Organized Ride: Suck it up -OR- Sit it out?

[Geonz]

I find that the ride you're worried about is the one you are more careful with pacing about and it goes okay.

However, just to air the otehr side here, I'd look at the weather that day. Going on a really long ride that ends up being NO FUN can make you reluctant to go out the next time - there's something to be said for quitting while they (your legs) still want more, to keep the desire up.

(On the third side, though, if you *don't* go, if that will mean you hesitate for the next long ride, too... it could be a 'slippery slope' that way.)

[Nokomis]

Thanks Everyone - you are Awesome!! I really appreciate the encouragement to get out of my comfort zone! I guess I was putting too much pressure on myself, and viewing the need to walk as a sign of weakness/failure, rather than the next training challenge to overcome. I imagined someone in a SAG vehicle driving by & escorting me off the course for failure to ride or whatnot

I am going to ride this weekend before making my final decision - but I'm riding it as training / warmup for the RACC. DH will be thrilled when I tell him

Susan - thanks for the descriptions! That helps a ton. I'll have to find out who all he's asked to ride with us, then will make plans to meet up &/or ride with ya!

[Nanci]

Hey, you know what I just thought of? Is the course somewhere where you can drive it first? (or pre-ride sections in the weeks ahead?)

A while ago I posted an article about Tim Noake's "Central Governor Theory" which is basically, not all your muscle fibers are allowed, by your brain, to work at one time. It's about 30% of them. How your brain doles them out is by a pre-set distance that you plan on going. If you exceed that distance, your brain makes you feel tired even before you actually are, because your brain planned on going, say, 60 miles and you find out, unexpectedly, that you really have to go 65. Because the brain didn't plan, at the beginning, to go 65 miles, it has been letting you use more muscle fibers at a time than if you had planned to go the further distance, so it tries to save your strength by sending a "tired" message. Same thing happens when there is an unexpected obstacle, like a long or steep hill you didn't know about. The brain says "Oh, I didn't budget for this, I will make her feel tired so she goes more slowly, so she will have enough energy to make it to the end." Noakes says that the best thing you can do is pre-drive the course, so there won't be any surprises, so your brain will allow you to use the most muscle fibers at once. This is also why it is possible for runners/cyclists to have a great sprint at the end of a race- the brain "sees" the end in sight, and releases muscle fibers it had been holding in reserve, for an all-out effort.

So- I think you will have a better chance of completing the ride if, optimally, you can pre-drive it, or if you can't do that, gather as exact a description of the course as possible (such as provided by Susan) from others who have ridden it.

Nanci

[Bike Goddess]

If I were you, I'd stock up on Gel! Just take some before you hit the last 2 hills and you'll be fine1 Nothing like a little boost of energy!

Be sure to stay hydrated. Have some carbs before you leave on the ride, then eat every once in awhile (good for a break)and drink a sports drink while you ride (I'm now using Cytomax which seems to be fine on my digestive system).

AND...Start at a slower pace, get warmed up, and just plug along. The point here is to not wear yourself out before you get to the end.

When you are finished and home, I suggest you have a recovery drink- I use Endurox 4 with milk and yogurt in the blender. Not only good, but you'll feel better the next day!

Good luck! I hope you do the ride. We'll be waiting for your report!

[caligurl]

ya know.... i really need to give that gel stuff a try some time! i know the big rule is never to try something new on a big ride... so i'll have to remember to try some when we do our national park climb here!

oh... to add to BG's advice (if it wasn't stated earlier in the thread) eat a GOOD breakfast!

for normal rides here at home... and "normal" (not climbing centuries that i can get to in a decent amount of time... say within 1/5 to 2 hours) i have my favorite pre-ride meal of oatmeal, natural peanut butter and light chocolate soy milk...

however for any of my epic climbers.... we stop at denny's and i have a good breakfast: eggs... bacon... (even the hashbrowns!) and a fruit filled pancake! so i get some protein... fat.. and carbs! i stay fuller longer than i do on oatmeal (i try to eat my denny's meal an hour to hour and a half before i leave!) seems to work for me! otherwise i get hungry quicker than the first rest stop.... and that's not good!

[Nokomis]

I made it thru the first ride ~ COLD, breezy... spent the majority of the ride sheltered by DH & his coworker (nothing like drafting between two guys to keep you out of the worst of the wind!) I ate well, kept hydrated, but on the last little hill (dead cat hill, for those that rode) my legs started to cramp a bit. The last 20 miles or so I was pretty beat, and frustrated because I never felt "strong" like I did on a much warmer ride the Friday before.

Ride stats: ~63 miles, avg 15.9mph, top speed 29mph, sustained winds ~15? and below 55 degrees for at least 3/4 of the ride.

Poor shorts/saddle fit during ride; never did get things adjusted right ~ am shocked that I managed to get thru w/out any sores; I'm sure the chamois butt'r saved me.

I'm thinking I just don't have the legs right now to do the RACC. However, my lungs & heart are much stronger than last year... and even if I was creeping up dead cat hill at 6mph, I wasn't sucking wind like I would have last year. Dunno - I'll have to keep thinking about this one, and probably need DH to commit to taking an intentional break before the final climbs.

[SadieKate]

Ride stats: ~63 miles, avg 15.9mph, top speed 29mph, sustained winds ~15? and below 55 degrees for at least 3/4 of the ride.

Based on this you can do the next ride. Back off and take the hills easy. Don't even think about your average speed for the ride or your speed for individual hills. That's not important. Start slow and easy at the beginning (ignore all the enthusiastic speedster starters) and your legs will feel better at the end.

When else are you going to try something for the first time?

[tprevost]

I'm throwing in my .02 here but I think you should try it next week. Your stats for this last ride were excellent and the conditions weren't. Start very slowly, don't push yourself, hydrate well, watch your nutrition and I would bet $$ you'll finish and finish well!!! I am still pretty weak on the hills but I just plug along (did you know that I can go 3.8 mph and not fall over on a 2 mile grade? - pretty impressive huh? ) and I do okay on most.

Let us know what you decide!

Tracy