30 year old. Marathon running background. Dropped all running and just started cycling. I want to use now through December to train on the bike, and then start racing (Cat 5 of course) in January and also do some century rides with the wifey throughout the year. Currently using my GPS unit and an older steel frame racing bike (down-tube shifters). Live in southern TX, so riding year-round is fairly easy.

First week on bike I managed 145 miles with an 18mph average over rolling terrain. Long ride was 45 miles, same rolling terrain, average of 18mph. Felt like I put out about an 80% effort.

Second week on bike I managed 165 miles with an 18mph average over same rollling terrain. Long ride was 55 miles, rolling terrain, average of 18mph. Felt like I put out about same 80% effort.

I felt fine after both weeks, but now I don't know what I should do. I figure my "cycling level" is better than most beginners, but not anywhere near where it could be. Should I continue to up the mileage each week, stay where I am, find even more hills, concentrate on time on saddle rather than mileage, etc... Coming from running I'm use to a pretty structured workout schedule, which I actually prefer.

This is all pretty new to me, so I feel a little lost. Haven't done the group ride thing yet. Not sure about the old bike and shifters and what they would think of that. Not sure I could even hang with them honestly. I guess it depends on the group though, and what level they are at.

Welcome guyd78. Noticed you mentioned u are from so Tx. If so, are you in the Rio Grande Valley? Wish I could help you on your training, but I'm a newbie as well and I'm slowly climbing to 30mile rides. So you are above me. Someone will chime in soon.

With your background you have a really strong base of fitness. Converting that to cycling / racing fitness will be partly a matter of time on the bike - learning to pedal effectively, choosing good cadence, etc.

But also, the stereotypical problem with runners coming into cycling is that they are very strong in steady-state conditions, but can't react to the nature of mass-start racing (attack, recover, repeat).

So, in general I'd advise:
- same tips as any newbie racer - join fast group rides, learn how to ride well in a group, safety, ettiquette etc.
- find a safe place to work on cornering, and get an old hand to teach you if you can
- for training, focus on acceleration, top-end and anaerobic efforts (anywhere from 8 seconds to 3-4 minutes), and recovery intervals.
- get a proper bike fitting, or at very least have an experienced racer look you over (I find many runners adopt an odd position on the bike, because that's what feels best)
- focus on skills such as high-cadence pedaling, one-legged pedaling, etc. Try to keep your cadence higher than your natural tendency (which has been programmed by your running cadence).

Oh, the bike you're on most likely does not matter at this point.

There are lots and lots of training plans out on the internet, check Bicycling.com for a few. If you want to get a book Joe Friel's training bible is the gold standard.

You don't "need" a powermeter to be competitive. Perceived effort and group rides will take you a long way.

Thanks. That's exactly the type of stuff I'm looking for. I know I need to do some interval work, but how soon I don't know. I'm just two weeks in, and also my racing season won't start until January. I also wonder if I should be continue to up the weekly mileage as I increase my long rides. I think my first week I spent about 8 hours on the bike, and then about 9 1/2 last week.

Learn as much as you can about drafting tactics. Unless you're planning to do time trials or extremely hilly races, drafting will dictate the flow of the race.

Unlike running, where you'll generally settle into a pace which you can sustain for the distance, in cycling you'll spend quite a bit of the time at a considerably submaximal pace, with many hard anaerobic surges mixed in.

If you get dropped (i.e., you get gapped from the pack) on a flat road, you'll generally not be able to catch back on, because riding in the pack's draft is so much more efficient than trying to break the wind yourself. (The pack will have a continuous supply of fresh aggressive riders at the front keeping the speed up).

As you learn about drafting, also get comfortable riding in a group. Unless you're a natural, you'll feel very nervous initially - this will make you expend more energy than you need to in the group, meaning you'll probably get dropped faster. Work on becoming relaxed in the group, and understanding the dynamics of riding in the group (e.g., "protect" your front wheel, relax your arms, don't brake unless absolutely necessary).

The best way to get all this experience is to find a racing-oriented cycling club. They should be able to provide mentoring, and you'll probably be able to meet other novices to measure yourself against. The experienced riders on group rides will be able to tell you whether you're "ready" for racing or not, and what areas of your riding to focus on.

Oh - just to add: Your time on bike is fine for cat. 5, which is why I didn't comment on training. I suspect your biggest issue will not be with base fitness, but rather filling the "gaps" in your abilities.
Key areas:
- Tactical differences between cycling and running races
- Skills (pack riding, drafting, cornering)
- Speed work - i.e., additional training to help deal with the "surges" you'll experience in races

Thanks for all the great info!