rest?

Jumping to 260 miles per week is probably not the best for your second week of cycling, but your enthusiasm is commendable!

i think you should ease into the higher mileage. cycling does need some rest days.. maybe a recovery ride too. make sure your getting some kind of recovery drink after your rides.

oh 160 miles was too easy. i felt like i wasnt really doing anything. but i'll take a break from it tomorrow i suppose. i'll definately be breaking last week because last week my miles went as follows.

day 1- 20 miles
day 2- 20 miles
day 3- 6 miles
day 4- 15 miles
day 5- 25 miles
day 6- 37 miles
day 7- 37 miles

So far this week I'm at 41 miles and 21 miles. I just got bored today and stopped early. I find it hard to keep going because i lose interest. it feels like it just drags on and on.

The important thing is not how many miles you do this week or next, but whether or not you're still riding several years from now.

Take a look at the story of Roger Bannister. He was unable to break the 4 minute mile and was deadlocked. He broke the deadlock by taking a long rest and doing some climbing. Then he tried again and broke the 4 minute mile.
I like to kind of overtrain myself for periods so my fitness shoots up and then I may change the system to rest my body and work on my power. The net result is I find my speed and performance goes up after the rest so it's a form of peaking.

drmrd said:

im brand new to cycling, I've only been at it for about a week now. my first week I got 165 miles. im shooting for about 260 this week though. but i wanted to know if i need to be taking a day off here and there for growth purposes. I do a lot of weight lifting and know that you need to take breaks every once in a while but wasn't sure if the same went for cycling.

Quality of the miles, not the quantity of the miles.

You don't want to begin training yourself to go slow. On these rides are you pushing a decent pace and holding it? It's important you're not programming your muscle memory into a slow cadence.

If you're feeling bored on these rides try mixing up your training regimen. Designate a day to speed/sprint workouts, another to hill repeats, and be sure to incorporate a "recovery" day.

Make sure, you're having fun.

Pendejo said:

The important thing is not how many miles you do this week or next, but whether or not you're still riding several years from now.

+1

Gotta learn to stay motivated no matter what!

Notes duly taken. I decided to hit it up for some short distance high speed stuff this week instead.

But I have a new question(s). Both concerning two completely different yet binding topics.

The first is a problem I'm having with my... ahem, groin. I've noticed that the right "side" of my groin has been feeling somewhat tense since I started riding. At first it had started as my upper right thing would be getting numb and I would have to stand up on the bike to shake it off, it got to the point where I had to stand up every few minutes. That numbness has for the most part subsided, but now its primarily the groin problem. It just feels achey, thats the best way I can describe it. Any suggestions? Seat height? something?

The other thing is, I'm planning on moving out to San Diego from South Carolina within a couple of weeks. I will be selling my motorcycle for extra money so I could use my bike to travel and gain strength. I will have to go from San Diego to San Bernardino, which is about a 2 hour drive by car. But I will be going by bicycle. I will not be constrained by time, so it should be fine, except im not fond of riding on the freeway, let alone in california, where nobody knows how to drive. Are there any routes I can take?

drmrd said:

Notes duly taken. I decided to hit it up for some short distance high speed stuff this week instead.

But I have a new question(s). Both concerning two completely different yet binding topics.

The first is a problem I'm having with my... ahem, groin. I've noticed that the right "side" of my groin has been feeling somewhat tense since I started riding. At first it had started as my upper right thing would be getting numb and I would have to stand up on the bike to shake it off, it got to the point where I had to stand up every few minutes. That numbness has for the most part subsided, but now its primarily the groin problem. It just feels achey, thats the best way I can describe it. Any suggestions? Seat height? something?

ok this could be your saddle. try experimenting on different ones, or ,if you dont already have good shorts you should buy some. some in the 70-100 dollar range. pearl izumi ultrasensor or microsensor are good (i use the microsensor). it could be the seat height.. maybe take it to a lbs and have it fitted.

yeah i actually wear my dads old shorts. ones he hadn't used since the 80's. he had several pairs that he never wore much back then so they were in really good condition. but I do sometimes have problems just wearing the shorts because I have to constantly "reposition" myself.

yeah i used to use my dads old shorts too but then i tried some bib shorts and they were alot better. maybe your bodys just not used to being in that position alot since your just starting.. maybe give it a couple weeks? but i would atleast get some bib shorts.

Does anyone know anything about my second question? here it is.

I'm planning on moving out to San Diego from South Carolina within a couple of weeks. I will be selling my motorcycle for extra money so I could use my bike to travel and gain strength. I will have to go from San Diego to San Bernardino, which is about a 2 hour drive by car. But I will be going by bicycle. I will not be constrained by time, so it should be fine, except im not fond of riding on the freeway, let alone in california, where nobody knows how to drive. Are there any routes I can take?

drmrd said:

except im not fond of riding on the freeway, let alone in california

If you're trying to save money, riding on the freeway isn't going to help since you'll be quickly tickted as bikes are illegal on most highways.

yes thats the thing, I don't want to be riding on the freeway for that reason and that its dangerous. I'm asking if there are any routes I can take OTHER than the freeway. I mean there's got to be something for bikes to get out there.

Try this: Enter your beginning and end points into MapQuest.com and select "Avoid Highways" under the advanced options, and search and see what that does for you. If that doesn't work, then you could always use google maps to plot out your own route.

drmrd said:

yes thats the thing, I don't want to be riding on the freeway for that reason and that its dangerous. I'm asking if there are any routes I can take OTHER than the freeway. I mean there's got to be something for bikes to get out there.

Do a google search on 'san diego bike trails'.
This will show you some trails and some road rides.

You should be able to piece together a few trails, a few roads to get to where you need to go.

Here is one link:
efgh.combikeOpen ↗

Hope that helps.

And my DH says that the same kinds of things happened to him in the groin area when he started riding. He said it went away after the muscles in the area got used to having the seat there. He says muscles just have to be used over and over and they kind of 'callus' (for lack of a better word) and stop hurting.
Good Luck!

Ginny in Denver

Dunno as i live in Aus about the routes but regarding miles. If you are getting bored you are A) not pushing yourself hard enough
B) shouldn't be cycling
C)need to mix up different workouts and routes

If any of these apply, correct them. Pushing yourself gets you fitter if you rest afterwards, and also makes the ride more challenging/enjoyable. If you find cycling boring don't do it. Mixing up workouts will also make the rides different. Do not concentrate on miles, concentrate on hours and effort levels.

drmrd said:

Does anyone know anything about my second question? here it is.

I'm planning on moving out to San Diego from South Carolina within a couple of weeks. I will be selling my motorcycle for extra money so I could use my bike to travel and gain strength. I will have to go from San Diego to San Bernardino, which is about a 2 hour drive by car. But I will be going by bicycle. I will not be constrained by time, so it should be fine, except im not fond of riding on the freeway, let alone in california, where nobody knows how to drive. Are there any routes I can take?

I've done this drive a million times and the ride will not be easy ( you should triain in temecula with Landis its about half way) Alot of long elevation changes. also riding on the freeway, especially a busy one like this is not recomended. The ride will be almost completely uphill and I would look to purchase a 95' volvo or something.

im sorry, i forgot to mention that im going by bike because i HAVE to go to San bernardino from San Diego and back. its not a training thing. so is there a route not on the freeway i can take?