Training for endurance events - random tips from you long-distance gals?

[maillotpois]

400 k or so is a good distance. I would definitely work up to it, brevet style, and do a few 200ks, then a 300k about a month before the main event. When I did my 600k, I had no clue what I was doing, but it went fine. When I did my 300 and 400k a year or so later I was a lot better prepared. Anyway, here are some things that worked and didn’t work for me on my 600k:

Great planning:

Extra pair of shorts to change into and put the old ones on over the new ones at the 100 mile to go mark
The hotel room at the 100 mile to go mark instead of the out and back half way point – good timing
Hooked up with some people for the 10 pm to 4 am stretch. May be more of a concern for a woman than a man (it was a sketchy place from a safety perspective), but the company in those hours was welcome regardless.
A small roll of duct tape allowed me to patch unexpected hole in shorts.
One of those astronaut foil emergency blankets (I am a backpacker at heart)
Ride to the next controle. Period.

Not so great:

Brought too much food – literally POUNDS too much food.
Way too many tubes and CO2s brought, but this was a completely unsupported ride with no bike shops at the controles or on the route – you never know. I’d probably do that again.
Tested a light system for the first time that did NOT work (the mizuno spacebar which broke and almost cost me my $500 Nite rider moab). Fortunately brought back up helmet mount for said light. Aces.

More points:

- Don't underestimate the last 100 miles. The last part of the ride was all "home territory" for me, and I never thought it would take me 11 hours to ride 110 miles, but it did!

- Things that hurt now may not hurt later. Keep riding.

- It is ALMOST all mental. Your body can keep going (granted not at its highest level) for a very long time. It's your mind that it going to talk you out of or into it.

- What you like to eat at mile 150 may make you throw up at mile 210.

[Pedal Wench]

I had decided not to mess with CO2 and just brought a mini-pump. The route was very hilly and I just didn't want to carry all the CO2 my cautious mind wanted.

As MP said, don't be surprised at how long it takes you. You have to go into these rides with a different mindset - what you can do on a century is entirely different once you load up your bike with all the extra gear, lights, batteries, etc. that you'll need. Don't get disappointed with how long it's taking.

She's also perfectly correct about your mind. I was ready to go back after 100 miles, for no apparent reason than I wasn't "feeling" it. I'm glad I moved on, even though I did give up when my knee blew up.

[andtckrtoo]

- It is ALMOST all mental. Your body can keep going (granted not at its highest level) for a very long time. It's your mind that it going to talk you out of or into it.

+200

Know there will be times when your mind is ready to call it quits and be prepared with ways to deal with it. Maybe it's just as mindless as counting the trees or whatever - just something to work your way through the times when you just don't think you can pedal one more stroke.

[lph]

couple of comments:
[QUOTE=maillotpois;443198] 400 k or so is a good distance. I would definitely work up to it, brevet style, and do a few 200ks, then a 300k about a month before the main event. ]

This sounds like very sound advice. I'd be tempted to skip the longest training ride, but I know that that's probably where the unknown elements are lurking.

[Extra pair of shorts to change into and put the old ones on over the new ones at the 100 mile to go mark]

[The hotel room at the 100 mile to go mark instead of the out and back half way point – good timing]
I didn't understand this, what was this for? Could you choose rest stops?

[- Don't underestimate the last 100 miles. The last part of the ride was all "home territory" for me, and I never thought it would take me 11 hours to ride 110 miles, but it did!]
Yup, that's just what happened on my recent climbing trip. I might as well have crawled on my hands and knees up the last pitches...

[maillotpois]

Re the hotel - that was for a 600k brevet. You can pretty much choose your rest stops (aside from designated check in points). I am not sure how that jives with your event and what your event's rest stops are, designated or otherwise. But my take away from mine was that it was good planning to delay the rest/sleep stop as long as possible and get as many miles in before that.