starting out on this diet and training idea.

[darkpoint]

I have been cycling commuting for years, 10 miles each way, and more recently that has been on a fixie.
But my time is nearly always the same and when I do get out to do longer rides they are a lot harder than expected.  Which seems to indicate that I have conditioned my body to be good at doing an hours worth of effort but no more.

I have started to get down to Herne Hill most Saturdays, which is forcing me to ride some prolonged faster miles.  (no chances for short breaks at traffic lights)  Which I am sure is doing me some good.  But it is also showing me that I could be a lot faster and have a lot more endurance.

Thinking that at some point I should attempt a 10, with the idea of getting that done in under 30 mins.   That and do some more longer rides so that I can ride 60 miles without it having to be the only thing I do all weekend.

As far as I can tell any improvements are going to have to come from:
 - Supplements like - whey protein  (I see people with this, but have no idea why I should want it..)
 - Buying a heart rate monitor
 - More longer rides, (finding a 20 mile route to work, then a 30...)
 - Interval training
 - Remember to have rest days
 - join a club and get out for longer rides over the winter,  (most club runs are on a Saturday so would clash with Herne Hill)
 - All of the above..
 - just give up and enjoy being slow.

So what do you advise that I tackle next?

[mattc]

I think the single thing that would produce improvement without any cost or extra time would be to manage your 10 mile commutes better.

Experts will be along shortly, but you could do something like:
- Ride hard in the evenings, take it easy in the morning.
- Do 1 session of 2 miles warm-up, then hard for 60secs, recover for 120, repeat.
- Do 2 sessions of 2 miles warm-up, 7 miles fast-as-you-can-sustain, 1 mile warm-down.

Maybe 1 day of 2 easy commutes.

Anyway, something like that should produce quick progress for no extra investment - this assumes you won't ride at the weekends. Using a HRM would help, but you can do these sessions mainly on "feel".

Make sure you have something to eat within 30minutes of any hard session - doesn't need to be much. Oh, and don't do a hard session in the morning after no breakfast!

[darkpoint]

Oh, and don't do a hard session in the morning after no breakfast!

That and it makes it look like I am far too keen about work...

[gonzo]

If you want to go better; avoid the pointless riding. Don't just sprint 'cause it's a village sign. If you want to improve your sprint, do sprints with real rests built in 3x a week for a month. If you aren't working on your sprint (work on one thing at a time) then don't sprint. Do specifics.

Training for long distances requires that you ride long distances. Do so at a level where your HR is constantly below 75% (above this, you'll not be able to just breathe through your nose nor will you be able to say whole sentances in conversation without breathing in the middle)

Training for 10s requires going balls out for 30 mins and not stopping at lights etc constantly.

Training for sprinting requires that you do lots of things like standing starts and traffic lights are great for this; stay clipped in at lights and when they change you sprint up to speed only using one gear, then hold it for 10-20 secs in that gear. This is meant to be overgeared at the start.

[gordon taylor]

 - just give up and enjoy being slow.

So what do you advise that I tackle next?

I advise the immediate purchase of a tricycle and a tweed cap. It worked for me. I now just need to find some swept-back handlebars and a pipe.

Seriously - slow cycling is good fun, deeply sociable, and it gives you time to nosey over the hedges and gape at the local architecture. I get passed every day by a dozen sweaty guys with their heads down and arses up - their eyes just moving from the computer reading to the roadside white line. I feel sorry for them.

[cometworm]

It sounds like you want to do two things, which are not necessarily connected but aren't contradictory either:

1. get faster, as measured by your time on your commute and/or 10m TT

2. get better endurance, so you can do longer rides without killing yourself

Getting faster in this sense isn't really a sprint, more of a lactate-threshold type workout. So doing intervals will help, as will time trials. But remember not to ride every commute as a time trial! You need to chill out on your "easy" days and ride hard on your hard days. Otherwise you wear yourself out so you never go hard enough on the hard days.

As gonzo says, training for endurance requires you to ride long rides at well below your threshold. Any long social ride, assuming it isn't with a psycho cycling club, should help - but to make sure you don't go too fast or too slow, a large amount of it could/should be solo. Riding on your own is nice, in a zen kind of way.

Improving your TT will also improve your endurance, to some extent, in that it will increase your lactate threshold and thus make you work at a lower proportion of your maximum on the long rides. But if you want to be good at riding long distances ... you have to ride long distances.

[darkpoint]

Thanks for the advice chaps,  sounds like I can adapt my commutes to improve things, then get out and do some long slower sessions at the weekends...

I should be able to manage that.

[Greenbank]

Mixing up your commute, and doing some LSD (Long Slow Distance) will also help your body train its fat metabolism too.

This is vital if you want to do long rides without feeling wiped out near the end (let alone afterwards!).

Also get a big dose of protein (milkshakes are perfect for this) within an hour of finishing a long ride. Your body will thank you.

[darkpoint]

Also get a big dose of protein (milkshakes are perfect for this) within an hour of finishing a long ride. Your body will thank you.

Just any milkshake, or are you delving into the slightly scary world of protein shakes?

[Greenbank]

Any really. I tend to drink Frijj milkshakes but even a pint of milk will do.

Protein/recovery drinks are more targeted for this but it's much easier to be able to go into most shops or petrol stations and get a milkshake off the shelf.

[darkpoint]

cool, I am a keen milk drinker, so have been nearly doing this anyway.