-
Posts
-
-
Hey everyone! Im looking for some advice from racers who are more expirienced than I am. To begin, I have never been in a bike race of any sort. I have been riding alone daily for the past 4-5 months, and ive worked up to do 60-200 miles a week depending on how I feel and where im riding. The most ive done at one time was 88 miles and much of that was on road. I can honestly say im in the best shape ive been in in years and its great…. I have been thinking all season about entering a 100 km race. I am probably 70% ready to sign up for it (its on the 22nd), however im terrified of getting in over my head here and spending the $100 for an entry fee. The long miles dont really bother me, more the uncertainty of the one continuous trail the race follows.
My question is… is it normal to have this fear on my first race, should I be nervous about this? When do you know if you’re ready for a marathon race? Im really on the fence about this but im thinking it may be my fear getting the best of me and maybe I should just do it. Can anyone give me some "race ready" advise here?? -
You are ready for 100K if you have ridden 88 miles….even if mostly on the road.
Pick your event carefully. I may not pick ORAMM if I were you, but the Sumter Metric Century near where I live is perfect for your first endurance event.
I am doing it (SMC) and the Fool’s Gold 50. And the furthest I’ve ridden in a while is about 30ish miles. Gonna try to do 45ish this weekend and the FG 50 on the 21st.
The most I rode before my first off road 100 miler was a 100K. I wondered where I’d find the ability to ride the other 37 miles in the event, but did.
All that said, I’ve been at this since about 1991 or so.
A friend of mine’s first race was the SM 100 about 8 years ago. He finished. Said it was harder than Ironman in HI – which he also finished.
-
Yep, quit being scared, if you’re really riding 60-200 miles a week (which is a lot by the way, how many hours would you say you’re on the bike everyweek?), you can do a 100k.
What I don’t think you realize is, at these endurance races, very, very, very few of the people there are really racing against anyone else. The top handful of guys, and that’s it. 99% of the people there are racing themselves, just trying to push themselves harder than before, and see what they’re made of.
Endurance races all have a very laid back atmosphere. Mtn bikers are some of the friendliest bunch of people around, they’re all there to have fun.
-
Thanks to both of you for the encouragement! I did eventually get up the balls to join the Hampshire 100. Im still pretty nervous but I think my body is ready, and ive had very good training days in the past week or two. Im really seeing an improvement in my muscle conditioning, i think in large part to the long distances I do one or twice a week on the road…
"Yep, quit being scared, if you’re really riding 60-200 miles a week (which is a lot by the way, how many hours would you say you’re on the bike everyweek?), you can do a 100k."
To answer your question I try to do 1-3 hours per workout, usually closer to 1.5 hours with atleast one day a week (usually a sat/sun) where I do 3-5 hours at a slower pace. Typically I take 1-2 days off per week. I am beginning to add a little more stationary bike training in. I find that when i am riding on trails I naturally push my pace a little harder than I maybe should, so when im stationary im really trying to focus on a steady pedal pace to work on my flexibility and general conditioning over a long period of time.
…so needless to say im anxious to get the race done on the 22nd to get this under my belt. One of the many things I will be focusing on throughout the race is my pace. I think it will take a few miles to adjust to but mentally I need to be as ready as I can for the 62 continuous miles. I dont want to get to excited at the start of the race and hit the wall at the 40 mile mark. We’ll just have to see what happens…. Thanks again!
-
My first race was the SMC. My goal was to finish which I did. Show up at least an hour before start to register, talk to other riders etc. The hardest part for me was what to eat and staying hydrated. I tried a few things on race day for the first time. Not a good thing.
Greenfield, NH does not have much in it. However Peterbourgh is right next door and it has some good food. I always enjoyed Harlow’s after hikes and skiing in the area.
-
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.