Each endurance sport has it's "big fish"! In running it is the marathon (26.2 miles), and for cycling it is the "century ride" (100 miles). People train for those specific events for months and months just to be able to finish one attempt. I have a lot of experience at training for marathons, I have completed three of them and they take quite a bit of dedication. While training for the marathons, you wanted to make sure that you wanted to peak on race day, which meant doing your longest training run a few weeks prior to the actual race. This allowed your body to recover just enough to perform at a completely rested, yet still fit level on race day.
Prior to starting my training for the Etape the furthest I had ever gone in a single day on my bike was 85 miles. It was a random summer day a few years ago, and I hurt for several days afterwards. When I received my training plan for the Etape I noticed 1 ride of 110 miles during the training leading up to the race. I thought about how meaningless my first century ride would be, due to the fact that I would be training alone. Yesterday the weather was great, and my training mileage called for an 85 mile ride. After 5 hours in the saddle I felt great, and decided today would be the day for my first century. As I rounded the last corner, and headed for home I noticed my computer roll over to read 100.00, and I silently celebrated turning into my driveway. Although it wasn't a big century ride, it still was a milestone for me. Each week I get close to the ultimate prize, MY stage of the 2009 Tour de France, so in the grand scheme of things this Saturday's century was just another rung on the ladder that leads to Ventoux. I reeld in a big one on Saturday, but there are bigger fish to fry!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Reality Sets In
Last September when I first decided to embark on this endeavor, I only imagined what being in great shape and riding a stage of the Tour de France would be like. This past weekend I reached another milestone in my training, an 85 mile ride, which is officially the longest that I have gone on any single day of training. Since I am a pro cycling geek and follow all of the major races, I know what the Dauphine Libere race means each June. It is the final tune up for the TdF and it is starting to sink in that I am only 5 weeks away from my date with Mt. Ventoux.
My training is going well, I was able to ride 85 miles at an average pace of 18 MPH. Just 3 months ago that pace and distance would have been unthinkable. As I watched the stage of the Dauphine that went to the summit of Ventoux, I thought about how I would have my own opportunity in a few weeks. Lance Armstrong was quoted this last week as saying that the Ventoux is the hardest climb in France, well that certainly makes this feat even more special.
I really appreciate all of the encouragement from friends and family, I can't begin to describe how your kind words have pushed me to my limit, when I thought I couldn't go any further. My fundraising efforts for the Lance Armstrong Foundation are doing well. We have raise $1065 so far, and I am in the process of receiving a $1000 matching grant from my company. On July 20th it will be me, my Trek Madone 5.2 and 107 miles of pavement. I am quite confident in my ability to finish this ride, but their is a very sadistic part of me that is starting to think about how fast I can complete this. I think that is crazy talk! Just finish! By the way, I received my entry form the ASO the other day.......I will be racing as # 6299. Thanks again to everyone, and I will check back soon!
My training is going well, I was able to ride 85 miles at an average pace of 18 MPH. Just 3 months ago that pace and distance would have been unthinkable. As I watched the stage of the Dauphine that went to the summit of Ventoux, I thought about how I would have my own opportunity in a few weeks. Lance Armstrong was quoted this last week as saying that the Ventoux is the hardest climb in France, well that certainly makes this feat even more special.
I really appreciate all of the encouragement from friends and family, I can't begin to describe how your kind words have pushed me to my limit, when I thought I couldn't go any further. My fundraising efforts for the Lance Armstrong Foundation are doing well. We have raise $1065 so far, and I am in the process of receiving a $1000 matching grant from my company. On July 20th it will be me, my Trek Madone 5.2 and 107 miles of pavement. I am quite confident in my ability to finish this ride, but their is a very sadistic part of me that is starting to think about how fast I can complete this. I think that is crazy talk! Just finish! By the way, I received my entry form the ASO the other day.......I will be racing as # 6299. Thanks again to everyone, and I will check back soon!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Good Days..........Bad Says
One thing I have learned in the many years that I have been training for endurance events.......you have good days, and you have bad days. Whether it is training for a marathon, triathlon or the Etape du Tour, there are days when you feel like you can take on the world, and there are days when you just aren't up to doing anything.
After my great 75 mile ride last weekend, I was up for 80 miles on Saturday and a 30 mile recovery ride on Sunday. As I prepared for Saturday's ride, I noticed that the weather hadn't cleared up like the forecast had called for. It was still 55 degrees and overcast. I set out on the bike with every intention of putting in the full 80 miles, but quickly realized that my body wanted no part of a long ride. As I closed in on the first 30 miles I decided to take some advice that someone gave me while I was training for my first marathon. "If you don't feel up to it, don't do it." Adjust your training to suit your body. So I stopped at 30 miles.
When Sunday came I felt a lot better and completed my 80 miles with no probelem. I think I made the right choice changing my schedule, and I am happy that I got all of my weekly mileage in. My training is still going according to plan, and my weight is down to a lean 177 pounds. I am still going to continue to drop weight until the Etape, but I am very pleased with my progress, as well as how good I feel. This week is calling for a lot of rain, but that is no reason not to ride. I'll update later in the week with some training pictures.
After my great 75 mile ride last weekend, I was up for 80 miles on Saturday and a 30 mile recovery ride on Sunday. As I prepared for Saturday's ride, I noticed that the weather hadn't cleared up like the forecast had called for. It was still 55 degrees and overcast. I set out on the bike with every intention of putting in the full 80 miles, but quickly realized that my body wanted no part of a long ride. As I closed in on the first 30 miles I decided to take some advice that someone gave me while I was training for my first marathon. "If you don't feel up to it, don't do it." Adjust your training to suit your body. So I stopped at 30 miles.
When Sunday came I felt a lot better and completed my 80 miles with no probelem. I think I made the right choice changing my schedule, and I am happy that I got all of my weekly mileage in. My training is still going according to plan, and my weight is down to a lean 177 pounds. I am still going to continue to drop weight until the Etape, but I am very pleased with my progress, as well as how good I feel. This week is calling for a lot of rain, but that is no reason not to ride. I'll update later in the week with some training pictures.
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