Recovery Day

Greetings Readers,

Today is the “Recovery Day” the “Off Day” if you will. That day when we as self coached cyclists have to make some tough decisions with regards to our training, our season goals, and how we (I) separate the emotional love of our sport with the rational, coach that lives within each of us.

Here’s how a typical conversation with myself might go:

“Morning Coach” I would then reply: “Morning Jim, How’d you sleep last night?”

“Uhh, not so great coach” I would ask myself. “Really, how do your legs feel today?”

“Uhh, kind a heavy coach” The coach ponders…”How do you feel in general Jim?”

“I’m really tired coach” The Self coach smiles… “Good, take the day off”

I of course don’t like that decision, “but Coach, it’s sunny outside” in a whining sort of defeated attempt to change my rational, self coached mind. “You can ride tomorrow” Coach says.

“But Coach…. it’s gonna be raining tomorrow, (more whining) can’t I ride today and recover tomorrow when it’s raining?” Coach smiles, “Nope, rest today, ride tomorrow”

Coach wins and I take the day off.

This is the very thing that I’ve learned over the years that has helped me. In the past I would have rode today, regardless of how I felt, with no thought to recovery, only the shinny orb up in the sky. Ahh, Learning you are grasshopper. J

So we take the day off, tomorrow we commute and get wet. Decision well made.

 For those of you who’d like some great reading: Joel Friel’s Book:

http://www.velogear.com/prodinfo.asp?number=VP+BIB3