Hello Jiffer,
My husband and I just finished our first century last Saturday (Lake Tahoe, CA). I started riding in January 07. I've done a few full marathons since 2004 so my cardio. is pretty good. Husband has been riding for years but never tackled the 100 miler. We trained through Team in Training with 3 rides per week (2 mid-week rides and a long ride on Saturdays-also, weights for husband and running for me throughout the week). A lot of our team-mates added a recovery ride on Sunday but we opted out. It took us 9 1/2 hours to finish our century. There were a lot of hills that took A LOT of time. We had over 7 hours total ride time but it took FOREVER at the SAG stops to get your food and go to the bathroom, etc. (very long lines . . was not expecting this!). I had many people tell me that you should NOT have a time goal for your first century. I think this is a good idea! Then you're not disappointed and, I think, don't feel as much "pressure" . . you're free to enjoy the experience. When I finished, I felt like I could have gone farther . . felt REALLY good! My husband would tell you a different story-was not the best day for him. He bonked at about 75-80 miles which also slowed us down. Overall, It was an AWESOME day and I plan to keep up my "base" and get out there again. I do have to say that after getting used to the bike I think my marathon days are over . . it's so much easier on my aging joints!!

Blessings, Susan