Am i training right

[Andy_G]

I work from 8;30-6pm Monday-Friday as do most people, and im trying to up my training.

I try to ride 20 miles every other day before work including Prune hill or Priest hill which is about 5-6% grad and about 300ft climb, and i ride home everyday(4 miles), im planning now to up my weekend rides to about 30 miles+.
My plans are to do more sportives and in 9 weeks im doing a 95 miler, is my training ok.

 

[Garz]

One thing I am not clear on is do you commute to and from work to complete 4 miles or is it a one way leg?

The general guide to sportives is completing near enough the mileage about 3-4 weeks before and start tapering off. If its a hilly affair focus on hills, or work on your speed using interval bursts. One long ride per week should be enough to get the mileage, use your other days to work on different areas.

 

[black'n'yellow]

long ride tomorrow - forget about riding 30 and go for 50+ regardless of how long it takes - if you pace it properly, it should be easily do-able. If you don't start hitting that sort of distance now, you will struggle with 95 in 9 weeks. No need to taper at this level.

 

[Andy_G]

oops my bad, yeah i do commute and i do 20 miles to work and then 4 home, i thought about doing another 20 miles home.

All i know about the route is that they have rated it 2/5 so im guessing its not that bad, ive done 55 miles in one hit averaging 16.9 mph so im hoping thats not an issue, and when you say "working on speed interval bursts" do you mean, go at an average pace for say 5 mins and then 30 secs flat out.?

 

[Andy_G]

Right so if say if my next weekend ride is 50 followed by 60,70,80, then 70,60,50, with week day rides 2 of them i concentrate on hills and one i do speed interval bursts.

 

[ianrauk]

Agree with Black 'n' Yellow.
Go for the 50. With your level of fitness you already have, It's far enough for you to have to push yourself and not far enough to absolutely kill you.

 

[black'n'yellow]

just concentrate your sunday rides (or whatever day you do your long rides) on riding as far as possible. If you are out for three hours currently, then go for four next time. Don't sweat the actual mileage too much, but once you can come back feeling relatively ok from a 5 hour ride, then you will be in the ballpark. Controlling your pace/effort is the key to getting round the long rides successfully in the first instance.

Ride your shorter rides at a much higher pace/effort - doing so will gradually push up your aerobic threshold.

 

[Garz]

Right so if say if my next weekend ride is 50 followed by 60,70,80, then 70,60,50, with week day rides 2 of them i concentrate on hills and one i do speed interval bursts.

Personally I see nothing wrong with this, you also could do BnY and hit the distance straight off - just don't overdo it and go well prepared (repair kit, spares, food).

 

[Andy_G]

Cheers chaps for your advice, ill be doing it the way you said from now on.
I'll post how im getting on to let you know .

 

[black'n'yellow]

Here's what might be a useful analogy...cut it out and stick it on the wall next to your bike...

If you can finish your long rides feeling good - and if you can finish your short rides feeling totally wasted - then you are doing the right things

 

[Andy_G]

Here's what might be a useful analogy...cut it out and stick it on the wall next to your bike...

If you can finish your long rides feeling good - and if you can finish your short rides feeling totally wasted - then you are doing the right things

What a great way to put it, thats deffo my new motto.
Thats if i can borrow it.