I Suck at Rest Days
Following 10 years of no cycling due to chronic back issues and two back surgeries I've now been back on the road for 1.5 years. It took a long time to get to the point of being able to ride a bike, even for short distances. But once I reached that point I progressed much faster than expected. Within 6 months of getting back on the bike I was doing century rides again. For calendar year 2020 I've ridden more than 14,000 miles, which is many thousands more than I ever did prior to my first back surgery. I've been having so much fun riding my bike again it's been very hard to take rest days. I sometimes go a full month without a rest day; and when I do take one it really is just one day.
So, my question is: How "bad" is this practice (potentially)? I can tell from my heart data when I'm fatigued, but I rarely feel fatigued. I can also tell from my heart data how beneficial a rest day is, so I know I need to be taking them. I just don't have a firm handle on the long-term consequences (if any) of too much riding / not enough rest. Other than my back issues and chronic sciatica I'm pretty healthy (as far as I know). I'm 50 years old, about 5'6", weight range between 121 and 125 lb., resting heart rate 50-60 bpm, threshhold heart rate is roughly 170 bpm, mostly vegetarian diet (I eat fish occasionally), and I rarely comsume alcohol.