Went camping this weekend and either strained or pulled something in my calf playing corn hole. Corn hole, for ****s sake. I've never hurt myself doing less, still not sure how it happened. It was either when I was striding forward throwing the 2oz bean bag or when I stepped back. I can't even believe it. Stretching was going to be part of my regimen, this just confirms it needs to be.
Since I can't ride my bike today, seems like a good time to set goals. I've set the big one, but need to define other tasks that will make the big goal possible.
1. Increase my FTP. Not sure how much is possible but lets put down 20 to 25%.
2. Get my gear sorted. Need decent rain gear for sure, have clothes for warmth. Even though the ride is in early June, some of it is at elevation and temps can be in the 30's. Need more saddle bags to make sure I can carry what I need. I think I will need a bivvy sack in case of emergency, but hopefully will spend almost every night in a motel or other lodging. I have lights, but probably need something better and/or backups. Get and install aerobars and get comfortable riding with them. Get a bike fit early next year.
3. Lose weight. At 225 now, would be happy with 190 or less at the start of the ride. I'm not too worried about this though will obviously need to watch what I eat, but I think as I increase training volume the weight will come off.
4. Define my riding schedule, as well as stretching and core strength workouts.
I found this web site:
https://endurancebikeandrun.com/blog...epacking-event
They lay out these points:
Quote:
So, how do you train for an ultra-endurance bikepacking event?
1. Build your aerobic fitness and endurance with long and short rides at an easy pace;
2. Build your speed with harder and faster workouts each week;
3. Train consistently over several months to gradually build the fitness you need;
4. Develop a weekly routine for your training so that you can quickly understand what works and what doesn’t by making small incremental changes;
5. Develop a daily routine for your event that is based on duration, not distance, and practice it;
6. Build your endurance and practice your systems with gradually longer rides and practice events;
All of that makes a lot of sense. I don't think I will need to be doing massive volume, like 1,000 mile a week in advance of the race, though I think doing some long back to back rides will be on the schedule.