HR and Recovery Rides

[kelownagirl]

Does anyone do recovery rides? If so, do you actually try to keep your heart rate no more than 65% of max? I've been riding pretty hard (for me) about 5 days a week including at least one, and sometimes two, longer rides on the weekend (35-60 km) . Sometimes I can be sore and tired for a couple of days after I do those longer rides. This past weekend, after doing 60 km on Saturday, I thought it might be a good idea to do a one hour recovery ride on Sunday instead of another long ride. I found it nearly impossible to stay at 115-120 bpm. I ended up riding at around 135 bpm for most of the ride (about 80% of my max). This was still much lower than my usual 150-160, but nowhere near what the training books say to stay at. Of course, two days later, I'm still sore - maybe I really DO have to try to ride so slow that I don't get my HR above 120??

I would NEVER be able to ride the last hill home - I have never been able to keep my HR below 170 for that last km....

Anyone with experience?

Thanks, barb

PS I'm still on my MTB, riding flats some days and hills on other days.

[Grog]

It's tough and, ironically, it takes practice, but it can be done.

Keeping your heart rate low on hills also means you need very easy gears though, but with a mountain bike you should have what it takes.

Our coach always says that you have to ride slow to become fast....

I don't really have tricks, especially going slow, and being happy about it, not letting yourself become down because you feel soooo slllooooww.. Just smile.

[RoadRaven]

Yes, I def do recovery rides... I tend to do them more easily with my youngest son who is just getting the hang of biking... but they are often short and tend to be be reps of the 1km false flat outside the house.

Like you, Kelowna, I have a couple of "challenging" (to put it nicely) hill just before home... so when possible I try to get collected - or leave a car so I can take myself home before the hills begin.

However, when I do do a longer recovery, it is hard to make myself go slowly, and if I have the hills, I just settle into a slow rhythm and pace myself up the hill even though I know that my heart rate will go higher than ideal.

You just have to work with what you have.

Its great you are including active recovery in your training - it is as important as complete days off.