Complete novice - training advice please

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Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and new to cycling. My husband and I have agreed to do a challenge event September 2010, and as we have a lot of training to do, we have started already. The challenge is a 17K bike, (mountain climbing, lots of hills) and a 10K walk (old man of Coniston) & a 3K canoe (Coniston waters)

For now we are just getting used to riding the bikes (I'm talking complete novices here) and we have been training for 2 weeks now.

What sort of distances/times should we be aiming for at this stage. How often & what speed? We need to get ourselves fit, loose some weight and nearer the time really concentrate on some hill climbing.
 

arallsopp

Post of The Year 2009 winner
Location
Bromley, Kent
Welcome!

I'd say it all depends on your current level of fitness, really. How far are you riding at the moment? If you're going out for more than an hour, I'd be surprised if you're not already pushing that kind of distance. Hard to keep a bike upright below 5mph.

Either way, go steady. Get to know your bike. Increase distance by no more than 10% each time out. Add a few hills in when you get your confidence. If you're average level of fitness, a year is plenty of time.

Its all about how much fun you can have between now and then really. No point in getting fit just at the last possible moment :boxing:
 

I am Spartacus

Über Member
Location
N Staffs
You need to look into investing in some OS maps of N Wales as 1 of your major problems is where you live.
Get used to getting down the A5 into Wales and start to enjoy the great outdoors.
Worry less about ' omg how fit do we need to be' and begin to accustommise to a non urban environment.
Kit yourself appropriately with a visit to one of the decent climbing/biking shops in Betws y Coed...
No least.... read up on some basic skills
map reading and route finding and how to behave out there without being a bloody nuisance to mountain rescue
Essentially if you hate hill walking in all weathers you'll never learn to like it.. you may begin to love it tho'
Best find out as soon as
oh yes.. have a budget.. 'cos things like petrol... maybe a night in a B&B... kit .. all mounts up to quite a wadge...
A 1/2 decent mountain goretex jacket now is at least 200 roubles and you'll need one of those..
have a read of W A Pouchers Welsh Peaks -- one of the essentials to have in the rucksack
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I don't see how burning up and down the A5 and stomping round Snowdonia is going to be any specific help to them in training for a 17k off-roader in the foothills of Conistion Old Man; let alone investing in Poucher's ancient photographs and his obsession with "stout boots and red stockings".

The MTB section of that sportive will be very well waymarked and they would be much better getting some practice at off road cycling. Cannock Chase is only a few miles away and has every sort of riding from novice to expert - National Championships are regularly held there.

Smudgley, there are several MTB clubs in the area, but how about contacting Walton Chasers for some advice on what to do and where to go. www.walton-chasers.co.uk
 
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Smudgley

New Member
Thanks both.
Me and my husband are certainly not fit and could do with shedding a few pounds :blush: but we all have to start somewhere right? So about 3 weeks ago, we got our bikes and started doing 2-3 miles each ride about 3 or 4 times per week. We increased that the 2nd week to 5 miles per ride 3 or 4 times per week and are now doing 10 miles twice a week and about 5 miles 3 times per week. Average speed is between 7 & 10mph (usually 7 or 8) does this sound ok? I'd love some advice from you guys if you think we are doing ok for a pair of couch-potatoes.
One thing is that we are really enjoying it, which is a real bonus. It's nice to spend time together & we are loving it.

As for the mountain climbing, I thought we would concentrate on the bike over the next 3-4 months & build our general fitness up, then think about climbing some mountains.

The challenge on the day is an organised event, which is all signed and has marshalls all the way round should anyone have any problems.
 
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Smudgley

New Member
Thanks ASC1951 - that's helpful. I did think about contacting a cycling club but feel such an amateur, I didn't know if we are ready for that. I guess the clubs welcome all levels of experience though?

i_am_spartacus - do you mean ride from here to Wales on the A5?
 
Welcome sumdgley, sounds like an excellent way to motivate you and get out and about. Just to check my tupporth in ...

As you've got the better part of a year to prepare, I suggest you take it easy (ish) over the winter and just establish a base level of fitness. Sounds as though you've made a good start so just keep on in the same vein. If you keep it up you'll probably find that, by spring, you'll be able to do 2-3 times your target distance at least once a week. Then you can concentrate on getting used to hills.

It might be worth chucking in a few walks as well; maybe on your non-cycling days or instead of a ride if the weather's really rubbish. Again, you'll find that distance becomes easier quite quickly.

Don't worry too much about speed at this stage, it'll come with practice as you get fitter and more confident.

And if you're novice hill walkers, it's probably best not to venture into the mountains until the weather gets better again. You'll still have plenty of time to get used to the climbs. But remember: the weather can still bite you on the bum even in spring / summer so you'll still want to be careful and have proper gear and all that. You should make sure you can cope with being out in bad weather, both walking and on the bike, just maybe don't hurl yourselves straight into winter.

Just a few thoughts, and a bit of reassurance for you. There's no science behind my advice, but I'd note that the challenge you've set is something I could do now if need be. That's not meant as a boast, by the way, as I'm not supremely fit or a cycling God or anything: just someone who rides 70-80 miles per week on a commute / weekend jaunts, and goes out for a walk most weekends. I don't train as such, just enjoy walking and cycling. And I could certainly do with losing a few (more) pounds!! :biggrin:

Above all, enjoy yourself and don't rush at it or push yourself too hard as you'll end up damaging yourself.

Oh, and ....

:smile:
.. or did I say that already?
 
You have a few decent hills around where you live to ease you into them .Camp Bank for one and quite a few others around Enville and Kinver for when you are ready .
Off Roadish there is the Long Mynd as your fitness progresses .Some nice walks over there too .About 45 miles from you .Baggeridge Country Park is another place .
 
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Smudgley

New Member
Lazy-Commuter Thanks that is really helpful & very reassuring too. :rofl: Wow 70-80 miles per week. that's fantastic, I can't believe the amount of miles some of the people do on here. It's really good.

Parrafinlamps - Thanks. Most of our rides we go to the navigation, to get on the canal..... and one day we will venture past the navigation and attempt camp bank. The weird thing is I used to hurtle up it as a child all the time. :rofl: We will give it a go when we are more confident. Also you mention baggeridge, can you get there via himley on your bike & is there some good places to ride around baggeridge? We often go to Himley, but haven't ventured up past the top part towards baggeridge.
 
You're most welcome, Smudgely. Actually, having said I could do the challenge now .. I'm not that much of a canoeist so might struggle with that bit. :rofl:

The point I was trying to make is to not stress yourself about it. Get out and about, enjoy riding and walking, gradually go further and faster (that will come naturally) and you'll find it's a breeze when you get to the challenge.
 
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Smudgley

New Member
That's brilliant. I think that is what we are trying to do. Enjoy the bikes, get used to cycling, then worry about the challenge later on.

PS - My mates at work did the same challenge this year & they all did fantastic, but the canoe bit was a doddle compared to the bike / hike. :rofl: So I'm sure you'd do it.
 
Smudgley said:
That's brilliant. I think that is what we are trying to do. Enjoy the bikes, get used to cycling, then worry about the challenge later on.

PS - My mates at work did the same challenge this year & they all did fantastic, but the canoe bit was a doddle compared to the bike / hike. :rofl: So I'm sure you'd do it.
You're too kind. :rofl:

Enjoy is the important thing. And you can even enjoy bad weather, IF you've got the appropriate clothing.

We went to Snowdonia for hols in August last year - the first time in mountains in ages for us, really since before the kids were born. At that point last year, they'd got to the age (5yo and not-quite 8) and built up sufficient stamina that we felt they could reliably go up a mountain.

And we got rained on a few times up there, as you'd expect. But the funny thing is: it didn't matter!! I'd forgotten how it is never as bad once you're out in it as you think it's going to be when you sit indoors looking out at it. And I'm sure that rekindled knowledge is what got me through my first full winter of commuting last winter.

Obviously, better weather is more enjoyable but the point is it can still be fun even on a not so nice day. Though you should always treat mountains with respct, of course.

A lot of people that post on here seem to have that in common: they love being out of doors, be it on a bike, walking, running, or some combination of the three.

I'm lucky: my wife and I share that love and are never happier than when we're off out for a walk or - in more recent years - a bike ride. She picked it up from her parents (who are still active now at ~70yo), passed it on to me and - thankfully - our kids have also picked up on it.
 
Smudgley said:
Parrafinlamps - Thanks. Most of our rides we go to the navigation, to get on the canal..... and one day we will venture past the navigation and attempt camp bank. The weird thing is I used to hurtle up it as a child all the time. :sad: We will give it a go when we are more confident. Also you mention baggeridge, can you get there via himley on your bike & is there some good places to ride around baggeridge? We often go to Himley, but haven't ventured up past the top part towards baggeridge.

Yes ,if you go through Himley and up to the top part past the long pool,you will come to a gate and bike stile that gets you into Baggeridge .You can follow that path all the way up to the cafe at the top and there are several paths that veer off too .If you get to the cafe I`m pretty sure they have a 2 mile route that is laid out on one of the info boards ,it is quite difficult for novice riders though and can get really muddy .
Also you have the railway bridge on the A449 by Holbeach where you can get on the old track .That is great for gentle cycling and will take you all the way to Wolverhampton one way and Dudley ,Brierly Hill the other .You can also get on at Sandiacre Farm Shop , further up on Himley bypass .
If you go down the canal towards Kiddy there are a few places you can jump off the canal and into woods .Kinver Edge is another possibility but I`m not sure if they still allow MTB`s over there .
Highgate Common and Penn Common are also other good places .
Camp bank is an excellent training hill and the one that leads up to Highgate from Swindon way is also good .
A nice loop there for you when you feel ready for some hills ,Up camp bank from the Navvy ,turn right towards Swindon at the top down Chasepool Road to the bottom and turn left towards Highgate up Whitehouse Lane up that long never ending Hill an down to the common .Shortcut left across the common and then left back towards where you started at the top of camp bank along Camp Hill Road.
As many others have said ,go out and enjoy it .
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I am Spartacus said:
Dont diss Poucher, you absolute plonker.
I wasn't dissing him, young man. I was pointing out that his photographs were old-fashioned even when the books were published and he did indeed have a thing about walkers wearing long red socks as a safety feature. Just read any of his books.

There were better guides, particularly to the Lakes, even in the 60s; and since I have been up more mountains in the UK than you have had hot dinners, Spartacus, I'm perfectly entitled to have a view about that.
 
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