Each week I try to review and reflect on my previous week on the bike. This allows me to see how my fitness and ability is progressing on a wider timescale than day to day. For previous weekly reviews please click here.
Another fairly lacklustre week, sadly.
I managed to get in three short rides this week, which were:
- Tuesday – Two Washes
- Wednesday – The Leg Up Program
- Sunday – Cooped Up Inside
All were outdoors, which I think may be part of the problem.
After the 100km ride, or more specifically, during the last 20km of the 100km ride, I felt quite a lot of pain in my right knee. At the time I put this down to pushing myself further than I had done before, and hoped that with a bit of a rest, I’d be fine enough to get some kind of routine going again in the following week.
Well, perhaps coming off the back of a Covid illness, my ambitions were slightly out of check.
But even so, I wanted to get out and at least try and do something. I figured I’d ease into it, and both Tuesday and Wednesday rides were shorter than usual, both around 10km.
On Wednesday’s ride I think I did more harm than good, even though it was only a short and low intensity ride.
Waking on Thursday, I really felt like the knee pain I’d experienced during the latter stages of the century ride had returned.
Being sensible, I took this as a sign to take (yet more) recovery.
I really wanted to get out on the bike, as is often the case when I’m not allowed / it’s not a good idea. Though I managed to resist for a few days, by Sunday I was climbing the walls and decided to go out and “just do an easy ride”.
During that ride there were several moments where I could feel undue pain on the knee. Nothing major, but it wasn’t “better” yet. Silly.
And that leads me onto my plan for the forthcoming week.
So, what must be three months ago now, I decided to pause my Zwift subscription.
How time flies.
On Sunday evening I got an email from Zwift saying my subscription was about to resume. And they did mean immediately, as it resumed (and took payment, might I add) today.
Now, I was already contemplating activating my paid subscription to The Sufferfest, so I could start on their workouts recommended after the 4DP test.
But as I’m looking for recovery workouts only at the moment, I’m going to stick with Zwift for the month and take the opportunity to explore their new worlds, revisit the old ones, and generally get myself back into a regular cycling routine. Everything has kinda gone out of the window over the last month, so I need to get myself back into gear.
As such the plan for the week ahead is simple: ride five times, do my 100km riding goal, and don’t head outdoors again until my knee is rested. I can “control the pain” using ERG mode, and ride easily until I’m back to full strength.