Originally Posted by
colnago62
For you guys who have been riding for a few years; Have you noticed recovery taking longer than when you were in your 20 and 30’s? The last 4 or so years I have noticed that I can’t do more than three intense/high mileage days without having a fair amount of fatigue. I run my data through Training Peaks. One of the things I like about it is when your fatigue gets high, it reminds you to take a rest day.
Originally Posted by
canklecat
Heck, yeah. At 62, and recovering from injury and illness in 2018, I finally had to be methodical about training to include rest... plenty of it.
I aimed for 3-4 good workout rides a week, with a full day's rest in between. Although one or two of my "rest" days including my usual physical therapy stuff -- stretching, calisthenics, etc.
I cut way back on the casual group rides. It helped with my road bike performance but I missed my friends. I'm going to try to squeeze in more of those rides this year.
For most of the year it didn't seem to be making any difference but by September I finally saw some progress. Then in November I changed my cadence from 90 rpm to closer to 60-70, pushing harder gears, and saw significant improvements. Faster, lower heart rate, quicker recovery between hard efforts.
Had to completely reconsider what I thought I knew about my body. For years I thought pushing harder gears would require longer recovery but for now it hasn't. Same 3-4 workout rides a week, day rest in between. Apparently I'd reached my aerobic limits spinning, but had some margin left by changing cadence. Surprised the heck out of me. At first I thought it was a fluke, just one or two good days. But it's been consistent and I finished 2019 with some of my fastest times on the usual 20-40 mile route. Nailed my goal on Dec. 31, 2019.
And then slept for 12 hours.
BTW, I've recently begun using heart rate variability (HRV) monitors to see if they're helpful for deciding on how hard to go for workouts and rides. So far the two apps -- WattsOn Blue and HRV Elite -- get similar readings despite using different testing methodology. WattsOn Blue uses the phone camera/steady light for fingertip heart rate and HRV measurements; HRV Elite uses my Wahoo Tickr. There are some differences between the apps but they do pretty much the same thing.
So far the apps have detected days when my HRV shows I need rest rather than exercise. I deliberately stayed up all night without sleep, drinking coffee, and hadn't slept for 24 hours or longer. (I didn't plan that, but had two crises calls from friends late at night and it was already after 3 a.m. by the time it was all sorted out so I just stayed up). Both apps showed an alarming departure from my usual HRV, which didn't show in my daily HR and BP readings. So I took the app's advice and napped most of the day, despite being tempted by the sunny cool day for riding.
No idea how this will affect my annual mileage, but that's never been a priority for me. My old neck and shoulder injury usually dictates how much I ride. So I mostly focus on fitness, getting stronger and faster. If I feel well enough I'll ride farther. If not, I aim for about 90 minutes and however far that takes me.
If you try HRV Elite, prepare for some aggravation setting it up with a Tickr or other monitor. It's the most finicky app I've tried with the Tickr and usually takes three or four tries to get the app and devices talking. Usually I need to tell Wahoo Fitness to forget the Tickr, then pair it via the Android phone settings page, then try a couplafew times to get HRV Elite to read the Tickr. But once it connects the data is pretty interesting.
WattsOn Blue just uses the fingertip doodad and works reliably every time. But it limits the number of tests a day. HRV Elite enables multiple tests a day to get a broader baseline. Both apps are free. I suppose the compromise is access to my (hopefully private) data. But I'm at the age with nagging health issues that I no longer have the luxury of privacy regarding health. As a VA client (including a CT Scan this afternoon to check my neck injury from 2018), my health data is one IT vulnerability and hacker attack from being public anyway.