Status - Training for Race Around Ireland

Three and a half months in and four and a half months to go before RAI (late August).  

In a few days I'll travel to Dublin, Ireland, to `drive the course.'  A little more than 1,300 miles and 60,000 feet of climbing.  Because of the magnitude and cost of this cycling event I want no surprises - or, as few surprises as possible.  

There are 23 time stations to the course, roughly 70 mile apart. Solo racers have 130 hours to complete the course and be considered `finishers.'  This is a race, not a `ride.'  To `finish' the racer must average just under 11 mph (17 kph) over the 130 hours. That may not sound difficult to do but this factors in the several hours off the bike, sleeping, as well.  

I plan to use two Bacchetta short wheel base high racer recumbent bikes for the race.  The first is the Titanium Aero.  I've modified the bike, with a Kent Polk Railgun carbon fiber hardshell seat, a tiller and narrow (cut and welded) bullhorn bars.  The second bike is the new Carbon Aero 3 bike.  

Both bikes will have 650b wheels (smaller than standard 700 wheels).  The Ti bike (medium frame) will be geared for rougher and hilly terrain with a compact crank (50/34) up front and a ten speed 11/36 cassette in back.  

The CA3 will be about one and a half inches longer (large frame) than the Ti bike and will be geared for smoother and less hilly terrain (55/39 up front and 11/36 in back).  I prefer the 650b wheels so I'll be modifying the CA3 to include a disc brake in back.  That, as well as the Railgun seat, tiller and bullhorn bars.  

Training.  A major reason for my `drive the course' trip to Ireland is to get a first-hand appreciation for the terrain.  Just as in my psychological practice where diagnosis drives treatment, in cycling the terrain drives the training.  Living and cycling in the Arizona mountains is an up and down affair: sweat and grind to the top and then just hang on and steer on the way down.  Not the kind of `balanced' endurance training a cyclist requires for varied terrain (like Ireland),

Finding a training course near my home that is not an extreme up and down slog has been difficult, but possible. (Skull Valley to Wilhoit and Back)  Good, long flats, reasonable but demanding long climbs and descents.  Almost `normal.'  

I'm less worried about handling the terrain in Ireland (frankly).  It is the twin factors of `endurance' and `sleep deprivation' that has my focus.  

Consistency.  Volume.  Intensity.  These are the three components of effective training.  And, as a good friend has mentioned "That is a recipe for burnout!"  Unless, of course, you slowly work your way through them.  

Consistency and volume are most important in an ultrarace like RAI.  Intensity (fast, hard, high heart rate, etc) is a dangerous entity, like an acid that wears through the other two.  

In the past three and a half months I'm pleased (and somewhat surprised) that I've been able to train four out of every seven days of the week.  Often I don't want to train but I keep the goal of finishing RAI in my sights.  And that gets me out the door. 

In the past two weeks I've carefully introduced `volume' to my training.  Increasing the time (and miles) I spend on daily training sessions.  Three to four and a half hours per training session.  Four and five days each week.  

At this point I'm doing o.k..  I feel the `stress,' take my naps during the day (when I'm not at the office).  And am becoming more `efficient' with the use of my time.  

Next week will be somewhat of an interruption of the schedule, given that I'll be in the air and on the road for nine days.  On my return I'll carefully return to my current schedule of consistency and volume.  

When I feel I'm ready (probably early May) to increase the `volume' I'll do it in a measured manner. Two and a half hours on the bike, rest for half an hour, another two and a half hours on the bike. Somewhere in this `ramp up' of volume I'll put in some long (seven to nine hour) training sessions. By July and August I'll be spending four to five days per week training with a few twelve hour training sessions every month.  With fewer and shorter `rests' each training session.

(I reserve the right to modify everything - :)