I love my bikes and the time I spend on them. Sunday I had a wonderful easy ride through the country. I didn't push hard at all, just kept a leisurely pace for about an hour and a half. I took a day off today as is recommended and I just feel like [censored]; all down in the dumps.
I am about to just ride every day just to keep myself in high spirits. I am at the beginning of a training plan, but I am thinking of on my scheduled off days, I can just have an easy recovery ride at my leisurely pace to keep me from feeling depressed. If I actually get to the point that I really do need a real off day, I can alway take it.
Has anyone ever come to this type of decision before? What did you do? If you have not, what would you do? I absolutely love my bike. She is my baby...lol. Time apart from her is just unbearable.
Frequently. Whether real or percieved the habit and relationship is there. I do end up taking the 1 day a week off for whatever reason, but on that off day I might still edge in a ride around the block to get a fix. 😉
*Don't forget that the endorphins produced while exercising can be somewhat addictive. You can definitely achieve a natural high riding a bike and it is possible to have withdrawal symptoms * Disclaimer: This is a non-medical expert opinion.
Absinthe, vodka, and/or tequila can also make the heart grow fonder......at least until morning.
However, I'd abstain from daily consumption of the absinthe... unless of course you have the desire to send your beloved your ear in a box sometime down the road.
When off the bike I finally get to catch up on all the stuff (I think they call it 'life'😉 that gets in the way. Now, Ohio winters are enough to drive any cyclist to the deep South for training!
Sadly, I have no life. My old friends just want to sit around watching TV and get high. Not for me.
I don't get depressed missing a day or two of riding (I only ride 4 days a week), but I do get a little down if I'm in the midst of a training plan and it starts to de-rail for either business or personal reasons. Seems like when I'm in a training block, putting one foot infront of the other to get somewhere feels more like strutting than walking.
I think another reason I may feel a bit off on the days I don't ride is because of my diabetes. As long as I ride, my blood sugars are better, but on the days I don't ride they tend to be a little more up.
Perhaps if I ramped up my training intensity, I would feel much more relaxed taking a day off. Lately, my rides are only about 1 hour 30 minutes long. When I was training for a century, they were more like 2 hours and longer. I have been working more on hills and the duration of rides really isn't that long. Maybe when the training plan gets into the longer rides in a few weeks, I will need that day off to recover, but until I feel I need it I think I will just "tool" arond, as my friend calls it, for an hour or so once a week.
However, I'd abstain from daily consumption of the absinthe... unless of course you have the desire to send your beloved your ear in a box sometime down the road.
I've sent her ears before, but they weren't technically mine.
