my first 50 miles

fatboy gonna get slim
edited May 2010 in Road beginners
just completed my first 50 miles in 3 1/2 hours .ended up going from caldicot to cardiff i picked it because it was reasonable flat and roads were ok just traffic was busy when i arrived in cardiff, still feeling ok though .any suggestions on where to go from here as to how much should i be increasing my mileage by over the next few weeks or carry on doing around 50 miles but with a route with more hills ???? any suggestions would be great cheers . :D

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,531
    depends on age, fitness, goals etc,.

    general advice...

    avoid increasing training load more than 5-10% a week, especially at the start

    if you are aiming to get fast/race, then doing distance at an 'easy' pace will not give much benefit once you get a basic level of fitness/development

    once you are happy doing, say, 30 miles at a reasonable speed and cadence...

    add hills, do interval training (hard x minutes, recover y minutes, repeat n times)

    hills are more fun than intervals, after you've fought up one side you get to zoom down the other

    watch your nutrition, you'll burn a lot more energy pushing it than going easy, a post-ride recovery drink, followed by food, after the ride will avoid you feeling wrecked later in the day and maybe the next day too

    can't help with routes as i live in a flat place!
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Hals1967
    Hals1967 Posts: 231
    How anyone can call hills fun is beyond me lol ! :lol:

    When they invent a going down only hill let me know...


    1967 Engine
  • my background is i am 32 15 1/2 stone started riding around 7 weeks ago . i purchased a trek 2.1 to get fit and to do a sponsored ride maybe this year or next??
    i started my training doing two/three 1hour rides on the flat and a 1 longer ride ,i have slowly increased my week day rides up to around 75 mins and my weekend ride up to this 50 miles previously doing 2 42mile rides last week and have been comuting to work a few times which is a 26mile round trip . one of my main problems is not having to many shandys on the weekend and keeps my weight up. i have a active job and eat a reasonable diet .
  • furrag
    furrag Posts: 481
    Hals1967 wrote:
    How anyone can call hills fun is beyond me lol ! :lol:

    When they invent a going down only hill let me know...
    Haha, I'm the exact opposite; I climb quicker than I descend. :lol:
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    3 1/2 for a flattish 50 miles isn't too bad for a beginner. I managead 3 hours for 50miles today that the halfway point was the top of Box Hill just outside of Bath, when I got back and saw the average of 16mph I was happy.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,531
    edited May 2010
    sounds like you are doing ok, but don't ride hard *every* day, allow 1-2 days a week recovery

    unless you've got other people to ride with, might be worth looking at local clubs, most will cater for all levels, and riding with others is a good way to gain experience, plus it can make a boring training route much more interesting

    at your age you've got great opportunity to develop

    if you want to take weight off, try no, or just a very light, breakfast and do a 30-45 minute ride, the early exertion will give your metabolism a kick, keep some seeds/nuts/raisins etc. handy in case you get really hungry before lunch

    the weekend is indeed a time of temptation, i myself have quaffed more than is advised, but pfft! life is for living
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • ALaPlage
    ALaPlage Posts: 732
    my background is i am 32 15 1/2 stone started riding around 7 weeks ago . i purchased a trek 2.1 to get fit and to do a sponsored ride maybe this year or next??
    i started my training doing two/three 1hour rides on the flat and a 1 longer ride ,i have slowly increased my week day rides up to around 75 mins and my weekend ride up to this 50 miles previously doing 2 42mile rides last week and have been comuting to work a few times which is a 26mile round trip . one of my main problems is not having to many shandys on the weekend and keeps my weight up. i have a active job and eat a reasonable diet .

    Similar story although I bought a bike last summer but didnt get to use it as much as I planned. So New Year I decided to set myself a challenge to encourage me to get out on the bike - I signed up for the London to Paris this July with AMR. Started wtih 20 mile rides at the weekend and built up by first increasing the frequency to include a week day run when the clocks went back.

    Totally hooked and sold my hybrid to get a road bike.

    Started at 16.5 stone at Xmas and now down to 14 stone 10.

    Stuck to 20 to 30 mile rides through the week (twice) then built Sunday run to 50 miles. Added in a second 50 miler on a Saturday so doing two at the weekend. About 4 weeks ago stretched the Sunday run to 80 miles keeping the Saturday at 50. This weekend did 60 on Saturday and 90 on Sunday.

    Not signed up yet but hoping to do the Evans 100 mile Sportive next Sunday at Thirsk.

    Set yourself a goal and train for it. Build up gradually increasing frequency and adding an extra few miles onto your longest trips -its suprising how soon you get into some big numbers. 90 miles today took 5 and a half hours plus one 25 minute break at the 42 mile point - average speed 16.4 mph. Mixed terrain. First rides I was averaging 13mph with less hills inthe route. It doesnt get any easier but you do get quicker and can ride further.

    Good luck.
    Trek Madone 5.9
    Kinesis Crosslight T4
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,531
    Hals1967 wrote:
    How anyone can call hills fun is beyond me lol ! :lol:

    When they invent a going down only hill let me know...

    well, on the uphill bit it hurts

    but over time there's the satisfaction of going up faster for the same pain (slow down and less pain? no no no no, that'd never do)

    then it's over the top, go aero, and 60-70kph down, overtake a few cars, sing damned songs really loud, etc.

    it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny