Cool downs really are important!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by i2ambler
I am fairly new to riding (about 5months or so). I finally hit 19.5 mph on my 35 mile flat course I ride once a week. The other days I do 16 miles of hill training. (up and down short steep hills for about an hour) I power up the hill im 39/21 till the top (takes maybe 5 minutes), go down and take a break for a couple minutes, then do it again. I do about 3 or 4 of these intervals then ride an 8 mile cool down.

Well.. after my 35 mile ride on friday, I didnt cool down at ALL because it started to lightning out right when I was coming home.

I went riding sunday to do my hills, and I literally only made it half way up the first hill before my legs were on fire, I was out of breath, and I had to stop!!

Could this have been from not cooling down, or am I overdoing it for a new rider?

normal training constists of :

tuesday, thursday = 16 miles each of hill riding like above (about an hour)
friday or saturday, 30+ miles (or 2 hours or so) of flat riding.
sunday, hills again for an hour.

My schedule is going to get all screwed up as soon as the time changes, and winter comes - less daylight! Im trying to get in shape for a century in some hilly territory in november. Next month I am going to cut out the 'hill intervals' and start doing 2 long rides in the hills per week. (50+)
-
Am I aiming too high to complete a century?

that hilly territory wouldnt be the El Tour dE Tucson
nov 23rd would it? sorry i cant help much with your post
but i do know cool downs are pretty important, good luck
on your nov ride.

i2ambler:

It's hard to say if not cooling down resulted in your poor performance on Sunday, but it certainly didn't help. Lots of riders just blow off warmups and cooldowns, but they are extremely important for high-intensity riding.

It's very important to cool down after doing hard work. It's not necessary if you have been riding easy. If I don't cool down after a hard workout, I won't feel nearly as good as if I had done a proper cooldown. The difference is quite noticeable.

It's not possible to aim too high, only too low. Your goal of doing a hilly century is quite possible. Cut out your intervals now, and start logging longer and longer miles A.S.A.P. 100 miles is a lot, and if it has lots of climbs, you are in for an adventure for sure!!!

Every week, I would focus on one shorter ride with tons of hills, and a real long ride on mostly flat terrain on another day. Start with 20-25 miles of hills and 45-50 miles of mostly flat riding and see how your body reacts. Slowly bump up your mileage every week.

Ideally, you should get to the point where you can do 50-60+ miles of climbing, and 100+ miles of mostly flat riding before your event. Eat and drink frequently on long/hard rides. Get more sleep too, you will need it for proper recovery.

If you cannot get to this level, don't worry. Do the ride anyhow. The "group" effect will make the miles go by much easier than when training by yourself.

Good luck!!!