I have a MS ride - 160 miles City to Shore (Cherry Hill NJ to Ocean City, NJ) Sept 24 and 25. I've ridden it 4 times and know that the course is flat, except for the 2 bridges in OC. I am low on miles this year due to a crash and then unrelated minor surgery.

My problem is after being off the bike for 7 weeks I've lost a bit of fitness, well a lot! I have been riding for a couple of weeks and have gotten back to 17 miles/day for 2 days then 1 day off repeat. I'm wondering if it would be better to increase my daily mileage or keep the mileage at 17 miles but go to a 3 day on 1 day off. Then start increasing the mileage. Any ideas? Oh I am 70, well next week anyway.

To help remind me that finishing is the KEY not a fast time I had a sticker made up:


Thanks,

Bill

You're going to have to step things up to be able to ride 80 miles/day; 17 mile rides won't get you there.


How have your trained in previous years when you did this ride?

I usually have about 2000 miles by now. This year about 400. I am used to about 5 hours including 2 stops,
about noon finish. I do have until 5 to finish.

I do plan on stepping things up. I just don't
want to over do.

I've had limited ride time per day this year, so in June I switched to interval training to make the most of an hour. Usually I ride nearby roller coaster hills as hard as I can for 10-20 miles. I usually take a day off between harder training rides, or just take an easy, slow recovery ride around the neighborhood if the legs feel a bit sore.

Doing that, I've found it easy to keep up with the few longer rides up to 50 miles I've had time for -- maybe once or twice a month I have time for a longer ride. I can handle hills and sprints more easily, and recover more quickly with only a brief rest by easing up on effort while still riding. So I'm actually in better shape now than I was last year when I rode longer hours and more miles per ride.

Whether that translates to a century or longer ride, I don't know. I'll find out later this month. I plan to ride a solo century at the end of August. But I'll have time only for maybe a 50 mile ride about once a week, in addition to the shorter, harder training rides.

I know from previous experience when I commuted 20 miles daily but didn't have time for longer rides to prepare for a century, the main challenge during the 100-250 mile rides was the butt and boredom if I didn't know anybody on the ride. So now I use more comfortable saddles (breathable Lycra-covered dense foam, rather than a leather or vinyl hard saddle and padded shorts). And a compatible group or friend can help the miles pass on longer rides.

You don't get in shape for long rides by riding slow and learning how to pace yourself better; you get in shape for long rides by doing short rides -- as hard as you can. Short rides are to build strength and ability to recover. Long rides are to condition your butt. It may not be a race, but the training principles are the same.

Thanks for the suggestions. Part of what I mean by not a race is stop at a rest stop if I need to. The ride has 5 stops. I only ever use 2.

I haven't done I intervals since I raced the velodrome in the 70's but I'll give them a go!

Intervals are the hardest workout I've done, and the second most painful experience.

The most painful experience was from a busted up back and neck from a car wreck. The difference is like the difference between horseradish hot and habanero pepper hot. One is painfully hot for a few seconds and then gone almost as quickly with no lingering effects. The other is painful, doesn't let up anytime soon and hurts almost as much the next day.

It's really helped my recovery time, especially after hill climbs. My rest periods are much briefer -- usually I can recover while riding, just by easing up on the effort -- and I'm ready to go again, sometimes stronger after a warmup ride of 30-60 minutes.

I wish I'd known about interval training when I was an amateur boxer. Back then we thought going all out for 3 minutes, followed by a minute's rest, was the best method. But we should have included more intense bursts of 10-30 seconds within those 3 minutes. I was often gassed by the third round because we didn't train for bursts of effort and relative rest within the 3 minute rounds.

Interestingly, a form of interval training was what helped prolong the careers of Muhammad Ali, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather. All were masters of stealing rounds with bursts of effort and flurries, followed by defensive tactics to rest and frustrate opponents. Something to keep in mind for the 50+ body.

First of all, thanks for riding, I just finished chairing the board of trustees and I know how important the ride is to us financially, on training I would add five miles per long ride per week until u get to 45-50 miles, then back it up with another long ride the next day. Interval training might end burning u out or getting u injured

Make sure to wave at all the people riding back to Cherry Hill on the 24th.

Seriously...In order to assess my fitness, I would plan a long ride with options to shorten things if you feel you cannot make it. You are not a newb. You might be surprised at what you can do even after time off the bike and/or low mileage. This year I didn't do two hard rides back to back, and no ride of more than 70 miles, before I flew out to Montana for a two week, self contained tour of close to 800 miles with more than 41,000' of climbing. The first day of the tour I logged about 90 miles. And it wasn't the first time I had done something like that.

That is what my wife keeps telling me. She says she isn't worried about me finishing. You stopped riding sweep a couple of years ago didn't you? I roomed with Chris that started quite a hot discussion a few years ago.

Bill

The ride is the 23rd and 24th, not the 24th & 25th. If you ride to from Cherry Hill to Ocean City on the 24th you will be able to wave at all the people riding back to Cherry Hill from Ocean City on the 24th.


I never rode sweep, but I did retire from the event a couple of years ago after a 23 consecutive year run.


Was Chris' BF name "Nervys"?

Yes on the name. I probably should not have mentioned it. He caused quite a ruckus.

I think your fitness will come back faster than you think. Just think of it as multiple 25-30 mile rides. And hope for good tailwinds!

Whatever happened to him? Has he changed himself and moved on to changing the world, or is he still shoveling it? (Reference to a BF thread he started.)

No idea what happened.