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Training for the Buff Epic

Old 07-24-13, 09:38 PM
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ninjai
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Training for the Buff Epic

So I have been riding my road bike for about a year (with a break over the winter, brrrbbrbrrrr cold!). I have only rode 20-22 miles at most in one go though I ride 13 miles commuting every day. I would like to start training for the buff epic (link below) which is 100 miles. I have no idea how to train for something like this. The date is september 8th, so I have roughly 1 month and 18 days to train for this ride.

2 questions then,
1. Is it a reasonable goal to expect to be able to ride 100 miles in less than 2 months?/ Should I pick a later 100 mile ride instead?

2. How do I train for such an event?



Thanks in advance for any advice you may have

https://www.buffalobicycleclassic.com/

Last edited by ninjai; 07-24-13 at 09:42 PM.
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Old 07-25-13, 06:03 AM
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unterhausen
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have you been doing any climbing?
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Old 07-25-13, 06:28 AM
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If you're commuting 12 miles each way daily, a century shouldn't be out of the question. If it's only 6.5 miles each way, well, it might be a bit tougher but it's still doable.

If it was me, I'd do progressively longer weekend rides between now and "century day" - say something like this 30, 40, 50, 65 and then the weekend prior to the event, do 40 again. On my daily commutes home, I'd up the intensity a bit on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday and on the weekend ride, I'd be shooting for 60% of max heart rate for the majority of the rides with minimal stopping.

There isn't a need to ride farther than 70 miles prior to event day. On event day, ride to finish, not to finish fastest.

Take one day a week off from riding at all - recover.

YMMV

Added: Looking at the route profile, the hills come at the start. That's good and bad -- finish them and you "coast" home (okay, not literally). Otoh, they can wear you out if you don't pace yourself, leaving you with no energy or desire to finish. So, go ride parts of that section on the weekend. Get an idea of what pace you can set yourself without burning out. The more hills you can do beforehand, the more informed you will be about how you're doing on event day.

Last edited by 20_700c; 07-25-13 at 06:37 AM.
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Old 07-25-13, 10:39 AM
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
have you been doing any climbing?
This is a totally reasonable question. I have not done any exclusively, though there aren't really any flats in town, everything is some type of hill or another. Though there are some very steep steeps on the way to work that I should incorporate, and I will begin that tomorrow (as I have the day off today! )

I just got done riding 26 miles today, took me around 1:49 with 20 miles coming along at around 1:28 with one stop. I've not ridden so long since last summer, so I didn't know how I would feel afterwards, but I am not fatigued or sore, and My heart rate only increased higher than 60% on the sprints on the last 2 miles (meaning I only rode at a pace that was comfortable for both cardiovascular and muscular exertion)

I thought about doing something like tacking on an extra 10 miles every week. It is nice to see someone else say it, I feel a little more reassured that it is the right decision.

So here's what I'm thinking, please give me feedback.

I work M, T, W, F
M, W hard and fast rides,
T, F hills hills hills,
Th long rides (tacking on an extra 10 every week seem good?) and
Sat a fun ride (I go ride trails with a local shop on weekends, and I have this one as a fun ride because I read some article about importance of slower rides during your workout plan. Is that accurate?)

Sun RECOVERY!!!

Is this reasonable?
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Old 07-25-13, 07:49 PM
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Besides training for stamina and performance, as you increase distance you need to look at eating and drinking habits. This is what makes the biggest difference when you move up from shorter rides. You'll need to get into a habit of consuming throughout the ride during those longer rides (not necessarily for the shorter tempo or hill rides).

Also take a look at the good advice in this thread, if you haven't already:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ding-a-Century
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Old 07-25-13, 08:45 PM
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Just go ride the heck out of your bike, take a day or two off right before the event. Check to make sure they don't have a time limit. You don't just roll over dead on a ride that's too long, you just get slower and slower. Pace yourself, don't try to keep up with guys that have been riding the mountains for 20 years.
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Old 09-10-13, 02:35 AM
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I'd up the intensity a bit on Tuesday and Thursday.
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Old 09-10-13, 05:50 AM
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Originally Posted by CaraiJewex
I'd up the intensity a bit on Tuesday and Thursday.
From the original post, "The date is september 8th..." So a bit late to up the intensity.
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Old 06-14-22, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by 20_700c
If you're commuting 12 miles each way daily, a century shouldn't be out of the question. If it's only 6.5 miles each way, well, it might be a bit tougher but it's still doable.

If it was me, I'd do progressively longer weekend rides between now and "century day" - say something like this 30, 40, 50, 65 and then the weekend prior to the event, do 40 again. On my daily commutes home, I'd up the intensity a bit on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday and on the weekend ride, I'd be shooting for 60% of max heart rate for the majority of the rides with minimal stopping.

There isn't a need to ride farther than 70 miles prior to event day. On event day, ride to finish, not to finish fastest.

Take one day a week off from riding at all - recover.

YMMV

Added: Looking at the route profile, the hills come at the start. That's good and bad -- finish them and you "coast" home (okay, not literally). Otoh, they can wear you out if you don't pace yourself, leaving you with no energy or desire to finish. So, go ride parts of that section on the weekend. Get an idea of what pace you can set yourself without burning out. The more hills you can do beforehand, the more informed you will be about how you're doing on event day.
I know this is an old post, but I've never done a multi-century before and I'm in even more of a desperate situation hah. I'm doing a race from Massachusetts to Connecticut June 24-26. I got a really late start on my training due to an injury, so I haven't worked my way up to a double-century in the training yet (though I have done multi-day training). I'm thinking about doing a back-to-back 75 mi day this Thurs & Fri, but a little concerned about overtraining since the event is in 10 days.

Below is a new thread I started but have yet to get responses (sorry about the bold, couldn't switch it). PLEASE HELP, and thank you!!

I'm doing the Tri-State Trek from Boston to Greenwich (CT) from June 24-26. The trek is 270 miles over 3 days, about 90 miles/day.
A few months ago, right before I was set to begin my training, I tore my bicep and had surgery. Rehab has gone well, but I've only had ~5 weeks to train on a bike (2 of those weeks on a stationary bike).
Outdoor training rides I've done so far (8 total):

May 28th - 2 hrs
May 29th - 2.5 hrs

June 2nd - 3 hrs
June 3rd - 3.5 hrs
June 4th - 3.5 hrs

June 10th - 5.5 hrs
June 11th - 4.5 hrs
June 12th - 2.5 hrs

Now, with 10 days left,I'm looking for a plan to help me get to the finish line. I'm not backing out. It's for a cause a strongly believe in. My goal is to finish the race.
Can you please offer recommendations on how you would spend these remaining training days if you were me?

Relevant background:

- former college athlete (mid 30's now)
- been active since college with various sports including soccer and basketball
- NO endurance cycling experience; NO cycling-as-a-hobby experience (transportation in college, junior high)
- I understand training recovery: diet, rest, stretching, roll out/massage, etc.

I took this Thurs and Friday off of work to support any remaining training I need to do. (Training needs to conclude next Tues; I leave for Boston -from CA- next Wed).
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