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.
This week was made up of six riding days, which I think is a first for me. I burned over 2500 calories, which I haven’t done in over a month. Last time I burned more than this I did it in fewer rides, but even so, it shows my recovery is going – strongly – in the right direction.
On the subject of recovery this week was really about a big uptick in how much I can handle. I’ve felt good all week – with one point to discuss below. I wouldn’t have pushed quite so hard if it wasn’t for a comment my wife had made earlier in the week. Maybe I had been taking it too easy.
All of this weeks rides were indoors. I would love to get outdoors at some point, but aside from it being really cold outside at the moment (hovering around 1-4c in the day time) it’s also wet, and I don’t have the clothing. This sounds like a bit of a cop out, but cycling clothing is genuinely expensive, and dropping big bucks on an item of clothing I would get to wear – at most – two days a week just before Christmas seems excessive.
This week’s rides were as follows:
- Tuesday – Advent of Cycling – Day 1 – Spinner Time (Indoor / Zwift)
- Wednesday – Advent of Cycling – Day 2 – Dullcayno (Indoor / Zwift)
- Thursday – Advent of Cycling – Day 3 – Up To Tempo (Indoor / Zwift)
- Friday – Advent of Cycling – Day 4 – After Worky Thirty (Indoor / Zwift)
- Saturday – Advent of Cycling – Day 5 – Pre-Pizza Birthday Ride (Indoor / Zwift)
- Sunday – Advent of Cycling – Day 6 – A Little Bit Harder, A Little Bit Faster (Indoor / Zwift)
What the hell is the Advent of Cycling, you may well be wondering.
Well, good question.
It’s basically some nonsense I’ve made up.
By day I am a software developer.
One thing (some) software devs / coders love to do (it would seem) is solve these weird, often complex algorithm challenges.
Every year there is an “advent of code” challenge that works a bit like an advent calendar. Only with code puzzles and no chocolate.
I never partake. God knows I have enough of my own code headaches to resolve that I don’t need to actively search out more.
But the idea seems jolly festive, and like it would give me a reason to exercise every day through my fattiest month of the year.
I should state that December 5th is my birthday. As I sit writing this my hands are a tad greasy with two day old cold pizza. Yes, I ordered 3 large pizzas and 3 sides, and it took me and my family 3 days to polish them off. But in total I must have eaten one of those large pizzas to myself, and a few extra slices.
So I have a bunch of excess calories to burn off. And then Christmas comes and I over indulge yet again.
The idea, therefore, is to do something every day on the bike until the 24th December. After which I will give myself Christmas day off (very well earned by that point), and maybe / probably Boxing Day, too.
Of course, this Christmas is going to be weird, what with lock downs and tier 3’s and all that mess. So who knows. But that’s the plan.
Anyway, so far, so good.
It’s been fun to start pushing out some more watts. And it’s also giving me more of an excuse to do shorter efforts. Not requiring myself to do a full hour each day is a big thing.
I have to say though, I am feeling it today. It may just be those fatty pizza slices I’ve recently consumed. Or it might well be doing 6 days in a row isn’t that smart an idea. Rest days are genuinely important.
With that in mind I do feel like at least 3 out of every 7 days should be at a fairly low intensity if I am to make this work. It’s supposed to be for a good reason. I don’t want to do more harm than benefit.
You can see from the graphs above that there has been essentially a four week lull in activity. Therefore I am feeling fairly fresh going into this.
I’d like to complete the Zwift Academy 2020 workouts before the month is over. And there is a possibility still that I may drop Zwift on 12th December (sub renewal date) and switch over to The Suffer Fest and see how that goes. I think the change in scenery could be a good move.
Or maybe I will keep both. Not sure yet, so how it pans out.
Lastly for this week, Garmin has me down as de-training. I don’t think that is too surprising. Given I am doing fairly light rides, lots of them, and no recovery, it’s probably triggering all kinds of hazard lights and warning bells in their software. I guess that’s the way it’s going to be.
On the plus side that black line is pushing back up to the green zone. Things are heading in the right direction.
Anyway, right now I’m thinking ahead to what activity I’m going to complete today. If I continue to feel as I do right now, it will be a one hour recovery ride. And maybe that’s for the best if I’m to make it all the way through not just this forthcoming week, but the next two weeks to follow.