DataJunkie

For the last few months I have alternated my commuting speeds every other day. Monday I haul a$$. Tuesday I slow down. Wed haul. Thurs slow down.
I have found that I show up to work earliest on my slow days. Basically, my avg MPH is higher on the fast days but my total commute time is lower due to less breaks. The avg tends to drop all of 1 mph on the slow days. It is maybe 5 to 10 more minutes of commute time in a 28 mile ride.

My current belief is that the fast days help me increase my speeds on the slow days. However, I wonder if it is worth it. My legs are so freaking tired I've had no desire to ride this weekend. However, my son had different ideas yesterday and I hauled him in the child trailer to the library.
My current thought is that hammering it in is not worth it. I may be increasing my fitness level quicker but risking burnout. The solution is to layback for a bit (or permanently) and try to learn a bit of patience. I believe my fitness level will increase slower but at least I will not burnout. Thoughts?

Maybe I will save these hauling arse days for the early sunday high speed recreational ride.

I-Like-To-Bike

Another consideration for those who bike commute at less extreme distances than the OP, is the fact that hammering may require additional time for recovery, cleaning/showering, and/or clothes changing. Extra commuting time that may be unnecessary if the commute was cycled at a comfortable relaxed pace vice burnout/workout pace.

CrosseyedCrickt

What your doing could be called pseudo-interval training, and would be a great way to improve your all around speed and endurance. Though a better route would be performing some sort of HIT on your commute.
Pedal at a normal pace for a while, once you are all warmed up and stretched out;
* Pedal all out for 60 seconds
* Pedal normally for 120 seconds
* Repeat 3 times

This was recommended to me by a sports trainer and in the last month I have shaved 8 minutes off my 10 miles each way commute which is a great deal of time IMHO. If I had a computer I'm sure I'd see some great speed changes too.

wahoonc

I vote for the last thought. I commuted 6 miles one way for years on a 3sp. It took me 25 minutes. I bought a nice go fast bike and cut the commute by about 3-4 minutes, but I couldn't carry the stuff I had been carrying before. So back to the 3sp and ride the go fast bike on Sunday afternoon training rides. I really think that slow and steady does it.

When I was doing the Sunday afternoon club rides we had one older lady that rode a Raleigh upright 10sp. She would roll along at a steady 12-14mph, the go fast guys would jump out at their 20mph pace, about an hour later they would be slowed down and she would go cruising past at her 75 cadence at 14mph. She could literally keep it up all day. BTW she was in her late 50's early 60's at the time. I am no longer a racer haven't been for years. My idea of a training ride is a 4 mile ride to a local sub and pub for a beer and sandwich.

Aaron

DataJunkie

I think my every other day psuedo interval training has pushed me to the point of burnout. I'm going to relax this week and try your suggestion of HIT next week.
After you have finished this 3 times, when do you restart this interval? 1 hr, the next commute, or ?

My method of commuting coupled with a promotion (large increase in work) exhausted me.
I declare this week a recovery week!

shakeNbake

Same thing for me. If I "attack" the hills I usually end up about 5 minutes slower because I will be out of juice for the flat sections.

CrosseyedCrickt

I would count that as one set, and perform 3 sets on my commute giving as much rest between sets as I felt necessary, usually 5 minutes or less and a nice big drink of water.

tajsss

I have a long commute of 18 miles. I do go fast occassionally but not every other day. I also don't get to ride it but 2 times a week. I will normally cruise along at my normal 15-16mph pace on most days. Usually 1 out of every 5 or 6 rides I'll push hard. Usually only when I'm feeling good. This gives me a good training day and the other days are just fun rides. It all really depends on what your goals are I think. I think just riding a lot will increase your speed naturally. You don't have to push all the time to get faster. And if you push less frequently you'll have more energy for the day to haul and more energy on the days your not. So I'd vote to do what you're doing, but maybe change it to once a week.

I have heard interval training is really good as mentioned before. I just have not done any yet. Probably should.

noisebeam

As I've said before, I'm one of those who goes hard for my 8.5mi ea. way commute. When I got back into cycling it helped me get faster quickly (50% increase in average speed in 1yr.) Now I'm fairly consistent in my time to work. (My past five AM commutes have all been within 4sec of each other)

I also get to work 15-45min early. It is relaxing that way, never having to be in a rush. Plus traffic is signficantly lower even 15-30min earlier.

With showers available at work I'd rather take one at work anyways, so going slow wouldn't eliminate that. Plus its hard not to sweat when its 90deg, even going slowly.

Al

noisebeam

Wouldn't that time instead be spent at home showering and grooming?
Or does low instensity cycling mean one never needs to shower?

Al

Phantoj

Listen to your body. If you're wearing it down, you'll get weaker and slower. If it's saying it needs a break, give it a break!

I have a commute that's a bit over 18 miles each way. I did it twice last week, but I'm usually a once-a-week commuter. Strangely, I found that I made it in just as quickly when I was "pushing" myself as when I was riding my regular pace. My "regular" pace is not leisurely, though.

DataJunkie

You hit it on the head. I believe my body had enough with my increase in work stress and trying to hammer it in. The end result was a drastic decrease in my energy level.

Slowing down this morning resulted in a much nicer commute.
I plan on giving it a few days riding slow before I speed it up a bit.

I may add day or two of hauing arse or maybe simply add some interval training. I still need to decide on that one.
I still find it odd that I show up earlier on slow days.

Old Dirt Hill

Brilliant!

I-Like-To-Bike

Simple answer is - that is what rain ( or seniority) is for.

The other answer is that, at least for my 24 miles R/T flat terrrain daily/year round commute, a shower in the evening at home is good enough for 24 hours as long as I don't work myself up in to a workout lather going to work. Good for high 70 degree/high humidity early morning commutes. I have my own office and privacy to hang up my inbound clothes which do get somewhat sweaty. On return home, yes 100 degree temperatures with very high humidity does bring out the sweat as well as a big thirst, both of which are satisfied when I get home.

DataJunkie

I think certain persons stink worse than others. I can show up at work covered in sweat and not one person will complain. I still clean various sweaty parts.
Yes, my office is filled with picky coworkers who would throw me out on my arse if I ever had BO.
However, if you get me nervous for any reason, on comes the stink.

I asked my former boss while she was giving me a massage if I stunk (I was still wearing my clown suit since I had arrived at work 5 minutes earlier).
She said no and that I smelled like the outdoors. Didn't know the outdoors had a particular smell.

yes

^The outdoors smells slightly like rotting flesh - just slightly

ahpook

I guess it depends what your goal is.

Personally I have found that if I really want to take minutes off my commute, the biggest performance boost comes from not stopping, by whatever means necessary (right-fakeys, running lights, weaving, etc).

Of course there's a safety trade-off which makes saving a few minutes on a 10 mile ride less important than making it there at all.

pinkrobe

Holy crap! What was the rest of your benefits package like?

DataJunkie

She is a licensed massage therapist on the side. Another cyclist and I are quite happy with the side project she chose.

tajsss

Ha. My wife is a massage therapist on the side as well. Unfortunately I do not reap the benefits from it too often. I hate to see her work all day then have to work more at home for free. I will get one occassionally when I am exceptionally sore.

hiromian

+ 1

hiromian

This is a Scinefeld episode gone wrong.

M3ta7h3ad

Hi new here

I do an 11mile commute, and noticed that even when hammering it I only improve my times about 2 - 5 minutes, but im considerably more knackered, sweaty and require longer recovery time before I can sit at my desk and get to work.

I have found that my last 2 weeks of taking it easy and just cycling keeping my cadence constant (including on the hills, sacrificing speed for cadence), I have improved my stamina and strength, I no longer need to change down for the hilly sections, I just power through them, and continue pedalling on the other side.

threadend

Your increase in strength / speed depends on monitoring and planning your exertion level. Do you know where in relation to your maximum heart rate you are when you 'hammer'? when you 'layback'? Hammering / Intervals or whatever you want to call it should be designed to destroy muscle cells, your effort needs to be at certain level to accomplish this.

Recovery or laying back for periods allow your muscles to rebuild. When they rebuild they rebuild stronger and more resistant to being torn down, i.e. stronger. Once more the level of exertion is key.

Hammering all the time continually tears muslce down without opportunity to recover and you end up with tired, sore, stiff legs. Another exertion level is known as 'No mans land', at this level you neither ride hard enough to tear down muscle fiber, nor easy enough to allow muscles to rebuild. Many people unwittingly ride in this heart rate zone constantly, the result is often burn-out.

All in all if you want to optimize your fitness level and develop a faster overall riding speed without burnout and wasted feeling legs, you need to plan variety in your effort, pay close attention to your exertion level and exercise discipline to allow recovery. A heart rate monitor and a little study of heart rate zone based training can be very helpful in reaching these goals.

DataJunkie

I have been too frugal to purchase a HRM.
Maybe I should rethink that idea.

I lack in the ability to pace myself. It's pretty much all or nothing.
Hammering it in = riding as fast as possible for as long as possible until the lungs burn, legs burn, etc.
In hindsight, that doesn't seem the smartest course of action with no recovery time.
My recovery time is more like going a mile or two slower the next day.
Crud, I'm going to have to think this one through, aren't I?

Thanks for the info. Time to give this one some thought.