I'm in wisconsin and the weather is just getting nice, so I'm starting to want to ride every day. For the past 10 years or so I've been a competitive swimmer so I'm used to structured training at high intensity. The only thing is I've just recently been on a 5-month break from training over the winter. Now I want to start riding. My goal is to race end of season or start of next season. Here are a couple of questions:
1) Can I be riding every day (except sunday), and not overtrain?
2) What HR zone should I be in for building base and increase vo2 max?
My leg muscles give out WAAAY before my aerobic system does. My legs are dog tired and I'm not even breathing real hard. I also ride at a cadence of 90-100 rpm.
3) Will riding every day increase leg muscle, or will it be bad for my legs? I know that in weight lifting, if you don't give muscles time to recover they get weaker not stronger. Is this the same thing?
4) If so, do I need to somehow increase leg strength while still working aerobically on days I don't ride? Maybe ride 3 days a week, and swim on the other days? I would really like to ride more though...
5) Can I somehow incorporate lifting, or is that for off-season?
Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for help. *I mainly want to know how to not overtrain since coming off of a break, and what to do about my weak legs while still working my aerobic system for a base.*
EDIT: Should creatine be a consideration? Creatine monohydrate gives you water retention weight, but nowadays there is stuff called creatine ethyl ester which DOES NOT have any water retention. Is it worth a shot? Also I hear whey protein and glutamine help in muscle gains...