Two Wheel Blogs

One of the things I've come to understand a lot better in the last few years is the need for rest and recovery. A lot of guys I know, and I myself have been a long-time member of this club, don't really get what recovery is about and how to implement it as part of their training plan.

I think that club I mentioned above is a hard one to get out of for a couple of reasons. For one thing, a lot of people associate rest and recovery with down time. That is, time not spent training. And we all know if you want to reach your optimum you have to train, right?

Another reason, and this was always a big one with me, is that a day for rest and recovery never was just a day. I would either take a day off completely or I'd do what the pros do: Go for a long, easy ride. I hated both of those kinds of recovery because neither of them left me feeling refreshed and ready the following day. It was always hit-or-miss. I might feel good after a nice long warm up, but more than often I'd just have a lousy day. What a waste!

So here's my big secret about recovery: Do something different and don't do it very long.

Most of my riding this time of year is Sweet Spot stuff. I just turn the cranks somewhere in the 80% range. That gets old, and I get tired of it. When I need a recovery day I still take a ride. It usually only lasts about 20 minutes though.

My favorite recovery ride is a warm up, a few high-intensity bursts, a few high cadence bursts, and a cool down. If it takes me more than 20 minutes I've done it wrong. It never does.

And I always feel good and ready to go again the next day.