Get me going!

[Julian]

I've finally decided that I need to do some of the T-word.  Training.  This is largely inspired by Charlotte & Erica's Race Against Time, because back in January Erica (and I hope she won't mind me saying this) was slower than me on a couple of 100k rides we did together and less than chuffed about hills.  By March she was kicking my arse round Essex and now she's riding 150miles a day at 20mph in a race pack. 

Having lost the "it's not physically possible" excuse, I'm thinking I'd quite like to be that fit and fast. 

This has also coincided with my friend J. dragging me off to cardio kickboxing where she proceeded to be far, far better than me.  I wouldn't mind, but she's a 40-a-day smoker, can happily drink two bottles of wine a night, and this is her first effort at exercise in Some Time.  I might be able to ride 600km round Wales, but I can't run twenty times round a room without looking, in J.'s kind words "as if you're going to die."

Then there's the prospect of the Mersey Roads, followed by America, on the tandem.  Charlotte is fitter than I am anyway, and I suspect will return from John O'Groats even fitter.  She might not be able to leave me behind on a tandem, but I don't want her to be wishing she could!  If the division of labour is going to be anything like equitable, I need to smarten up.*

My main problem is motivation, which is the main reason why I'm posting this here.  If enough people know I'm trying to train, I should hopefully be able to shame myself into getting out the door.

The second is advice.  I've reached a happy plateau where I can ride at my own pace for a long time, but I find it really difficult to push myself out of my comfort zone for anything like long enough to constitute training.  This is probably because I iz not an atherlete of any description so I've never tried. 

My current plan, apart from my commute (8 miles each way but destroyed by traffic lights every ten seconds), is to join the local sports centre and aim for two sessions of spinning, one swim, and one yoga session (cos I've always fancied yoga and I want to be bendier) every week.  Weekends through July are spoken for with a 400k, the Dun Run, then the Mersey Roads. 

Does that sound like a sensible plan, and is there anything I should be doing to ensure that it actually makes me fitter and faster apart from attending and giving it a bit of voom?  All tips etc. welcome. 


*I did suggest that I could just glue her to the sofa and feed her pizza, cake and beer-free beer until she is reduced to my levels of fitness, but she didn't like the idea.

[Ian H]

...I find it really difficult to push myself out of my comfort zone for anything like long enough to constitute training...

It's much easier with someone who'll push you, or with a club, or living somewhere hillsome like wot Devon is.

[MSeries]

Yes, I got faster by riding with faster people for as long as I could. My club was quite encouraging but take no prisoners.

[Greenbank]

Learn to use your commute as intensive, interval or recovery rides. 8 miles is about perfect for this.

There's a whole article about doing exactly this in this weeks Cycling Weakly.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

My current plan, apart from my commute (8 miles each way but destroyed by traffic lights every ten seconds), is to join the local sports centre and aim for two sessions of spinning, one swim, and one yoga session (cos I've always fancied yoga and I want to be bendier) every week.  Weekends through July are spoken for with a 400k, the Dun Run, then the Mersey Roads. 

Does that sound like a sensible plan, and is there anything I should be doing to ensure that it actually makes me fitter and faster apart from attending and giving it a bit of voom?  All tips etc. welcome. 

I would replace one of those spin sessions with a hard (to very hard) training ride on the tandem.  At some point, the pair of you need to know how to go fast on it, rather than just getting round a long audax.

You already know how to do pain, you just need to have it be the result of lactic-acid, rather than knees going pop...

[Air Dancer]

Your commute.....to avoid all those traffic lights, devise another route to minimise these. It'll probably be slightly further, but more miles is better.

[Jasmine]

Don't worry too much about not being able to run 20 times round a room unless you want to do triathalon.  I sometimes go to circuit training in the winter.  I generally run slowly.  One day one of the really macho guys saw me unlocking my bike afterwards and asked if the ride home was far.  He looked horrified when I told him it was only 10 miles.  Becoming a gym bunny is not your target.

I have found the club run can sometimes be quite good, but if your club doesn't have many women or a 'slow'* group it might be hard to break into the men's group.  It can be demoralising if the group starts at 18 mph on a warm up and then break into 23-25 mph and drop you as soon as you get out of town. 



*slow often doesn't mean slow.  It can mean fast, but not mental fast

[Julian]

Riding with faster people - maybe I will try a Tuesday night club ride, although I'm a bit concerned that those are for the really fast mentalists.  Still, if they drop me, they drop me.  It's not like I'm not used to that.   

LWaB - that's a good idea - maybe use Richmond Park.

The commute isn't going to be useful, I'm afraid.  Not only is there *not* another route to minimise lights (I'm in north-west London, it's riddled with them) but I usually have panniers stuffed with court papers, suit and shoes.

[rae]

If you want to go fast on the bike, forget the gym, and get thee to Regent's park.  Or Richmond, which ever is easier.   Chase everything on two wheels - from commuters who wonder what his going on, to hardened roadies who will make you cry with pain.    Chase mopeds with fat kids on them.  Chase buses. 

There are loads of people in the park doing the same thing, the informal racing is one hell of a laugh.

[MSeries]

Riding with faster people - maybe I will try a Tuesday night club ride, although I'm a bit concerned that those are for the really fast mentalists.  Still, if they drop me, they drop me.  It's not like I'm not used to that.   

It's the season when people are fit and fast. In the winter months the others will be a bit slower and more inclined to go easy on a slower rider.
I believe riding fixed helped to get me faster too, got me spinning faster and stronger through getting the bigger gear rolling from stationary and climbing in a bigger gear.

[Really Ancien]

Don't do anything which will generate a knee or Achilles problem, miles are the best training for the 24, anything which suddenly puts more load on your connective tissues is to be avoided. More aerobic load is probably a good idea but make sure you spin. You will need active rest for the week prior to the 24, there's no point starting it tired. My best (albeit poor) performance followed a 600 permanent done in 32 hours 10 days before the event and a 25 on the Thursday before done at 80% to test the set-up.
So realistically you have 3 weeks to train, a 400 and the Dun Run sound good. But don't panic, 312 is a nice target as it will get you 5 points. As you are both inexperienced your best guide to performance will be the first 12 hours of the 24 itself. Usually the 100 mile times and the distance for 12 hours are given during the ride. In 2001 I supported Heather and I kept her updated with luggage labels tied to her water bottles. She did 312 miles.

Damon.

[Tiger]

Your commute is your secret weapon - since you already do it.  Stopwatch and go for fastest time each ride. Allow nobody to overtake you - every traffic light a finish line and get breath back. If you aren't soaked through and gasping by the time you finsih 8 miles you aren't pushing yourself.
The effect will be dramatic and will set you up with endorphins that will makle you want to do the race in the park as well.

[andygates]

I need events to train for: the ticking calendar is my motivator (and it has to be a little bit scary too).  Hence the half-iron: it's a goad to motivate my training.  Then it's just a case of finding or working out a Plan, printing the Plan off, and Hail Plan Thou Art Right And Good.

[Julian]

Woss your Plan, then, Andy?

You have enviable calves, so it must be good. 

[rogerzilla]

Go time trialling.  It's the hardest thing you'll ever do on a bike - as you get fitter it doesn't become easier, you just get round quicker.

[Julian]

I have 2 bikes in good working order at the moment - my Thorn Brevet and my fixie.  Would I be allowed to time trial on a steel frame / 26" wheels / mudguards and rack?  If so I might give it a go as there is a set of Thursday evening 10s nearby...

[rogerzilla]

I have 2 bikes in good working order at the moment - my Thorn Brevet and my fixie.  Would I be allowed to time trial on a steel frame / 26" wheels / mudguards and rack?  If so I might give it a go as there is a set of Thursday evening 10s nearby...

You can TT on anything as long as it's road-legal and not recumbent or faired.   I've used the Thorn Nomad with rack and dynamo lighting, although I did clip on tri-bars.  28:36 in foul weather.

The fixie would be better - something like 48 x 15 is a good sort of ratio.

Try and get under 30 minutes for your first one, then aim to knock off another 3-4 minutes by the end of the season.

[Ian H]

I need events to train for...

Go time trialling...

Wednesday evening 10s starting 1900 at Daisymount, run by Exeter Wheelers, CS Dynamo and Sid Valley in rotation.

[David Martin]

Go time trialling.  It's the hardest thing you'll ever do on a bike - as you get fitter it doesn't become easier, you just get round quicker.

Aye, it just hurts for less time.

Oh, and hills.

..d

[mike]

+ 1 for going faster by training harder.  I've been doing 2 x 20 minute intervals most weeks since march, and been going out with local mentalist triathletes occasionally and have got a lot quicker.  It's fun too

[Julian]

Twice on this thread have these been mentioned - what exactly are intervals?

<------ happily ignorant till now 

[mike]

The ones I've been doing are 20 minutes at '90% ish' effort - so not quite flat out, lungs bursting but hard enough you cant hold a conversation.  A heart rate monitor helps make sure you dont cheat .  Then theres a break (either 5 or 10 minutes) trying to recover, then another 20 as before, normally a bit slower.  The theory is that 10 minutes after the second one, you could do a third if someone threatened you with violence.  I've never tried it...  I dont particularly enjoy doing them but the endorphin rush afterwards is grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!!!!

I think there are other shorter, nastier types.

[Julian]

Oh, I get it.  Where should your heart rate be if you're using a HRM?

Last time I tried to use a HRM I wanted to know what my heart rate should be for fat-burning, and it told me to multiply my age by the number of wisdom teeth I had, divide by my weight in kilograms and give the answer in furlongs, or something, so I've never bothered with one.

[rogerzilla]

I've also tried the short intervals; 1 minute at 100% interspersed with 2 minutes at Level 2 cruising.

I don't recommend them - after 10 reps I was shaking like a leaf.

[mike]

Oh, I get it.  Where should your heart rate be if you're using a HRM?

Last time I tried to use a HRM I wanted to know what my heart rate should be for fat-burning, and it told me to multiply my age by the number of wisdom teeth I had, divide by my weight in kilograms and give the answer in furlongs, or something, so I've never bothered with one.

there's a lot of bunkum out there to work out your 'fat burning zones'. Ignore.  First thing is to work out your maximum, so sprint up a hill several times and write down the biggest number you see - it'll be a bit blurred, but apparently that's normal.   Then work out 90% of that.

My max is 197, my 20 minute intervals are at about 180.  I say about - if it goes over 182, I slow down a bit, if it goes under 175 I work a bit harder.  If it stays over 185 for too long too early, I'm unlikely to finish both 20 minute pieces.

Malvolio wrote a great bit about fat burning using a low heart rate, and I think Grub or Gonzo wrote about 'going faster by going slower' - both worth a read for the days your *not* doing intervals!