IM Training (Over Mileage Training) Question

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Permalink Reply by Mike Llerandi on August 19, 2008 at 2:19pm

Andrew,

That's an excellent question to pose *before* you go spend the better part of the day in the saddle! ;-) Seriously, if you're putting in the longer volume efforts and keeping your HR under control (120bpm is perfect if you ask me), then there is nothing magical about doing a ton of overdistance.

That said, I've definitely experienced the benefits of "shrinking the course" by going super long a few times over the course of my career. The first year I did this we did about 4-5 rides over 130mi, but as the years went on I think it makes more sense to just incorporate one or maybe two "epics" into your experience. Make sure you treat them as the outrageous effort that they are, and give yourself plenty of recovery time afterwards to restock your glycogen stores.

You've got enough time to go for it before Florida in early November, so if it can make sense in your schedule, it could be one of those fun things you look back on in your preparation that give you added confidence...go for it!

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Kennedy on August 19, 2008 at 2:25pm

Thanks Mike!

I'm officially out of excuses and will start my water bottle prep Friday night. 8+ hours on Sat!

-Andrew

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Permalink Reply by Mike Llerandi on August 19, 2008 at 2:27pm

And lots of chamois butt'r too - bring extras for the last half of the ride!

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Permalink Reply by Rob Chance on August 21, 2008 at 10:48am

Ditto to what Mike said. I think those rides are best done earlier in the build phase for IMFL. Early July maybe. They trully make the 112 miles seem less daunting. If you do them now you might risk too much fatique even if you are going easy.
Depending on what your goals are, at this time you should be doing your longer rides (100 miles) with some IM paced intervals(watts or HR). You will get more bang for you buck with these.

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