Question for those 5 day a week + commuters

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Jdratcliffe

Well-Known Member
Location
Redhill, Surrey
how do you fell at the end of your commuter week? how do you recover and fit in "rest" days?


i commute 5 days a week 44 miles a day and find at the end of it i feel week and achy should the 2 days at the weekend be enough? 2 reason why i dont have a "rest day" wenesday are 1 cant afford to really 9 could be budgets are tight one main reason i cycle and 2 i HATE the train and tube.

tips to recover faster on the weekends please.. or do i have to lump a rest day on the train due to the distance?
 

400bhp

Guru
Ride slower now and then.

There's no need for a day off.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
I do 24 miles daily. Though I feel tired, I sometimes fit in a 40-50 mile weekend ride.

My tip for recovery is sleep. Make sure you get a good night's sleep every night during the week.
If I don't get 8-9 hours sleep during on one night, it catches up very quickly by Thu/Fri.

Also eat well. I've had days when I've been a little lazy to knock up a meal on a night, and gone to sleep on snacks. Don't do it. I found that the next morning's commute is then very tough.
 

gb155

Fan Boy No More.
Location
Manchester-Ish
Ride slower now and then.

There's no need for a day off.
Agreed, I'm currently doing 32 miles daily. With 3 climbs on a single speed, normally either Wednesday or Thursday is my ride a bit slower and enjoy it day

I'm always ready for a lay in on Saturday am but that's more down to the fact I'm up at before 6 Monday to Friday

No need to force a rest day
 

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
I am managing about 38 miles a day five days a week and apart from my legs aching, which goes away after a few miles, I seem to cope well with just the weekend off.
I eat when I arrive home after work then a few hours later I have a second dinner, at the weekend I ensure I eat plenty of food with protein.
I have also found a drinking protein drink before I leave in the morning and after I arrive home helps a little but I quite often just drink lots of milk.
If you enjoy a few drinks at the weekend then stop, if I drink at the weekend it affects me in some way until at least Wednesday.
 

TheJDog

dingo's kidneys
I would reply but you are basically doing in one day what I do in a week (it's not my fault I live so close to work). I sometimes walk in to give my legs a bit of a break. You could do that but you'd have to leave at 11 the night before. :smile:
 

dhd.evans

Veteran
Location
Dundee
No need for a rest day; just make the cycle more 'casual' in speed.

And if the speed-demons kick in keep a healthy supply of paracetamol and ibuprofen at your desk. Solves aches and pains on a short-term basis.
 

biking_fox

Guru
Location
Manchester
How long have you been 5daying it for? If you've only recently started doing 220 mile weeks you will no doubt be pretty tired! You should get used to it in time (weeks -months?) but you will need to recover properly over the weekend, eat and sleep well, and not do too much other exercise? Don't forget that a working day can be pretty touch too, so proper switch off time is necessary.

You're riding about 4x what I do, and I certainly feel it on a Friday evening. so well done to that!
 
I feel fine, but you do more than me. My round trip is 13 miles at the shortest point. I do increase my mileage into and out of work when the weather is nice, the most I've increased a commute to is 31 miles. I also ride a long ride on my rest days when I can which will be 30-50 miles.

That gives me three days off the bike in every ten, which I find is plenty - I don't ache or feel tired, it's all good!
 

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
I would reply but you are basically doing in one day what I do in a week (it's not my fault I live so close to work). I sometimes walk in to give my legs a bit of a break. You could do that but you'd have to leave at 11 the night before. :smile:
I only live 3km from my place of work.
 

Andrius.B

Active Member
Location
Bristol
I would reply but you are basically doing in one day what I do in a week (it's not my fault I live so close to work). I sometimes walk in to give my legs a bit of a break. You could do that but you'd have to leave at 11 the night before. :smile:

Who's fault is it then? ;)
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Beetroot. Eat beetroot.

Currently I ride about 38 miles a day but have an odd work pattern so cannot seem to get into a routine which is hard. Some times 9 days on the trott, some times 3 on 3 off, earlys and lates which mucks things up, my body clock and feeding. All I can say is try to eat well and get a full 8 hours sleep. Keep bike transmission clean and well lubed so as much of your effort is actually turning the wheels rather than making your bike sound like a cement mixer if the chain is totally dry due to rain having washed all the lube off which will take a lot of your energy big time. So re-lube, re-lube. This is what I hate so much about this crap crap summer we have had. The constant re-lubing as heavy rain strips the chain of it.

Also as others have suggested, ride a couple of days at 50% just lightly turning the pedals, it will only take you 5 mins more to get to work, honest, and will help you recover and build stamina.

Last week I rode two days the full distance 61 miles round trip door to work and back but the route is quite circuitous riding tracks and paths to avoid busy roads so I ended up quite knackered. I slept most of yesterday having stuffed my face at breakfast. Felt quite groggy in the evening but was ok today. Back to work tomorrow, early start, leaving at 6:14am.

When you get in try not to snack but boil a pan of pasta asap and drink lots of water while waiting. Eat lots of veg, salad, nuts, dried fruit, wholemeal bread, lean meat and rhubarb crumble and Ambrosia custard :hungry: . Obviously NOT all together. Try to eat a reasonable meal at lunchtime if this at all possible? It makes riding home a breeze. I am on my feet all day and it is rare to get to sit down except when riding to and from work. If the weather is really crap - drive / take train / bus. Don't be a masochist for the sake of it.

Try running several times a week just to loosen the leg muscles and restore bone density. Too much cycling to the exclusion of all other exercise is a great way to get osteoporosis.

HTH.
 
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