Bulk Mileage

I'm in the final stretch leading up to the 24-hour race in Spokane. The race is just 4 weeks from now which means these next couple weeks are very important in terms of making sure I'm adequately prepared. I can't worry about the riding I didn't get do in early April, I can only worry about making the most of the time I have left to train.

I attribute much of my (relative) success at last year's race to the riding I did in Moab and Fruita during a trip made there in early May of last year. In four days I rode 165 miles with over 18,500 feet of climbing while down there. I'm not heading back to Moab this week and there's no doubt that nearly all of the really mountainous terrain is buried under deep snow around here, so I'm going to have to improvise. The goal, regardless of where I am, has to be to get three consecutive days of 5-7 hour rides in.

So here's my plan for the week:

Monday - Scheduled rest day... and boy did I need it.

Tuesday - Going to take a second rest day to get some work done and to attend a BBTC meeting tonight in Seattle.

Wednesday - 30 mile road ride, easy spin through North Bend.

Thursday - 40 mile mountain bike ride, two laps of the Thrilla course.

Friday - 60 mile mountain bike ride, Grand Ridge and up to Rattlesnake Lake.

Saturday - 90 mile mountain bike ride, two laps of the Thrilla course starting at my house.

Sunday - 100 mile road ride from Snoqualmie through Issaquah to Seattle and back through Redmond and Carnation.

I plan on being very tired next Monday.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I REALLY admire you and all of your training. What kinds of food do you eat to stay strong and keep your weight? Do you have a special diet during training? Good luck with it all and I look forward to reading more! :-)

Doug Walsh said...

I eat everything and anything. Actually, that's probably why I lose weight so slowly. I pay close attention to what I'm eating during my rides and try to make sure I'm taking in at least 180-220 calories an hour in the form of Gu, Cliff Bloks, fruit leathers, Cliff Bars, and/or a Powerbar calorie drink.

But when I'm not riding I eat a lot of garbage, to be honest. We usually eat a fairly balanced dinner on most nights of the week, but I'm not opposed to a big plate of buffalo wings or a cheeseburger and fries either.

Food is too good to sacrifice for exercise.

Thanks for the kind words!