Training for ACL5

[Trek420]

what Bike Goddess sez, to say she "successfully completed this ride last year" is an understatement. It's a ride not a race but BG was one of the first ones in each day.

If you're doing the rough equivelant of back to back metric centuries now, you are doing fine!! If the ride started tomorrow, you could do this.

Listen to your body, get enough rest, nutrition, do some things for range of motion, yoga, stretching.

Nanci, the ride is 7 days, 585 miles and in June.

[Nanci]

So less than 100 miles a day. If it were me, I'd probably be doing something like a long ride Saturday, working up to the 60-80 range, and about half that Sunday, rest Monday, short 15-30's on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, (maybe one day a week of springing/speed work) rest Friday. I would gradually increase my Saturday long ride up to 115-125, if possible (I know that's a long day riding) just because it feels so good to have extra gas in the tank, so to speak. But only do that really long distance a couple times, with maybe three weeks in between. Then I wouldn't do that much of a taper, because like Tour de France, or anything, you don't want your body to get out of daily-riding mode, but I would cut back the long ride the weekend before to something like 60 or even 40.

Nanci

[liksani]

wow you're so good. makes me feel I should get that way. Been waiting for the rain to clear up before I can try commuting to work by bike and use that for mileage. Right now, I only do really one or two rides a week, usually a short 20-30 mile ride on Sat and a longer ALC training ride I do on Sundays that was up to 55ish miles as of this past Sunday. And I say boo for hills, boo. That's about all I do.. so I should probably bike more but I also do martial arts twice a week and run about twice a week.

[Trek420]

liksani, you are doing great!

Keep doing the MA, running's fine too. When it comes to training for this thing I say "do as I say not as I did"

On ALC 3-4 I tried to get 1 1/2 of training 6 days a week, not enough of that was on the bike but found ways to sneak time in.

Wushu is great, helps your range of motion so keep that up. Have you thought about doing a demo on talent night? Commute is a wonderful way to get miles in. I'd add a midweek killer spin class, hill repeats or jumps to build for those *&^% hills.

I'd stick with once a week for the climbing drills and keep up the long rides on the weekends.

What do y'all gals think? Is this a great group of riders or what?

[liksani]

hehe so bad, haven't been doing long rides. pesky rain. finally biked to work again since it wasn't raining today but it figures i would flat out. :P *grumble* i'm not sure how much biking i can get in during the week besides commuting on some days since i'm starting marathon training again... and now i know to carry a whole ton of CO2 cartridges or also bring along a small frame pump.. I'm quite thankful to the people who stopped to help me cuz they had pumps.

[Trek420]

I'd made a personal commitment to lead (or sweep or kinda in the middle) an ALC training ride each month.

So yesterday I went on a Cat 1 ride, the 9th in a series.

We had I think 9 riders, not bad for a ride just announced the night before.

We met at Orinda Bart station we took Camino Pablo to Moraga Road to Mt. Diablo Blvd, right on Pleasant Hill Rd, left on Olympic to Tice Valley which had a nice climb if I'm recalling right, onto Crest Ave, Hillgrade Ave to Danville Blvd onto Railroad Street then a stop at the Cafe Francais for a regroup.

We crossed and and recrossed and shared the route with the MS Top Hat. It was great to see the riders out there, any TE gals?

After a banana muffin at the cafe, back on Railroad to San Ramon Valley Road where I missed the turn to Dublin Canyon, lucky that Mary the ride leader was near me, yelled and I turned around or I'd still be out there somewhere.

We pulled a u-turn and climbed Dublin Canyon Road.

If you're in the Bay Area this is a road you see from 580 fwy. and I'd always thought to myself "self? other than the view of the freeway looks like a nice yet gentle climb"

But that's from a car.

It kicked my happy b*tt.

I felt slow, this is a chalenging climb but one I should be able to do at a half decent clip. After a well deserved zip down E Castro Valley blvd we regrouped at Safeway. At that point the planned route went up Redwood Road to Pinehurst, Canyon Road, Moraga Way back to BART.

I decided things were not going to get better for me on Pinehurst and since I'd taken BART to the ride it wasn't as if my car was there. Everyone was doing fine and I would be holding them way up. So after a banana, Luna bar and hydration bev of choice I headed home. I had a choice of getting back on BART and then the normal 2 miles from BART but thought might as well ride all the way to tack on 10 more miles.

[ACG]

Sounds like you did a good job! Congrats! I participated in the Santa Monica version of 'day on the ride' 80 miles along the SoCal Coast. Some killer hills in what I call 'rich people' neighborhood. Felt good afterwards, cuz I finished right in the middle. Rode with my social group today, but decided to challenge myself and rode the harder route. My legs were killing me until about mile 25, then the pain disappeared. The group really worked with me to improve my skills. This social bike group I ride with is really supportive. I wish they were going with me.
Just a few more weeks to go girls, I'm counting the days!