Sore after 50+ miles bike ride

[JennK13]

I get muscle soreness like anyone gets from a good workout whether it's riding or something else. I did a tri on Sunday, pushed really hard, and was "sore" Monday - but the soreness was confined to my quads, hams and gluts and not from a poor fit but from a good effort. By Tuesday I was fine, and went for a jog in the morning.

I find that when I overtrain my body will scream. I'm talking 5-6 rides a week, with speed and hill intervals and no rest days in-between. I'm not as fast, I tire more easily, and my whole body aches because my legs are tired so I start compensating with bad form. Are you giving yourself time to rest and heal? It may sound counterproductive - "why would you take days off if you want to get faster or go farther?" But your body needs to recoup - that is when it makes muscle by healing. I'm best if I don't ride hard everyday and take 2 days a week off from riding completely. That doesn't mean I sit around eating dingdongs! I cross train, maybe go for a hike, jog, swim, weights or pilates, i'll get out my cruiser and do a short, flat ride just to keep my legs moving; that kind of thing. And I have learned the hard way how important it is to stretch after a ride or workout.

Lastly, if you work out in the afternoon//evening, you will have issues sleeping. That's common and I have read that you shouldn't do a hard workout 3 hours before bedtime.