How much training do I really need...?
#1
multimodal commuter
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
How much training do I really need...?
Okay, so... last year I didn't ride much, and my conditioning suffered. I was still able to ride a 400 and a 1000 without terrible pain, but I felt slow.
This year is worse. Very little riding since March, though I did a 140 mile ride on my fixed gear last week.
But I'm signed up for the Iron Porcupine 1200. I'm not worried about a DNQ (there is no Q in this case), but I do want to enjoy the ride and finish more or less on schedule.
I don't have much time for "training" before then, so I need to do the bare minimum. No more, no less.
Any suggestions?
This year is worse. Very little riding since March, though I did a 140 mile ride on my fixed gear last week.
But I'm signed up for the Iron Porcupine 1200. I'm not worried about a DNQ (there is no Q in this case), but I do want to enjoy the ride and finish more or less on schedule.
I don't have much time for "training" before then, so I need to do the bare minimum. No more, no less.
Any suggestions?
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
#2
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,364
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,664 Times
in
2,497 Posts
Ride 2 or 3 100km rides a week.
#3
Senior Member
I do a few shorter hard sessions in the next week or two and then focus on what unterhausen says, hopefully the shorter difficult rides provide a bit of a kickstart to things? If I were in this situation I'd also really try and optimize my time at controls, it's never something I've been very good at or had a lot of reason to change but given the small field of riders it should be a good one to try and maximize sleep time instead of shooting the breeze at the other controls.
#4
Jedi Master
I think the bare minimum is 3 rides a week. One long one (4+ hours) on the weekend and two hard ones (1-2 hours) during the week. We're using ePOP for the IP so you can skip some of the stops all together if you can carry enough food and water on the bike.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 4,672
Bikes: 82 Medici, 2011 Richard Sachs, 2011 Milwaukee Road
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1924 Post(s)
Liked 1,954 Times
in
1,086 Posts
I am intriqued and somewhat relieved that someone with almost 20k posts(all of which are on point and clearly informed) is asking a training question. And you've done very little riding since March, but you just rode 140 miles on a fixed gear? Lube your chain. You are ready.
__________________
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Posts: 658
Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 223 Post(s)
Liked 162 Times
in
106 Posts
Gotta admit, that's very impressive. Beats anything I've done this year, save maybe my grueling 90 mile, 10k elevation ride in PA two months ago. Those constant hills near OhioPlye killed me. (I didn't know about the Alleghany Passage at the time, but I'm going back to it soon).
#7
multimodal commuter
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
Thanks, guys!
So the consensus is I don't need to do a 300, 400, 600? That's a relief.
After about fifteen miles on the fixie last week my saddle started hurting me pretty bad, and I thought I'd have to bail for sure, but that pain went away. Legs were sure heavy for a couple days afterwards, though.
So the consensus is I don't need to do a 300, 400, 600? That's a relief.
After about fifteen miles on the fixie last week my saddle started hurting me pretty bad, and I thought I'd have to bail for sure, but that pain went away. Legs were sure heavy for a couple days afterwards, though.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
#8
Jedi Master
If your only goal is to finish, you don't really need to be that fit, just determined. Training minimizes the suffering.
#9
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,364
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,664 Times
in
2,497 Posts
I think it's too late to do anything other than a 300, and I don't really think that's necessary. A 200 might be good practice. You might be a bit miserable on the second day. I always feel like crap the day after any ride over 100 miles. But then I do fine on 1200k's.
I think the main prep you should take is getting some lantiseptic skin protectant in case of saddle sores.
I think the main prep you should take is getting some lantiseptic skin protectant in case of saddle sores.