I'm shot!



tehpr3chr

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Jul 29, 2004
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started the season as a 5 and quickly moved to a 4 after 8 races. I have noticed that I'm finally becoming competitive in the 4's by consistently getting top 15 finishes, but they're never below 10. I increased my mileage/time on the bike about three weeks ago, which I felt would help me get closer to getting those top 6 points finishes. Well, in the past week and a half to two weeks, I've slowly began to get more and more tired, and my knees have began to hurt. Knees feel like maybe tendonitis is comin to town, but I can't figure out the energy deal. I feel tired all the time, but am still eating good/healthy. Did I overtrain? I'm getting around 9 hours of sleep a night, so rest isn't an issue. Did I mess up going from 170-180 miles a week to 230-250 miles a week? should I have eased into it?
 
I have this exact problem, except without the knee pain! I've recently increased my mileage massively, and am now never feeling fresh. And I'm really getting into it, so I don't want to take any time out. But I think I will end up having to take a week or so out, that's all you can do really.

EDIT: Do you mean tired muscles/heavy legs, or tired as in need to sleep, or both?
 
Don't up your mileage so fast! 10% per week is a good idea. Also, at this point in the season, volume isn't the answer. Look to doing some specific intervals. If you're racing a lot, you might actually want to drop volume, and pick up intensity.

Don't be frustrated if you can't crack in the top 10 yet! A lot of those guys have been on the bike 10,15,20 years. I'm in pretty much the same situation as you. Jumped to 4 fast this year, now I am struggling and finishing around 10th every race.

The big difference now is to up your finishing power. I am using 2 to 3 minute reps up a very steep hill, out of the saddle. It is helping.
 
If you are racing crits, it's not about total mileage. As others have stated it's about finishing power. I'm racing at least once a week and am concentrating on my sprints and only do a long ride (over 50 miles) about once per week. Fitness wise there isn't much difference between 5s and 4s, but what you do see is smarter racing, better positioning in the final laps and more experience in sprinting.
 
capwater said:
If you are racing crits, it's not about total mileage. As others have stated it's about finishing power. I'm racing at least once a week and am concentrating on my sprints and only do a long ride (over 50 miles) about once per week. Fitness wise there isn't much difference between 5s and 4s, but what you do see is smarter racing, better positioning in the final laps and more experience in sprinting.
If you want to increase your performance and have enough base, decrease your training volume.

Upgrading mid-season is difficult if your races are longer and harder. You'll suffer but there is nothing that can be done.

In order to raise the bar, increase the quality of your training. As the racing gets more intense and we approach our goal events, decrease volume.

Do the research, speak to a coach, make a plan.
 
But how best to recover if you know you have overtrained and are experiencing muscle any degree of muscle fatigue and are therefore performing below your capabilities?
 
Off the bike for a week the most. If that's not enough, you are in trouble. You haven't had enough base miles during the Winter. Normally, after months of intense training and racing, your body should be ready for another month of racing and training with 4 days of rest.


Bob42 said:
But how best to recover if you know you have overtrained and are experiencing muscle any degree of muscle fatigue and are therefore performing below your capabilities?
 
Firstly weekly mileage increase sounds too big, no more than 10% but at your mileage 5% a week would be better.
Secondly get your knee checked out by a sports doctor or alike that specializes in cycling. As this can have long lasting effects if not treated correctly!
Thirdly Recovery. Take a week or two off the bike when you resume you training back the mileage off to say 150miles the first week and do easy rides only. You should be jumping out of your skin at the end of this period (If not do another easy week) If you feel revitalize start to up your mileage again. Work on your sprints this is often not practiced and left to "natural ability". Do 30s sprints (15s wind up 15s flat out) rest 5 to 10 min between and repeat 5 to 10 time toward the end of every second training ride to simulate a race.
Tactics will win over brawn, position yourself carefully towards the end of a race and the results will come.

Get yourself feeling good first then work on the results.
 
i did a good job of messin up myself more tonight. we had our bi-weekly time trial tonight, and i saw the guy who has the fastest time at the moment getting closer to me, meaning i was catching him...i kicked up my pace and felt the right knee start to throb, so i backed off big time and sat in the rest of the time trial, getting around 5 min. worse than my normal...my teammates say take a week-two weeks off...they think i have tendonitis in my knee, and that i've just simply overtrained....i guess i'm gonna take off till next friday probably, when i may go out and ride about 20 miles, and then try a couple 50 milers at an easy pace on saturday and sunday...what u guys think?
 
get the knee checked out by a sports doc!!

I had knee problems on and off for a couple of years not bad enough to real slow me up but it got worse. Saw a Doc got it checked was given some stretches and have been OK as long as I regular stretch. The funny thing is the I feel the stretches in the hips but the pain was in the knee.

As I said earlier the time off will help you freshen up which will help you race and train hard later on.
 
i'm planning on not going to the doctor just cause i don't have the money or good insurance...i'm going to take a full week and a day off and start back on the bike next saturday, but only riding around 22-25 miles...If I feel good enough, I'll kick up to around 40 sunday and play it by ear...but i agree on the too much at once deal...should i start back at around 160/week like i plan to get back into swing, then go 180 week1-190-2-200-3 and so on? or would you recommend going each increase for two weeks? the main reason i upped my training was due to the fact that most cat4 races are around 45-60 miles...no other reason than that really...
 
tehpr3chr said:
i'm planning on not going to the doctor just cause i don't have the money or good insurance...i'm going to take a full week and a day off and start back on the bike next saturday, but only riding around 22-25 miles...If I feel good enough, I'll kick up to around 40 sunday and play it by ear...but i agree on the too much at once deal...should i start back at around 160/week like i plan to get back into swing, then go 180 week1-190-2-200-3 and so on? or would you recommend going each increase for two weeks? the main reason i upped my training was due to the fact that most cat4 races are around 45-60 miles...no other reason than that really...
Sorry forgot about your expensive medical set up in the US. At least try to educate yourself about knee conditions and ways to remedy them. Quite often the problem is tight tendons that rub around your knee when it moves loosen them with the right stretches and the tendinitis may be relieved. I did see a link to a web site that helps you self diagnosis in a thread once sorry can't remember the site or the thread try this sites search engine to find the thread? I think it was in a knee problem thead (medial rings a bell)

The 2 week increase is a good idea or even w1/160 - w2/165 - w3/170 and so on. But what ever you do listen to your body and don't push to far to soon and back of the mileage if required.

I race B grade in the Veterans (just gone up a grade, placed to often in c grade) we average 39kph over 70k to 80K in RR and about 41kph in 50min crit. The training I have been doing is just two days a week plus racing on Sundays (double race in crits over summer).
tue 1hr hill work on a trainer 5/7% 4min on 1min rest 8reps at 75%MAP :eek: ,
thu on a trainer 0/1% 4min on 1 rest 8reps at 75%MAP sometimes 10min on 4reps.
Any other day of train is a bonus and is usually sprints so all up I do about 140k,s a week or 87miles would like to do more but even if I did it would most like be recovery rides or just longer rides on the tue/thr. Every 4th week is a lite one 60%MAP or less.

I don't know how my race level compares with yours but my point is that improvements can be made with out clocking up big miles(not the 180mile per week is massive). If your consistent with your training, train hard at your target levels and regularly recover you should improve over time and avoid over-training and injures.:)