110mile charity cycle in 4 weeks time...can i manage it?

[smittykitty]

Beautiful. Love Europe! I want to ride there!!!! Wow, what a long ride all by yourself. You are doing great! I don't think I could go that far without at least one other person to help motivate me. Every impressive! And, good job on the hills too.

[Mel.b]

Beautiful!!! We just had to cancel a trip to Ireland and Scotland planned for next month, so it's a little bittersweet to see your great photos.

Keep them coming, though.

That's a pity about your trip, hopefully you will get here another time. In the meantime i'll try to keep the pics coming

Good job on your ride, and thanks for the pictures. Where exactly was your ride? Clearly a music- friendly pub where you stopped!

Thanks i rode around Lough Derg in the west of Ireland. The river shannon flows into it. I passed thrugh three counties - Clare, Tipperary and Galway.

Beautiful. Love Europe! I want to ride there!!!! Wow, what a long ride all by yourself. You are doing great! I don't think I could go that far without at least one other person to help motivate me. Every impressive! And, good job on the hills too.

Thanks Sometimes i tnk i am better on my own as i know then i can't give up and only have myself to rely on. It would have been a long way for a friend to come and rescue me (or an expensive taxi ride back to my car)

[Catrin]

Thank you for posting the pictures, such a great place to ride! Absolutely, if you can ride 75 miles you will make it 75 miles is the furthest I've ridden, and I did it solo for pretty much the same reason you did. I hope your fitter can take care of the hand problem, and let us know how things go!

[azfiddle]

You are definitely going to be ready for the 110 mile ride.
I hope you find a solution to the numbness in your hand.

I heard a beautiful jig once named Loch Derg, and meant to try to find music or a recording to learn it. Maybe this will inspire me to look for it again.

Keep us posted!

[rubysoho]

Hmm, you sound like me before the 170 mile (over two days) ride I completed two weekends ago. I had a training plan but, like you, life happened and I just wasn't able to put down the mileage I thought I needed to complete the ride.

Two months before the 170 mile ride I rode 85 miles on my own. I was miserable. My training routes had few hills compared to the 170 mile ride. And leading up to the ride, those last two months, I put in a few (less than five!!) fifty mile rides and a handful of 20-30s. Again, I was so nervous and felt so unprepared.

Like you, I was mostly on my own. I traveled 5 hours, nobody with me, for the ride. Though I was meeting with college friends. However, they average 18-19mph on these distance rides and I knew I wouldn't keep up. And I didn't. I rode all 170 miles, mostly by myself.

But, it didn't matter. The first day, 85 miles, was absolutely amazing and even at the end when it was ALL MAJOR HILLS (!!!! ) I loved it. The second day was stiff to start but managed, there were twenty miles in that ride when I didn't think I could finish. However, something changed and the last 20 felt good/decent again.

I won't lie. Parts of me hurt. My knees and especially from my saddle.

I think the key is fueling well during the entire ride. Since you've been riding 50s and a lone 75 I think you are ready for your 110. Just take it easy, don't push yourself on hills. If you feel like you are trying hard, change gears.

Another tip: think of it as a bunch of short rides. Are there going to be stations where cyclists stop? If so, know the distance between those. For me, it was a "bunch of 12 mile rides." Okay, in reality the stations varied by a few miles but on day two that is what kept me going. Even if there aren't stations, plan your ride so you know you will stop ever twenty miles to refill water bottles and let your legs rest. I kept my stops as brief as possible but I only skipped two stops (one each day). When you feel your worst, because it won't be easy, just try to get started. Once you get started and heading for the next stop try to focus on the people around you and the country side. I yelled out to some cows that I passed a few times.

Anyway, sorry to go on like I did. I think you are ready. Keep training but also remember rest is just as important. Cut back on riding the two weeks before the ride. No more than really easy, short rides the week before to keep your legs loose. Fuel well, starting at the beginning of the ride and do so often.

Good luck! You'll do great. Even if you can't finish it is still a major accomplishment to ride as far as you are riding. Be proud!

Edited to add: Figure out something that motivates you through the hard times of the ride. For me, I had just visited Auschwitz two weeks before the ride. Those people suffered so much and while I wasn't riding for them I knew I could survive two days of biking. I also had some riders who inspired me. One was a 75 year old, diabetic man and this 170 mile ride was his 10th year completing it! In my training rides, I saw a man riding who only had one leg. I know he must have overcome so much and to still ride was amazing. The key is getting the focus off yourself (but still remember to fuel!!).

[Jo-n-NY]

Rubysoho-really enjoyed reading your post. All was great advise.

[Mel.b]

Rubysoho, thankyou so much for your post You did an awesome job on your cycle and I hope I can do the same. I think your point about keeping things in perspective is also important - after all it's just a cycle and there are people who are and have been though a lot harder things than that.

I was happy with my spin tonight - i did a hill that I really didn't think i would be able to make it up and I made it up, not once but twice! I'm trying to concentrate on some shorter rides during the week with more of a focus on doing hills and then a longer ride on the weekend. This weekend I have a 100km ride planned with about 1000m of climbing. One of the big hills on that cycle I have done twice before (but needed a rest stop). The other hill i last did 12months ago on my heavy hybrid and had to push up so it will be interesting to see how i manage it this weekend. If I've got anything left in the tank after 100km there is one more hill that i could do which i haven't done before.

[indysteel]

Rubysoho-really enjoyed reading your post. All was great advise.

Agreed. That's a really great perspective, Ruby. Congrats on your accomplishment.

Mel, I agree with the people who say that if you can do a 75, you can do a 110. It sounds like you'll be good to go, especially if you pace yourself and eat and drink right. I can't wait to hear all about it. The pics of your training ride are fantastic. DH and I really need to get to Ireland. I've sort of put him off when he's mentioned it because my memories there are slightly bittersweet. But, that was a long time ago, and DH should see Ireland at least once in his lifetime--preferably with me by his side. It's an enchanted place.

[smittykitty]

Mel, your training is going so great. Hills really get me down, 1st physically, then mentally. I really need to find some hills in our flat neighborhood and hit them hard.

And Ruby S, thanks for such a motivating post. Great perspective. I really needed that this week after a 30 mile, flat bike path toasted me the other day. (I guess I worked a little harder than normal, but still!). Life is really getting in the way for my July STP. I knew it would, but signed up anyway. I'm so stressed out that I think it is actually zapping me physically too. So glad you got through your ride without training as well as you should have.

I just decided I will honor a friend who lost a leg to cancer in her teens. I will picture her snow skiing, what a site. We lost her a few years ago, but not without living life to the fullest!

[rubysoho]

Glad you liked my post. I have to say many of the tips (fuel early and often, break but not for too long, think of the the ride in small pieces, etc...) all came from friends or people who have been doing so many of these long rides (I was listening in on conversations! ). Those are people that helped me get through the mental part of my ride. Which, I think, is a huge part of it. I hope passing it along helps you (and others) achieve your goal. Again, I think it is very attainable for you based on your posts.

Oh - I did come up with talking to cows I passed all on my own. I think they recognized me on day 2!

[azfiddle]

Mel, that sounds like a good plan with the mid-week training.

On the long rides, are you doing okay with nutrition and hydration?
Remember to eat at least 100 calories every half hour, with plenty of water. On my first century, there was one point where I just didn't want to eat, and knew that was probably when I most needed it, so I choked down a gel. I felt better after that.

You want to be really comfortable with what works with your system on a long ride before the big day- no surprises!

[rubysoho]

On my first century, there was one point where I just didn't want to eat, and knew that was probably when I most needed it, so I choked down a gel. I felt better after that.

That is the same way I felt on day two. I was force feeding myself from morning until I finished my ride. Wasn't sure I could keep down lunch but somehow managed. Calories coming is are so important!

For anyone doing longer rides... definitely make sure you are getting enough calories in from the very beginning of the ride. And if you can, I recommend using what you've been training with rather than relying on something at the ride stations - though you can use those fruits, etc... as supplemental.

A trick a friend taught me if you have a powder to mix in your drink. Make individual baggies for ever hour you plan to ride. Take a small pair of scissors as well (packed in the saddle bag or somewhere they won't be a danger to you!!). Then, cut a corner on the bag as you use them to make a new drink. It makes pouring sooooo much easier because it funnels the mix into your water bottle rather than you having to open the top of the baggie and tap and angle and try to get the mix in without spilling (and if there is any wind, good luck! It blows everywhere without the funnel).

[Mel.b]

Just back in from a 60km spin. I think i'm coming to the realisation that I don't actually enjoy long rides I actually felt the same last week on my 120km cycle. I enjoyed the first part but it just became a chore after that, but I had no choice about it and had to keep going. Today I was within 1km of the car and had another 40km planned in the other direction but I just didn't want to. Honestly I would have been happy turning around after an hour and heading back to the car. Even though today's scenery was beautiful, I enjoyed my shorter rides in town during the week more. Plus as I was cycling along the coast looking at the water, I was thinking 'gee, wish I was diving instead'

On the plus side, I made it up the hill that I had to push up 12months ago, so I was delighted with that. Today was the first time since that I have tried it. I was in the granny gear for a lot of it, but I made it I'm not sure where all of this leaves me for the 180km which is in three weeks time. I don't know if it's fitness and because I'm so slow and that I cycle alone (although I had my ipod today) which makes it seem tedious or what?

I got a garmin 500 during the week and I can see how this is going to be a big help with my training, especially with regards to improving my cadence which is low. Here is a link to my stats and course from today
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/189826102 (ignore some of that heart rate data as it was playing up)

And of course, I can't forget to add some photos (although I'm cheating as these were taken on a different day although same route)

[goldfinch]

So pretty!

[Catrin]

Beautiful! And it doesn't matter when you took them