I Am SO Unfit
I hit my mileage target for last year at the start of December. And just like the mis-quoted Tom Simpson, I didn’t utter the words, “Put me back on my bike”. Nope, far from it. In fact, in the last three months, I’ve only cycled about 250 miles. I’m sure I remember reading in Lance’s first autobiography (”It’s not about the bike”) that if a pro cyclist misses a week’s training, it takes them around 8 months to recover the loss of fitness. Well, I’m most certainly not a pro cyclist, but all the same, I’ve effectively spent 12 weeks off the bike - there’s gotta be some payback for this.
I’ve plenty of reasons for this though - they’re all filed somewhere around here, under the heading “Sorry arsed excuses”. But the time for excuses is now long gone, and just like Kim, it’s time to get back on that saddle. Today I headed out for a short ride on my possessed Giant SCR Ltd, Christine. Time was short, and I just wanted to put a handful of miles on my legs at a good high cadence.
But sheesh! This was hard. I mean, yes it was cold, but my lungs felt like they were being dragged up my windpipe, and at the end of it my legs were jellied and starting to feel a little sore.
I’m supposed to be doing a 1/2 IronMan this year. If I want it, I’m really going to have to work for it now!
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 03/09/2008
- Time: 16:29:19
- Total Time: 00:36:00.00
- Distance: 9.6 miles
- Average Speed: 16 mph
And in other news, I just downloaded Levelling The Land by the Levellers. Their version of ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’ has instantly made it onto my Music For Training playlist. It’s absolutely perfect for mad-full-out-bustin’-my-butt-sprints!
8 for 1 seems a bit outlandish, but he’d know better than me. Seems to me that if your fitness is so fragile that losing a week means 8 weeks to regain it, then it’s just that, fragile. We can all expects some loss, but lets be realistic.
The reality is that you’ve unwittingly injected a phase of a periodization plan into your schedule. Some rest is a good thing, allowing the body to recover and come back stronger.
Don’t sweat it. You aren’t that unfit.
Agree with a lot of Bill’s comments… Sometimes I think Lance likes to hear himself talk about training because his approach was so unique… it was all about 1 big race.
That being said, I do think that if you are a pro, then you really can’t afford an off season… which doesn’t mean you don’t have down time for recovery, but it does mean you don’t get to go to Mexico, Hawaii, or the Caribbean and spend a month sitting on the beach sipping fruity cocktails and eating like King Henry the 8th.
maybe its just old age catching up with you…..