Happy Monday!
Starting a thread so we can check in on Mondays to share about the weekend and look at week ahead - and keep one other motivated in the process 
I have been doing recovery rides on my recovery days, here is why.
Last week I flew back from Brazil on Wednesday and went for an easy spin to get the legs and body moving, but also to help with the fatigue of a 10.5h overnight flight. So I guess an easy ride is not only for recovery!
Last Saturday I went for the fun 100K Plaza ride, which is a local ride that has been going on for 40+ years! Lots of experienced riders who were fast racers years ago. Itās a nice mix of middle-age and older athletes. It is a safe, fast ride where I can actually participate in without having to hang on for dear life (like some of the other rides I throw myself into from time to time). The cool thing about this ride is that I get endurance work, but also work on all my power zones.
Sunday was a workout day with Drew- also outdoors. Going with him makes training more fun as we go up and down the same stretch of road 
Let us know how your week/weekend went!
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Looks like a fun ride @Coach_Theia !
My weekend was pretty good. Did the workout but the air quality here has been orange alert from Canadian wildfires and itās been 90 and humid all week so was struggling in those last intervals. But it was all good! Of course kept going for some endurance afterwards. I can somehow almost always find the energy for that 
I took my gravel bike to a LBS to get it priced to sell at their used bike sale next weekend. I towed it with my cargo bike. Iām a little sad to say goodbye to the bike, but with my Brompton for commuting and no car to drive outside the cities, and no garage to keep the bike in, I just couldnāt have it sitting around taking up space for the rare just-in-case time. But itās ok! Had some really awesome adventures on it and now I hope someone else will too.
I was also ride lead for my teamās Sunday social ride during which pickles were a hilarious point of conversation. And I managed to do some gardening as well.
Itās supposed to cool off to around 80 by Wednesday and hopefully the air will be better too. Iāve been bike commuting with an N95 mask on and it kinda sucks.
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My weekend was kinda sucky and I didnt get any rides in. My husband had surgery Friday for a compressed nerve root due to a herniated disc. He hasnt been able to move in 8 weeks. He is in a lot of pain so I have been trying to help him as much as possible. I am hoping things settle down soon so i can get back into a regular routine.
Oh my @Reneea2002 ! Hope the surgery brings relief! Drew had chronic back pain for 3 years (he could move so it wasnāt as bad as your husbandās). He tried everything: spine doctors, chiropractor, PT, strength, core work, mobility work, snake oilā¦ We finally found a specialist who was able to locate his pinched nerves (not due to discs but rather some arthritis) and he did an ablation. The pain is gone. Weāre told the nerves will grow back but that could take a year or more.
@Stefanie hope you get a good deal on your gravel bike.
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I suspect I will be reading more than posting in this thread. Lol. This weekend I behaved and did the workouts/rides that @Coach_Theia said I needed to do. 
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oh @Reneea2002 , I hope the surgery helps your husband and he feels better soon! 
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This weekend I did a 62 mile endurance ride with friends which was cold but nice. Sunday I did the WO as I had to get ready for our open house which isnāt bringing the traffic the realtor hoped for. 
Today my dog got so weak she had trouble standing and my son had to carry her to the vet, or at least part way. Iām so stressed.
Iām thinking of doing part time work to help pay her vet bills at this point.
@Reneea2002 i hope your husband finds relief soon.
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@Gossimrr maybe open a Go FundMe, Iām sure any amount helps. Poor doggy.
Thanks everyone! @Gossimrr sorry to hear about your dog 
I know itās not Monday but here goes anyway. Lol.
On Saturday, my hubby, a friend, and I attempted the 109 gravel mile Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Last year, hubby and I rode the final 50 miles and @kellynoelharman rode the entire length. This year we felt we had trained as well as schedule and life would allow so we felt confident.
We watched the weather forecast for over a week and it didnāt look good but we were committed. Sure enough, the morning of the event dawned with 50 degree temperatures and a steady rain that was hard at times. We put on all the gear we owned and off we went. I felt fairly good through the first few climbs but the first long descent chilled me so much that I was shaking on the bike, teeth chattering, and becoming mentally disoriented. I was also riding completely alone in a very remote area which was worrisome. I finally came to a water stop and the dear sweet lady there helped me into her camper and gave me some warm water, wrapped me in a blanket and wrung the water out of my gloves. I still couldnāt stop shaking and decided my day was done. She transported me to one of the major checkpoints which happened to be the town where we were staying and my friendās wife picked me up. My hubby and friend finally came along and they also decided they were done.
My guess is possibly only 1/4 of folks who signed up completed the entire distance. Many didnāt even start. The weather never got any better - rained all day and stayed 50 degrees. Iām disappointed we didnāt complete the distance but I learned many things I would have never learned if the weather had been perfect. We are determined to try again next year. Thank you to all you ladies and especially @Coach_Theia for helping me get to the event.
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@bkolden you did fantastic. Knowing when to stop is sooo Important. Being cold just stinks on the bike which is why donāt ride in the winter. Except to commute. Glad that woman took care of you. What an angel!
Congrats to you! Well done.
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Thank you @Gossimrr. I agonized whether I should have tried to continue but there was no way that would have been safe. I have never been that wet except in a shower and then Iām not wearing clothes.
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This happened to me in an event when I just couldnāt breathe. I stopped at a rest stop and after resting thought I could continue but then thought otherwise. Glad I did.
Wet is awful. Hope you had some soup or tea afterwards.
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You made the right choice @bkolden ! Sorry the weather was to horrid. I know how disappointing it is, itās happened to me before more than once. Your personal health and safety if far more important than the ride. Just think how much more amazing it will be next year when you cross the finish line!
Was thinking I would ride outside Saturday, but I didnāt get myself together Friday night to make a Saturday morning ride happen. So I stayed indoors, but didnāt do the workout, just had fun doing a metric century. It was a nice change of pace.
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@bkolden You did the right thing! And congrats for getting out there and even trying. Many did not, donāt and/or are sitting on the couch every weekend. 
You are a star.
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Agree with the comments here @bkolden! You āwoke up, dressed up and showed upā, and when the conditions crossed the line from adventure/challenge to dangerous/donāt be silly territory, you made the right call. Now you can go on and use your fitness to have fun on local gravel roads in good weather!
Hope everyoneās weekend was good. I know that @vivian.a.workman completed Escape from Alcatraz, and I hope it went well!
I had a strong week last week, it seemed like everything was on point: sleep, recovery, nutrition, performance. I have been much more diligent and meticulous about planning my workouts and sleep, so that has helped. I started to wake up every day between 4:40-5:00 depending on the day (going to bed 8:30 -9:00 every night). I do a bike workout outside for 90 min while my daughter is swimming (5:30-7:00). I put my bike in the car and drive her to swimming, then go from there to do the workout and meet her back when she is done and we drive home. Then on Tuesdays/Thursdays is double with strength training- I prefer to go around 2:00 PM to the gym, but sometimes I get stuck with 6 PM (not ideal as it ends too close to bed time and I still need to have dinner). This routine fits well with the family schedule; our whole house is up before 5:00 every day except Sundays. Yours might look different, but I find that locking in the workout times has made a huge difference for me - it added more structure and productivity to my day.
@Covi I started to match my bike recovery weeks with strength recovery. Itās hard to do, but I am finding that it makes a positive diference and I feel more refreshed that way.
Saturday I did my usual 100K group ride and now that I am familiar with the group and the route/segments, I started to āplayā and participate more, and it is so much fun. We sprint for segments, work on pace-lining (the front group does the pace line and whoever wants to sit in stays in the peloton drafting behind), Itās like having a road race but with a safe group.
I will upload the Q&A from Friday shortly.
This week is recovery, and I made the workouts even more mild than usual. I feel like we can all use a nice, solid week of recovery.
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Thank you! Another thing about my recent adventure was that I did not sleep well for several days before the ride. We were staying in a Vrbo with friends that we donāt know very well so it was hard to relax in the days leading up to the ride. The morning of the attempted century, my readiness score according to Oura was the lowest I have seen yet (and I have used the ring for 1 1/2 year). My HRV was absolutely in the basement. lol I smiled and āshowed upā anyway and where I noticed it the most was in my heart rateā¦ I had a hard time getting my heart rate to recover after the first climb (and there were alot of climbs). I am really looking forward to recovery week!
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I can relate and understand that Barb! So much so that I never stay with anyone, I know itās anti-social and more expensive, but I have a hard time sharing accommodations before an event. I will advise however that you do not look at your Oura scores the day of an event or even the day before. Look at it afterwards. The human brain is capable of incredible things, so inserting that bias can negatively impact performance when your brain and body could have overcome a low score and performed well.
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Happy Monday! I had a better weekend than ive had in a while. My husband is improving and I was even able to get him out of the house a little. I can feel my nervous system relaxing a little which means better sleep and more energy for workouts. I still havent ridden outside yet this year. Hopefully soon.
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