I’ll have to remember this
Something to remember for July. It answers quite a few questions from last year: From this week’s RBR’s newsletter:
You can use these techniques, too, after a camp, tour or vacation when you pile on the miles.
—Get healthy. Any big-mileage event can leave you with problems like saddle sores, knackered knees or achy Achilles tendons. Let these minor problems heal before ramping up your mileage again. Riding hard on small injuries can turn them into major ones.
—Gain weight. You probably lost a couple of pounds during your big week. Sorry, but very little of it was fat. It was almost certainly fluid loss due to dehydration. So don’t try to maintain the artificially low weight. Eat and drink normally to regain energy.
—Beware the lag effect. In the 2-3 days immediately following a camp or tour, you’ll probably feel great. Excited by a successful week of riding, you’ll want to jump right back on for more. But this post-camp glow often hides deep fatigue. A week later, you’ll wonder why you’re so tired. So take a couple of days off immediately after returning home (even if you feel great) to rest and let nicks heal.
—Reset your clock. Roadies who average 5-7 hours of riding in normal weeks might rack up 20-30 hours in a weeklong event. Then when they get home, their normal training load seems puny by comparison. To assuage their guilt, they steal time from sleep or family responsibilities to be on the bike more. Don’t do it. Accept that a training camp is an aberration in your normal cycling schedule.
—Learn your lessons. Right after your big week, jot down all the things you learned. Were you stronger on the days when you drank more? Did a certain snack seem to sit well? Did lowering tire pressure 10 psi improve comfort? Writing down your small insights and major epiphanies lets you use them to improve your riding. Don’t be guilty of having the experience but missing the meaning.
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
