Monday: 56 mile bike; abs

56 mile recovery bike. Recovery rides are 114-123bpm at 75-85rpm. I really believe that recovery rides are the most important rides of any training program. And I had started to get away from them and was instead chasing watts every ride. I think it is the recovery rides and not the hard intense rides that make a great cyclist. I learned about these rides from reading various Lance Armstrong books.

I have noticed that recovery rides serve many different purposes. First, it increases blood flow to the legs, thus helping to speed up recovery from more strenuous training.

Second, it gets your mind and your body used to sitting on the bike for a long time. Recovery rides don't have to be short. They have can be short or long enough until you start to feel tired or any type of "burn" in your legs, even if the burn is minimal. Recovery rides can increase in length as you become fitter, but can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Third, recovery rides help to increase overall volume and help maintain consistency without overloading your muscles or cardiovascular system. As I have stated before, my body at least does not react well if I take two or even one day off the bike.

Fourth-I wouldn't rate anyone of these reasons as the most important as I think they are all important, but this last one I think has really helped make me a better cyclist--recovery rides teach your body to ride at higher power/watts at lower heart rates, thus teaching your body not to stress the cardiovascular system while riding at high watts. Once you start out riding at low heart rates, your heart--at least mine--tends to stick at those low heart rates 2 hours into the ride even though you are increasing your power. Over time, your body adapts and realizes it doesn't need to beat so much, to supply the muscles enough oxygen at higher power. I have not seen any research that this is actually true in fact, but it has been my experience.

For example, tonight, I started out the ride at around 160-170watts at 100-110bpm and gradually lifted the power to 180. My heart rate increased up to about 114-115. By the end of the ride though I was pushing around 240-250 watts, and my heart was staying at about 118bpm, I think just because it had been beating close to that rate for two plus straight hours. I noticed that this would happen throughout my recovery rides over the winter and spring, which I think really improved my fitness.

I inadvertently only pushed my polar watch once to get the heat rate signal, but didn't push it again to start timing, which I only realized 2 hours in. And I didn't plug in my SRM. So unfortunately, I don't have an average heart rate for the ride, but based on looking down at my watch throughout the ride, I probably averaged about 115-116bpm. Total ride: FL: 2:46:47; 194w; ###bpm; 78rpm; 20.1mph. I drank 1.5L of water.