Training for a century

**liner** · 08-05-2002, 08:54 AM

I will be riding my first century on September 21. I am following a training guide from Susan Weaver's "A Woman's Guide to Cycling." I would greatly appreciate all advice and tips anyone can provide to help me with my goal. I sometimes have lower back pain, does anyone have any good on-bike stretches to help alleviate this? Thanks!

**Vicki** · 08-05-2002, 12:15 PM

Hey I think that is great. I too am training to get ready to ride in a century sometime this fall. I can't really give any advice or tips since I am looking for them too. My only advice is to have fun every step of the way. I just try to ride everyday if possible. Some days I ride 20 or 30 miles and try to keep the pace up that I want and other days I try doing sprints (ride as fast as I can for maybe 50 yards then ride slow 50 yards and keep repeating this till I have had enough. Yesterday I tried spinning and I think it really helped me.
One thing I can truly give you is lots of encouragement. You can do anything that you truly want to. You will make it and so will I.
Good luck and have fun. Let us all know how you do.

Vicki

**liner** · 08-05-2002, 01:41 PM

Thanks for your encouragement, Vicky. I am certain we both will make it. I just want to finish feeling as good as I possibly can.

**ayermail2** · 08-06-2002, 03:29 PM

I too am training for a first century, this November.
Some on-bike stretches that I have found very helpful on multi-day rides include:

* reach one arm straight behind your back and twist the arm toward the inside; repeat with other arm

* reach one arm straight up in the air, stretch it over your head to the opposite side; repeat with other arm

* pause pedalling for a moment, push down with one foot, straighten (but don't lock) that leg while pushing backward on the other pedal - this one stretches the bottom of your foot and your hamstring; repeat with other foot

* pause pedalling for a moment, stand up on both feet and straighten your back, then push a little bit forward like you're trying to push your butt forward through your middle, almost like a slight backbend...

* this one helps, but I have trouble staying straight

when I do it: gently stretch the neck by tipping your head to each side, forward a little bit, and back a little bit

if anybody knows of others I would be glad to hear them too!!

**Trek420** · 08-06-2002, 04:12 PM

Hi,

Just a suggestion if you have lower back pain I've found a few things that help. If you already know either of these tips just ignore me ;-)

One; Have your trusty mechanic check the fit on your bike to identify any issues there. Your message doesn't say
how tall you are, I'm short (5'1"). Cycling was painful till I got women-specific handlebars.
Wow, braking and shifting at the same time without throwing out my shoulder, who knew?!

Two: Sure you need strong legs and aerobic fitness on long rides. But cyclists also need strong and
flexible core muscles that act as a base for all that pedaling. A few crunches will help
support your lower back. If you already do plenty of those the stretches aermail2 suggested
are good to keep those 6 pac abs flexible!

Three: I know it sounds silly but breathe! Especially on hills. One AIDS ride
rider I know sings on hills (makes sense, if you're singing, you must be breathing). Disco on
uphills for the cadence, r&b classics on downhills and flats. Just kidding on the last part.

**ayermail2** · 08-06-2002, 04:29 PM

Thanks for the great advice Trek420! It's certainly more motivation to do the Pilates every day, especially at 5 am!

{Great book, BTW, is The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...774667-8579314 , I've tried other books and videos and keep coming back to this one!}

**Trek420** · 08-07-2002, 07:28 AM

Pilates at 5 am?! The only thing I do not absolutely love about cycling is that centuries start sooo early in the morning. Not a morning person does not begin to describe me. ;-)

I used to do a full regimine of stretching before getting on the bike. I've read that stretching cold muscles is not good. Now on longer training rides I do a few light stretches, just enough to stop the creaking and cracking and get on the bike and spin for the first 4-5 miles, then get off and do a few more.

**Vicki** · 08-07-2002, 10:37 AM

trek 420
I'm not a morning person either. The first ride I did back in June started at 7:00 am and I kept thinking why so early. It didn't take long for me to figure it out. It was so much cooler then and if I would have been riding the century ride then I would have died in the Texas heat come 12:00. Funny thing now though is sometimes 12:00 is the only time I can get out to ride. One man on the side of the road yelled at me saying "you picked the hottest time of the day to ride". I told him " you have to ride when ever you get a chance".

Vicki

**liner** · 08-07-2002, 04:00 PM

trek 420
Thanks for the advice. I will be trying those stretches out on my next long ride.

Liner

**Trek420** · 08-08-2002, 12:15 PM

You're wellcome. Enjoy the century, let us know how it goes. Which one are you planning to do?

**liner** · 08-08-2002, 05:25 PM

The one I am going to do is called the Hope Ride. It is in a small town in Indiana named Hope. The town puts it on every year. Last year was my first to ride it and I did 50 with a vow to myself to do more this year. They have entertainment and lots of good food. The course will be fairly flat. I thought it would be a good one for my first century. A friend is also going to do it, she is 16 years younger than me and likes to ride fast. I don't think I will be able to ride at her pace, but we are doing some training rides together. (Yes, I am an old hag!) I have some other riding buddies that will be riding part of it also.

Liner

**Trek420** · 08-08-2002, 10:01 PM

Liner,

Sounds like a fun. Right now I have no event planned except maybe Foxy's Fall
Century in October in Davis. I'm trying to commute more by bike to add training time
and gear up for next year for the Ciderella (a women's only century here
in CA) for my first time and the AIDS camping ride for my second time a 2-day 175 mile
ride. Don't be impressesd about that, I got lost on the camping ride and did not finish!

Tip for the day; just because you see a rider turn left does not mean that you do, they
might not be on your ride ;-)

I'm an old hag too. Just keep training, you may dust your young buddy!

TREK420

**roadie gal** · 08-14-2002, 09:05 PM

Good luck on your century! I did my first one last year and loved it.

I also get back pains. Strengthening your abdominal muscles definitely helps support your back. Crunches and leg lifts really help.

But even after stretching and strengthening and checking the bike fit, about 60 miles into the ride, I still get pains. I discovered that 400 - 600 mg of ibuprofen about 1/2 an hour before the ride stopped me from hurting. I would do all of that other stuff first, but if you still hurt, you might try this.

**Trek420** · 08-19-2002, 12:02 PM

Roadie gal,

Ah, ibuprofin. Food of the gods! Definately one of the 4 major food groups!

Since my joints are basicly a wreck from many years of Aikido I used to take quite a bit of the stuff. But it's hard on the tummy and has been linked to tintinitus (sp? ringing in the ears) so I limit it.

I used to think that R.I.C.E meant Rest Ibuprofin Compression and Elevation. I've changed it back to I for Ice ;-)

TREK420

**liner** · 08-20-2002, 02:13 PM

Hi Everyone!

Thank you all for your suggestions. My training is coming along quite well. I have had a little soreness in my knees, I think that is due to me increasing my mileage a little too quickly. My lower back has hardly bothered me much at all, which has been a good surprise!

My longest ride so far has been 59 miles. I took some ibuprofen after the first 20 miles. I met up with some friends and they were eating it like candy. I did get a little bit of a stomach ache that didn't last very long. I think I will try to limit my intake until Century Day.

Liner

Thread: Training for a century

Thread Tools

Display

Training for a century

century training/stretches

thanks!

Posting Permissions