How to pick up the pace?

[shadon]

So I am continuously bringing up the rear on my training rides...and while I know I've made huge progress, I wanna pick it up. How do I get faster?

Is this a case of continuing to work out in the gym (with additional cardio work as of last week?), and just slowly getting better? or is there something I can do to get to that next level?

OTOH, I'm REALLY tired after this week of more cardio. Can't wait to feel rested again.

[KSH]

So I am continuously bringing up the rear on my training rides...and while I know I've made huge progress, I wanna pick it up. How do I get faster?

Is this a case of continuing to work out in the gym (with additional cardio work as of last week?), and just slowly getting better? or is there something I can do to get to that next level?

OTOH, I'm REALLY tired after this week of more cardio. Can't wait to feel rested again.

The cyclists who are really fast... ride... A LOT! I know that when I started to ride 100 miles a week during the summer... I was started to move from the back of the pack.

My friend, kept *****ing about being slow... and he was only riding 25 miles a week. I pointed out to him that the fast people rode 4-5 times a week. He cut himself a little slack after that... and getting faster than me helped his attitude as well!

I don't think working out in the gym more... will help you get a lot faster on the bike. You need to ride your bike... and PUSH yourself. You need to get your legs going faster... and keeping your cadence where it needs to be.

This past weekend, when I rode with my tri group.... with the wind at my back... and going down a very slight hill... I looked down and saw that I was pedaling and going 34 MPH! I was in AWE! I have never pedaled that fast!

Anyways... I was also motivated by the coach yelling at us to pick up the pace... and it helped... because I banged it out!

[SnappyPix]

Shadon,

There are lots of girls here who can give you very specific, excellent advice, I'm sure - whereas mine will only ever be general and waffley!

It sounds, from your post, that you might be over-training if you're feeling so tired and craving rest. Rest should be a very important part of your training, along with actual exercise. If your body's fatigued, one day's rest will benefit your training more than one (or even two) day's exercise.

Gym/cardio work will improve general fitness and stamina, to some extent, but if you're looking to specifically improve your average speed, then there's no substitute for actually getting in the saddle and putting in the miles.
I used to be a spinning addict, but still found that when it came to keeping up with the pack, even spin classes were second best to getting out and turning the pedals!
There are some advocates who swear that spinning or turbo training can sometimes be even better than the real thing - but personally (and that's all I can judge things on), that was never the case for me. And I gave it my ALL in those spin classes, believe me!

My average speed has increased quite considerably over the past year and the only things I can attribute it to are the fact that I cycle more (commute, events, training, club rides), I ride more hills (great for stamina and strength training) and my training program is more varied. I now mix up my training with easy rides, hard power bursts, sustained stamina rides. I guess, in other words, I now do interval sessions and interval training.
I generally cycle 6 days a week, but have started to appreciate the benefits of that all-important rest day. Not only does it give my tired old legs a break, but it also helps me to refocus and really look forward to getting on the bike again (absence makes the heart grow fonder!).

From your post, it sounds like you ride with a bunch. Are you sure the bunch is the right pace for you in the first place? There's nothing more demotivating than trying to keep up with a group who are just gonna burn you out. Has your performance plateau-ed, or dropped? How do you feel after your rides - is the pace comfortable or do you feel over-stretched?

Do you vary your training? How often do you ride? What is the terrain like?
If the terrain you ride with in a group is quite hilly, but the terrain you train in on your own isn't, that could significantly affect your performance.

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but there are so many different factors involved when it comes to training, there's never one specific answer you can give!

[Pedal Wench]

I"m always, always, always in the back of the pack, so all I can offer you is what NOT to do.

I can ride forever. Hour after hour. However I am slooooow. So, just putting in hours on the bike without a serious effort will not make you faster by itself. I mistakenly thought it would. It doesn't. You (okay, I!) really need to push. Be it intervals over my long distance rides, or instead of making a goal of doing a century just for the sake of doing a century, I think I need to concentrate on doing shorter, but faster rides. In fact, that's my goal this spring.

Again, I don't know if it will work, I just know what didn't work.

[SnappyPix]

Shadon,

Also forgot to mention the art of maximising your time. As KSH and Pedal Wench have said, you really need to amp up the power to really maximise your training. I try and do this at least once a week - but obviously it depends on your schedule and fitting in time to mix up your training.
Even if this only consisted of half an hour a week of full-on riding, outside your comfort zone (but obviously within safe and healthy limits), with you really pushing and pumping up the speed, it would help.
Obviously you also need to mix this with a longer, more consistent paced ride too.

Like Pedal Wench said - entering for an event is excellent motivation to get out there, put the miles in and really give it your all in training!
You need to concentrate on all the important factors: distance, speed, cadence, stamina, strength, rest, fuel and FUN!!

[shadon]

Sounds to me like I really need to ride the bike more. Someone (can't remember who) mentioned that I might be over training, which I don't think is the case. I'm working out in the gym on Tues and Thurs with a personal trainer and this week we've really up the cardio aspect of my workout. I also go get on the eliptical for a half hour after my workout with the trainer. Then on wednesday I go back to the gym and do more cardio, with the goal being to work hard. Since I've only *just* upped the cardio aspect, I think that that explains my tiredness. If I stll feel this way next week I'll consider the over training aspect.

I think maybe I need to ride on Wednesday (instead of the eliptical) and Friday as well as the rides I'm doing on the weekends.

[yellow]

This was mentioned above but kind of buried. INTERVALS. They don't have to be fancy...can be as simple as a sprint/greater effort to that tree 0.5 mile up ahead. Intervals will make you STRONG! And don't do them every time you ride...pick a couple of rides a week and make that your training goal. Good warm up before and cool down after very important.

You will be kickin butt by ALC!

[bcipam]

Yellow's right; to increase speed you have to do interval training. There are alot of good articles on the internet, or written by professional cyclist etc. Basically, its a maximum - minimum concept. Find a course that has varied terrain. And start out, warm up, ride at a good steady pace and once comfortable, do an all out sprint, pushing up the gear and cadence. Do this from a short time (say 30 seconds) only, back off, catch your breath, repeat. Each time you do your ride, increase the interval time. Start sprinting up short hills, etc. Basically it takes leg stength to sprint and ride fast. Thats why we have cyclist who specialize in certain areas; the climbers are light and have long lean muscle when sprinters are heavier and have short, explosive muscles. CG folks are in between.

Good luck!

[SadieKate]

Shadon, I agree wholeheartedly on intervals, varying the intensity of each ride and making sure you use an efficient cadence.

Your fatigue -- Are you sleeping well? Have your sleep patterns changed? Is your heart rate high in the morning? Increased colds? All of these are signs of over training. I'm sure someone else knows more of the science than I, but these are easy ways to determine if you are over training.

Also, have you changed your diet lately? Too many calories, too few calories, the same for protein, etc. Diet suiteable for restoring glycogen levels? These may contribute to your performance levels. I think one of the biggest struggles I have is taking in the right calories not only during the ride, but after so I get proper recovery. In trying to keep my weight in check, I may eat too little following a big ride and then wake up in the wee hours of the morning just ravenous. This is not overtraining but it sure inhibits recovery because I'm not sleeping.

[shadon]

Shadon, I agree wholeheartedly on intervals, varying the intensity of each ride and making sure you use an efficient cadence.

Your fatigue -- Are you sleeping well? Have your sleep patterns changed? Is your heart rate high in the morning? Increased colds? All of these are signs of over training. I'm sure someone else knows more of the science than I, but these are easy ways to determine if you are over training.

Also, have you changed your diet lately? Too many calories, too few calories, the same for protein, etc. Diet suiteable for restoring glycogen levels? These may contribute to your performance levels. I think one of the biggest struggles I have is taking in the right calories not only during the ride, but after so I get proper recovery. In trying to keep my weight in check, I may eat too little following a big ride and then wake up in the wee hours of the morning just ravenous. This is not overtraining but it sure inhibits recovery because I'm not sleeping.

SK-
You bring up some good points that may really be a factor for me. The big one is sleep. I have not slept for 8 hours straight in ages. Have an MD appointment on Thursday to get the results of bloodwork and have physical to see if there is some organic reason for this. Given that I signifigantly upped my physical activity in June, seems to me that I should have started sleeping better, but that has not been the case. I suspect that may be a thyroid or other hormone problem. My fiefdom for a full nights sleep!

My diet is good sometimes and not others. Really focusing on eating better would probably help too, though it's hard when I'm tired! I wish I had my Mom around to have breakfast on the table so I'd eat it! Breakfast is not my strong suit...accept when I'm getting up early to go on a ride!

Thank you all for your suggestions! I really think I need to RIDE more...and eat better, and sleep better....This midlife thing rots!

[shadon]

Shadon,
...
From your post, it sounds like you ride with a bunch. Are you sure the bunch is the right pace for you in the first place? There's nothing more demotivating than trying to keep up with a group who are just gonna burn you out. Has your performance plateau-ed, or dropped? How do you feel after your rides - is the pace comfortable or do you feel over-stretched?

I just have to take a chance to RAVE about the group of women that I ride with. We are a training/fundraisng team for ALC of all varying abilities. I'm the least experienced of any of us, yet they have been so very good to me. One woman in particular always sweeps behind me, coaches me, encourages me up the Sausalito hill, etc, etc. The others are there at the top of the hill cheeering me on, and giving me advice about riding down the others side.

They are an amazing group. I'm pushing myself, but always feel good at the end. I think that the craving sleep thing is something else, hormones, I suspect.

[KSH]

Given that I signifigantly upped my physical activity in June, seems to me that I should have started sleeping better, but that has not been the case.

"They" always say that exercises energizes you.

I know the more I exercise... the less sleep I need at night. Now, I get tired around 10:30 at night... but then my body wants to get up at 5:30 AM... and it can sleep until 7:00 AM!

[Geonz]

I spent years being a solid 12 mph rider on my trusty hybrid. One night on the Tuesday ride a guy asked the leader, "am I fast enough for the Monday ride?" The answer was, not really, but "the only way to get faster is to go out and ride with faster people" (and expect to be dropped, and deal with it until you can keep up). It's how most of the folks in our club get faster.
It tripped my rebellious psyche, though, and I decided to try to prove that I *could* get faster without anybody else. (This also meant I didn't have to publicly find out that I couldn't get much faster... I spent many many years trying to get faster swimming and was always at the back of the pack - perfect form, faster than people who didn't train, but SLOW for a swimmer.)
So I'd go out in the morning to my little loop with a four mile square in the middle. One loop: 9 miles, 2: 13, etc. Goal: average 15 mph. for the whole way around: 16 minutes. INTERVALS - all those swimming years served me well. Cycling is SO MUCH EASIER - I didn't have a computer for those laps . I got to know how long each mile took (one had a hill, and of course the wind was a huge factor).
Some mornings I'd just go out and go around, and do something like try to stay over 16mph for X pedal strokes. The best ones were when I'd try for a good four mile time... and then match it the second time around. Third???
The next time I was on that Tuesday ride with that leader, I had to ride my friend's Western Flyer Repro because I'd gotten too strong for it otherwise. Only pretty good riders came (weather was iffy) and the leader says, "It's drop Sue night, is it?" I thought he was teasing, even when he said, "are your tires pumped up?"
Then we approached the overpass that's what we call a hill, and I realized I'd started getting ahead of people. I touched the brakes and with utter, total leader-to-a-novice seriousness he says to me, "Now is *not* the time to use your brakes!" I thought about how many weeks since he'd seen me last and realized this was my MOMENT. I hit the gas and charged up the hill. As we crested the top, he said, "Somebody got fast!"
"How fast were we going? This thing doesn't have a speedometer."
"16-five... at the top of the hill. Now it's 18. How much does that thing weigh???"
We let the rest catch up and cruised to the Rising Grain Elevator and The Mystery (Wo)Mannequin, where he entertained us with stories of his trip west, including a quiz. "And just what temperature do you think the telescopes were?" [silence... he's going to answer himself, he doesn't really expect any of us to spew our geeky knowledge...] "Come on now, what do you think?" [Well, if he's *asking*...] "About two degrees Kelvin?"
[Brief silence] "Four degrees Kelvin."
[other cyclists cheer. "She knows stuff, too!"]
We take off again ... "How fast can we go?" He's calling out the numbers: "15.... 16.... 17... ... 22.... 23mph!" Gosh darn, we gotta let people catch up... Then it's the last little hill on the return trip, and we sprint to the top, and as I come up just behind him, he's holding out his water bottle (that repro doesn't have a place to hang one)... we're almost sharing spit! It's like being kissed!

... a day like that can last a long time!

... it made me realize that if I could make a student feel anything *like* that kind of power and confidence and achievement, *that* would be what kept them plugging away and coming back... but also that I had to take the risks to get the reward, and the confidence not to think it was still, just the "easy" ride and not a "real" achievement to savor. It's real if I say it's real :-0

[shadon]

"They" always say that exercises energizes you.

I know the more I exercise... the less sleep I need at night. Now, I get tired around 10:30 at night... but then my body wants to get up at 5:30 AM... and it can sleep until 7:00 AM!

That's the rub...I'm *really* tired. I *need* to be able to sleep better! MD apt on Thursday to see if there's an organic cause for this.

I'm avoiding naps too...which is a real fight right now

[Triskeliongirl]

It takes time to get faster. I have improved my speed considerably over the last several years due to many factors including riding more, getting a better fitting lighter bike, and riding lots of hills, and riding with people better than me. What I found, is that by trying to ride with people faster than me, even if I can't keep up the whole ride, is a great interval training exercise. For example, we have a very large club, so the pack breaks into many smaller groups. I'll try going out with the fast group, hang on as long as I can for dear life, get dropped, recover, then jump on the back of the next fastest group when they pass, etc. Or sometimes, I'll go out a bit before everyone to warm up, and again, jump on the back of the fastest group, see how long I can sit in, move to the next group, etc. What I have found over time is that I can stay with faster groups for longer periods of time. I also learned a lot of bike handling skills by riding with better people, just imitating their style, when they climb out of the saddle, etc. Learning better gear management for optimum speed. Like, I used to shift down as I'd crest a steep hill, now I just jump out of my saddle. Riding very hilly and windy courses are another way to crank up the intensity.