How to get "faster"?

[Crankin]

Five intervals of five minutes are a lot for a beginner. Find a flat road and do some 30 second to one minute intervals for 30 minutes. Or, do some ascending intervals, i.e. start with 30 seconds, build up to 2 or 3 minutes in 15 second increments. Take a three minute break in between. You can do these kinds of things in the middle of a regular ride. It works, but I wouldn't do this more than 1 or 2X a week.
I find the kind of hill riding I do serves as intervals. That, and occasionally riding with faster people help me improve. Once a week, I test myself on my own 11 mile time trial course.

[MollyJ]

nybiker, I hate riding my road bike in town, though you have to do it. I fell on my bike in the first time in a long time the other day when an excitable dog ran out to greet me and others, and a helpful person on a bike coming toward me stopped her bike and laid it down to try to contain the dog (which she knew) and it left me with no where to go. Couldn't unclip fast enough (because I was very slowed down) and...thar she blows...me down.

So I use city streets to get to the less traveled asphalt around my community which is not hard to do.

Crankin, as for intervals of 5 of 5 minutes each--I tend to think that most training regimens of almost any thing start too "high". There's so much I don't know about cycling but I am fit enough that it takes me a while to get my heart rate up to where I can feel that my exertion is in that 7 to 8 zone and 4 minutes would be "enough" and 5 is challenging, especially as you get into the "later" intervals. But I thought intervals were supposed to s***! Still your words give me the permission and courage to modify. A training exercise you cannot "live" with tends to not get done and do you no good.

[MollyJ]

One more thing, Crankin. Your comment about a flat road.

Living in Kansas, you think that you live in a flat state--and we really do but the road I chose, had some little hills that added some dimension to the challenge.

I haven't really figured out how I'm going to handle this. My community is in a little valley (not anything like Denver but a little valley nonetheless). So anything I do to leave the community involves hills. It may be a case of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

So in your riding, do you do intervals several days each week? Not sure I can be that dedicated. But I read that even some intervals will increase your speed.

[spokewench]

Whenever you increase your training, you should not increase more than 10% a week; so one day of intervals is great at first. I would probably not work up to more than twice a week and that would probably be doable for you once you have built up to it. They are hard and it is difficult sometimes to make yourself do them. I still believe in doing a periodic training routine, which is basically this: First week you up your riding a bit, say do intervals one day (you do not have to do 5, I would recommend 2); second week, you do intervals one day and do 3 intervals), up one weekend day ride by 5 extra miles (whatever speed is comfortable; third week, you up the intevals to 4 and add on an estra 10 miles on your weekend ride (whatever speed is comfortable, fourth week, is your rest week, no intervals, a little easier rides than you would normally do, etc. So, this is just an example of increasing your workouts per week by about 10%. you do one week where you put some work in, the next week a little bit more, the third week is your hard week and then you rest for the 4th week. Rest is the key to better performance. If you tear down your body and don't rest, it does not have the time to recover and grow from your efforts.

Also, don't get too bummed out when you put yourself on a training regimen. We all have life get in the way, i.e. dinner with friends, children's activities, work, whatever it may be. You do the best you can to stick to your training regimen and if you don't quite make it, you have done your best! Life is way too short to get too carried away with this stuff. After all, most of us are not professional cyclists!

Spoke

[Giulianna23]

Ride with people faster than you. And if you are above your normal weight it always helps to drop a few pounds. I have not drop any weight in about 6 months. I have been fluctuating in between 5 lbs up and down but that is because I am not really watching what I eat. But I never stop riding my bike. I can tell I am way stronger than before and also lost a few inches and triming down . I trained for about 3 and a half months indoors 3 times a week and the first time I did a real ride with this group on a really challenging hilly terrain with some winds in mid April, It took me about 2 hrs 45 min to complete 32 miles and barely made it that was about 13mph. 5 weeks later I did the same ride in almost same weather conditions in 2hrs ,thats 16mph even though I havent lost a pound. I can imagine if I lose the 25lbs I need to. This ride is once a Week and I try not to miss it. I do ride the rest of the days but this is my training ride. I do another one on Thursdays but I feel the hilly one is the one that really works and I realy like it. To me , when you see others climbing those hills like nothing..that is a motivation for me to try harder and push my self a bit more.