Chloe Rides 100: A Ride100 Training Update

There is a moment when you're working towards something, whether it's finishing your thesis, training for a marathon, interviewing for a promotion, when it's not really going to plan, and you suddenly wonder, not in a 'having a hissy fit because it's hard' way, but a serious 'what have I done wobble' kind of a way, whether you will actually reach your goal or if there's just one set back too many.

I was recently approached to take part in the London Ride100, and I leapt at the chance. With about 10 weeks until the event (cycling 100 miles through London, Surrey and back into London), I thought it was perfectly doable. I set myself up on a fairly straightforward training plan of adding one long ride at an easy pace into my weekly routine, adding around 10km to the length of the ride each week, starting out at around 20 miles. In theory this should have taken me up to 100 miles with a bit of wiggle room for some weeks where events or other things would likely get in the way.

This week, I had that wobble, because 4 weeks into my nice neat little plan I've only managed 2 of 4 rides planned, and I still haven't done a ride longer than 50 miles. Oh, and I spent last week out sick.



Rationally, I know I'm fairly fit. I run, strength train and cycle (even if it's just to the supermarket and back) 5-6 times per week. I can comfortably ride 35-40 miles on my bike without it being especially hard work and I also know that when I was WAY less fit than I am now, I rode 80 miles on a single speed bike having never gone for longer than an hour before, and whilst I was tired at the end, it was an enjoyable experience. SO... 100 miles, on a mid-range road bike, with a much enhanced understanding of sports nutrition, much higher base level of fitness AND a massive event with all the adrenaline that brings to keep me going, I should be fine, right?

I don't know if this is The Fear hitting because the schedule has pretty much gone out of the window, because I'm always a bit cranky when I can't exercise (I'm definitely someone who exercises as much for my sanity as for my physical well being), or if the prospect of a week of rain showers, an office move and a handful of commitments that have absolutely nothing to do with my bike... or perhaps it's just dawning realisation that I have, not for the first time, bitten off a bit more than is entirely comfortable to chew...

I'm not one to give up on something easily (and trust me, that is both a strength and a weakness...) and I know that I have a tendency to put undue pressure on myself when it comes to achieving goals and facing up to challenges, so my current theory is to try and let this go, to try and get my next scheduled training ride in with mileage somewhere in between the goal for the week as it was on my training plan and the mileage I last covered, and take it as it comes and to remember that this is not a race for me...  Any help or suggestions on getting on track and chilling out about all this would be welcome at this stage, because #finishlinesbeforefinishtimes is all fine and good in theory, but we'll have to see how it actually goes in practice...