# How long to train for 100 miles?



## snails pace (29 Mar 2011)

I know there is never going to be a definitive timeframe to be able to complete enough training to do 100 mile ride.
Normal distances for me ranges from 15 - 25 miles, but on Friday I manged just over 42 miles, average speed of 14.9mph.
Lighter evenings help, but not able to get out on the bike every day. Should be able to get out every other day. 

And what is the best way to train??
Hard peddling for shorter distances, or gentle peddling for longer distances?
And how do I train for hills (I am in Lincolnshire, but originally from Norfolk so uphill is not a strong point for me).
All help/advice gratefully recieved.


----------



## upsidedown (29 Mar 2011)

I think the general rule is to train to 3/4 of the event you'll be doing, so if you can comfortably manage a 75 mile ride you should be able to do the extra on the day.


----------



## ColinJ (29 Mar 2011)

A few questions for you:


How did you feel during your 42 mile ride?

How did you feel after your 42 mile ride?

Are you bothered about how quickly you do your 100 mile ride?

Are you in good health?

How hilly is the ride you plan to do?


----------



## snails pace (29 Mar 2011)

ColinJ said:


> A few questions for you:
> 
> 
> How did you feel during your 42 mile ride?
> ...



Felt Good on the 42 mile ride. Had thigh pain/ache the last 6-8 miles though.
Tops of thighs were killing, but no other aches. Bum was 'uncomfortable' for that day and the next.

Health is OK, but weight is a bit high at 14stone 10, but that will come down with riding.

Ride will start in Cambridgeshire and end in Lincolnshire. Not the hilliest part of the UK, but there will be some climbs (for my Norfolk legs, they will seem like climbs, others may call them bridges  )


----------



## MLC (29 Mar 2011)

As per Colin J 

If you have a fairly good base fitness level you could complete a 100 mile ride tomorrow provided you eat and drink enough during the ride. It may not be very pleasant but you could complete it.

Completing 100 miles at 22mph avg or 12.5mph avg are completely different beasts is time a goal or is just to complete the distance.

How long have you got to train prior to the ride?

There a lots of good tips out there if you google training to ride a century or other search permutations

Hard peddling for shorter distances - is interval training and is designed to increase speed and power

or gentle peddling for longer distances - generally builds base level stamina and endurance.

If you just want to complete the 100 and are in no way bothered with the time it takes you then just build the mileage up gradually until you can complete at least 75% distance per upsidedown.

If you are stretched for training time then try and ride as far as you can with the time available to you as often as you can.

It is a long time to spend in the saddle and your arms, legs and and general posture will all need to be trained to stay the distance which means spend as much time in the saddle as you can (building up the time gently) till about a week before the event then rest up and take it easy (still get out on the bike but don't do any more huge rides and just spin gently) so you are fully energised for your ride.

Above all enjoy it


----------



## coco69 (29 Mar 2011)

Fairly inexperienced,last year i did 83 miles i was only doing 30 miles max and to be honest if you keep fueled up and concentrate you will do it,i agree with an earlier comment that you need to train your posture as my shoulders/neck came worse off.


----------



## ColinJ (29 Mar 2011)

MLC has tuned into my thinking! I think you could probably set off at sunrise next Sunday and have a century in the bag by sunset, but it sounds as though you would end up in quite a lot of discomfort.

Your weight shouldn't be a big issue because you aren't going to be doing lots of big hills. You will feel it when you _are_ going uphill, but just twiddle a nice low gear and save your legs for the flatter bits, and enjoy the downhills!

The thigh pain might just be because you are pushing your current limits but I'd make sure your position on the bike is right. I've had sore thighs from having my saddle too low. I think many inexperienced cyclists start off with a low saddle because they feel safer being able to get their feet on the ground. If you can sit on your saddle and get a foot flat on the ground without tilting the bike way over, your saddle is far too low. I have to lean my bike to be able to get the tip of one foot down. 

If a low saddle is the problem, then you'll notice a big improvement in comfort and efficiency when you raise it. Don't raise it too much in one go though. Try raising it by no more than a cm at a time and give yourself a few rides to see how you get on. If you set it too high, your legs will straighten too much at the bottom of the pedal stroke and/or your hips will start to rock as you pedal.

It might be that your bum just needs time to get used to longer rides, or it could be that your shorts or saddle don't suit you. Saddles are a very personal choice, but I'd say this - if your sit bones are well-spread then you don't want a narrow saddle or it will go up between them and hurt your delicate bits. If you have narrow sit bones, then you don't want a big saddle or it will chafe. One size doesn't fit all. 

Even with a saddle that suits you, some careful adjustment may be required. When you think about it, there are 4 separate adjustments you can make:


Height
Setback
Vertical angle
Left-right rotation
#4 is fairly obvious - I think nearly everybody should have their saddle pointed straight towards the front of their bike. There might be somebody with a major anatomical problem that requires special treatment but 99.9xx % of riders should not have their saddles rotated! Double check that every time you change the saddle height. It is easy to get it wrong.

#3 is one that gets people hot under the collar. I've had no end of people tell me that my saddle position is 'wrong' because I have the nose tilted ever so slightly downwards. They insist that it has to be 'level', whatever that means. How you define 'level' when the top of your saddle isn't flat? They put a straight edge from from front to back, but on my Arione saddle that means the front is tilted upwards and that gives me numb nuts within half a mile, No thanks! Find an angle that suits you. Front too high = numb genitals. Front too low = sliding forward with friction on the saddle and sore arms and shoulders. Somewhere in between = right for you; experiment to find what suits you, sir!

#1 and #2 interact. If you change the saddle height, the slope of the seat tube means that you also change the effective setback relative to the bottom bracket. It takes some work to find the ideal position and after you've done that, you might need to swap your handlebar stem for a shorter or longer one.

Of course, if you can find a good bike shop who will do a proper bike fit for you, that would be the ideal thing to do.

Once you have tackled the comfort issues, do more riding! Some short fast rides, some longer slower ones. I like to do longish, slowish rides but I put little burst in now and then to get my pulse rate up. For instance, sprinting up a short 10% climb. I like to gauge it so I'm just running out of steam when I get to the top. 

Make sure that you take rest days or do very easy recovery rides the day after a hard ride. Fitness is built by your body repairing your muscles after exertion has stressed them, and the repairs are done when you are not using them!


----------



## snails pace (20 Jun 2011)

Apologies for such a lengthy time before I could respond.

An update....

I moved the seat as suggested, around 7mm up and since then I have had no reoccurence of the pain. So thankyou for your wisdom.


The reason I have not been on is also linked to the reason for me doing 100mile ride.
Sadly my wife died of cancer just before Christmas. Having 2 young daughters means that time has been restricted, obviously.
Although I have always sponsored people that have asked, for various charities, I had never felt strong enough about 1 single charity to do something to raise money for them.

That has changed, and I will be doing a 100 cycle ride for Marie Curie on 21st July.

I have managed last week to get 3 50 mile rides in and 1 of 68 (furthest ever cycled before was 25 miles), with gentle 8 mile rides or gentle spinning in dining room on the days in between. Then I realised I hadn't had a break. Think I may have overdone it.

Took 2 days off and went out for shorter 36 mile ride today, which was quicker and more enjoyable.



I don't want to do 100mile until the actual day, but am I doing enough/too many miles and rides to be able to get the 100 done?

My average speed is working out to be over 14 mph on the longer rides, so happy with that as want to try and be around 7 hours to complete the distance. 



Does anyone have a training plan, or suggest what I should be doing to better train for the actual day...It's only a month away!!!!



Thanks as always.


----------



## The Jogger (20 Jun 2011)

If it's anything like running you will need time to taper. Shorter rides / winding down before the big event. The pro's will be along shortly to either correct me or agree. No matter what, good luck with it, you are doing it for a great cause with a sad but excellent reason.


----------



## ColinJ (20 Jun 2011)

snails pace said:


> I moved the seat as suggested, around 7mm up and since then I have had no reoccurence of the pain. So thankyou for your wisdom.


I'm glad that did the trick!



snails pace said:


> The reason I have not been on is also linked to the reason for me doing 100mile ride.
> 
> Sadly my wife died of cancer just before Christmas. Having 2 young daughters means that time has been restricted, obviously.
> 
> ...


I'm very sorry about your wife. I can see why you feel so motivated for the century ride.



snails pace said:


> I have managed last week to get 3 50 mile rides in and 1 of 68 (furthest ever cycled before was 25 miles), with gentle 8 mile rides or gentle spinning in dining room on the days in between. Then I realised I hadn't had a break. Think I may have overdone it.
> 
> Took 2 days off and went out for shorter 36 mile ride today, which was quicker and more enjoyable.
> 
> ...


I think you are doing fine so just keep doing what you have been doing for another 3 weeks. I agree with The Jogger - take it easy the week before the event. I'd perhaps do a couple of 20 milers early that week and very little for the last couple of days. Make sure that you eat a good breakfast a couple of hours before the ride. 

I'm sure you will be okay on the day as long as you eat and drink enough to keep you going. I think I went from about 68 miles to 100 miles in one big step, though the 68 milers were hilly and the century was flatter so they were probably about the same in terms of difficulty.

Make sure you eat and drink at least 50% more than you did on your 68 mile ride, assuming that you didn't get hungry or thirsty on that. If you feel that you didn't have enough on that ride, double what you had then!

I would drink 4 800 mL bottles of carbo-drink on a century ride, plus maybe a coffee or a can of Coke (the real one, not diet - you want the sugar on a ride, not sweetener!). I'd probably have a piece of fruit cake and maybe a couple of banana or jam sandwiches too. Your needs may be different to mine.

If it is a very hot day, drink a bit more than you usually do.

Good luck!


----------



## Lien Sdrawde (21 Jun 2011)

Good luck also.


----------



## Glover Fan (21 Jun 2011)

If you have a speedo, then change it into kilometers. I'm not joking about, they go quicker and helped me psychologically.


----------



## snails pace (23 Jun 2011)

Thanks for the words of encouragement.


Not sure about Kilometers though. 160 k sounds a lot further than 100 miles.


Been out today and done 56 miles. 
Took just under 4 hours....But, I deliberately made it harder as went into head wind for majority of the ride.
Plenty of side winds and a little back wind.
Thighs feeling it now though, but my thinking is, it will help my strength, and also could have head wind on the day. No point avoiding it to be hit with it on the day.

Gentle day tomorrow as kids sports day, then longer ride at weekend if plans allow. Hoping to do over 70 at the weekend.


----------



## montage (24 Jun 2011)

Sounds like you are well on the way to completing this challenge.

I'd echo the above, especially the need to keep eating and drinking..... I'd also make sure you have the right emergancy tools for the job (sorry if this is stating the obvious) such as a chain tool and power links.


----------



## snails pace (26 Jun 2011)

montage said:


> I'd also make sure you have the right emergancy tools for the job (sorry if this is stating the obvious) such as a chain tool and power links.




Hmmm.


Have got tubes and kit to replace/repair the dreaded 'P'.

Got multi tool that comes with new bike with Wiggle.

Not thought about chain problems.



What else do you think I should be carrying with me??


----------



## al78 (26 Jun 2011)

snails pace said:


> Hmmm.
> 
> 
> Have got tubes and kit to replace/repair the dreaded 'P'.
> ...



Cable ties & duck tape (in case anything comes loose).
If you have mudguards, some spare mudguard bolts.
A spare folding tyre, just in case you get the dreaded recurring puncture.


----------



## Banjo (27 Jun 2011)

Hi there , good luck with the century. It sounds like you have done a lot more preperation than I did before my first one. 

Definitely want to carry a chain repeir link and chain tool. 

Possibly a spare gear and brake cable too unless the bike/cables are newish.

dont forget to drink and eat lots on the ride go for a steady pace rather than pushing for a good time.Its the distance not the time that counts.

Enjoy the ride.


----------



## lukesdad (27 Jun 2011)

Small padlock.


----------



## Angelfishsolo (27 Jun 2011)

160Km is 99.4 miles. 

I am so very sorry to read about the passing of your wife. Even if your training does not go to plan I am sure her memory will give you the strength to finish the ride.


snails pace said:


> Not sure about Kilometers though. 160 k sounds a lot further than 100 miles.


----------



## snails pace (30 Jun 2011)

Thankyou Angelfishsolo.

Monday was awful ride. Was planning on longer distance, but lost all strength (not sure if that was bonking or not), struggled to get home.

Wednesday...Had porridge for breakfast and took jelly babies and a banana with me and 2 energy gels to try.
Done 76 miles..thats the furthest so far 

I normally only have a banana for breakfast and drinks on the ride.

Next time will take 2 bananas I think...really enjoyed eating it while riding.

Gels were nicer than I expected..not sure if they helped or not, but will get some more.

Short 20 miles tomorrow as busy night tomorrow, but will do another long run over the weekend.


----------



## Holy Warrior (30 Jun 2011)

This is a great thread snails pace. One which I can definately learn from 



Very much good luck on your ride buddy!


----------



## Banjo (30 Jun 2011)

snails pace said:


> Thankyou Angelfishsolo.
> 
> Monday was awful ride. Was planning on longer distance, but lost all strength (not sure if that was bonking or not), struggled to get home.
> 
> ...



76 Miles is quite an achievment in itself. 

Definitely sounds as if you ran out of fuel , bonked in other words.
On any ride over about 50 miles getting calories in has to be top priority, 

Start the day before with a high carbohydrate evening meal .Eat extra breakfast and double your on the bike stuff.

Good Luck when you go for the century.


----------



## albion (30 Jun 2011)

My Sunday ride turned into my longest in a good few years at 64 miles.Funnily enough, with a tea stop, plenty of liquid and food there was no sign of bonk and OTT use of the granny gear.As Banjo said plus a very gentle pace.


----------



## TheDoctor (30 Jun 2011)

Having done a century almost by accident (I started off heading to Cambridge, noticed the tailwind and carried on going...) I'd say that if you've done 76 miles, then you can do 100.
Keep eating, keep drinking. And enjoy it.


----------



## davehann (1 Jul 2011)

best way to train to cycle 100 miles is to cycle 100 miles
LOTS OF TIMES


----------



## snails pace (1 Jul 2011)

Holy Warrior said:


> This is a great thread snails pace. One which I can definately learn from
> 
> 
> 
> Very much good luck on your ride buddy!




Main thing I have learnt so far is to fuel yourself correctly.

I am a fair bit overweight, so though I had enough reserves stored in my body, but guess they ran out.

Also seat must be pretty much spot on in adjustment to stop causing avoidable pains in your legs.





Banjo said:


> 76 Miles is quite an achievment in itself.
> 
> Definitely sounds as if you ran out of fuel , bonked in other words.
> On any ride over about 50 miles getting calories in has to be top priority,
> ...



What would you suggest for high carb meal the night before?? Pasta or something else.

Whats better, pasta or rice?




davehann said:


> best way to train to cycle 100 miles is to cycle 100 miles
> LOTS OF TIMES



I do not want to do the 100 mile until the day. I didn't want this to be easy, as I want to raise sponsor money. More chance of that if people know I have never ridden that distance before 

And this could be my one and only 100miler. May revert to 50 mile rides after this has been completed.


----------



## al-fresco (1 Jul 2011)

snails pace said:


> And this could be my one and only 100miler. May revert to 50 mile rides after this has been completed.



I seriously doubt that!!


----------



## snails pace (3 Jul 2011)

Banjo said:


> Hi there , good luck with the century. It sounds like you have done a lot more preperation than I did before my first one.
> 
> Definitely want to carry a chain repeir link and chain tool.
> 
> ...




Are all chain repair links the same size/width?
If not, how do I know which to get.

Same with chain tool.

Bike is only 9 months old, and not been used in the wet.




al-fresco said:


> I seriously doubt that!!




LOL.


You may be right 

Done 76 miles again yesterday. Felt surprisingly good.

Was seeing if I could pace my food and drink intake, as I tend to wait until I really feel I need it.

I was having 1 or 2 Jelly babies every 10 minutes, a swig of High 5 drink every 15 minutes. and a banana every 1.5 hours.

I realise I am a lot slower than many of you with an average speed of 14.4mph, but that is a good time for me.

Am I eating/drinking enough/too much?

I was taking extra fluid towards the end as needed.


----------



## lulubel (3 Jul 2011)

snails pace said:


> I am a fair bit overweight, so though I had enough reserves stored in my body, but guess they ran out.



You can be overweight but still not have any useful energy reserves stored in your body. The reason for eating a high carb meal the night before a long ride is to make sure your glycogen (carb) stores are fully topped up. The body prefers to use easily accessed carbs for energy. If it has to switch over to just burning fat because your glycogen stores are empty, that's when you're likely to start struggling and feeling like you can't go on.



snails pace said:


> What would you suggest for high carb meal the night before?? Pasta or something else.
> 
> Whats better, pasta or rice?



Pasta, potatoes, rice .... it doesn't matter. Whatever you prefer eating. As long as it's high in carbs it will top up your glycogen stores.


----------



## snails pace (3 Jul 2011)

Planning to do 50 miles tomorrow.

Have had tuna pasta salad for lunch, and pasta bake with chicken for tea.

And a large slice of home made fruit pie
Should be stocked up with glycogen now 



Will have porridge for breakfast as well.


----------



## snails pace (4 Jul 2011)

Wow.. What happened today.

Went for my planned ride today, but was much better than I was expecting.


Just under 50 miles (as planned) but average spped was 15.7mph!!!
I normally only average mid 14's at best.



I know I am no rocket ship on a bike (as proven by the chap that passed me on his Giant road bike like I was stood still) but I don't know why my speed was so much better, compared to normal for me.



Can anyone enlighten me?

Was it all the pasta I ate yesterday, or some other weird reason.

And I have no aches at all tonight.


----------



## Banjo (4 Jul 2011)

snails pace said:


> Wow.. What happened today.
> 
> Went for my planned ride today, but was much better than I was expecting.
> 
> ...



I find I have good days and less good days sometimes for no apparent reason. getting a good nights sleep is important, My sleep patterns are well screwed up due to working weird shift patterns.

Obviously your training and nutrition is working for you.

Re chain repair links you need the right one depending on how many cogs on your rear cassette eg If you have 9 cogs ask for 9 speed power link.(SRAM links will fit shimano chains)


----------



## Tynan (7 Jul 2011)

after the first couple of weeks your heart, lungs, legs, the lot will get stronger until you can't remember them being anything else, it's a great feeling, do remeber though, it never gets easier, you just go faster

some the spares sound a bit extreme for a new bike or indeed any bike, spare tyre? I'll admit to carrying a piece of one for patching but in all my miles I've only have slashed a sidewall open once

likewise chain tool and link, I do carry those but I've broken a china twice ever and that's a 10 speed chain I don't look after

ditto spare cables, I've snapped a brake cable once, the bikes got a spare brake

this recalls spares lists for audaxes, what people might take on a 600k, even then most didn;t agree with tyres, cables and brake blocks


----------



## yello (8 Jul 2011)

Tynan said:


> it never gets easier, you just go faster



One of the most quotable quotes going methinks. Because it's so damned true!


----------



## ColinJ (8 Jul 2011)

Tynan said:


> it never gets easier, you just go faster





yello said:


> One of the most quotable quotes going methinks. Because it's so damned true!


It may tend to be true once you reach a certain level of fitness, but it is not true when you first start cycling. 

Some things are pretty much impossible until you get fit enough. For example - try and do the Fred Whitton route in a day as your first ride! 

Once you can cope with a particular route, you do have the option of riding it slow and easy, or fast and hard. 

I know some very fit people who _never_ ride quickly; they just aren't into speed. They could speed up but they don't feel like it.

I on the other hand, do fit that saying. Most of the time, I ride to a certain level of pain. When I'm fit, that is reasonably fast. When I'm not - now, for instance - I ride slowly.


----------



## yello (8 Jul 2011)

I tend not to push myself overly, it's not my way, so I'll never get fast as such. My speed increases have only come from being stronger and fitter, more efficient even perhaps.

But even when not pushing myself there are times when it's not easy. That is, I've room to go harder but that doesn't mean I'm taking it easy!


----------



## yello (11 Jul 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Some things are pretty much impossible until you get fit enough. For example - try and do the Fred Whitton route in a day as your first ride!



I was thinking about this the other morning and NOT being able to do the Fred Whitton challenge is a level of fitness too! The FW is never going to be easy but you will get faster at doing it, even if faster means 2 days instead of 3!


----------



## snails pace (14 Jul 2011)

It's now a week until I do the 100 miles.

When should I stop cycling bigger distances, and what cycling (if any) should I be doing and what should I be eating before the day??


----------



## ColinJ (14 Jul 2011)

snails pace said:


> It's now a week until I do the 100 miles.
> 
> When should I stop cycling bigger distances ...


Now! You aren't going to gain much more fitness in a week, so why tire yourself out?



snails pace said:


> ... and what cycling (if any) should I be doing ...


A few easy rides just to keep your legs ticking over, and take the last couple of days off the bike altogether?



snails pace said:


> ... and what should I be eating before the day??


Something that doesn't take 2 days to digest and has plenty of easily accessible calories! I like things like rice or pasta with salad and fish.

Don't drink too much alcohol the night before and make sure that you are well-hydrated.

Finally - _Good Luck! _


----------



## snails pace (14 Jul 2011)

Thanks Colin.



Always value your opinion (and others of course).

Will do some gentle 20 mile rides for next few days and then lay off as you have suggested.
Only seem to be eating pasta with tuna and jacket potatoes with sausages and beans at the moment. Bananas as well.
And I think Lincolnshire is running out of jelly babies now


----------



## American Cyclist (16 Jul 2011)

I wish you all the luck in the world snails pace! I enjoyed reading your progression toward the century ride, let us know how it goes. We will be cheering for you!


----------



## JK22 (24 Jul 2011)

I've really enjoyed reading this forum. I am new to cycling and this has offered a lot of helpful insight. I just have one question. How did it go!?


----------



## Saundie (24 Jul 2011)

Indeed, I have been following this thread with keen interest. How did it go, snails pace?


----------



## snails pace (24 Jul 2011)

Well.

I managed to do it in a time of 7 hours 16 minutes. Not teh fastest, but was what I was hoping for. 

It was hard work as was fairly strong northerly winds and I was going up the country. 

It was 101 miles at the finish.

I had no long stops...Just toilet stops in bushes and stopped once for a banana (rest were eaten on the move.



What I ate and drank...

I drank 1 litre of ASDA isotonic, and 3.75 litres of High5 zero.

For breakfast I had a bowl of porridge and an energy bar.

During the ride I ate 6 bananas and 1 bag of jelly babies.

I felt OK, but once home, I realised how hungry I was, so maybe should have eaten something more during the ride.


Legs were sore the next day, but nowhere near as bad as I thought they would be.

From 30 miles I had a pain inside my knee that I was trying to protect so was stood up pedalling more than normal.



I don't see me doing 100 miles again. I will certainly be doing 50 mile rides as that is an enjoyable distance for me at the minute (did I really just say that).


----------



## slowmotion (25 Jul 2011)

Well done! You are an inspiration.


----------



## Stephenite (25 Jul 2011)

Well done. An inspiration.


----------



## Angelfishsolo (25 Jul 2011)

snails pace said:


> Well.
> 
> I managed to do it in a time of 7 hours 16 minutes. Not teh fastest, but was what I was hoping for.
> 
> ...



That is a very respectable time indeed. Completing that distance is a great achievement as well. You should be rightly proud of yourself.

BTW do you know how much was raised yet?


----------



## ColinJ (25 Jul 2011)

Well done!


----------



## Hip Priest (25 Jul 2011)

Well done - that looks a very good time to my mind.


----------



## snails pace (25 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> That is a very respectable time indeed. Completing that distance is a great achievement as well. You should be rightly proud of yourself.
> 
> BTW do you know how much was raised yet?




Don't have a final total yet, as still more to come in..



Looks like it is going to be around £1500.



Very very happy with that amount. More than I ever imagined I would raise.



Will post when I have exact figure for those that would like to know.

And thanks for all the encouraging posts during my training, and positive remarks both before and after the ride.


----------



## Angelfishsolo (25 Jul 2011)

snails pace said:


> Don't have a final total yet, as still more to come in..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is great news. Congratulations once again


----------



## JK22 (25 Jul 2011)

Well done! Congratulations.


----------

