Originally Posted by
WonderMonkey
Putting on my calendar is exactly how I have been able to prepare for it. Have you done a metric century yet? There was one on July 4th in my town and I put that on my calendar and invited some friends to ride in it. That was what I needed to make myself change how I rode and how often. Then I organized this 100 miler I am going to do and invited some friends. Again that is changing how I ride and how often. Putting something on the calendar is a very powerful thing.
What is your longest most recent distance? Whatever it is put something that is about 10 miles longer for next week and get some friends that are around your same fitness level to ride with you. Practice stopping every so often to eat a half a bar of something nutritious and make sure you drink fluids and refill. That's how I did my first 40, 50, etc.
I did a metric century last month. I was planning on just breaking the 100km mark, with a 103km loop I'd planned. However, I ran into
significant detour, and ended up doing 120km (75 miles). I felt fine, other than the fact that I did not have enough food with me for the extra 20km. I had just enough to get me through the 100km. I ended up stopping at 100km for an ice cream cone & energy drink. With that, I was fine for the last 20km.
Given that I've already done 75 miles, I know that doing a century is certainly possible, it's just an irrational fear of committing to being on my bike for that long. It would also pretty much have to be solo (the 120km was as well), as I don't have any friends that would be into that long of a ride at this point. The other issue to committing to a particular date, is that I live just outside Vancouver, BC. This time of year, rain is the norm. Not that we get it every day, but it's a regular occurrence. I don't mind riding in the rain, but don't think I'd really want to do my first century in it. That makes it much more likely that the century will end up being more of an impromptu event. i.e. I'll wake up one Saturday morning, and just go do it. I definitely want to get it done yet this year, so that will likely be the way it goes.
Thanks for the encouragement/kick in the pants!