You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
OK, so I ride usually about 3-4 times a week, and have realised that I'm a happy creature of habit. I nip out and grab 75mins or so for a singletrack/XC type loop. I think, being 50+, I'm not slow, and reasonably quick uphill. But I do it usually on my own, for enjoyment (not timed) so maybe I'm just gradually slowing down!
However, rode with another chap recently who's an endurance racer and we did 120mins, similar loop, and I think he was being generous to me. Very enjoyable but later that day, my legs felt pretty whacked!
Made me think about my stamina (or lack of). I'm 66kg, reasonably healthy, skinny and thinking back to my youthful sporty days, I was never a high stamina performer (I did play a couple of sports at a high level but consistently was given plans to build strength/stamina which I suspect never really materialised).
So to break out of my (lazy) habit, what's the way to go about improving this ... not for racing, but just to get more enjoyment out of doing longer rides. Say the target is top do a quickish 3 hour ride.
Is it as simple as just riding more, and longer? Or is my body composition such that 'short and sweet' is all I can do?
Hints and tips wlecomed!
So to break out of my (lazy) habit, what’s the way to go about improving this … not for racing, but just to get more enjoyment out of doing longer rides. Say the target is top do a quickish 3 hour ride.
Keep riding with your mate!!!
I do this with my decade younger mate who still races XC and Endurance... so long as he doesn't mind I keep going.
Don't overthink it, just ride for longer and as Steve says, keep riding with your mate.
Might be helpful to do some strength work, being of a certain age.
I'm mid 50's, and ride both short lunch-time routes and longer all-dayers, 2-3 times a week.
It takes me an hour usually just to get my body up to 'temp',
Go for longer rides, plan a cafe midday.
If you can ride two hours hard with a racer you can ride three hours easy on your own. Take plenty of water and plenty of food and ride for 90 minutes. Stop, eat. Then ride 90 minutes back to the start. Take it very easy for the whole three hours. Really easy. Choose a flatter route if you have to. Make sure you have the right clothing to stay warm. Do this long ride once a week. Make the 75 minute rides harder, especially the hills. Over time the three hour will become easier to do at a faster pace. Learning how to judge that pace comes with experience. (I'm 58)
Might be helpful to do some strength work, being of a certain age.
Yup,this.
and sorry to be the bearer of bad news,but you do have to put in more effort as you get older*
*it's so unfair 😉
As above, ride with your mate! If you know the route(s) beforehand you'll have an idea of where the hard bits are so target one or two of them and try and hold your mate's wheel for as long as possible.
Other than that, "make every ride count", i.e. each ride should have a purpose: intervals, tempo, recovery, etc. Might be worth getting a HRM but if you don't want to go that route then look up the RPE scale as a way of judging just how hard you are going, try this - https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021324932-RPE-Key-Explained and
.
I'm 61 and yep, you just have to work harder at it to try and stand still 😰
Thanks all ... seems pretty consistent! The good bit is that it's (hopefully) bucking me out of the familiar ... onwards!
It takes me an hour usually just to get my body up to ‘temp’,
Me too. I'm not really fit at 57 nor ever have been really. I usually feel nackered after the first half hour of a ride but can plod on for another couple of hours or more quite happily. After about an hour and a half I seem to suddenly find energy and can even manage a few short uphill sprints.
Take up cycle touring. Before you know it you'll be doing 100k a day.
I'd just ride more on the road, the constant effort (compared with XC) trains you do deliver a constant wattage for hour after hour....
On the flip side.... you are in your 50s and getting out 3 or 4 times a week. Thats great. Combine that with a few beers and pizza and you have a very good balanced lifestyle. Always keep that in mind x
+1 for both riding more with your mate, to push/pull you on, and also get out on the road if you can. Riding at a consistent pace and power output is much easier on the road (MTB tends to be more bursty), combine that with a target cadence of around 90rpm to make sure you are not delivering all of that power from your legs - let your cardiovascular system take some of the strain and your legs will last longer. You don't need a road bike, although you might be tempted to buy one when spring comes round!
End of the day, it's all about the mileage!
Disclaimer: I have a 48 year old body and a mind that thinks it's still 25, also agree with the above that you have to work harder at it these days. And it's so unfair 😀
The best way to get faster/fitter is more high-intensity stuff a couple of times a week, particularly as you get older to compensate for lack of testosterone. Ride with stronger riders / mix it up on your longer rides - throw in some high intensity efforts on hill climbs / do some sprints. Don't get lulled into just doing steady miles in the saddle - it only makes you good at riding steady miles.
As was mentioned in fast after fifty - "at the age of 62 I can still train like I did when I was in my 20s but it just takes a day or two more to do it". Meaning you can still really go for it, but take note of your recovery, so a usual 7-day week of training may realistically take you 9-10 days when you add in extra recovery. I'm 56 nearly 57 and looking froward to being first in my age class when I'm 60!
I just happened to watch this the other day. A bit of science and a good few tips.
Just ride longer rides. Simples.
From a 63 yr old, Age is not a barrier.
Dylan Johnson is a good YouTube channel to work through though I find his accent tends to grate somewhat after a while so I don't binge watch him.
Another training channel is that of TrainerRoad - https://www.youtube.com/trainerroad obviously slanted towards their product but there's lots of good info in there. Each weekly podcast is around 2hrs but they produce show notes that have links to individual topics.
Neither of the above is as dry as some of the more science based podcasts.
Extra recovery is probably the main thing to consider as you age, quite common for older athletes to have 8, 9 or 10 day "weeks" to allow for this. Everyone's different though, especially when taking into account response to training stimulus.
+1 for Joe Friel's Fast after Fifty book, he also has a blog which covers similar ground.
Just ride longer rides. Simples.
This. Reading the OP through again, I have to say that I'm really struggling to understand the question.
I do lots of short rides.
I did a longer one the other day, but got tired,
What do I need to do to increase my ability to do longer rides....?
Erm
You might be overthinking this OP 😁😃
Thanks all
@Blackflag, I'll definitely take that with a smile.
@thegeneralist ... I chuckled at that. Suspect you're right! I guess I'm also asking/wondering if stamina has never been my 'thing' (as a sporty kid too), then am I just a short ride person?!
But thanks all, definitely setting up for building up longer rides
Fair point about different people being better at longer/ shorter stuff, but I wouldn't of thought it would make a difference at the sort of durations you're thinking of. Go for it.
Recovery definitely takes longer ... in more ways than one I find.
More obvious is the between rides but I also found if I try and sprint off the top of a hill I soon crash muscle/joint/energy/motivation wise.
I found if I slowly get back up to speed rather than try and accelerate back to speed I keep going way longer.
My younger/fitter mate will usually be faster on long climbs and say's he doesn't mind waiting but I specifically mentioned to him the slowly getting back up to speed.
I'm 52. Been getting fitter this year , usual riding plus a few extra rides per week that are either longer/higher or harder/faster. And including one session of intervals a week - 30 seconds in zone 5; 30 seconds recover; repeat x20 (or however many feels right for you). I look forward to that session now, even though it hurts, and can feel the benefit on my fun rides.
edit: I've also been doing press-ups. I think it gives me more strength when I need to gorilla it up hills. I'm planning to get some weights for the winter.
edit2: But mainly, just riding. In the shitty weather, I find it helps me to visualise a section I want to ride - a particular hill or section or whatever. Once it's lodged in my head, I'm more likely to actually go and ride it. And once I'm out, I might stay out for longer. But having that one section visualised is what motivates me to go out, rather than just thinking 'I should go for a ride really'.
It gets grim once you get over 70. I now have to use a 3 speed hub for 200kms instead of the SS.