ohiogsp

Is it better to ride everyday small rides or do 2-3 larger rides every week? I have done metrics before but never a century. I have trained alot of 20 mile rides with the occasional 40-50 ride maybe once a week for metrics. Now I have to ride alot further so have been increasing distances riding about every 3 days. Am I doing it right? The ride is a month and a half away. thanks

Doc V

Here is a training schedule that a local group put together to train for a century. It should give you some sense of the training regimen. An increase of 10-20% per week is the recommended range, any more and you potentially risk injury, but your conditioning will have a large influence on this metric.

[TABLE="width: 616"]
[TR]
[TD]Week #[/TD]
[TD]Description[/TD]
[TD] Mon[/TD]
[TD] Wed[/TD]
[TD] Sat[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Total weekly mileage[/TD]
[TD]Increase total mileage[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 0[/TD]
[TD]Build 1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]35[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]71[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 1[/TD]
[TD]Build 1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]35[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]71[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 2[/TD]
[TD]Build 1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]42[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]78[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.86%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 3[/TD]
[TD]Build 1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]50[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]86[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.26%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 4[/TD]
[TD]Recovery[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]40[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]76[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]-11.63%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 5[/TD]
[TD]Build 2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]55[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]95[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.47%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 6[/TD]
[TD]Build 2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]65[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]105[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.53%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 7[/TD]
[TD]Build 2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]76[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]116[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.48%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 8[/TD]
[TD]Recovery[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]60[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]100[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]-13.79%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 9[/TD]
[TD]Peak[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]88[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]128[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.34%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 10[/TD]
[TD]Peak[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]95[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]135[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.47%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 11[/TD]
[TD]Taper[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]60[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]100[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]-25.93%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Week 12[/TD]
[TD]Event week![/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20[/TD]
[TD]easy 15[/TD]
[TD]HRR - 100 miles![/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]135[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.00%[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

10 Wheels

Work your way up to a 75 mile ride and you have all you need for a century.

Machka 

Here ... this thread is in the Long Distance Forum and might help answer some of your questions.

https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...g-century.html

chasm54

It's amazing to me how many people - often people who have been members for a while - seem oblivious to the fact that BF is full of specialist sub-forums inhabited by people with real expertise, and in which their question has probably been answered many times. So in general cycling we get questions about training and nutrition (separate forum) mechanics (likewise) long-distance cycling (yes, there's a forum for this) fitting your bike (what? We have a forum for this too?) and so on and so forth.

Is it just that General Cycling is at the top of the page these days? If so it might be a good idea to list it in alphabetical order like most of the rest.

Machka 

Yes, I think this is it. Ever since General was moved to the top, it gets everything. People stop here without looking at what other forums might be available.

CliffordK

Personally I think you're better off pushing your mileage than just doing lots of short trips.

Doc V's plan looks pretty regimented and vigorous, perhaps a bit too much.

In running, they say that if you can do a 1/2 marathon training run, then you can run a marathon. I'm not sure. I ran 2 marathons, and was always hurting at about the 3/4 mark, but did make it to the finish.

For cycling, it is my opinion that if you can do ok for 50 or 60 miles, you can probably do ok for 100. For a big group event, don't get overly caught up with racing the other people there. Just settle in for a nice gentle pace.

One thing you should be mindful of is hills. Ride organizers often like to add in a few extra hills. For me, a couple of hills are ok, but start adding in several big hills, and a long ride, and it can start dragging me down. So, look at your ride map and terrain, and then train for the terrain as much as training for the distance.

unterhausen

well, it's a much better welcome than Advocacy and Safety, you have to grant us that much. There have always been questions about training for centuries in General. I'm sure if search worked you could find some in here. Since it was my idea to move it up here, I usually move stuff out if it's a really bad match. You can also report threads that should go elsewhere

Machka 

Oh yes ... but in the other thread which I just bumped, I did suggest changing the name of "Advocacy and Safety" to "Safety and Advocacy", thus moving it near the bottom.

Jim from Boston

Training for my first century.

Just a few minutes ago I posted to this current thread on the General Cycling Forum,”100 miles ride”, including a Ten Week Training Schedule published long ago in Bicycling Magazine; interesting to compare to the Schedule of @Doc V above.

My last post to that thread was about the expertise on Bike Forums.

Jim from Boston

I like Doc’s schedule because it seems less time consuming than the one from Bicycling. That one is daily, but fits well for me as a cycle commuter.

ohiogsp

Thanks for the help. Gives me a better idea what i need to do.

ohiogsp

Oh and i did look for a distance section or century section and since alphabetically i did not look under "L" i did scroll through the other sections but did not notice cause it said "long" first I guess. Would have found it if it said "Distance Riding" for sure. I don't come here often so don't know them all well. Still got answers so I guess it worked out.

chasm54

It was a bad idea. If you wanted to avoid A&S having the top slot you could have renamed it. Anyway, now that you have adaptive cycling, the issue doesn't arise. List this one alphabetically like the others.