Hi All;
One of my master swimmer friends talked me into doing an Aqua Bike on September 17. It is a 1.2 mile swim and 54 mile bike.
I swim 3 times a week with the Master's group doing 9K+ per week so swimming won't be an issue
(based on my OWS times vs. the times last year, I'll be one of the top swimmers
).
Biking has me concerned. I've never biked that distance
(longest is 32 miles this year
). I have a small base as I mountain bike and have gone 1-2 times a week since the spring but I was only getting 50-100 miles in per month. I was considering the AB race in early July so I picked up the mileage and I've ridden 224 miles so far this month. One thing I have noticed is that I may have put in too many miles in July as my average mph
(all on similar terrain
) is getting worse. Not sure if that is fatigue or how hot/humid it has gotten or a combination of both. I do get at least 3 days of rest off the bike per week and 1 day completely off so I'm not sure doing too much is the cause.
The last couple of weeks I've made a goal of riding at least 50 miles per week with at least 1 "long" ride of 25-35 miles
(riding 3-4 times per week
). My plan is to ramp up the long ride over time and do the course at least 1 time. My week looks something like this: Swim 1 hour on T/TH/S. Riding Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and/or Sunday
(short rides are between 10-17 miles
). On Saturdays I will usually ride to the pool and back
(only 6.4 miles each way
). If I make Saturday my long ride, I will add it on to the ride home and take Sunday off. If Sunday is my long day, I'll just ride to swim and back.
With only 8 weeks to go and no goal of competing, will this be enough "training" or would I be better off coming up with a specific plan? If a specific plan, any thoughts as to what that should look like?
If I like it, I will look into putting more emphasis on bike training in order to actually "compete"
(as of now, I'm unsure what that means other than to significantly improve on my bike leg
).
Thoughts? Suggestions?