cfforum

Since we are having a baby in January (1/22), January will be a modest month.

So that's the primary goal for the year - healthy baby.... after that:

2008:
- Roughly a Century a month (or equvalent) from Feb - November. I enjoy the organized events but if one does not work with my calendar, I will pop off a 100 mile day by myself if need be.
- Towards the end of the summer, a Double
- Sept - I want to ride from El Dorado HIlls to South Lake Tahoe. I may combine this with another event like the Ride Around the lake
- Goal Weight: 200 lbs (have 22 lbs to lose)
- Mileage: I would like to target 160 miles a week from daylight savings beginning to end.
- I have 4 "courses" on my Garmin that I ride regularly. I have set modest time improvement goals for those.

2009:
- Finish the entire Death Ride
- Be at my goal weight (190 lbs)

Key discovery -
I have spent too much time doing "long and slow" training and not enough time doing hills. Yesterday was the first even moderately hilly ride I've taken since early November and my legs paid for it. I have to modify my training to include some hill work on Sundays.

I am behind in my 100 mile days but not too worried about it. I had a nasty bout of flu in February that put me in the IR for about 12 days. I am back in the saddle now. Last week I logged 157 miles and will repeat that this week.

New regimen:
1. Sunday - Hill repeats on Malcom-Dixon (3 times/1 hour)
2. Monday - After work ride up in El Do. County
3. Tuesday - Organized ride on the ARP
4. Wednesday - "Base-Pace" ride (2 hours)
5. Thursday - Hill Repeats on Malcom-Dixon
6. Friday - Spinning in Garage
7. Saturday - Long ride of the week.

I'm open to any feedback on this -

I am also booking several century events in April and will probably do a 100 mile day on Easter riding toward the Bay Area to meet family.

That's an agressvie regimen that should yield great results by the time you finish up with those Century rides. Which Centuries are you going to ride?

Also, you might consider one day of flat-land interval work; say maybe 3 x 15 minute efforts on the river trail. This will increase your sustained power and bump up your average crusing speed at the same time.

Ride 15 minutes at near time trial effort, then recove in an easy gear for 5 minutes. Do it again. Turn around and do one more on the way back and then ride easy the balance of the way home.

This will likely amount to one of your shorter workout days in terms of time, but will be more intense. Think of cycling like you would a Mixed Martial Arts competition, the more techniques you master, and the better your conditioning, the more successful you'll be in the widest variety of circumstances.

When the big hill has you in a head-lock, those hill repeats will keep you moving forward; or when Flash Gordon is motoring down the river trail those intervals will keep you comfortably on his wheel.

Ultimately, with each improvement you make, every ride becomes a bit easier and your enjoyment factor increases.

Updates:

2008:

Update - In addition to regular training rides -
In February did a 90 mile ride to Davis and Home again
March rode out to Dixon from Home (60 miles) to meet my wife (averaged 19.2 mph into a wind)
April - Bike Around the Buttes (thanks Gary Kurz!)
May - Grizzly Peak Loop 1 (felt better than it should have considering)
May - planned Monticello Solano Century

I have been sticking with the 120 - 160 miles/week average with hill repeats on two days. I have not added intervals (formally) but plan to do so soon.

I want to add a hill climbing evening because frankly the repeats are getting boring. I know every inch of Appian or Malcom-Dixon and there is only so many times you can use getting chased by the same dog as your primary motivation to push harder.

I want to turn the crank up a little bit on Saturday rides and will see what people want to do come June.

Thanks for the update DaveyD. It's encouraging to me to see that you've not only met your comittment, but exceeded it as well. And that 19+mph pace down to Dixon into a head wind is an outstanding number.

April - Bike Around the Buttes (thanks Gary Kurz!)
May - Grizzly Peak, Loop 1 (73 miles, 7200 feet)
May - Monticello Solano Century (103 degrees outside - 98 miles, 4700 feet)
Shopping for June events...