Century Training With Busy Schedule

[Trek420]

I've seen people complete a century who had never ridden more than 30 miles before. The ride is 80% mental! If you can, ride LONG on your weekends; maybe a 4 hr ride on Saturday (or whatever you can do) and a nice, easy (but fairly long) recovery ride on Sunday. Use those mid week lunch rides to remind the legs that you ride, and pound HARD if you can. Fit any other kind of fitness into your day that you can. Stretch. It all helps.
Make sure you have the nutrition/hydration thing figured out. That part is HUGE.

What she said. This year my ALC bummed me out but it was poor planning on my part, but the two before I rode well, maybe better than I had any right to do.

But especially what Mtkitchn said "Fit any other kind of fitness into your day that you can".

Miles are important, base miles essential I think. But if you're a busy person think of hours not miles and sneak that training in.

Even if it's half hour walk before work, 45 minutes at the gym, 3 jaunts up stairs....it adds up.

Don't take elevators or escalators, take the stairs, two up if you can.

Get off several train stops ahead....fit in a walk

We invented sedentary job at my job there's a schedule on my cube, push ups off the lowered ergonomic desk, crunches, squats...

Speaking of sedentary if anything needs to be got around the office, let the others sit and spread .... I go get.

And of course bike to work.

Spin classes are great. If you can't get to the entire class (I can't, they are that strict on time) let the instructor know what you're training for and get in the part you can. Just be sure to warm up, cool down.

I think if you can't do long rides, you'll have to do hard rides. Find a hill, repeat it.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[mtbdarby]

Thanks Ladies!
I've been doing 2 short hard rides during the week at work - between 13-15 miles each. One loop is flat the other is hilly. Then a long day on Saturday and a recovery ride on Sunday. I have a ride on Saturday and am debating between the 31 or 62 mile loops. That will help me gauge my base better and I'm scheduling 1-2 rides (not races) each month to keep me motivated and make sure I keep building miles.

I'll keep you posted!