Training & Nutrition - aerobic unfitness...

Greetings all and help appreciated,

I am a rec rider, about 5 hours per week-end completing 75 or so miles in varying East Tenn road terrain. I have been riding by "feel" no computer and such all year and finally cranked it up a bit with a local hammer club. Granted, cranking for me is probably abit faster than my grandmother rode years ago :-).
Bought a heart monitor to use against RPE on monday night's 30 miler. I lasted about 5 miles with the "b" group swapping pulls they said around 21 mph. The "A" group catches us as always about 6 miles in so we step it up a bit. I check the ole ticker rate as my RPE feels about 7/9 out of 10 and whoaa!! its clocking 185 and stays around 160-180 for the next 1:16:35. So my aerobics suck, what, if any training can I do over the winter to improve on this. I have heard long slow rides teach me nothing but that....long and slow. I sure would like to hang with the "A" group late next year.
Oh Yeah, age 44, 5'6", 135 pounds, riding for 3 years now averaging 1500 per year.

Pick up a couple of training books. Friel's a good intro, Lemond & Armstrong/Carmichael's books are more detailed with specific training schedules. If you want to hang with the A group, count on riding at least 5000-miles/year.

If you want to hang with the A group, count on riding at least 5000-miles/year.

5000 a year!:eek: I was happy to reach 1000 by August. For us New Englanders that get about 32 weeks of "good" outdoor riding that means over 150 miles a week. That is a serious commitment...but a worthy goal.

I love a challenge:D

Pick up a couple of training books. Friel's a good intro, Lemond & Armstrong/Carmichael's book is more detailed with specific training schedules. Ifyou want to hang with the A group, count on riding at least 5000-miles/year.

+1

The short story is that you need different kinds of training to be fast. Lots of base miles to get your aerobic base, tempo work to improve your ability to ride at the top end of your aerobic range, and then intervals to push up your high end.

But you need something structured to get there...

Nfields, I share your pain but unfortunately unless you have more time to ride and train this is a tough hill to climb. We have about the same yearly mileage and I am 45. Truthfully, I don't think you can get to the A level performance without some serious mileage commitments. I have a wife and family and I just can't get anymore time than I've currently got for riding. Correct me if I am wrong.

jman

I do not see in the future any major gains in yearly miles as well. I was wondering what type of training this winter would at least improve my fitness for next year. I plan on having the ability to ride outdoors all winter except snow and ice which is infrequent here in east Tennessee. Would spin classes be better for aerobics or just ride all winter at a logical pace in 50-12,16 gearing?

NFields

like Danno says, read the books.
like he says, 75 miles ain't gonna get you into 'A' shape, California or Tennesse style.
look at it this way, if you;re doin 75 miles, and 30+ of that is on one 'Group' ride, that leaves round 20ish miles for each of 2 other days... not enough. Do at least 25 miles 3x a week, outside of your group ride. Still not much, but at least you'll get to work yourself a little. Even with that, learn to become a tenacious wheel sucker.
Performance Cycling is full of riders who love to suffer. Suffering is the name of the game. If you suffer and can make the others suffer more, itz been a GREAT RIDE! 'A' level riders and racers are mostly sickos!
It gets worse as the age progresses cause the only riders who really stay with it are real sickos! These older psychos even think they have a chance to stay with the 25 yr old sickos, IF they suffer more, ride more training, do more intervals, climb more/longer/steeper hills - really sick...
'A' riders in your area are prolly doing 200+ miles a week, when the weather cooperates. If it doesn't then they're doing only 199+ miles.
Winter/off season - spin your ass off - tempo work - small ring, pick something low-mid 70s, spin your ass off - 95-110 rpm always. the shame of below 95 is never admitted.
winter - you're out on your tempo loop, you come up to another rider slowly grindin in the big ring. You sit 3 yards behind in that small ring and keep spinnin your ass off. The rider drops his head a little, you go round, maybe drop it into that 39x14, and REALLY spin your ass off, you're now crankin at 115 rpm and sufferin. You don;t need no stinkin ipod cause the only thing you can hear is your heart beat pounding in your ears. Rider behind sees you're in the small ring, he tries to come around, you go up to 120, suffer even some more. You're an A rider...