My training ideas good, bad, or ugly?

[Tiffany]

First of all, welcome to the site. As you can see, I don't have many posts under my belt either but I, too, lurke a lot. Anyway, the thing I can see with your training is that you don't watch your HR. Another is that you don't change up your rides. Here is what I would advise, and please, someone else chime in if you want.

Be sure to track your heart rate. You don't want to be pushing your heart rate to the max at all times. Ride around 65% or so to do your "long" rides. Change it up a couple of times a week. Do "sprint intervals" or "hill clims" to boost your heart rate to around 85% or so for a set period of time, like just say 2 minutes. After those 2 minutes, slow your pace for 2 minutes or until your heart rate goes back down and then repeat. Do this several times during that interval or hill ride. I know this doesn't sound like it will help much but believe me. It will.

[mimitabby]

I hope you will do some outside riding before your first event.

I don't ride with a heart monitor (I have a couple times and it's pretty obvious when the heart rate goes up) and i have managed some fairly decent rides.

if you were riding 16-18 mph last year, i think you'll be fine.
Welcome to TE!

[Tiffany]

I don't ride with a heart monitor (I have a couple times and it's pretty obvious when the heart rate goes up) and i have managed some fairly decent rides.

True. I guess for those of us who have ridden for a while (or who have been involved in physical fitness in general) know what our heart rates are without wearing a monitor. Either way, train while taking note of your HR.