• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

How Can I Find Training Time and Energy?

Question: I’m a mail carrier who walks six miles every day. Also, I’m taking two night classes. I want to start road racing this year, but I come home exhausted and barely have time to study, let alone ride. What do you suggest? — Matt S.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: This is a perplexing problem.

People who work long hours at a desk job can usually find time to train even if it’s indoors late at night or early in the morning. And they usually have enough energy because their jobs are sedentary. But people who are on their feet all day often are too tired to train well — or at all.

It’s not just manual labor that can deaden your legs and rob your energy. I taught high school for many years. My style was to pace around the room while I led discussions or monitored student work. After six classes a day, it felt like I’d ridden a century!

It’s not a good idea to squeeze training into an already jam-packed schedule. Improvement requires not only hard work on the bike but also plenty of rest. If you’re walking all day, going to class and maybe not getting enough sleep, your training will make you more fatigued rather than faster and stronger.

The unhappy bottom line: You should ride for recreation until you have the time to both train and rest. Then you can consider competition.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Newsletter Issue No. 1022
  • Intro to Ebikes
  • It’s Good to Hate Cycling Sometimes
  • Ultrasonic Cleaners Wrap-up

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1022

Newsletter Issue No. 1021

Newsletter Issue No. 1020

Newsletter Issue No. 1019

Newsletter Issue No. 1018

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2022 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in