Develop a food strategy -- and stay hydrated.
The Elder Brother suggested practice tires.
So, what do you think of my plan?
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Training Plan
Ok -- the 120K ride is May 21 -- that's 78 miles of California's finest coastal hills. It's promising to be a bitch -- I think I need to head my rides toward the rim of the grand canyon -- so I can get some altitude into them. Wes (my last boss) suggested that I ride to Payson and back. -- No Effing way-- that's like seventy miles one way -- uphill in a big way ... but he makes a good point. That's more than I ever signed up for, but I need some real hill in my practice run. The ride's about 8 weeks away. So here's the plan: build a base out of two rides a day at 9.5 workday miles (each) and increase my normal Sunday ride until it reaches 50 at least. and try to ride 16-25 on Thursday afternoon. Ramp the Sunday rides at about 5 miles a week to acheive 55 in six weeks -- then roll back the base to about 50 miles a week and rest up for the ride. Then go like hell on race ride day.
Develop a food strategy -- and stay hydrated.
The Elder Brother suggested practice tires.
So, what do you think of my plan?
Develop a food strategy -- and stay hydrated.
The Elder Brother suggested practice tires.
So, what do you think of my plan?
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3 comments:
An ambitious plan, and totally doable. Can you really ride the rim of the Grand Canyon near where you live? I'm jealous.
Hey Jill -- I could ride to the rim of the Grand Canyon, yes. It's a fair hike though and is about 300 miles one way.
The "Rim" I speak of, and if you live in the Valley or the Sun, is not the rim of the Grand Canyon, it's the Mogollon (ma-goi-yon) Rim, a geologic feature which represents the edge of the Colorado Plateau. It's a mile high verticle wall, that runs across the state east to west between here and the South rim of the grand canyon. The 70 miles to Payson from Mesa includes climbing from 1250 (Sonoran desert here) to 6000 feet in Payson (Pine forest on the Colorado Plateau). There are several climbs and drops on the way -- It could represent a signifigant beating to any cyclist. Seems it would be a good place to work out.
It's popular to have a home in Phoenix/Mesa and one "on the rim," meaning a one hour drive north and a 5000 ft. climb -- and a 15 degree temperature drop. When it's 120 here -- it's just 95 or 100 in Flagstaff or Payson.
WOW -- I must learn to read my own posts before I comment on them. I hope all that was educational. I wa talksing about the rim of the Grand Canyon in my post though -- not the Mogollon rim.
The Mogollon Rim is the climb -- the rim of the Grand Canyon is the direction. I can't ride there on my daily rides -- either one -- it's just too far, for now. As the sun crawls into the sky ....
If I were training for a century there I might make a one way shot to Payson my last ride -- I think the road there is probably really dangerous. I need to drive it maybe first.
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