Preparing For A Century

[Bethany1]

Went through some of my books and searched online for some information I wanted and it was really overwhelming. Finally figured out some stuff in layman terms and it has really helped the past couple of days in determining where I am physically and where to start. I get the heart rate zone thing but hadn't really paid attention to it. I'm supposed to have HOW much water while riding and during the day?? You lose HOW much water while you ride?? That's an epic fail on my part. No wonder I'm sick after rides. Drink more water.

So yesterday was a test day to see if I could tell different heart rate zones. You can really tell what zone you are in going by your breathing, heart rate and correlation to speed. Huge revelation. No need for a monitor..I got it. Been drinking more water..has really helped and not sick after yesterday's indoor ride.

My hubby at first said no to the century. He didn't want me passed out on a long ride and no way for him to come get me. I did find a friend who is doing the same ride in August and I told him they have trucks that can carry my dead body back to the car if needed so he relented. While we can't train together, he knows she'll be there. My mom is convinced I'll get raped and left by the side of the road while training. Sigh. I'm sure it's possible but so far I've been fine.

Thanks for the support as everyone else has been skeptical or saying I can't do it. This is about me and finding my way this summer. I need this.

[shootingstar]

If you have 6 months to prepare, that's lots of time to prepare.

Simply ride often and make it several times per wk. Try to extend your distance at least on weekends. Yes, try good times to drink water, eat some food, etc. Same for clothing for different conditions. Stay safe, alert, etc.

Above all: Don't overthink this to prepare for this. Just get onto the bike and ride to enjoy as part of your training as you ride longer/abit faster.

Really....don't overthink it. Otherwise the mental barriers will be the biggest barrier of all for you.

[ny biker]

If you have 6 months to prepare, that's lots of time to prepare.

Simply ride often and make it several times per wk. Try to extend your distance at least on weekends. Yes, try good times to drink water, eat some food, etc. Same for clothing for different conditions. Stay safe, alert, etc.

Above all: Don't overthink this to prepare for this. Just get onto the bike and ride to enjoy as part of your training as you ride longer/abit faster.

Really....don't overthink it. Otherwise the mental barriers will be the biggest barrier of all for you.

+1 to this.

Bear in mind that a lot of stuff you read about preparing for a century is written by and for people with different goals. It can get very complicated, but it doesn't have to be.

I work with a personal trainer, and he came up with a training plan for me when I first wanted to do a century. I might still have it -- I will look. I generally only ride twice per week, since I also do strength training a couple of days a week. In general, the training plan included a short ride mid-week and a longer one on the weekend. The weekend ride got progressively longer as the training period went on, with the longest ride being 80-90m miles (I think). There were a few weekends where I did shorter rides on both Saturday and Sunday rather than a long ride on one of those days.

I didn't worry about heart rate zones or anything like that. I did work on figuring out types and amounts of foods and beverages for before, during and after rides. I generally can't eat solid food during rides on hot days, so I tried different gels until I found a brand and flavors that I like.

In general I try to drink one water bottle per hour. If I get to a rest stop and have not met that target, I will drink extra while I'm stopped in order to catch up. I've also learned that I need to make sure I get enough sodium on hot days. For me that usually means a gel with extra electrolytes. Many of my friends just eat potato chips or drink V8 juice during rest stops.

I highly recommend Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook if you need any help with food and drink. The 5th edition was recently released.

I also recommend getting a Road ID (www.roadid.com), for your family's peace of mind.

And let us know whenever you have any questions or just need support. Hang in there!!

[pll]

I will add a couple of random thoughts:

• A good part of the challenge of doing 500 miles over 5 days are the long rides on consecutive days. If you go for something like that, make sure to ramp up your training so that you have long efforts on consecutive days. One needs to learn how to withhold energy on the first day to have something left in subsequent days. Also, you may wake up on day 2 and feel it is impossible to walk, much less ride. However, after a few miles on the bike, you will get back into the rhythm.
• In long trainer sessions you may consider changing shorts midway. There is a lot less air circulation, fans and all.
• As ny_biker mentioned above, figuring out what to eat and drink is another art. Some people find drinking their calories is easier than eating them and they use some calorie-dense drinks, for some others, including myself, it does not work. So, you need to experiment. I know people who do IronMan tris work on getting used to consuming the things offered during those particular events.
• You mentioned you would do the ride on your cross bike, so perhaps investing in the right type of tire is something to think about (assuming you have knobby tires, and the ride would be on paved roads, slicks or file threads would do better than a tire with more grip for mud)

And, if you and your sister or a friends can get away, try to do a cycling camp. In my life, I've attended only one, a very affordable one (google Alabama Cycling Camp; there are a couple of videos in youtube) and it was great. Rode every day for 7 days, it was a great base for me last year. And, in February, going from Chicago, it felt like a luxurious vacation. In my group, all drove there, one from as far as Toronto.