RAIN Ride 2010 (Questions) This is long, sorry!!

[jessica47201]

Ok, please don't laugh at me, but I have some questions about the RAIN Ride, in Indiana. First of all, right now that ride is my cycling goal. I eventually want to do that ride at some point in my cycling life. Now with that being said, a coworker who is a biking fanatic says that I could do it as soon as next year, with a little hard work. This individual is very trustworthy and very knowlegeble, considering he did the RAIN Ride, but he is a HE and I want some female imput. I pretty much just started riding this year. I've done three, 40 mile rides, one 50 mile ride and planning on doing a 72 mile ride in October. I was riding all the time this past summer, about 20 miles a day, 6 days a week, but about the last 2 months or so I've slacked off because of my job. I work 12 hour shifts and most nights turn into 14 hour shifts. I have no where come near 160 miles which is the RAIN Ride, but I just really want to do it. Here comes the embarrassing part: I HAVE NO IDEA ON HOW TO TRAIN FOR THE RAIN RIDE!!!! I've been trying to read articles on training for double centuries and brevets, but I'm so lost. Between the uping of milage by a certain percentage every week and eating specific types of food and trying to refuel during rides? My head is spinning!!! Then I understand I have to ride longer distances to build up endurance for the ride, but when riding solo, 20 miles gets so boring. I really just need someone to point me in the right direction. I figured I would try to do this ride in 2 or 3 years, but like I said a coworker says it's not that far out of a possibility or dream. Please someone make my head stop spinning!!!!

[chicagogal]

The longest ride I have done is 120mi, so I may not be the best person to be answering this question. However, my training has been good this season, and I am sure that if I wanted to, I could be ready for 160 in a few weeks. Basically, you really do need to ramp up your mileage. I personally enjoy riding alone, so 75mi by myself on the open road on a sat morning, is thoroughly enjoyable. However, if you don't like that, find a couple of riding partners. I have done some rides where I ride the first 30mi myself, meet a friend along the way for 30mi, and ride the last 15-20 home on my own. This works well if your friends are not training for the same distances as you, but still want to get a shorter ride in. It is also good if your friends aren't quite as fit as you, because you'll be pacing yourself on an 80mi ride thereby helping you and your friends be more evening matched in terms of speed.

Food: As you ramp up your mileage, you will begin to figure out what works with you in terms of food. Eat before you get hungry. I always bring bananas with me on a long ride, in addition to cliff shot bloks and payday candybars. Somtimes a take trailmix, but that is usually when I am all out of payday candybars. Fruit leather works well for me too. Make sure to hydrate well during the ride. I usually carry a bottle of water and some kind of diluted sports drink. I start with the water, and by the end of the ride alternate between water and sports drink.

The most important thing is to have fun! Training is hard, but should be enjoyably so! Any chance that your co-worker will train with you?

[Mr. Bloom]

You're ready...I did it 14 months after my first ride and finished in the top 10% last year - I didn't do it this year. It's a blast.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...highlight=rain

There are many clubs that have RAIN training built into their club schedules.

Where are you located?

Just build up to miles - not increasing your cumulative miles more than 10%/week, plan the logistics, and pace yourself.

[jessica47201]

chicagogal-- I would love to train with my co-worker, but he is really above my level in cycling along with the fact that we work alternating shifts from each other, so our schedules would be impossible to work around. When it comes to food and refueling, my main problem right now is that I can barely eat anything during a ride because I will get heartburn or indigestion. I can't even deal with gatorade and drinks like that unless I dilute it with water heavily.

Mr. Silver-- I'm glad you have such faith in me already. I live in Madison, IN. but work in Columbus, IN. My husband will ride with me to a point, but at about mile 20, he's pretty much over it. My main isssue with training and doing long rides alone is finding a safe route without a bazillion cars trying to run me over. Thanks for everyones imput and I am always ready for more!!!!

[OakLeaf]

I can't even deal with gatorade and drinks like that unless I dilute it with water heavily.

When you say "drinks like that," what else have you tried? Gatorade is notoriously hard on the stomach, especially the pre-mixed kind that's made with HFCS.

Have you tried HEED? Or mixing non-caloric electrolyte drinks like Emergen-C or NUUN with your carb of choice (plain sugar; barley syrup or rice syrup for me; some people like agave syrup or honey, but the fructose in those does me in)? Or some of the other drinks that are out there, that I'm not really familiar with?

On a long ride I need protein - more than they ever supply on a supported ride. I don't know why, maybe because I don't inundate myself with protein on an average day. Anyway, when I'm fueling myself, I choose tuna salad; or egg salad when tuna isn't available. I'm off to buy some Perpetuem for this weekend's ride, which I've never tried before, but I know I can't tolerate whey protein. Ordinarily I avoid refined soy protein, but it should be okay for the occasional big event I think.

[indysteel]

Like Mr. Silver, I did RAIN the first time about 14 months after I first started riding. I also did it again a year later. It's very doable. Training, in part, depends on "how" you want to do it. To ride it comfortably/strongly, I'd first and foremost suggest riding....A LOT. I would recommend getting some longer rides under your belt, i.e., at least 100 miles. If you can comfortably do a century, RAIN isn't that much harder. It's largely a question of figuring out how to eat and drink on a longer ride. You have to know what your body will tolerate and you also have to develop a certain discipline about staying on top of your nutrition and hydration needs, especially in the heat. That takes some practice.

It's also a question of getting used to being in the saddle for a long stretch. I didn't find RAIN all that difficult to finish to be honest with you, but my "training" for it consisted of averaging about 175 miles per week. so my legs and butt were used to a lot of miles. I don't necessarily think you need to ride that much, but you do need to consistently ride a fair amount. Obviously, if you can find a training partner(s), you may find it easier to get those miles in.

Success at RAIN is also partly a question of bike fit. If you experience any discomfort on your bike, try to get it sorted out before the ride. You really need to be comfortable on your bike if you're going to finish strongly.

There are a couple of other things to consider to do RAIN. It attracts a large group, so practice your group riding skills, even if you don't plan to do the ride with a group. You also need to consider the logistics. Getting to Terre Haute and back from Richmond take some planning. I don't necessarily think you need a dedicated SAG driver, but they can prove helpful. When I've done the ride, my driver caught up with me at the lunch stop (so that I could eat my own food), at Greenfield (which is an unofficial SAG stop just as the route rejoins US 40) and at the final SAG stop.

Finally, RAIN is partly a function of the weather--which you have no control over. If you're lucky, you'll have a tailwind and/or it won't be too hot. If it is really hot or you have to deal with a headwind or crosswind, the ride will likely be a lot harder. Mr. Silver and I are lucky in that we enjoyed some decent weather the years we've done RAIN. In 2006, the weather was horrible (95 degrees plus humidity). A lot of people dropped out of the ride because they couldn't handle the heat. I've always said that I would play the ride by ear if the weather was less than decent. I would suggest the same thing. IMO, it's just not worth it.

[Mr. SR500]

People either ride RAIN for time or fun, difficult to do both. Riding for time is hard, but riding for fun with friends can be a blast.

Training should consist of lots of miles and a couple centuries, the last being maybe 2/3 weeks before RAIN. Build base miles with 40/50/60 mile rides.

Personal SAG makes everything a little easier, but not necessary. There are official stops at 40/60/90/130 miles, with plenty of shops along the way. They have the usual tour fare. That said, I avoid all the food until the end and then eat like crazy.

Nutrition is key, I use a combination of Hammer products. I start with 4 bottles, 2 water, 1 Heed, and 1 Perpetuem shake (about 8 scoops). I also carry some Hammer gel and PayDay candy bars. I start right away with the Perpetuem, I can usually drink it for about 4 hours, after that I just don't want anymore. I chase everything with water, average about a bottle of water an hour. Try to keep Heed - regular strength going with some gel shots and a PayDay when I just need something to eat. My plan usually starts to fail after lunch (mile 90), the Perpetuem is hard to get down, I'm done with Heed, and craving something different. By mile 100 I called my wife and wanted some grape drink (Gatorade or whatever), so I got my grape drink at mile 115 and finished on Grape Gatorade, PayDay's, and a little Mountain Dew (yes a little can really give you a boost at the end of a long ride).

The key is continue to take in calories, I try really hard the first 3/4 of a ride to stick to quality products and nutrition, know I'll likely follow my cravings toward the end.

You have lots of time, just enjoy riding, RAIN is very doable with a little planning and work. I've known guys to complete rain with less then 1,000 miles for the year, and a long ride of no more then 50 miles. It's a high energy event, and you get caught up in the excitement. The start is fast and packed, by the end you might have long stretches of solo riding. The weather can have big impact, this year was awesome.

Put it on the calendar and have fun!

[indysteel]

My nutrition plan isn't all that different from Mr. SR500, although I drink Cytomax instead of the products he mentioned. I, too, can't really handle Gatorade, but Cytomax works for me. I also bring along bite-sized chunks of Paydays and try to eat something every 15 minutes or so. I try to drink water or Cytomax every five minutes, alternating with about a 2:1 ratio. At lunch, I try to get a bit (not too much) protein. I've skipped the lunch that is provided and had my own waiting for me instead via my SAG driver. Remember to keep drinking during lunch. It's an easy time to get dehydrated.

My stomach isn't terribly fussy so I can generally eat about whatever. My biggest hurdle at RAIN has been a persistent hot foot. But for that, the ride was pretty easy. I've done harder, hillier rides that are shorter. Again, however, I'd note that I haven't really had to do it in terribly hot water. I'm sure that has made a difference.

[Miranda]

I'm with Mr. Silver, I think you can do it.

RAIN's on my list of cycling goals too. Well, my century was suppose to be this year but you can see the result of that with my dog crash thread *sigh*. Being positive and looking forward though...

I think finding what is the right food and drink combo for you is a lot of trail and error. Tons of great reading on here to stir your thoughts on where to start. And I bought some cycling books related to distance riding and sports nutrition etc.

Keeping a training log is key to sorting out that trial and error, imho.

Simple notebook works. But, I would forget to find the paper when I needed to. So, I started typing mine in the notes section of my Garmin bike computer in Training Center on the pc. Desk top computer is pretty hard to misplace lol. And part of closing my ride is enjoying the review of my stats.

And hey, you know what... if you "go for it" and it doesn't pan out... there is another year to try again. Good Luck!

[susan.wells]

Finally, RAIN is partly a function of the weather--which you have no control over. If you're lucky, you'll have a tailwind and/or it won't be too hot. If it is really hot or you have to deal with a headwind or crosswind, the ride will likely be a lot harder. Mr. Silver and I are lucky in that we enjoyed some decent weather the years we've done RAIN. In 2006, the weather was horrible (95 degrees plus humidity). A lot of people dropped out of the ride because they couldn't handle the heat. I've always said that I would play the ride by ear if the weather was less than decent. I would suggest the same thing. IMO, it's just not worth it.

+1 This is so true!

[Mr. Bloom]

Mr. Silver-- I'm glad you have such faith in me already. I live in Madison, IN. but work in Columbus, IN. My husband will ride with me to a point, but at about mile 20, he's pretty much over it.

Similarly, I live in Evansville AND Bloomington. On the other hand, Silver can ride circles around me... You need to PM makbike - I bet she can give you some good routes across the river in KY.

Susan, in addition, would you say it's important to not plan your flight schedule back to Indiana on the same day you need to drive down to RAIN???

OK, headcount - WHO's IN FOR THE HILLY HUNDRED?????

[HoosierGiant]

OK, headcount - WHO's IN FOR THE HILLY HUNDRED?????

Well, forgive the hijack, but I'm in! It will be my first attempt at the Hilly, but we've been training on hills in Metamora, Laurel/Orange, and Batesville/Oldenburg, so hopefully I can eek out a finish. Never thought I'd see the day when I'd choose to ride hills...

[makbike]

As others have said ride your bike and give yourself a solid base. The year I rode RaIN I made it a point to ride numerous centuries prior to July. I rode several back to back centuries. I rode and rode and rode some more. Some may say I over prepared but I felt great on the ride. My body handled it well and I felt absolutely wonderful at the end.

I made it a point to drink every five minutes or so. I alternated between water and Gatorade (I like it and it works for me). I also used Shotbloks about every 30 miles or so.

For me, finding a comfortable cadence was the key. Once I settled in and found it it simply became another day on the bike - one I enjoyed tremendously.

Go for it. Find a group to ride with and work together for it will make a difference in your day. Don't think of it as a 158 mile ride but break it down into smaller segments (SAG to SAG). Don't linger too long at the stops - get what you need and get back on the road - too much time off the bike can be hard on the body.

With the cold weather months lingering ahead think about getting a trainer so you can still ride on a daily basis. Time on the trainer will put you ahead of the game once the warm weather returns in the spring.

Hope this helps. Be safe and have fun.

[jessica47201]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for everyones imput on fueling and training. I'm feeling like I might actually be able to acheive this. Unfortunately I'm not all in for the Hilly Hundred, I have to work and I'm not sure I could do all of the hills. I used to drive to Bloomington every other day for EMT school, in a car and I can't imagine all those hills on a bike. But hey, good luck to all of you doing the Hilly and thanks for the awesome tips and imput you've given me so far. I'm eating it up and then some!!! I'm already looking up rides in 2010 that I want to do and the RAIN Ride is just one of the many!!!! Thanks again!!! And feel free to keep sharing!!

[jessica47201]

Makbike-- I've already got my rollers in the garage and set up ready to ride when the weather gets nasty. Right now I'm on the hunt for some new tires to use on my rollers. Right now I've got 700x35c, cyclocross tires. I'm shopping around for some 28's. I'm kinda looking forward to getting on the rollers. I know I probably won't come close to getting any long distance, but rollers are challenging and I like that.