Century training - rest day?

Hi,

I'm training for my first century right now, and was wondering how
important which day I choose to rest is. Most of the century training
charts online have the rest day in the middle of the week, usually
wednesday, a couple of days before each long satuday ride.

Now if I wanted to just ride all week, then take sunday off, would
this work out ok or will I be too fatigued on Saturday after riding
nonstop all week? Also, how important is it to ride the day after your
weekly long ride? Would it be ok to rest the day after this ride, or
is it important to ride the day after it as well?

Thanks in advance.

-Dale

It doesn't matter what day you rest. However, I would definitely recommend
riding the day after your long ride. It should be an easier ride, but it's
better not to take the day off completely after a long ride.

It's quite possible to train for a century with only 2-3 days a week of
riding - many people with jobs don't have any other choice.

A century is more mental that physical. The 100 mile mark is more an
imaginary barrier than a real challenge, and the ability to sit in the
saddle and to tolerate the weight on your arms is more important than
fitness.

I doubt there is much science or real medical information behind most
training charts that you see.


"Dale S." wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I'm training for my first century right now, and was wondering how
important which day I choose to rest is. Most of the century training
charts online have the rest day in the middle of the week, usually
wednesday, a couple of days before each long satuday ride.

Now if I wanted to just ride all week, then take sunday off, would
this work out ok or will I be too fatigued on Saturday after riding
nonstop all week? Also, how important is it to ride the day after your
weekly long ride? Would it be ok to rest the day after this ride, or
is it important to ride the day after it as well?

Thanks in advance.

-Dale

I'm on the saddle seven days a week. A recovery day for me is my HR not exceeding 50% of
my max HR.

Dave

"Sherry Katz" wrote in message
...
It doesn't matter what day you rest. However, I would definitely
recommend
riding the day after your long ride. It should be an easier ride, but
it's
better not to take the day off completely after a long ride.

It's quite possible to train for a century with only 2-3 days a week of
riding - many people with jobs don't have any other choice.

A century is more mental that physical. The 100 mile mark is more an
imaginary barrier than a real challenge, and the ability to sit in the
saddle and to tolerate the weight on your arms is more important than
fitness.

I doubt there is much science or real medical information behind most
training charts that you see.


Well, I don't think it is entirely more mental than physical, but the
psychological aspects do count for a lot. I rode my first century the third
week of August after starting to ride initially on July 1st (and taking a
week off at the first of August). It was the Hotter 'n' Hell Hundred. I
saw a lot of people give it up and sag back that day. At one rest stop, they
even had a flatbed truck to hold all the bicycles! They put the people in
the back of pickup trucks and the bikes on the flatbed truck.

I heard a couple of guys say "I can't take this wind any more! I just
can't!" and they quit at the 80 mile point. I discovered a lot of things
that day. One is that it essentially is a 50 mile ride. If you haven't
done it before, you are keyed up to making the "Hell's Gate" point before
they close it. I was so keyed up that I didn't realize Hell's Gate was at
the 60 mile point, but that's another story. Then, when I realized I had
gone 10 miles farther than scheduled, it gave me a mental lift.

Once you get past this sort of barrier, the rest of the ride is a piece of
cake, physically. It's just "10 miles to the next rest stop," get off and
snack a bit and then carry on. But, here is where the real mental part hits
you. You are starting to get a little sore, a little stiff maybe, and your
butt is somewhat flattened and numb. You perhaps start talking to yourself
a lot, whereas on the first part of the ride you were talking to other
people and joking, and meeting new people.

At the 80 mile point, when or if you pass someone, you feel obligated to
encourage them along with a little "keep at it---you'll make it!" or
something like that. You'll see people doing the deadly "pedal pedal pedal,
coast coast coast" over and over and you'll wonder when they are going to
give up entirely. You'll see the guy sitting on the side of the road trying
to patch his tire with a buzzard circling overhead---and you offer up a
prayer "Please don't let that be me!" You'll get to the 90 mile rest stop
and see 5 guys taking I.V. solutions and one guy being helped off his bike
because his leg has cramped so much he can't even stand up. These sights
weigh on your resolve and this is where you decide what you yourself are
going to tolerate. You can't stand the damn head wind, either, or the 106
degree heat. This is the moment of truth.

At the end, if your cyclocomputer is working properly, you discover the ride
has really been 108 miles and you curse out loud. You ride slowly past the
medical tent at the finish line and look at all the people on the cots
moaning and groaning. But, you're glad you stuck with it, because you
learned something about yourself that day.

Pat in TX