This past week I was visiting my son during parents weekend at his school and then hanging in New York City. We left about a week ago and I have only had limited time to workout and absolutely no time to ride. Usually during a week I will workout for 10+ hours: 2 hours (2 days) of strength, 3 hours (2 days) of LT/high stress workouts, 1.5 hours (1 day) of submax and 3.5 hours on a Sunday endurance ride. To date I have worked out or stretched a total of 2 days for 2 hours.
Because I have only exercised briefly I feel horrible; more specifically I feel stiff, somewhat bloated and achy. I understand the stiff, I have tried to stretch every day but the days are full, and I am usually tired by the time we get back to the hotel. I understand bloated, my body thinks I am going to ride soon. What I don't understand is achy. Why on a break from exercising do I feel so bad?
I have looked for the answer and I have been unable to find one, however I think I know. My body thinks I am an athlete. I keep telling myself that I am just an old guy trying to stay in shape but my body knows better. Only members of the cult of VQ, athletes and extremists exercise as much as we do. When I polled my friends not many workout more than 5 hours a week, which to them is 5 days a week. Most of my friends only workout 3 times a week; that makes me at 6 days a week an extremist.
Exercising as much as I do must mean that working out has other by -products. The most hidden of them is what I am experiencing now; my body is decompressing from the all the exercise. Needless to say I am not happy. Not only am I achy I just generally feel bad. This is a totally unexpected by product of being in good shape. What a bummer. What I expected is a feeling of bliss, what I am getting is a feeling I have to workout.
OK I am off to the bike gym as soon as I get home, but this feels like an addiction and I am going through withdrawal. There must be something wrong but I am not sure. Oh well another unexpected benefit of riding. I can’t write more I must quench my thirst for pain on an unusually hard computrainer ride. Until later……..
I will see you on the road.
PS: I just finished riding a submax. I feel bad, slow and fat. Double bummer.
