Resisting the Urge to Overtrain

I am 98% confident that my training plan for the Race Around Ireland will best prepare me for a good finish: Consistency, Volume and Intensity.  

Last week was executed as planned: 

• I trained five out of five days;
• I rode for 260 miles;
• I was in the saddle (moving) for 19 hours;
• I climbed 13,370 feet.

This week is to be a less intense week, with a continuing emphasis on consistency, increased volume and much reduced intensity. Going into the week I was thinking five days of 80 miles of `normal' climbing.  

This is the RWGPS file for the first training session of the week: May 17.  Five laps, 82.5 miles, 3,656 feet of climbing and descending.

It consists of a 16.5 mile out and back course with 730 feet of climbing and 730 feet of descending. It took me 5 hours and 40 minutes, with an average speed of 14.5 mph.  I was off the bike for less than 6 minutes.  

At the end of the yesterday's training session I felt fine.  Came home, no nap, dinner and a little TV. But I found it difficult to sleep well.  I didn't expect the sleeping problem.  And THAT was evidence that I had had a taxing day on the bike. It influenced and changed my plan for training for the week.  

Today I rode two laps: 31.5 miles, 1460 feet of up and down in 2 hours and 20 minutes.  Came home. Took a long nap.  In otherwords, I changed my training plan for the week so as not to overtrain, i.e., do an `epic' (over)training week.  

On the same out and back course my revised plan for the remaining three days of training is as follows:

• Day 3: 80 miles, 3,600 feet of climbing
• Day 4: 60 miles, 2,920 feet of climbing
• Day 5: 45 miles. 2.190 feet of climbing.

The disturbed sleeping on day 1 influenced my thinking as to the appropriateness of the initial training plan for the week.  So, instead of 400 miles and 18,250 feet of climbing I'm revising the plan, so that I don't overtrain, to 310 miles and 13,870 feet of climbing.  And then two planned days off.  

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Analyzing the primary training course I'm using for the Race Around Ireland it seems to be almost identical to actual RAI course.  Literally the identical feet of climbing over the same number of miles. 

Again, `intelligent' training v. `epic' training (i.e., overtraining).  

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Solar radiation, sunburn, skin damage / cancer.  A very, very dangerous fact of life out here in the mountain and desert sun of Arizona.  Sunblock. Zinc based lip balm. So I wear arm coolers, leg coolers and a head `wrap.' These are a few pics I took today of the head wrap: