Day Off, Kinda

Yesterday was the last day of my 11 week cycle of Time Crunched Cyclist.  This was the first true training program I have ever done.  Previously I thought riding hard was training.  I quickly discovered, through racing, that riding hard and training were not the same.  In addition, I also learned that I need to train efficiently in order to maximize my available time.

I planned to stick with Carmichael's daily schedule, as that worked best for me.  Sometimes the outlined days were difficult.  My drive to and from work is about 45 minutes, and I often stay late on Tuesday's and/or Thursday's.  I normally start work at 6 am, leaving the house at 5:15, and on those two days I do not get home until about 6:30 pm.  The result...riding the turbo for 1.5 hrs, cooling down, showering, then eating, and finally crashing into bed.  Not that you need to ask, but I still provide the answer.  My wife was not fond of that schedule.

As the days have gotten longer, I have taken to riding to and from work.  By bike, my commute is about an hour.  I am able to tackle my training on the way to work, and enjoy a solid ride home.  If you do the math, I am able to get home, clean up, eat, and still have time to relax before crashing.  I also enjoy riding to and from work.

Sooooo...rambling is complete...

I woke up yesterday, and my legs felt tired.  Walking up and down the stairs caused some burning sensations and I could tell I did not have any pop in my legs.  Throughout the entire training, I have not shortened one workout, I have not skipped one workout, and I have worked as hard as I could to follow the workout to the letter.  Yesterday, the last day, I just did not have it in me.

I still rode to work, but I chose to skip the intervals.  As I warmed up I kept thinking I might be able to do this, but it just was not going to happen.  Instead, I decided to give myself ride at an intensity of 7-8 out of 10, not work hard on the Old Soldiers Home climb, and let my legs recover for the upcoming race.

I also had to try and decide what to wear.  It had rained all night, and continued as I was preparing to leave.  I decided to go with shorts, knee and arm warmers, hat, and rain cape.  As you know rain capes are WARM and do not breath well.

By the time I completed the Old Soldiers Home climb, it had not rained and I was baking!  Warning alert...PRO moment...I decided to take off the cape while riding.  I rode another half mile, and the skies decided to unleash on me.  It was 46 degrees and now raining with 5 miles to go.  I decided that I was too warm and did not put on the rain cape, made it to work, cleaned up , and started a very busy and hectic day.

On the way home I managed to miss the rain, but my legs still felt dead.  There were times where I only rode an intensity of 6, but I really enjoyed my ride.  By the time I got to the So. Prairie Elhi Hill climb, my legs were feeling much better.  I still took it easy and made it home...To my surprise, Bella was already there and waiting for me (I expected her around 8).

Today I woke up early (I am one of those people that is either ON or OFF) and could not fall back asleep.  I noticed that my legs are feeling much better and I am now getting excited for my race Saturday.  I was worried that I would be "penalized" for not doing the interval workout, but I now realize the day off is what was needed AND the right call.