Tips for Training and Preparing for your First Century

The following guidelines for training and riding in a Century were compiled from personal experience and the following sources.


Step 1) Choose a Century to ride in.
Step 2) If possible find a training partner.
Step 3) Prepare your bike.
Step 4) Prepare yourself.
Step 5) Beginner Training Schedule:
Step 6) The weeks Before the Century
Step 7) The Night Before
Step 8) That morning
Step 9) The Ride


Step 1) Choose a Century to ride in.

• Choose a flat Century for your first. (You can always take on the challenge of a hilly Century ride once you have one Century under your belt.)
• Choose a Century ride that interests you. Be it because of the scenery, or because you are helping to raise money for a good cause. It is always helpful to have extra incentives to motivate you.

It is a lot easier to train for a Century if you are working with someone else. Believe me, I know from experience, it is a lot easier to get going knowing that someone is waiting to meet you. If you can't find a training partner, join a local bike club. They have regular training rides that you can join. But don't kill yourself trying to keep up with the pack. Remember that you have bigger goals in mind, riding a Century. Getting yourself in shape to do this is a long slow process. Take your time and enjoy the scenery!

Step 3) Prepare your bike.

I have seen people ride Centuries on all sorts of bikes. Mountain bikes, recumbent bikes, hand cycles, you name it. If you plan to use you current bike, then put a nice pair of road tires on it. My first Century I completed on my hybrid mountain bike, on which I put high-pressure road tires. The lower riding resistance easily saved me a ton of effort. Get a comfortable seat, or put a gel seat cover on your current seat. Add handlebars that will allow you to switch hand position during the ride. The second most painful area, after your seat, is the wrist, if you can move you hands into multiple riding positions this will allow you ride much more comfortably. Tune up your bike, or have a shop tune it up for you.

Some of you may need to buy a bike. Then read the advice above for people who already own a bike, get the right size bike by going to a bike shop and have them help you, do not get hung up with high priced items that will save you a couple ounces of weight. Save your money get good durable equipment, if you're like me, you only need to go on a diet and you will be able to save yourself more than a few ounces of weight.

If you are going to buy any new equipment, do it now. Do not purchase new equipment a week before the big event, and find out that it is the wrong size, or that you don't know how to properly install it. Break in new shoes, try different protein bars...whatever it is, do it during training, where you can work out the bugs.

Step 4) Prepare yourself.

• If you don't already own some, you should also invest in a pair of padded bike shorts. As dumb as they look, you will save yourself a lot of pain. Plus you can always wear baggy shorts over them.
• Begin to eat healthier, and sleep more. Your body will be changing fat to muscle, by eating healthier and sleeping more you can help your body do this. Plus if you lose a few pounds, those are a few less pounds you have to haul 100 miles.
• Tell all your friends and family your plan to ride a Century, maybe even invite them to support you that day. This will give you more motivation to complete your training and do the Century. At many Centuries, I have seen friends and family routing on a rider, providing them with bottled water, or their favorite protein bar.
• Lastly register for the ride. Fill out the form and send in your money, because you can do it!

If you're new to biking give yourself at least 10 weeks to train. If you're already biking on a regular basis (3 or more times a week) then jump onto the below training schedule wherever you match up weekly mileage wise, and build up from there. (For example if you are already doing 100 miles per week, start with the 5th week.)



Week	Monday rest	Tuesday moderate	Wednesday hills	Thursday rest	Friday moderate	Saturday moderate	Sunday easy	Total Miles
1	Off	10	10	Off	10	Off	20	50
2	Off	12	12	Off	12	Off	25	61
3	Off	14	14	Off	14	14	30	86
4	Off	16	16	Off	16	16	35	99
5	Off	18	18	Off	18	18	40	112
6	Off	20	20	Off	20	20	45	125
7	Off	22	22	Off	22	22	50	138
8	Off	24	24	Off	24	24	55	151
9	Off	30	30	Off	30	30	60	190
10	Off	20	20	Off	15	Off	Century	155



Notes:
• This training schedule is for beginners, and is not based off any scientific methodology. But following this chart you should not have any problems doing a relatively flat Century ride.
• If the Century ride that you have chosen is hilly, or you want to do it in less than 6 hours, then you should add between 10 to 20 percent to the above mileage.
• You don't have to strictly follow this schedule. If you have to mix and match the schedule to be able to get the weekly mileage in, do it! This is only a general guideline, you need to follow a schedule that will get you out there on your bike.
• Don't get bored by over training, cross train occasionally to keep physical and mental fitness.


Pace:
I define 3 types of pace in the chart above. I'm not a big believer in pushing yourself to the limit each time you go out and ride. This will put stress on your body, and may eventually lead to injury. After you have finished your first Century, and want to challenge yourself more, then go ahead and push your pace up. But take it easy the first time around, set a pace that you can manage over the long haul and you'll accomplish a Century.


• Moderate Pace: I define this as a speed in which you are pushing, but not maxing out you potential top speeds. A speed that you can easily maintain, but still feel tired when you're through. You should have slight difficulty conversing at this pace. But you should not be panting heavily. This is something that you will have to find on your own. Some people argue that you should be at so many % of your max heart rate. But not all of us have a heart monitor, or can figure out what our max heart rate is. So just take this advice, push yourself to the point where you are tired after the ride, but not to the point of exhaustion. Experiment and you will be able to find that pace.
  
• Hills (or intervals) At least once a week, find a hilly course and go for it. I'm 100 percent sure that there will be hills on your Century ride, so you need to train for them. If you happen to live in an area without hills, then do interval training. During your regular ride, push your pace up to your max for 1 minute. Recover and do it again. Repeat this process until you've done 10 intervals. Increase the number of intervals and amount of time that you are doing them over your 10 weeks.
  
• Easy Pace: This is your fun pace. A pace that makes you feel like you could go on forever. You should be able to talk without panting. It should NOT be a slow pace, but a pace that gets you blood pumping and makes you feel good when you are done. Look around and enjoy the ride. Remember you are not in a race, your goal is to finish. Save the racing for your next Century.
  



On the longer weekend rides, experiment with nutrition. Find out what works for you. What food sits well in your stomach, and what to avoid. What drinks hit the spot, and what drinks miss. You need a good number of calories to keep your internal engine going. Try various energy drinks and bars during your training sessions.

Practice your pedal stroke. An efficiency petal stroke is very important over the long haul. Focus on keeping a comfortable cadence between 80-100 rpm. A straight stroke will deliver energy to pedals all the way around, and will help to avoid injuries.

Step 6) The weeks Before the Century

If you have been following a good training program and are just about ready to do a Century, now you can start thinking about your final preparations.

You need to carry these items with you:

• Extra tubes, a tire repair kit, bike tool kit.
  
• Ample water supplies in the form of multiple water bottles, or a camelback system.
  
• Your favorite energy drink and bars.
  
• The proper clothing for comfort in the conditions you will be riding in.
  
• A Cell Phone
  
Now that you have the items that you need, you also should:
• Get plenty of sleep
  
• Start carbo loading (A few days before)
  
• Take your bike in for a tune-up (A few weeks before)
  
• Watch the weather and get your clothes ready
  
• Get directions and times for the Century and confirm them with a map estimate the amount of time it will take to get there and plan on arriving at least 30 minutes before the event begins.
  

• Get plenty of sleep the night before. (De ja vu)
  
• Eat well, but don't overeat. Don't experiment with new food. This is not the time to get sick. You want to be feeling your best tomorrow.
  
• Avoid the stress of trying to gather everything together tomorrow morning by:
  
  • Watching the weather and getting your clothes ready
    
  • Put your water in the refrigerator
    
  • Get your registration information out
    
  • Get your directions and maps ready
    
  • Make sure you car is full of gas
    
  • Set your alarm and get up plenty early so you can eat and arrive at the event at least 30 minutes early.
    

Step 8) That morning

• Eat a good breakfast, but don't overeat. Give yourself at least an hour or two before the ride to digest your meal.
  
• Pre-hydrate: Drink lots of water with breakfast.
  
• Arrive at least 30 minutes early (De ja vu). Because you already have the directions and maps, you should be able to Get an early start that morning. This will reduce your anxieties, and make it easier to pace yourself during the ride.
  
• Pump your tires up to the proper pressure.
  
• Make sure you have everything you want to bring with you. (Sunglasses, protein bars, cue sheets. Double check to make sure you have everything.)
  
• Pee...do it now or you'll be stopping after only 10 minutes on the bike.
  

Step 9) The Ride

• Ride at your own pace. One of the most common mistakes is getting into a group you have to struggle to keep up with. Find people riding at your speed. It is not a race, relax and enjoy the ride.
  
• Spin hills. Avoid pushing too hard. This will keep your legs fresh and allow you to go all the way. If you push to hard early on, you may develop leg cramps later. Conserve your energy, and it will pay off at the end.
  
• Stretch. Every 30 minutes, stand on the pedals, arch your back and stretch your legs. Stretch your neck and do shoulder shrugs. It will help to prevent fatigue.
  
• Right from the start, begin nibbling on your snacks: bananas, fig cookies, energy bars or gels, etc. This will provide your body with a constant source of calories. Some riders like to eat every 20 miles, I prefer every 10, and some go by time.
  
• Stay hydrated. "Drink or Die" is my motto. Never let yourself get thirsty. To cue yourself to drink, set your watch to beep every 15 minutes to signal sip time. Or drink whenever you see another cyclist chugging.
  
• Don't think about how many miles remain. Make each rest stop your new goal. Concentrate on your form, and on drinking and eating. Talking with other riders is one way to take your mind off the exertion.
  
• Limit rest stops to 15 minutes or less. More than that and your legs get stiff.
  
• Don't stuff at rest stops. Munch lightly and take some to go.
  
• If you push to hard and cramp up, here is a technique to rid you of lactic acid buildup. Lie on your back and elevate your feet and legs to about 90 degrees (careful not to over stretch your hamstrings). Stay in this position for 5-10 minutes. By removing the effects of gravity, the lactic acid in the muscles of the legs can more easily enter the bloodstream and be more rapidly metabolized. It may look foolish, but this technique may save your ride.