What do I need to do to make progress on getting my distances higher? I'd really like to work my way up to a century.
I'm bringing some food for my long ride. Just like ... a Cliff bar though.
Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Also supplement with gatorade or some other electrolyte mix drink that will replenish your electrolytes.
Try the energy gels like GU rather than the hearty energy bars. When you're trying to add distance you're body needs to absorb that energy as easily as possible. Gels are extremely easy to digest, whereas bars require more energy to digest.
Lastly, take it easy. You're not gonna magically be able to ride a century overnight. Work your way up.
Cheers and beers.
__________________
"Ride like you want to ride tomorrow." - something my father told me from day 1.
From a physical standpoint: move around on the bike a bit on the longer rides. Exaggerate your motions a bit to stretch.
Nutrition wise: hydration starts with consuming a bottle of water (20-24oz) the hour before your ride, then aim to put down a bottle an hour... It's also good to have some calories in th bottle (80 cal seems to be a Good rule of thumb - which is also equal to a scoop of powdered Gatorade). Then you should plan for a snack roughly every 45 minutes on your ride - if you go to the point that your energy is depleted and you're feeling tired - you've already waited too long.
That said, I consume more on the bike than anyone I ride with... I'm also 30-40lb heavier than all of them and lower bf than all but one.
Keep it up, you'll get there!
__________________
Rest in Peace - Jason "Snocompton" Jones 2/23/87 - 11/4/11
Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Also supplement with gatorade or some other electrolyte mix drink that will replenish your electrolytes.
Try the energy gels like GU rather than the hearty energy bars. When you're trying to add distance you're body needs to absorb that energy as easily as possible. Gels are extremely easy to digest, whereas bars require more energy to digest.
Lastly, take it easy. You're not gonna magically be able to ride a century overnight. Work your way up.
Cheers and beers.
I take gel packs, gummy snacks, and grain/bars always. Which snack depends on where I'm at in the ride.
__________________
Rest in Peace - Jason "Snocompton" Jones 2/23/87 - 11/4/11
Thanks gents! That was surprisingly fast replies for being on a motorcycle forum.
I've been adding about 5 miles to my ride every week or so, which seems to be reasonable based on the century training guides I've been looking at. The long ride has been no big deal up to the point that I jumped from ~33 to ~40, at which point those extra miles were pretty damn grueling. Gave it another go last weekend and dialed it back to about 37, but still hit the same wall.
Sounds like I should definitely bring more water. I down a bottle before I leave, but only bring one with me. Time to break out the Camelbak, and grab a few more snacks.
Should probably get in more miles during the week too, as per century training guides.
One thing I forgot to mention - once I hit that wall and legs start throbbing I've noticed my heart rate will start to spike with very little effort. Is that anything I can read into?
Sounds like I should definitely bring more water. I down a bottle before I leave, but only bring one with me. Time to break out the Camelbak, and grab a few more snacks.
One thing I forgot to mention - once I hit that wall and legs start throbbing I've noticed my heart rate will start to spike with very little effort. Is that anything I can read into?
Yeah you're definitely gonna want more water. Plan for a bottle ~20oz per hour. And if you're gonna be doing more than 40 miles, you're gonna have to plan a route where you can fill up when you're out. Like the other guy said, drink the entire time, not just when you're thirsty. If you're thirsty, you're done for.
I'd imagine you're using a computer/gps to track your distance. Consider turning it off or only displaying speed/cadence to help you overcome the mental wall of that 40 mile mark.
__________________
"Ride like you want to ride tomorrow." - something my father told me from day 1.
Back story: had open heart surgery 5 years ago (at age 23) had an aortic aneurism, now have an artificial aortic valve and some artificial tubing.
Was mainly running to keep my heart healthy, but had some IT Band issues in August and decided to get a road bike to try something that would still give me a great workout, but without the hard impact of running.
Bought a cheapo bike. Was riding 40'ish miles a week up until about a month ago when the weather changed. Did do one 60 mile ride in September.
Thanks gents! That was surprisingly fast replies for being on a motorcycle forum.
I've been adding about 5 miles to my ride every week or so, which seems to be reasonable based on the century training guides I've been looking at. The long ride has been no big deal up to the point that I jumped from ~33 to ~40, at which point those extra miles were pretty damn grueling. Gave it another go last weekend and dialed it back to about 37, but still hit the same wall.
Sounds like I should definitely bring more water. I down a bottle before I leave, but only bring one with me. Time to break out the Camelbak, and grab a few more snacks.
Should probably get in more miles during the week too, as per century training guides.
One thing I forgot to mention - once I hit that wall and legs start throbbing I've noticed my heart rate will start to spike with very little effort. Is that anything I can read into?
Guess I picked a good week to pop my head back into the forum!
Your fickle heart rate is a sign of fatigue - take the aforementioned nutrition notes and you likely won't run into that for awhile at least.
If you can get in 15-22 miles a few times during the week then at least one 2-3 hour ride on the weekend - you should continue to improve.
__________________
Rest in Peace - Jason "Snocompton" Jones 2/23/87 - 11/4/11
I've actually decided to have a target race weight next season... which will be lighter than I've been in 6-7 years. Made a lot easier by the fact that I'm walking around ~6 lbs lighter these days thanks to pedals and not being able to eat gluten
__________________
Rest in Peace - Jason "Snocompton" Jones 2/23/87 - 11/4/11
Linear Mode
