Legs, or lack of them.

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Brucey
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Brucey »

re the virus thing; I an told that reasearch testing show that the best way to recover quickly from a mild viral illness without losing peak conditioning (for athletes) is to do no more than ~25mins level 1 every other day during the illness.

This is about the same as going for a walk for a mile or so, no more. Or riding three or four flat miles, on a small (say 55") gear, just tapping along, at a speed that would have you not even breaking sweat normally. Obviously you may not want to do that, even, but it is just enough that you get an endorphin dose and not go stir crazy or lose too much condition, without slowing recovery.

For non-athletes, I'd suggest staying off the bike altogether whilst obviously ill, then trying the 25mins level 1 every other day routine. When you can do that without any peculiar side-effects, gradually ramp things up.

BTW level 1 is difficult to judge from cold. Only after I got a pulse meter did I realise how hard I often went from the start; for the first five minutes level 1 (about 130bpm for me) felt like nothing, and left to my own devices I'd be otherwise at 150bpm + in no time. Eventually I learned to just keep my gear and effort down somewhat, but it did go against my natural instincts.

cheers
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Audax67 wrote:I would happily garotte those cheerful buggers who come out with "you're not getting any younger, you know" when I know damn well I'm just out of training.

Hi,
This type of ugly quip is exactly what led to in parts to me not cycling for nearly ten years :!: Said to me by an older fellow cyclist :?
And I feel that I would do the same as you :twisted:
We soldier on cause we know we have to. Younger riders may not see it BUT they will experience it one day.
On bugs mainly colds I can only say that the last thing you should do before eating anything is wash your hands.
I worked in a factory environment for several years umongst about ten guys, we would all sit down in the workshop and eat and drink at break times.
One day someone had a cold and quickly that spread to all in a few days. We exception of me :!: I used to get cold twice a year like most :(
But not then :?: The only think I did differently was that I did not handle the kettle, old chrome style. :?
Everybody washed their hands before their break just yards away. I took in cans of pop.
But later on I did use kettle and colds came too, so I adopted my old boss's habit, washing hands and using paper towels to turn off tap. Even open door with paper towel.
I never saw him with a cold in seven years, the trick here is to wash your hands then not touch anything that could be warm handled by many people like kettles and door handles that get warm from hands all just before you eat. I am relatively isolated from people so I am now at an advantage that I do not come into contact with people often. But I did catch a virus which put me in hospital, I was only in contact with the Mrs then, but possible that it would not afect her the same. virus's are different things of course.
People will scoff at my advise but try it and keep it up and see the results.
On cold and virus's its a well known documented fact that exercising with a cold or virus can very likely do you damage to your heart, even a heart attack.
I don't and the advise given is not to exercise with a nose and or throat infection, at least time you are almost symptom free :!:
I have been fortunate that I have with the exception of meds side effects not suffered from long term physical downs described in others posts above.
The name I forget now describes long term lethargy that can affect athletes, I think sometimes it is not curable, and needs forced rest for months :?:
Flu still kills and you only suffer this once of twice in your life :!: You know when its flu, bed only, there a fifty pound note in your garden if you can get it you dont have flu :!: Its the effect on the the body not flu itself which kills by the the organs packing up.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Brucey wrote:re the virus thing; I an told that reasearch testing show that the best way to recover quickly from a mild viral illness without losing peak conditioning (for athletes) is to do no more than ~25mins level 1 every other day during the illness.
This is about the same as going for a walk for a mile or so, no more. Or riding three or four flat miles, on a small (say 55") gear, just tapping along, at a speed that would have you not even breaking sweat normally. Obviously you may not want to do that, even, but it is just enough that you get an endorphin dose and not go stir crazy or lose too much condition, without slowing recovery.
For non-athletes, I'd suggest staying off the bike altogether whilst obviously ill, then trying the 25mins level 1 every other day routine. When you can do that without any peculiar side-effects, gradually ramp things up.
BTW level 1 is difficult to judge from cold. Only after I got a pulse meter did I realise how hard I often went from the start; for the first five minutes level 1 (about 130bpm for me) felt like nothing, and left to my own devices I'd be otherwise at 150bpm + in no time. Eventually I learned to just keep my gear and effort down somewhat, but it did go against my natural instincts.
cheers

:wink: Very good.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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Mick F
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Mick F »

Brucey wrote:BTW level 1 is difficult to judge from cold. Only after I got a pulse meter did I realise how hard I often went from the start; for the first five minutes level 1 (about 130bpm for me) felt like nothing, and left to my own devices I'd be otherwise at 150bpm + in no time. Eventually I learned to just keep my gear and effort down somewhat, but it did go against my natural instincts.
Try living in a steep valley!

This is an excerpt of the first four miles of my ride today.
Red is HR
Green is speed
Blue speaks for itself!
Screen shot 2013-01-11 at 13.11.07.png
Mick F. Cornwall
Michael R
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Michael R »

Mick F wrote:
Brucey wrote:BTW level 1 is difficult to judge from cold. Only after I got a pulse meter did I realise how hard I often went from the start; for the first five minutes level 1 (about 130bpm for me) felt like nothing, and left to my own devices I'd be otherwise at 150bpm + in no time. Eventually I learned to just keep my gear and effort down somewhat, but it did go against my natural instincts.
Try living in a steep valley!

This is an excerpt of the first four miles of my ride today.
Red is HR
Green is speed
Blue speaks for itself!
Screen shot 2013-01-11 at 13.11.07.png



Looking at the graph it is clearl that HR is in :D versely proportional to speed :D
byegad
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by byegad »

Mick F wrote:Yes, I have two!


So slightly more than the average number of legs Mick? Well done.
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Mick F
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Mick F »

Michael R wrote:Looking at the graph it is clearl that HR is in :D versely proportional to speed :D

Yep.
Interesting eh?

There's very few places round here where you can get a move on on the flat. Climbing hills is hard work, and although I often pedal down hills, it's never as much hard work as climbing them in the first place. :D
Mick F. Cornwall
Brucey
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Brucey »

Mick F wrote: This is an excerpt of the first four miles of my ride today.
Red is HR
Green is speed
Blue speaks for itself!
Screen shot 2013-01-11 at 13.11.07.png


ooh dearie me; whatever is that you have had, you might never get a chance to recover from it! :wink:

cheers
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reohn2
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by reohn2 »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:
Audax67 wrote:I would happily garotte those cheerful buggers who come out with "you're not getting any younger, you know" when I know damn well I'm just out of training.

Hi,
This type of ugly quip is exactly what led to in parts to me not cycling for nearly ten years :!: Said to me by an older fellow cyclist :?
And I feel that I would do the same as you :twisted:.........

But isn't that the ego getting in the way?
In older cultures the older ones are looked upto as the wise ones.
Unfortunately our's regard us over the hill,how wrong they are :wink: don't angry at them just laugh at them :D .
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Sooper8
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Sooper8 »

Mick, you're 98, don't be so hard on yourself :lol:
ukdodger
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by ukdodger »

Mick F wrote:Yes, I have two!

Last year, I'd been out and riding lots and lots and my total mileage was reasonable and "normal" for not having been off on a long tour. From Sept 2012 to the end of the year, I rarely rode more than 30miles in one single go. This was mainly because of the atrocious weather latterly, but also because of being busy domestically. Consequently, my legs seem to have disappeared. Weather was awful for the beginning of January, so first ride of the year wasn't until the 6th. That ride was 31miles. Next out was the 8th at 10miles, then yesterday (9th) I managed 28miles. Trouble is, that's about my limit! :oops: I came home worn out.

It would appear that I can ride easily and the easy bit is 20miles.
The hard bit is going further. All of a sudden, I'm knackered.
We all advise people to "get the miles in", but I never thought that I would have to eat my own words.

Wot's goin' on?


How old are you Mick. I ask because a tour leader I know says with some authority that the miles start to drop off at seventy five, that's age not miles. Personally I've noticed my regular jaunt around the Surrey hills 48m is getting harder and I'm seventy in March. Have to say I dread the day..
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Vorpal »

I was off the bike for 6 or 7 weeks when I had my second baby, and twice that with my first. After 12 weeks off the bike (and some birth-related health issues) I was knackered after 7 miles. 6 weeks after having my second child, I rode my bike 25 miles, and was back to normal distances pretty quickly after that. But I also came down with swine flu later that year, and I was off the bike for at least another 3 weeks because of the flu. I was slower to get back to normal mileage after swine flu than after having a baby.

Mick F, try having a snack :shock: after 10 or 15 miles and see if that helps. I find that when I haven't been exercising as much, when I do get back to it, my body seems to need more food. It doesn't take very long for it to return to normal, but in the meanwhile, I lack energy or risk the bonk if don't eat a bit more.
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Mick F
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Mick F »

I'm 60. Nowhere near 75 or 98! :lol:

A snack, I never thought of that. Only out for two or three hours I wouldn't normally stop, let alone eat anything, but it sounds like a good idea. I'll try it next time out - maybe Sunday or Monday.
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Audax67
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by Audax67 »

T'other thing, of course, is that as the quad waneth thin the gut waxeth fat. And lo, on the thirty-third day he had reached the last hole on his belt, and the straitness of his jeans did make his eyes to bulge.

And this illiterate American spell checker needeth a swift boot up the arth, putting squiggly underlines under all my eths.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Legs, or lack of them.

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Mick F wrote:I'm 60. Nowhere near 75 or 98! :lol:
A snack, I never thought of that. Only out for two or three hours I wouldn't normally stop, let alone eat anything, but it sounds like a good idea. I'll try it next time out - maybe Sunday or Monday.

Hi,
My training rides last year in the order of 2.15hr - 2.25hr 35m - 43m respectivly, I always took some food two cereal bars easily fit in my pocket.
I did'nt always eat them but one day I did not bother taking any.
That day I got cold feet thru puddles and was cold on the way home could'nt fell my legs below my hips, fool :!:
I was also hungry, three things most likely to demoralise is cold feet - tiredness and hunger.
I now take food every trip of two hours or more and try to stay warm and dry, any chance cold feet then giaters etc, then only the tiredness to bear.
You can always take it easy for the duration of ride but without food, makes you ratty if hungry.
You may not feel hungry but two hours of exertion is on the way.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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