How to get "faster"?

[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.