Things you wish you knew when training/riding your first century

[skywalkerbeth]

Hello

Well, the heat is really putting me off the training I had hoped for. It's not just hot it's insanely humid and "code red" for breathing if I'm not mistaken.

Ten weeks to go until my first century. It is going to go FAST.

What did you wish you knew, wish you did... when training for your first century? How about riding in it?

Mine will be the Seagull Century so it's pretty flat.

I thought this would be an interesting topic. Thanks for any replies!

[ny biker]

Actually, it is utterly and completely flat.

1. It's easier if Gatorade works for you, because they will supply it at the reststops so you won't have to worry about bringing your own electrolyte drink.

2. Have a good breakfast, and make sure it's something that won't upset your digestive system while you ride.

3. Make a packing list well before the ride so you won't forget anything.

4. If there's a nor'easter that day, just stay home. Trust me on this one.

5. If you're starting to feel cranky, achy, tired, wishing it would just be over already, etc., pull over and take a break. Have a snack and a drink. You'll feel better.

6. Those chicken farms do not smell good.

7. Smile and have fun!!

[indysteel]

I wish I'd made a point of keeping my stops short. There is nothing worse that trying to get your legs warmed up again on a hilly ride. Of course, you won't experience that at the Seagull Century. I've also learned to snack a bit between stops. After about 70 miles, I need more frequent food--something I can grab from my top tube bag.

[ny biker]

8. Only eat food if you're sure you can digest it while riding. This includes the homemade breads and the pie at the reststops. Lots of people can eat this stuff and be fine with it, but some of us can't. If it's chilly, that may affect your ability to digest food, because your body will have to work harder to keep you warm so it will take longer to digest things like homemade breads.

[DarcyInOregon]

The one thing I learned with respect to my own body is if the weather is extreme that day, like super hot or constant heavy rain, then don't do the century and just do whatever the short route is that is around 30-50 miles. Some people can ride in extreme weather; I can't. I've been on event rides where cyclists succumbed to heat stroke and heart attacks; I don't want to endanger my own health, so I am extra cautious on extreme heat days and will ride a shorter route.

As others observed about themselves is true of me also and that is I can't eat most of the stuff at the rest stops. I fill my water bottles with water, add my own electrolyte tablets, eat my own Power Bars and at most I will eat fresh fruit at the rest stop, then potato chips later in the ride if it is getting warm. I've biked with cycling buddies who can eat anything, thousands of calories at one rest stop, and it doesn't hinder their cycling at all, but my body can't eat and digest food like that.

[withm]

I wish I'd made a point of keeping my stops short. There is nothing worse that trying to get your legs warmed up again on a hilly ride. Of course, you won't experience that at the Seagull Century..

Yeah, the Seagull might be flat, but we make up for it with WIND. Lots of wind. Wind that does not stop. At least you can crest a hill and it's over. Not so with the wind.

And what ny biker said is true: 4. If there's a nor'easter that day, just stay home. 5-6-7-8 hours of riding in the rain AND WIND is just not worth it no matter how much you paid to participate in a ride with 6,000 of your closest friends.

[Grits]

Have a little baggy with some advil and a tums or two in it. Lifesaver if needed. On one ride, I really wish I had had a blister bandaid (they have a really strong adhesive) to cover up a place that was chafing.

Bring a snack or two that you can reliably eat and save it until the last part of the ride. I needed fuel, but could not stand the thought of eating what they had at the rest stops by then end of the ride. Luckily, a bag of fritos saved me.

Same with drink. If you normally drink something other than gatorade, bring a baggy or two of the mix or tablets or whatever to give yourself a break from the gatorade if it starts to get old- or at least alternate gatorade and water. After my first century, I couldn't drink gatorade again for months.

Ride from rest stop to rest stop.

[TrekTheKaty]

I reiterate all of the above about rest stops--stop at each one but make em quick (then you're all stocked up in case you miss a stop--it happens). On my first century, at the last stop, they were out of water and only had blue gatorade! BIL later threw away that water bottle--couldn't get the berry blue flavor out!

I'm celiac, so I carried most of the nourishment that I needed in a small handlebar bag (now i use bento and jersey pockets). Anything I found at rest stops I could eat was a bonus.

We also zip tie a tire under the seat or onto frame--don't want to risk waiting for the sag wagon on your big day!

[zoom-zoom]

Have a little baggy with some advil and a tums or two in it. Lifesaver if needed.

Skip the NSAIDs. Really. Kidneys are your friend. Renal failure is not.

[blue_angel]

I wrote all of my observations in this thread: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=43726

[Becky]

What Withm said. Do not underestimate the power of constant wind.

Eat and drink early and often, and bring some of your own snacks, just in case. Refill your bottles every chance you get. Bring some cash for stops, just in case.

Extra chamois cream in a packet or travel tub can be a godsend, especially if it's very humid or raining. Same thing with sunscreen.

Be prepared to change your own flats or fix minor mechanicals. It can be a long wait for the SAG wagon.

Have fun!

[bluebug32]

I learned to not stop too much and to be careful not to eat too much at the rest stops. Grap something, pee, and then get back on the bike quickly.

Also, don't stress out if you can't sleep the night before. You'll be running on adrenaline that day and you'll sleep like a baby the night after.

Regardless of how much you train, everyone seems to hit a point where dread sets in. The legs are tired, you're mentally tired and the damn thing is not over yet! For me, it was mile 80. I rode with two friends and luckily we all hit the wall at different points, so we could talk each other down.

[ny biker]

I don't remember the wind being a constant problem the first time I did the Sea Gull. Though there were windy sections, and there was a gust as I was crossing the bridge back from Assateague that blew me sideways pretty hard.

At the risk of sounding obsessed with food -- you'll also want to be careful about what you eat for dinner the night before. For me, having Mexican food before my first century was not a good idea. OTOH a huge bland meal at Cracker Barrel works great for me. You want something filling but easy on your digestive system.

It's harder to control your meals if you're staying in a hotel before the ride. I've been known to sneak a toaster into the hotel room so I can have waffles for my pre-ride breakfast. It's usually easier if you can eat something like oatmeal or cold cereal, if there is a microwave and fridge in the room.

Okay I think I'm done with food advice.

I've found that having a good song stuck in your head can make it easier to get through the tough parts of the ride. If necessary I will force myself to have a song stuck in my head by just focusing on one to keep my mind occupied. Of course that's if you're riding alone; if you've got someone to chat with, it helps the miles go by. If you're on your own and you find yourself riding at the same pace as a stranger, try striking up a conversation.

[blue_angel]

I've found that having a good song stuck in your head can make it easier to get through the tough parts of the ride. If necessary I will force myself to have a song stuck in my head by just focusing on one to keep my mind occupied. Of course that's if you're riding alone; if you've got someone to chat with, it helps the miles go by. If you're on your own and you find yourself riding at the same pace as a stranger, try striking up a conversation.

I actually wore earphones the whole time and listened to music. I probably wasn't supposed to, but I always ride listening to music and it makes all the difference. Especially when Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" came on as I was climbing the largest hill of the day!

[skywalkerbeth]

Thanks for the info everyone! I'm plugging away. Because I was going 30 this morning I packed a breakfast bar and stopped at mile 20 to eat it.

Question:

I have exactly 10 more weeks to train. Week 11 is the actual ride. I didn't ride the first two wkds of July (hiking trip to Norway, so I was exercising daily just not biking) and then last weekend I didn't ride outside (TOO HOT!!).

So I've had one wkd in July where I did 22 miles one day, 10 the other... and then this morning I did 30 miles.

Meaning: 11 weeks out and I'm only at 30 miles. Should I be worried?

I think I will do 30 miles next wkd, two days... and then each Saturday add 5 miles per day and do that one day, with half of that the next day (Sunday) each week. By the end of Sept I should be at 70 miles and then Oct 7 I'll do 80 and be done with it. Is that a good idea or am I bumping up too quickly?

I mostly only ride Sat and Sun although I am adding a few gym workouts during the week. Yoga and probably non-spinning class indoor cycling.