Rolled right through SSB1 mid with one Saturday failure early on but otherwise no issues and great plan adherence. Started SSB2 mid with a 5 watt increase and made it to week 3 before having a HUGE failure yesterday on Carpathian Peak +2… I’m talking half way into the first interval, HR @ 95% of max, pouring sweat, and just couldn’t keep the pedals turning. It was awful and super disheartening after such great execution of the previous 8 weeks of workouts.
Upon reviewing my resting heart rate data from my Garmin watch, I can see that for the last 8 weeks, my resting heart rate has hovered between 46-55 bpm, with some pretty clear correlation to my training and rest days. The graph is pretty much just up and down with relative uniformity and nothing out of the ordinary… until now… I noticed that from Thursday on til today (Sunday) my resting heart rate has been steadily rising and is 62bpm as of today, which is the highest I’ve ever seen it by 7bmp.
So, do I do my normal Sunday workout and see how things go next week or should I take a rest week and revisit week 3 and the rest of SSB2 afterward? I’ve done so well with plan compliance and I’d really like to reap the full benefits possible as I’m preparing for a pretty big race season. The failure on Carpathian Peak +2 was so massive and unexpected, coupled with the heart rate data… has me worried that I may be overdoing and I really would hate to dig myself into a hole when I’m trying to prepare to move into build in just 3 more weeks.
Rest - you won’t lose any fitness, but you may avoid digging yourself into a hole. One week of recovery or rest is totally insignificant in the context of a racing season.
Your body is telling you to take it easy. Take a recovery week. Let your body rebuild and then go back to your regularly scheduled programming. Recovery isnt bad. Enjoy it and just dont overthink it.
You’re likely overreaching and check what other life stresses that are adding to your “load”. I’d rest today and Monday and see how you feel come Tuesday’s workout. If on Tuesday after your first interval you still feel a mess than take a couple more days doing just recovery rides. Listen to your body and don’t push it. These bumps in the training road are normal and expected as you are always riding the fence of pushing yourself to the edge but not quite over. Sometimes life happens and you’ve pushed a bit too far, no big deal, just adjust a bit and continue on. This will only benefit your long term goals.
Thanks y’all. I feel good, but something definitely seems off. It’s a beautiful day and think I’m gonna spin real easy outside and soak up some sunlight. Gonna give my normal Tuesday workout a go and if I feel off, pull the plug and rest for the remainder of the week.
How may intervals did you do then?