Century Training Advice

[Melalvai]

I can tell you how NOT to do it. My PR was 42 miles and my first century was spur of the moment. No training, no planning, it took 11 hours, we started at 1:00 and got back to town at midnight, neither of us had adequate lighting for the trail. Headwind going out, darkness slowed us down coming back. It was quite an adventure. Here are some of the highlights.

My riding buddy is not the guy to ride with if you need a cheerleader. His encouragement was along the lines of "If we call my wife now, she can meet us at the next stop." I'd say "Do you think I need to stop?" and he'd reply "I am not going to make that decision for you" so being a bit stubborn I kept going.

We saw a copperhead. Since that ride I've seen a couple more, I tried to get a picture of one but my legs had other ideas and all I could do was glance back as I sprinted off.

Got to a trail town 5 min after the only restaurant closed. I wasn't hungry anyway.

Although not a cheerleader, my riding buddy kept up a steady stream of chatter the entire time. I alternated holding up my end of the conversation, listening, and tuning him out entirely. We agreed we had no idea what dark secrets we'd shared but that if I ever said "jail" he could respond with "hotel". (Sorry, I can't share those stories.)

I am planning my 2nd century. I decided I would wait until I had a brooks saddle, butterfly handlebars, gloves, & I'll start early morning. Most importantly it won't be spontaneous so I'll have adequate provisions, ie gatorade. I'm still debating whether to do it on the trail (former railroad, flat) or roads (hilly Missouri). I'd like to tackle the road, but maybe one victory at a time. I'll probably do it alone.

[indysteel]

I'm not a century or training expert but here are a few thoughts/questions. I'm a big fan of spending some time off the bike, for no other reason than I think it provides a mental and physical balance. Yoga is my drug of choice in that regard. It has the added benefit of counterbalancing some of the effects of long hours in the saddle and strengthening my core. Pilate would likely have similar affects without all the "oms." If I were you, I would try to include it in my routine.

I, personally, haven't been doing any lower body lifting since I got back on my bike in March. But that's more because I don't love it and reserve it for fall/winter. I've been doing some slight upper body lifting at home to keep my arms toned, but it's just with light weights. I do recognize, however, that lower body helped me strengthen my glutes and hamstrings and that I feel stronger on the bike in that regard I've seen some added strength on the bike this year. If you do keep lifting, I would stick with higher reps and lower weights to (hopefully) guard against injury.

My concern, however, is that riding six days a week and doing Pilates and lifting doesn't give you much of a rest. In my opinion, planned rest days, over and above either lifting or pilates, will better prepare you for your first century. My suggestion would be to ride 4-5 days a week, do pilates and/or lift on one of your off days and take a day off from all of it the other. That suggestion is based, however, on the assumption that you're still able to get some good miles in in 4-5 days time.

Also, keep in mind that you don't necessarily have to follow the same routine each week. I, too, was preparing for my first century (completed it last weekend at the Horsey Hundred in Kentucky). Depending on the week and the weather, I might ride an extra day and skip my usual yoga class or ride one less day and go to an extra yoga class. As long as I was getting my miles in (at least 150/week) with some hill work, I didn't stick to a strict routine. I will tell you, too, that the one week in which I rode 6 days, I hit a wall and had to take a an unplanned day off. While that day did me a world of good, it made me acutely aware that my body has its limits.

[ATL Laura]

You’re right, 6 days a week is a lot. I’m setting that as more of a goal than a rule. In fact, last week I only rode 4 days due to a cold, and this week I’m already one day down due to a date . I should be okay as long as I at least get in a long ride, a hilly ride, and a couple shorter rides in each week.

I have two goals for this century…the first is to cross the finish line on my bike and not in an ambulance, and the second is to have fun doing it!