46 this year. Though we have had some lockdowns earlier in the year we have been pretty blessed with the freedoms we've experienced in west Oz. As such I've been doing more riding this year than I ever have before. There's very little structure to it. I just ride (almost) every day and try and keep pushing the pace. If I get my km's in during the week I'll take Sunday off. But otherwise there are few rest days and fewer easy days. Most rides are between 1hr to 1.5hrs, beyond 2hrs is rare in recent times though at the beginning of the year I did some extended hill rides.
Lately I've been getting right on the cusp of bad calf cramps towards the end of these metro 1.5hr rides. I generally manage to adjust enough to stave them off until the end. If I contract my muscles in bed (yawn type stretch) they can often kick in.
I'm wondering about the underlying cause. I'm probably as fit on the bike as I've ever been. Externally I'm in good nick. Same (lightish) weight I've been since high school (72-76kg throughout the year). I don't eat great but when I had some recent blood tests my vitals were reporting right in the zone. A few years back I was indirectly diagnosed with higher than average coronary calcification (late confirmed with proper testing) but otherwise have done nothing specifically to address it.
I've been spending a lot of time sitting down at work (civil eng - design based) and not getting a lot of sleep.
So I am wondering how much is related to lack of sleep / sitting down for way too long. How much is from heavy training load (for me). Or whether it's potentially something more serious with poor circulation towards the extremities etc. I'm enjoying smashing it out but I could be looking after myself better.
Lately I've been getting right on the cusp of bad calf cramps towards the end of these metro 1.5hr rides. I generally manage to adjust enough to stave them off until the end. If I contract my muscles in bed (yawn type stretch) they can often kick in.
I'm wondering about the underlying cause. I'm probably as fit on the bike as I've ever been. Externally I'm in good nick. Same (lightish) weight I've been since high school (72-76kg throughout the year). I don't eat great but when I had some recent blood tests my vitals were reporting right in the zone. A few years back I was indirectly diagnosed with higher than average coronary calcification (late confirmed with proper testing) but otherwise have done nothing specifically to address it.
I've been spending a lot of time sitting down at work (civil eng - design based) and not getting a lot of sleep.
So I am wondering how much is related to lack of sleep / sitting down for way too long. How much is from heavy training load (for me). Or whether it's potentially something more serious with poor circulation towards the extremities etc. I'm enjoying smashing it out but I could be looking after myself better.