How do you decide your fitness is "sufficient"

[chriskmurray]

I was curious what others use as a marker for fitness going into a big event?

Personally I am a 2012 CTR hopeful but am waiting to see how my fitness is come spring/summer to make the for sure call.  I am going to base how I feel after doing the ring the peak route (http://www.bikepacking.net/routes/ring-the-peak/) and the Gold Belt Century route (http://coloradodirtroads.blogspot.com/p/gold-belt-century.html) back to back, and if I feel pretty good after that I will probably deem myself ready to give it a go.

[THE LONG RANGER]

The Real Way Is Not Difficult

Joshu addressed an assembly of monks: "The Real Way is not difficult;, but it dislikes the Relative. If there is but little speech, it is about the Relative or it is about the Absolute. This old monk is not within the Absolute. Do you value this or not?" A monk said to him, "If you are not within the Absolute, how can you judge its value?" Joshu said, "Neither do I know that." The monk argued, "Your Reverence, if you do not yet know, how is it that you say you are not within the Absolute?" Joshu said, "Your questioning is effective. Finish your worship and leave."

What you ask is a really good question, but may not be one that can be answered without taking on the air of a Zen Kōan.

Good cycling form is certainly a large part of being successful at these types of distances and I think you're plan to take on these two routes back to back is a really good test of your own form. I've asked many myself, "How does one train for these types of events?" No one really knows the most effective way.

I myself used the Ring the Peak as part of my training last year for the Tour Divide: I started in Denver, rode to the North Pole (you know what I'm talking about) and started the route from there, on that crazy hike-a-bike part, straight UP and rode/hiked until I couldn't really think straight enough to continue. Only made it to about Crag's the next day, before I threw in the towel, having seen fresh nordic ski tracks on the route I was supposed to take and thinking that's about as far as my kit's gonna allow me  and started out on the ride of 100+ miles back home!

But what that small, two day ride taught me was not that I could take that much riding on such variable terrain - everything from concrete bike paths, to sides of one-lane highways, to the dirt roads of Rampart Range, to the singletrack that makes up part of Ring the Peak,

but that after a long day of doing that to sleep on the side of trail, in a bivvy, in a snowfield, not quite sure where I was, that when I woke up, I clearly wasn't angry, worried, scared, humiliated, or about to give up, when thinking about the fact that I basically had to do it all over again, before I could even get home.

Mental preparedness. Something like the CTR isn't truly trainable for. There's no rest days, so there's going to be a time pretty early on in the race where you'll hit your physical barrier and you'll have to break through that. Prepare physically all you want, you'll hit it. Be ready for that by being at peace with the mental harshness. And being mental, it's all in your mind. Remember to breath.

And maybe the best type of preparedness is non-preparedness. Forgetting that there is a limit that can be reached inside yourself, either physical or mental. Where does the race exist?

[AZTtripper]

The Artist the Hike A Bike Zen Master of Bikepacking I like it.

For me personally I have gone from great shape to piss poor and back again several times. I have started the AZT 300 4 times but only finished 2. For the first one I had been riding a lot and was in really good shape. The next 2 just didn't come together as I just hadn't been pushing myself to ride enough leading up to the race.

I am not really much of a racer in these things I always stop to sleep most of the night but if I train enough I do finish.

I think you need to be honest with yourself about what your goal is for the event. Seems to me that there are only a few guys who can expect to pull these things off in winning times. Then there's the rest of us. One thing that I see happening on the AZT 300 is guys blowing themselves out early. I realize it's a race and everyone is ampt at the beginning. But I think that being realistic and listening to your own body would serve you better to finish in what ever time. To me that's better then a DNF.

I don't follow the CTR as closely as I do the AZT but I think the attrition rate for both is pretty high. The last time I did the 300 I set a pace that I knew would be ahead of the slowest ever finisher. After all the guy who finishes last still beat all of those who DNF.

I would say train as hard as your body can handle with out feeling burned out all of the time. Then come up with a game plan that is well within your limits. And worry more about finishing then how fast others are.

That would be my game plan anyway.

Hope that helps

Tim

[chriskmurray]

 I started in Denver, rode to the North Pole (you know what I'm talking about) and started the route from there, on that crazy hike-a-bike part, straight UP and rode/hiked until I couldn't really think straight enough to continue.

I actually do not know what you are talking about, I moved to CO in October so I am still figuring out the area.  One thing is for sure, there is an abundance of great riding/training ground here.

Rampart range is another I considered doing a very long day on before the race, I think it is 60ish miles and a lot of climbing end to end so one day attempting a long out and back in a day, or maybe break it up into 2, so I can test out bivy gear.

AZTtripper, I am actually dealing with the same as you, I was in great shape, got a new job that had me working way too much and spending a bunch of time on the road so I gained a deal of weight and lost fitness.  I have been riding a bunch since leaving that job and moving to CO and actually feel good on rides that involve pushing hard uphill for 2ish hours and then some.  I really do enjoy the long slow burn much more than your typical XC pace.  My goals are to finish quick enough that it is obviously not a touring pace but I will probably label my "goal" as 7-8 days but once the race starts try not to worry about that too much.

I also plan on a lot of my long rides to be solo so I can get use to suffering in solitude because I would imagine a lot of these ultra races is mental.  I have managed a 70 mile 11k ft of climbing mtn bike ride with what I thought was poor fitness, I wasn't fast but I made it.

[chriskmurray]

North Pole, is that the place just below the booth going up the Pikes Peak Hwy?

[DenisVTT]

Just like Justin, I think mental preparedness is more important than physical preparedness.

I think it's a very long-range plan that gets you mentally prepared for those races. Personally, short of breaking my frame in 2 or ending up in a hospital, I simply never not finish a ride, no matter how short, how long, how difficult or especially how easy it would be to simply take the short route home. It sort of becomes a habit, and after a few years you simply don't think much about quitting before the end. That doesn't mean you go on to every ride, but if you start it, you know in advance that you'll finish it, because that's simply what you always do. In a long endurance event where there might be many opportunities to think about quitting, that helps a lot.

As for physical fitness, I think the best way to know you're ready is to do a relatively short time trial course on which you measure yourself periodically. For me, I have 3: one is a 7.5-mile course near where I live that is constantly up and down with steep climbs and gnarly sections. When I'm not in shape, it takes me close to an hour. In shape, I'm under 50 minutes. Another is a hilly 30-mile dirt roads / paved back roads course also near where I live. I'm around 2:20 if I'm not in shape, right around or even under 2:00 when fit. Finally, the other is a 6-mile long, 1100-ft dirt road climb in the Catoctin mountains also near where I live. I time myself every now and then going up that road. The difference between being in shape and not in shape is about 5 minutes. If in doubt, I go back down and climb it a second time to see if I can sustain it.

I know 7.5 miles, 6 miles and even 30 miles are very short distances compared to an ultra race. But there's no way you can do those distances at sustained full speed if you're not in shape. Did you keep a good rhythm? Are you completely out of breath? Did you feel good? Did you enjoy it? All those answers will tell you if you're in shape by the time you get to the top.

Of course, all that assumes that you already have endurance. On an ultra-endurance race, you will likely not need to maintain the kind of speed you did on a short personal ITT. But measuring yourself on a much longer course (say a 100-miler) isn't necessarily practical or accurate, as your time will vary depending on the time it takes you for various stops, the weather, etc... As the saying goes however, your mileage, literally in this case, may vary.

[mbeardsl]

North Pole, is that the place just below the booth going up the Pikes Peak Hwy?

Yes, can't miss it. Xmas themed kiddie rides etc.

[elobeck]

I think Steve Wilinson once summarized preparedness well. He mentioned if you could ride back to back centuries with all your gear, and then arrive in the office on Monday morning with a spring in your step-then you are ready. For me personally, I have a ride that is 100 miles and 12000 feet of climbing. If I feel good the next day commuting to the office by bike and while at the offce, I'm there in terms of baseline fitness. From that point on it's an effort to stretch endurance and speed as much as possible.

Erik

[Done]

As a relative newbie, I don't have much experience to determine my "marker for fitness going into a big event."

But have learned that it's possible to push myself harder than I have ever imagined, and the rewards are proportional to the commitment.

In 2009, when I started training for the 2010 CTR, I hadn't ridden my bike in 12 years. After a year of training, mostly by riding my bike to work on a bike path, I headed out on the CTR without a clue to what lay ahead--other expecting it to be damn hard (very possibly too hard). While I have a fair bit of mountain experience from my younger years, I'd never bikepacked before--even one night! The second day on the CTR was the hardest physical challenge of my life; every following day was harder. When I finally arrived in Durango, I felt like I'd be beaten by angry demons. But it was awesome!

My next long ride was Kokopelli's Trail, in 2011. I'd never ridden my bike for 24 hours, so I had no idea what to expect from my mind and body. I figured that my odds of completion were 50-50. When I finished, I was dog tired--but amped to try again in 2012.

Also in 2011, I tried to ride the CTR again. Alas, I crashed out in the second day, and had to get a ride home. I learned a lot though, and I'm eager to try again this year.

In short, it's possible to get out there and do something new without really having any clue whether you're ready or not. In fact, exploring the unknown is the surest way to have a good adventure--at least for me. Just be safe, so that you'll be able to try again if things take a turn for the worse.

[AZTtripper]

I think Steve Wilinson once summarized preparedness well. He mentioned if you could ride back to back centuries with all your gear, and then arrive in the office on Monday morning with a spring in your step-then you are ready. For me personally, I have a ride that is 100 miles and 12000 feet of climbing. If I feel good the next day commuting to the office by bike and while at the offce, I'm there in terms of baseline fitness. From that point on it's an effort to stretch endurance and speed as much as possible.

Erik

Erik are you talking single track riding here? If so that's dam impressive. Especially the 2 100 mile days SW summarizes. My thinking is that if somebody can do that then they wouldn't be questioning their fitness level.

Like I said earlier there are some who can expect to set winning times on these things and then there are the rest of us. While I have done a 100 mile day on the bike 60-80 is more in line with what my body can handle. Talking single track with hike a bike mixed with some road here.

The mental toughness that has been brought up above plays a big role I should think. Even if I don't wake up with that spring in my step if I can force myself to get moving and things loosen up I know I can keep moving.  

While not training and just throwing yourself out there is a sure recipe for failure, I should think that anyone who rides consistently should be able to finish. For me the key is to ride my own pace and not let myself, talk myself into quitting but rather talk myself into finishing.

Tim

[elobeck]

Tim,
 The 100 miles are "dirty" (sometimes snowy) but not single track. I see this as a good baseline (at least for myself) from which to build further fitness tailored to a specific event.

Erik

[AZTtripper]

Erik,

That's kinda what I thought. But your right on about the baseline no doubt. Seems like a mixed route of 60 plus with some steep single track would likely be an equally good baseline.

Here in Tucson we have a 60 miler that is a good mix of dirt ST and a mix of dirt road and some pavement. Or I'll do a fully trail day in the 40 mile range. When training for the AZT 300 I have found that doing several shorter rides and one longer ride every week builds that base that I need to finish.

Tim

[SteveW]

I guess a lot depends on how much you're willing to suffer, how much time you've got for the event, and what YOU want from the ride. Finish, win, holiday, experience, people, etc. Pushing beyond your limits in your first race is a high risk strategy if you don't know how your body is going to respond. Over exertion will increase your chances of getting sick, or an injury. It will also probably spoil your enjoyment if you're hurting.

To expand a bit on my words Erik posted, I mean 100 dirt road miles, with about 10,000’ of climbing over that distance, or about 10-12 hours riding on a loaded bike. Divide miles, not CTR miles. Doing one day of that won't really tell you much about where you are for a multi-day race. Doing two will give you a better understanding, and you will learn a lot about fuelling and looking after yourself. However I would also say follow the recovery and body management into day three aiming to test the legs on Monday morning too. If you're still feeling strong, you've found the right pace and won't deteriorate as the days progress in the event. If you're destroyed on Monday morning, it's likely you're on a downward curve and haven't found the right balance for you. Once you've done a few of these events, you will learn your own indicators of preparedness from your training rides.

What you're trying to do is train your body to burn fat and not carbohydrates. To get to a point where you can output a good power level from metabolising fat, only tapping into the carbohydrates stores you can replace daily. Carbohydrate depletion not only makes things mentally very tough and the miles slow, but it suppresses the immune system and other body functions, including digestion, making things a whole lot worse.

Steve

[chriskmurray]

What you're trying to do is train your body to burn fat and not carbohydrates. To get to a point where you can output a good power level from metabolising fat, only tapping into the carbohydrates stores you can replace daily. Carbohydrate depletion not only makes things mentally very tough and the miles slow, but it suppresses the immune system and other body functions, including digestion, making things a whole lot worse.

Steve

A lot of good points Steve, thanks for the input.  I have a good idea how my body handles very long one day rides but I have not done any big multi day rides, so that is my goal come spring/summer.

One question I have, what is the best way to teach your body to start burning stored fat more efficiently?  Does it come from consistently doing long but moderate to low intensity rides?

[SteveW]

In multi-day riding it can all fall apart when it comes to refuelling, and there is a lot to learn about the foods that agree with you, and how much your digestion can handle when exercising all day, while also increasing daily calorie intake. Training for your first multi-dayer can be as much about learning body management and recovery, as it is about being able to turn the pedals all day. Hence doing the big rides back-to-back is important.
 
Yes, the idea is the ‘base miles’ of long and moderate intensity develop the fat metabolising engine. You need to be on the cusp of increased breathing. It is better to work with the rate of perceived exertion scale, rather than heart rate zones, because as you get fitter (fat burning), the heart rate (power output) for this metabolism point will increase, therefore you would not be training efficiently if you stuck to a specific zone during this phase. Flat miles on a loaded bike are the best way to develop this engine in my experience.

I start my base training by working up to the 6 hour ride. This is a good length ride to get the body releasing the right hormones that make adaptions. I base a lot of my rides around 3 hour blocks, in duration of 3, 6, 9 and 12 hour rides, since I feel my body responds most effectively after these three hour periods. As I build up the duration, I will stop to eat good meals and rest well during these long rides. I need to replace the calories. But as I get fitter, I can push on for longer without so much food or rest. Once you’re riding 6 hour rides on consecutive days, loaded on the flat without a long break and meal stop, you’ve built a solid base. It’s then time to start increasing duration, then intensity with larger climbs, then reducing the stops and rests.

[mikepro]

Finally, a concise and accurate explanation regarding multi-day enduro fitness prep!!  For anyone who's paying attention, the info (or strategy, if you will) provided by Steve W. herein is pure gold.  Do what you will, but don't gloss over what Steve's sayin' here.   Read and re-read.   All of it is spot on !! ¹  Fat burn vs. carb burn (burn logs, not kindling), link to immune system impacts, breath and breathing, perceived exertion not heart rate zone monitoring, emphasis on recovery, release of correct hormones, digestion and learning personal food type and amount intake, long and moderate not flash in the pan, and so much more, all in just 2 short posts. ²

I've been in several conversations over the past year or so, about TDR and other long rides, mainly with others who ride and/or race.  When the question of "how do you train for this sort of thing?" comes up, I inevitably struggle for words to explain.  What do want to get out of it? I ask ... and then .... anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 mins to longer of round-and-round conversation usually ensues, and at some point I end up saying to the other person: "Look, I read once that when you can ride a century on dirt, fully-loaded and kitted, sleep in the dirt, wake up and ride a century back home in the dirt the next day, and feel fine and function in your normal day-to-day lifestyle the following (3rd) day, then you're ready.  If it's raining all day both days of the ride, then that much the better".

I attribute this fitness benchmark to Steve W, which I believe is in his '09 TDR trip report.  The part about the rain is my own Pacific Northwest flavor added in, and definitely applies to the TDR.  And using "ride a century on Sat, a century on Sun, and go to work on Monday with a spring in your step" really helps drive it home with the weekend-warrior crowd since that's a large majority of who's doing this type of event.

¹ This is my personal opinion, of course, but I couldn't have said what Steve says any better.
² Mental / Emotional / Spiritual aside.  This only applies for focusing on the Physical aspect of such endeavors.  In more ways than one, what the Artist says about Mental Preparedness is way more potent than "sufficient fitness"

[elobeck]

I would only disagree on one component-the perceived exertion bit. For a newbie athlete, it is VERY easy to assume one isn't working hard, but HR monitoring will prove one is out of the ideal range, perhaps even in a negative one for ones intended activity. It takes time with a HR to "get a feel" for ones own perceived exertion-then the HR can be left behind. There are scientifically proven heart rate training zones that work for specific sports, and numerous studies have shown the proven benefits. Using a HRM for benefit requires practice. As an addendum, at the very least I would suggest monitoring of HR as a benchmark for recovery. Rest is an essential component of training. If your resting HR is up by 15 three days after said double century in the rain-beware, not recovered yet. It is really easy to undo the benefits of one workout with too much too soon. I feel as bikepackers we often try to go the luddite route because we want to get away from it all. But when one ventures into ultra territory, there is heaps of info (and evidence) out there on how to make the hours one does spend more effective and beneficial.

Anyway.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Also perhaps a good cross reference is Jay P's question checklist:

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,2019.msg18374.html

[SteveW]

True that about the heart rate monitor, Erik. I did spend years using one for training and recovery, and it is a very useful tool for learning those perceived exertion points, or zones. I even trained with a power meter for a while, along with getting gas analysis and blood lactate tests. All good stuff for learning more about training theory until it becomes more natural and you learn how to read your body.

[Done]

Here's a simple plan: Ride your bike(s) a lot: Hilly stuff, flat stuff, smooth stuff rough stuff. Go long and slow, go short and fast. Run and/or hike too. Go hard when you can, recover when you can't. When you feel like you're tough enough (you'll know when you're there), line up for a race or head out for an ITT--and see what happens. Be flexible, learn to listen to your body and mind. Change things that don't work. Figure out what motivates  you, and build on it--or tear it down and build something new in its place. Explore what scares you, and figure out whether or not it should. If you succeed, try something harder. If you fail, sort out the reasons--and then try again. Embrace the discovery and enlightenment that comes with pushing hard into the unknown!