Weather-Induced Rest Days

Rest day. That special day in between workouts that allows your body to repair itself and prepare for another hard workout.

Magazines often provide workout programs that tell you which days to ride and which to rest. It's a no-brainer. These rest days are necessary to prevent overtraining. Another guideline I really like is resting heart rate. No, it is not your heart rate while sitting in front of the television watch the most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy. It is your heart rate before you get out of bed in the morning. Recently, mine has been between 55 and 60 beats per minute. If I wake up to a heart rate that is significantly higher, 75 or 80 bpm for example, that means one of two things: I am either severely hungover and my body is dying for water, or I am overtraining and a rest day is necessary.

Unfortunately, programs and heart rates don't necessarily take into consideration the springtime Michigan cyclist. In this case, a day that isn't cold, rainy, or snowy is a day to ride. It is a day that cannot be lost to laziness. Seize the day! Ride your bike! With the unpredictable and ever-changing weather in springtime Michigan, overtraining is hard to accomplish.

Now, shut off your computer and go ride your bike. It's a beautiful day out!