Training for My Next Century

The Reston Century is three weeks from today. I rode 100 miles on June 21, so the distance doesn’t concern me. The 5,705 feet of elevation gain; however, does – I know I can do it, it just might not be pretty. Prior to last year’s Reston Century we went on a practice ride climbing the two steepest and longest hills. Both are 1.3 miles long, one has a 6.1% average grade (17.7% at the steepest point) and the other has a 5.4% average grade (13.3% at the steepest). The other two notable climbs during the century are on hills I ride somewhat regularly.

My hill training currently consists of at least once a week climbing Thomas Mill Road, a 1.6-mile climb with 370 feet of ascent and one section that’s got a 13% grade. Until after the century, I plan to keep my runs to just once a week to allow more time in the saddle. Strength training will remain a mainstay with a cutback the week prior to the ride.

 

Overview of the Week

Before discussing each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Cycling: 10K
• Average speed: 9.6 MPH
• Bike: Beach Cruiser Lux
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 144 feet
• Start time: 9:40 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 84° (feels like 90°) and sunny
• What I wore: shorts and tank top

After being down and out with a cold the previous week and not spending any time on my bike, a short easy ride on my new beach cruiser seemed like a reasonable plan. Let me just say that riding a 36 pound bike (versus 18 pounds for my road and gravel bikes) and with only 3 gears is hard work!

Oh, and yes, the bike and outfit color coordination was planned.

 

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of full body

 

Tuesday

Cycling: 40 miles
• Average speed: 14.2 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,358 feet
• Start time: 7:59 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail with some side country roads
• Weather: 73° and overcast, climbing to 78°
• What I wore: bike shorts and s/s jersey

I joined my friend Chuck for a ride and it felt great to be back out on the trail.

 

Wednesday

Strength training: 1 hour of full body

Walking: 1 mile
• Average pace: 14:52
• Start time: 5:43 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 69°, humid, and overcast
• What I wore: shorts and tank

Running: 2 miles
• Average pace: 9:43
• Start time: 6:02 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 69°, humid, and overcast
• What I wore: shorts and tank

I beat the heat with an early morning warm-up walk followed by a 2-mile run. It felt fabulous to go on my first true run since I ran at the farm in early June. More importantly, everything felt great afterward. It had been so long since I’d run that I forgot to stretch or roll afterward. Oops!

 

Thursday

Cycling: 38 miles
• Average speed: 13.6 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,745 feet
• Start time: 8:28 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail with some side roads including climbing Thomas Mill
• Weather: 77° (feels like 79°) and sunny, climbing to 86° (feels line 97°) and partly cloudy
• What I wore: bike bibs and s/s jersey

Having failed to text any friends to see who could ride, I headed out by myself for my favorite solo route. After years of riding past these skeletons on my climb up Thomas Mill, I decided it was high time to stop and say hello, but they gave me the cold shoulder. 😉 The homeowner recently joined our gravel cycling group and let us know he’d put water out in a cooler for us to grab when we need it, so I felt comfortable stopping in their front lawn for a selfie.

 

Friday

Strength training: 1 hour of full body

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

 

Saturday

Cycling: 42 miles
• Average speed: 14.7 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,519 feet
• Start time: 7:56 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail Hamilton loop with some side roads
• Weather: 71° and sunny, climbing to 81°
• What I wore: bike shorts and s/s jersey

After a hot and muggy week, the weather was delightful and I took advantage of getting outside. I didn’t want to push as hard as I’d need to on a group gravel ride so I did my own thing on my road bike.

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • When you train for an event, do you follow a strict schedule, wing it, or do something in between? ~ Interestingly, I carefully follow running plans for races; however, I’m much more laid back with cycling.
  • • What was your favorite workout of the week?
  • • Did you run in a race this weekend?

 

And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!

 

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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!