One of the features of Strava is the fitness/freshness graph. I find it a great tool for tracking fitness gains and, when the fatigue score starts to creep northwards, I know I need to start taking it easy. It's not an exact science, but it is a useful tool without being too complicated and 'sciencey'.
What goes up also goes down - which brings me to one of the drawback of The Graph. At the moment I am in the grip of the particularly nasty cold virus that is doing the rounds. This is obviously keeping me off the bike (it's actually stopping me doing pretty much anything that can't be accomplished either sitting or laying down), and days off the bike mean only one thing when it comes to The Graph - it goes down and down and down.
You watch as all that hard earned summer fitness melts away like tears in rain (thanks Rutger) and you dwell on how long it will take to get back to fitness because, as we all know, fitness takes longer to gain than it does to lose.
But how about we look at this differently - because there are positives too!
Instead of looking at fitness lost, let's focus on the fact that our bodies are getting a rest, and this rest will mean that we'll come back next year even stronger. After all - the bigger the drop, the bigger the bounce!
And whilst we're off the bike, and on the sofa, there's all those movies and box sets we can catch up on! Lastly - it's December, and who trains in December as next season is ages away?
So if, like me, you're having an enforced rest - makes the most of it and, remember, if all else fails you can always turn the graph upside down!
