Distance Climbing Help

[Starfish]

This all makes a lot of sense, and I really appreciate your input and discussion. Saturday is an organized ride, and it fits in well with the alternating long vs. climb weekend. It will be 70 miles with about 3000 feet, whereas last weekend was 40 miles with 5100 feet.

And, I am really tired today...I think next week is going to be a true regeneration week.

[Starfish]

Well, on Saturday I did an organized ride of 69 miles with 3445 feet. This included about 4-5 short climbs of higher grades that sent my HR into the red.

This ride turned out to be harder for me than I had hoped. It was definitely harder than last week's long ride, which was 40 miles with 5100 feet of steady mountain climbing. I seem to be weaker on the longer distances with relatively less climbing, but with higher % spikes in climbing.

I notice that as my weekend rides have gotten harder (and I have added a hard spinning class on Tuesdays), I am doing fewer aerobic workouts during the week, and more recovery.

I wonder if my aerobic endurance is eroding, or wasn't that great to begin with? I am considering doing a 10 day endurance overload block to boost it. Chris Carmichael did his Bicycling column about this a month or two ago. I would do a regeneration 6 days, then a 10 day block of longer, back to back, aerobic endurance rides, then a few days of recovery again.

I have about 10 weeks before my goal event. I am thinking this would be a 3 week endurance block, and then I could get back to a couple more blocks of climbing & intervals?

Or, should I just stick with the alternating long rides that we have been discussing here?

I feel like a babe in the woods with these training plan ideas. I am grateful for any thoughts (haha...these days, my thoughts are so few and far between! LOL )

[Veronica]

Were you eating and drinking enough on your ride yesterday?

Can you control your heart rate during a climb to keep yourself from spiking? I can set my HRM to beep if my HR gets too high or too low on a ride. When it's too high, I control it by either down shifting if I can or slowing my cadence slightly and breathing evenly.

V.

[Starfish]

Were you eating and drinking enough on your ride yesterday? Can you control your heart rate during a climb to keep yourself from spiking?
V.

1) Eating enough is always a challenge on early morning starts. I ate about 1000 calories spread out over the ride...starting about 1.5 hrs before the ride (when I woke up). Accelerade, banana, bagel & PB, Power Bar, yogurt. Got up at 6am, on the road by 7:15. I am on an afternoon/evening work schedule, so don't get to sleep until midnight or 1am, usually. Getting up too early to eat gets brutal.

2) I do use my HRM & zones...I can keep myself from spiking up to about 11% climbs. When the hills are shorter (1/8-1/4 mile) but go into 14-16%, I really can't, yet. Even in granny with slow cadence, my HR soars. It comes down nice and fast, but it gets way up there.

[maillotpois]

some rides turn out to be harder than they "should" be. often it's impossible to know why. V's questions about food and HR are on point.

I think you will have more endurance/recovery zone stuff during the week as your weekend rides get harder. but don't forget to try a day or 2 in there of harder interval training. I think that's what I've been missing and I paid for it yesterday.

that Carmichael plan sounds good. you can never go wrong with a base building week thrown in. and I think you have plenty of time to try it out.

[Starfish]

don't forget to try a day or 2 in there of harder interval training. I think that's what I've been missing and I paid for it yesterday.

I've been wondering if I'm just trying to do too much. Improve my climbing, my speed, and my endurance, all at once.

The more I read on these forums, and when I ride around other people, I am realizing that I am a seriously slow rider. Sometimes I wonder if I am biting off bigger goals than I can chew right now.

But, I am NOT giving up on this Shasta goal. Even if I can't finish, I'll have a fun ride and learn more about what I can do.

[maillotpois]

It is tough to try to improve climbing speed, endurance and overall speed all at once (as you noticed I'm struggling with this a bit myself!). It's all a big balance. I find that my speed only really increases when I am riding with people who are faster than I am, which I haven't been enough this year. Climbing speed and endurance I can work on by myself, but overall speed I really need to push myself by riding above my level.

And while maybe you won't be as fast as some, I truly believe that everyone can work on speed and get faster - or at the very least become more comfortable riding the pace that suits them, if that makes sense. So don't give up on working on it!

[Starfish]

Climbing speed and endurance I can work on by myself, but overall speed I really need to push myself by riding above my level.

You know, I am really tired. I looked back at my log, as well as the events of the past couple months, and I see that I have good reason. Of course the personal stuff, but also, I have been building volume and climbing for 5 weeks in a row now. I am going to take about 6 total regeneration days now and start that endurance block with low climbing for 10 days. After recovering from that, I'll do a long climbing ride to see where I am.

I had been thinking to keep up these spinning rides to help with speed, because they are so hard for me...but I don't know if I can do that intensity plus really push my climbing volume too? I guess I'll find out.

Sure do appreciate all the encouragement and wisdom. Thanks!!!