How do you guys balance riding with rest days?
 

I've been a bike commuter most of my life, 50-100 miles a week, so I'm not new to biking. Since Covid hit, I started taking up riding for exercise as my other activities got shut down and I don't have much else to do. I find when I ride really hard, which is most of the time, I'm almost too sore to ride again the next day. Sometimes for 2 days even. I'm not trying to get faster particularly, I just feel like if I'm out for exercise, I might as well go as hard as I can. I've been riding about 200 miles a week, but I'm not sure if riding while I'm really sore is doing more harm than good. I've tried to take it easy on some days, but it's almost impossible. I also get bored.

What is a “rest day”

I ride everyday, but not every ride is a hammer-fest.

You need to give yourself time to recover, whether that's days off or light spinning. If you get bored on recovery rides, ride someplace more interesting or listen to an audiobook or podcast or something (for the sake of the thread, only use one earbud).

Yeah, I hardly ever spend a day fully "off", but a couple per week will be easier or cross-training.

My motto is "set targets, not goals." If my goal for the day was something like 30 miles or 1,500ft of elevation, I'll easily go out and do 40 miles with 2,300ft and feel like I did great, because I killed both of those goals. Then I pay for it the next day. So I set a target of 30 miles-- and try as hard as I can to pull back into the driveway right when the miles tick over from 29.9 to 30.0. You don't necessarily have to limit your intensity, if you limit the duration. You just need to cut back on one or the other.

Moderation is hard-- I need as many digital nannies as possible to keep me from overdoing it. I give myself arbitrary kJ limits, max HR limits, mileage or elevation targets, etc. Keeps it interesting.

I know it is good to take days off but I'm up to 51 consecutive days and 56 out of the last 57. But my rides are shorter and higher intensity with climbing every day so it's not like I'm spending hour after hour on the bike every day.

I haven't taken a day off since December 9th. I did 340 miles for the Rapha Festive to close out 2019, and this morning was 28 miles @ 19.1mph. On a CX bike.

You'll either find a balance between what you want to do mentally and what you can do physically, or you'll burn yourself out. Riding slow is better than not being able to ride at all.

Have you gotten your roundel yet? I haven't. They said they were being sent a while back... :notamused:

Yessir, about 2 weeks ago, I think. I immediately slap on a piece of sticky-back velcro and put it on my jersey pouch.
I put in the work, that roundel goes with me on every ride.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a36aa75de6.jpg

Grrrr. Imma shoot off an email.

Moderation is the key 2oz. of beer per mile works for me.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0bf6a81a_o.jpg

What he said.

Every 2-3 days i go out for a easy 20 miles to stretch out and enjoy the scenery.

Walking is also a good way. And swimming is even better.

I take 3 rest days per week, Mon, Thu, Fri., but sometimes I do a short ride on Fridays. I like to do a longer ride on Saturdays, at least 4 hours with lots of climbing. Usually 3+ hours on Wednesday with at least 2K feet and Tuesday is negotiable.
I'm 66, if that matters.

+1.

I live car-free, so "a day without cycling" means that I didn't leave my property

I can sell you one...
http://www.glenn-ring.com/pemp/Beetle-2019.jpg

Rest days are when it rains. After a really strenuous ride, I crave a couple hand/ mouths full of beef jerky, followed by wine. It's not complicated. We do house projects when it rains.

I'd be all over that if it had AC.

is that a 1966?

Wow, ok. Got it. No rest days it is. I guess I'll just power through the soreness. Those of you who ride everyday, do your legs acclimate and the soreness goes away after a while? or if it hurts do you just do an easy day?

I like the ideas of digital nannies, though I would need some equipment I guess. I don't even have a bike computer.

A 1974 is a hard no.Those tail lights are a deal breaker.

At least it's not a Super Beetle

Good taste in beer!

Don't move to Arizona. You'll never get anything done around the house.

I could live with the tail lights but definitely no to Super Beetles. I had a '56 and a '64.

Wait, what... no! That's not what they said.

A few comments:

- If you are feeling sore, you need rest. Rest is when you get better. But you need to balance rest with effort and that is a fine art that comes with experience (and learning to listen to your body)

- Rest can be in the form of not riding or an easy-peasy effort, riding like Grandma

- If you want to push yourself and see how it goes, ride one day that you are feeling sore from the previous day - sometimes, your legs open up once they warm up and you might end up feeling ok. See how you feel after this ride and also the day after - if you are feeling worse, then rest. If you are feeling ok, then keep riding

Honestly, "no rest days" is a terrible idea to suggest to someone in your position. Experienced riders may be able to pace themselves so that they adjust their effort based on fatigue - and they have also probably built up to the point where they can ride consistently every day without getting tired. But for you, rest should be a key part of your regimen - atleast till your body acclimatizes to the riding.

Yeah. I never have rest days either. I just don’t feel right until I ride.

I ride everyday.