Distance Climbing Help

[Starfish]

Thanks, everyone. No, V, I'm NOT giving up! And, MP, I am sure you are right about the periodization. I got worried about getting up to enough climbing if I used a few weeks for just recovery rides here and there, but I'm sure it is time well spent.

Part of riding the harder grades is that there are only so many roads where I live. We don't have many long climbs. We have one mountain road. And we have a gazillion foothills with roads that create a few loops. And, I don't have an elevation profile for the event ride, so I can't be sure there aren't some steep pitches.

I will get some training in at elevation. Our highest road only goes up to 5000 feet (in 19 miles!), but the snow is finally melting up there, so soon I can get up there and do repeats of the last few miles for elevation.

Thank you all so very much. It has been a hard year, and I really, really want to have fun and success on my goal ride this year. I need a lot of encouragement, and I am so grateful that when I unabashedly ask for it, you come through! What wonderful people!

[bikegirlnhawaii]

Starfish,

Sounds like a fun ride. The progression is good. Might I suggest you put in one "intensity" ride a week? Shorter, but intervals....but it depends on your overall fitness level...which after the rides you've been doing, looks to be good!

20 minute intervals at a pace that is just above the "no talk" zone (you could talk if you had to, but it would be rather short and annoying to do so! ), rest 5-10 min and repeat. Don't do these above 7% avg grade (5% is ideal). Aim for 1 the first time, then the next week, add another, or a partial interval. If you use HR, aim for 80-85%.

It's really hard, but the increase in your overall fitnes will benefit you greatly in several ways: increased fatburning, increased aerobic endurance, and a faster pace on the climbs overall, among them.

My fav climb here is a 10,000 ft climb (0-10,000ft) in 36.2 miles. Epic is the best description!

Good luck with everything...keep us posted on your progress!

aloha,
KJ

[Veronica]

I've been looking for an elevation profile for the ride (Mount Shasta Summit Century btw.) There are a few rider comments on the website that talk about 10 -12% grades going on for four miles. That could be an exaggeration of course.

They do have a map on the website and maybe one day, when I'm feeling ambitious or bored, I can put it into Bikely. That would give us a profile.

V.

[Veronica]

My fav climb here is a 10,000 ft climb (0-10,000ft) in 36.2 miles. Epic is the best description!

Which volcano would that be?

V.

[Starfish]

My fav climb here is a 10,000 ft climb (0-10,000ft) in 36.2 miles. Epic is the best description! KJ

Holy Cow, KJ...epic, yes.

Thanks for the tips on the intervals. Earlier this year I had been doing some easier intervals in the gym while trying to keep my HR lower out on the roads. Then, when I started doing harder loops, I figured I was getting in some de facto intervals. But, Veronica talked me into going to a spin class this morning, and I intend to keep doing that once/week. Way harder than I keep up on my own out on the road.

I am thinking 50 minutes HARD in spinning on Tuesdays, and the de facto intervals during my long rides Saturdays. Filling in with recovery rides and aerobic workouts in the gym. I'm not a real high volume person, yet. I have bumped it up from about 5 hours/week in February to about 7 hours/week these days.

[Starfish]

20 minute intervals at a pace that is just above the "no talk" zone (you could talk if you had to, but it would be rather short and annoying to do so! ), rest 5-10 min and repeat. Don't do these above 7% avg grade (5% is ideal). Aim for 1 the first time, then the next week, add another, or a partial interval. If you use HR, aim for 80-85%.

LOL, I just re-looked at your recommendation to aim for 80-85%...I am so out of shape that I am still in that range often for my climbing miles...miles on end! On my mountain road, I have been letting myself stop every 15-20 minutes to let my HR drop for a couple minutes before resuming. So, I think I have been doing these!

[IFjane]

Starfish - I live virtually at sea level (about 1000 ft. elevation here at my house), but go to the Rockies every summer to ride. The only thing I would add to what everyone else has said is to really pay attention to heartrate. I don't rely so much on percentage as I do the actual number. Through the years I have learned that I can ride at altitude (7,000 ft. and over) if I keep my heartrate below a certain number. Above that and I crack because of lack of oxygen. I am not and never will be a fast climber, slow and steady is more my style, but eventually I make it to the top.

[Starfish]

I don't rely so much on percentage as I do the actual number.

I can relate to this. I haven't done a field test to see what my TT HR is for a long time, so I'm not completely clear on my HR percentages these days. But, I am getting a pretty good read of how long I can go at various actual HRs, and how they affect me later, etc.

Thanks for your post. Makes a lot of sense.

[Starfish]

BTW, I just posted a new thread/question called:
Should I do the metric, or the whole thing?

Would like to invite you ladies to weigh in, if you feel like it!

[GLC1968]

I know I'm a little late coming in here but in addition to all the good advice you've already gotten, there is one thing I want to add.

My husband and I had been training to do some local mountain centuries as well. We live in the foothills with about 3 or 4 mountain climbs within 50 miles of us, so we have to get a little creative to do the heavy elevation days. One thing I read in my training research has really stuck in my head. I forget who wrote this, but they compared building your climbing ability to body building (or muscle gain). Your body does it's best work when you are RESTING. You build strength and muscle when at rest, not when you are riding. This is why periodization is such a huge buzz word in all sporting events. You need to have periods that are quite a bit of a departure from your overall goal to ensure consistent injury-free progression and to prevent over-training. I think MP mentioned a week where you do the miles but not the elevation followed by a week where you cut the miles short and ramp up the elevation. This is what we have worked into our schedule and it's not only nice for variety (mentally) but it was truly helping my body. I swear that the first long ride with elevation we did after the two week alternating rotation schedule seemed MUCH easier. I think that the week of short miles and big elevation really pushed my legs further than they had ever gone, and then the rest days followed by the long ride just helped them recover. It truly showed in my performance only two weeks later.

Anyway, just some things to think about. I am by no means an expert and unfortunately, due to a crazy work schedule followed by an illness followed by another crazy work schedule, I've now been off the bike for 5 weeks and had to miss our first event of the year. I feel like I'm starting at square one myself and this past weekend's 60 mile, moderately hilly ride pretty much proved it. Ah well...that's the beauty of the human body...it'll adapt again.