[pete_72]

Hello.<br><br>
On Saturday I rode for 2:20 at average 16.3mph (a shade under 38 miles).<br>
No wind. 3-5 degrees Celsius.<br>
Gently rolling (top speed was 30mph down a - relative to this route - steepish hill). 3 or 4 traffic interruptions.<br>
did not ride this as a time trial - no HRM but would categorise it as consistent medium effort - and did not use aero bars. they are new and I'm still getting used to them bit by bit. this was my longest ride so far (prev. 120 mins).<br><br>
I calculate the exact same pace in a HIM to be a 3:26 split for the bike.<br>
I do a HIM in September, so I've got a long time to prepare. It is a v hilly course.<br>
My current weekly ride volume is limited by daylight so will not be able to increase until March (when I plan to increase ride time). Last week rode 3:50 total (this long ride plus 2*45 mins indoors) and ran 4:15.<br><br>
So questions:<br>
Can I automatically assume improvement with volume cycling once the daylight kicks in?<br><br>
I'm a total beginner (probably now done 8 outdoor rides of 60 mins or more).<br><br>
Should I only focus on increased volume (as opposed to power focused intervals) until i see a plateau in improvement?<br><br>
My plan is to maintain current levels until end March, and then when April hits and i move to from prep to base switch to something like 2*90 mins rides midweek, plus a 90 min ride as part of a brick, and a 3hr long ride (weekend).<br><br>
This 7hrs should then constitute c 50% of weekly training volume. Anyone see anything wrong with this? Any ideas? Decent plan?<br><br>
Is it unwise/unrealistic to have a time-goal for a Sept HIM bike leg, with no real experience to work with? And a relatively unknown bike course.<br><br>
Thanks for any thoughts.<br>
Pete

 

[pcsronbo]

You're instincts are right one. It's not reasonable to set time goals on your first HIM. So just forget about it. It you take your current speed, add hills, add fatigue from swim, and add being able to run 13.1 after - it's a different beast entirely. Don't forget nutrittion which could change everything 180degrees.<br><br>
Some thoughts for your consumption<br>
1. 8 rides > 60min and you're doing that speed? that's great really. Now please don't burn out! <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br>
2. for now - 3x/wk ride - 1 Long (build to 60 over time), 1 Tempo (build to maybe 30), 1 drills (maybe 60min) - hill drills, for example (see workout I posted under the Question Amnesty, near end of thread for ideas). You need to work on muscular endurance because of those hills. You got lots of time, start today, as it takes lots of time and you'll probably never stop working on them anyway!<br>
3. Why not ride in dark? there are safe ways to accomplish this. One is using a trainer inside. Another is with proper lighting on you.<br>
4. 50% for cycling isn't a bad idea, I'm just concerned you're ramping too fast. Use the 10% rule<br>
5. Most things right now should be Aerobic. You have a 6ish hr day ahead of you come race day your body must be efficient. Zone 2 if you're considering HR training, PRE = 5-6 otherwise<br>
6. Don't forget nutrition. Start now.<br>
7. Don't forget hydration. Start now. Over hydrate.<br>
8. Keep posting questions <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">

 

[jroden]

Couple things to consider-- first, go find youself a flatish section of road where you can map out an out and back course of about 10 miles. At the end of a couple restful days, do a test on this course and note your time, average speed and heartrate. Go back and test monthly. Assuming you have to aerobic conditioning to complete your 56 mile ride, you should be able to forecast pretty well based on the 10 mile TT times.<br><br>
Second, a long ride in rolling terrain once or twice a week this time of year will help you a lot, work your way up to a solid 3 hour ride.<br><br>
Intervals this time of year for you should be pretty long and submaximal, maybe 10-20 minutes in duration for a total of 40-60 minutes of work--so kind of a tempo pace<br><br>
Once the warmer weather hits, I'd suggest spending some time seeing what 22ish mph on the flats feels like, perhaps this will just be a few minutes with a full recovery for maybe 6-8 reps<br><br>
Lastly, realize the impact of your position on the bike in general and especially as you get over 20 mph, position impacts comfort, how fast you can pedal and how well you slip through the air. Sometimes the fastest position throuhg the air may not allow you to pedal as hard or run as well after, so you have to experiment with your handlebar height and seat setback.

 

[pete_72]

Thanks for your thoughts guys.<br>
so a time goal might or might not be an idea - but definitely cannot be accurately assessed until later in the year. I just read Tom Rodgers book, and he's fairly clear that even if you just want to finish standing up that some kind of time-goal is pretty important to keep focus during the event.<br>
I will start to get more serious with a structured monthly test.<br><br>
So for the next ten weeks or so if my bike sessions were something like this:<br><br>
Long ride Saturday - build on the 2:20 already achieved to 3:00 (no rush to get to this duration quickly) not worry too much about pace other than get the miles in/enjoy the riding.<br><br>
2*45 min exercise bike sessions during the week. One a pure easy spin (on an "easy" training day) and one a structured session with something like 3 or 4*8 or 10 min intervals at a stiff setting (low RPM).<br><br>
does that make sense in the interim?<br><br>
ronbo: I'm not riding outside while it's dark. despite modern improvements with bike lights I just see too much rank bad driving by motorists to make it worth the risk. i can pedal at the gym on the exercise bikes a couple of times each week without going crazy and do a weekend ride for now.<br><br>
I am doing leg specific weights twice a week; am upto 1.3*BW on the leg press (4 sets of 20 reps). Need to be careful with these cos I've a history of knee trouble (although that was when i was running but too heavy so hopefully wont recur). presumably anyone serious about cycling spends time in the weight room?

 

[jroden]

I think you are fine, this time of year many cyclists will spend time lifting weights, depending on your background something like squats, cleans, deadlift if you have experience with these lifts, or extension, curls, lunge are also fine. If you can get yourself a trainer so you can ride your own bike indoors, this is a good investment if used correctly.<br><br>
I think you are wise to keep some records of your performance and get a sense for what your body feels like at various levels of exertion.<br><br>
For now, general physical conditioning is good, for March on, it's time to get outside on the bike a bit more. Those weekend rides you are doing now are really helpful.