It's nice I don't want to because I can't.

[Tom]

This is turning odd, this summer. I rode a lot of miles up to about August 1. Then I rode two short weeks: 4 days, about 150-170 miles each week. I've ridden very few long rides this year, two centuries and a handful of rides between 60-80 but other than that mostly 30-50 miles, hills 2-3 times a week, 5-6 rides a week, one or two rides a week I take it easy. Last week finally got back up over 200 miles. I noticed I was riding higher and higher gears, lower and lower cadences. I finally caught myself riding along a flat in my 39-13 about 18 miles an hour. Shucks, I said, I need to spin and pick it up again. A month ago I'd be doing 25 through here.

I can't. I can spin but I can't make the damn bike go. I work harder but don't go any quicker. I can't upshift and start covering ground. One of the voices in my head says 'just go slow, not to worry' but the other voice says 'great, but you couldn't go quick if you wanted to'.

Who do I listen to?

[saab2000]

Take a week off.

[Ray]

Your body seems to be telling you something. May as well relax and enjoy it since the option seems to be to relax and NOT enjoy it.

-Ray

[swoop]

this is the fundamental mistake people make: when they go slow they aren't going slow enough and when they go fast they aren't going hard enough. slow way the f down. slow slooooooowwwwww and stay there. give yourself one brief moment a week after along warm up and do a little intensity.
from where you are you have to go slow to go fast.
if going slow is a bummer.. use the time to perfect your pedal stroke and smoothness. play with cadence. play with relaxing every muscle you aren't using starting with your face. try to connect the dots starting with your core muscles.

[bcm119]

If I were you, I'd pack a cooler full of homebrew and spend a long weekend in the 'dacks. :)

[jeffg]

this is the fundamental mistake people make: when they go slow they aren't going slow enough and when they go fast they aren't going hard enough. slow way the f down. slow slooooooowwwwww and stay there. give yourself one brief moment a week after along warm up and do a little intensity.
from where you are you have to go slow to go fast.
if going slow is a bummer.. use the time to perfect your pedal stroke and smoothness. play with cadence. play with relaxing every muscle you aren't using starting with your face. try to connect the dots starting with your core muscles.

But it really isn't, is it?

Most people don't go easy very often, that is easy to fix theoretically.

But how hard? I have ridden &%$§/&% for miles due to work/family commitments this year and think I am at the point where I need to start transitioning for next season; however, when I am riding/training I ride mostly tempo with attempts at 40-60 minute threshold sessions as the year goes on. I am often riding at 80-90% of what I take to be my functional threshold for tempo, and 95-105% of that for threshold (at least by HR).

Tempo often feels "not hard enough" unless the volume is very high, and when I did use a coach (briefly) I found he had to reign me in mostly, saying I needed to do mucho tempo in preparing for double centuries, gran fondos, etc. and should not overdo the intensity.

Tom: check out: http://www.53x12.com/do/show?page=article&id=29

Ride and have fun! Winter will soon be here ...

[Avispa]

I can't. I can spin but I can't make the damn bike go. I work harder but don't go any quicker. I can't upshift and start covering ground. One of the voices in my head says 'just go slow, not to worry' but the other voice says 'great, but you couldn't go quick if you wanted to'.

Who do I listen to?

Floyd.... He will tell you how to blast off tomorow! :eek: :eek:

Bro, it sounds like your old carcass needs a break, atmo!

[Tom]

But I guess it's as good as any. I actually think it's a bad nutrition/work stress/stupidity combo myself, I have dropped mileage and time back from the peak of a month ago and stayed down about 75%-80% of that for weeks. I think the other stuff has chewed away at me more than the ride time.

First step is put the 12-25 cluster back on the bike. High gears were good when they would spin but I don't need them right now.

Second step is go slow. I actually enjoy it more than grinding out another hard day but I stress about the time.

Third step is stop stressing.

Fourth step, and I got this to work this morning, is get the headlights charged up and burning. For some reason, before it would burn the ARC light wanted me to press the button for five seconds, count to 25 and start it up again after being stored all summer. Weird. Now I can head out before daylight and go real slow.

Fifth step, skip today's ride. Too much to do at work and the ride won't be any fun. Besides, my helmet and shoes are absolutely soaked from yesterday morning. As an aside: I never knew those silly little bike hats were as good as they are. I was given one as a gimme from the Mosely's century earlier this summer and I wore it in the rain yesterday. The little brim keeps all the rain out of your eyes no matter how fast you go. Boy, am I dumb. I should have got one years ago.

[stevep]

end of the season, kinda bored, pretty tired, ready for a change.
what swoop says.
steady output not good overall.
gotta have a speed plus and a speed minus.
take a vacation from it, or get out a mountain bike and ride that or a cross bike and bomb some dirt roads.

[Samster]

It's hard to accept the overtraining theory i recall reading some article in velonews last year that said that about one tenth of a percent of the population is even capable of pushing themselves to the point they're "overtrained," for which they provided a definition.

that said, you don't have to be "overtrained" to be just plain out tired. especially as the years crop up. hope your situation improves with the rest that many have already recommended.

[Ken Robb]

Grant Petersen of Riv fame suggests that we should occasionally go for a very short ride--no more than 30 minutes and force ourselves to quit even though we feel like riding some more. It tends to make us keener to ride the next day. I also always have at least one bike with no computer so I can't tell if I went "far enough" or "fast enough".

I also gave up on pure road shoes unsuitable for walking so I have no qualms about riding somewhere and stopping to do/see other things besides the road ahead.

If your main bike is quite "racy" with an aggressive position you might also be amazed how refreshing a ride on a bike with a relaxed position and geometry can be.