when should i take a week off?

cldpsu said:

hey,
how's it going? How often should this be done? I go to penn state and i am training to be on the cycling team. So far, i've done around 600 miles this month. I feel tired, my legs are sore right now. I do around 5 days a week, averaging around 20 miles a day. I've been doing 30's now. I feel like cycling today because i took 2 days off. Do you think i should take a whole week off? It seems so hard, i feel like i can't stay off the bike that long! Thanks for the help, later guys/girls.
Cristian

Personally, I don't think you need to take any days off if you're doing 30 miles/day. However, if you've begun doing speed work (intervals at TT intensity or greater), then you should either take off the next day or just ride at an easy pace (e.g., easy conversational pace) to get the benefits of the prior day's stress. Muscle and saddle soreness is normal if you've just increased your mileage. Good luck making the team. Try to ride with them after you get in reasonable shape. Ask the top riders for tips.

When most people refer to a "week off" they mean a recovery week with reduced work load (often refered to as active recovery), so rather than riding your normal amount of miles this week, you should ride half or two thirds and ride alot slower than you do normally. Most people try to do this every 4 weeks or so, but it is not set in stone. Listen to your body, if you feel tired, take a recovery week. You should only take a week off if you are feeling really burned out or it is the end of your season. Some of the more knowledgable people will be able to help you more.