embarking on a 10 hour bicycle race!

[it was electric]

so... me and my friends decided to embark on a great bicycle race, we have calculated it will take atleast 10 hours to get to our destination. 10 hours of bicycle riding... is that alot for a girl of 5 feet tall who leads a very sedetary lifestyle? do i have a chance of making it? what should i do to prepare??

[FreshTart]

when is this race?

Your height means nothing, but I gotta say - 10 hrs of biking for someone who doesn't exercise is a great way to a) fail and b) hurt yourself.

To prepare, you need:

1. Start biking.
2. Practice eating and drinking while biking; you won't be going 10 hrs without snacking.
3. Find comfort clothes. If you are chafting after a 20 minute ride, you will be in raw after 10 hrs.

[it was electric]

the race isnt until late december or this year. how much do you think i should be biking to prepare myself?

[FreshTart]

Well, that's better then this month :) It might be doable if you train slow and steady.

Do you bike at all? I'll assume not, as you said you're sedetary. Start with day 1. Take your bike for a ride - at a leisurely pace - and see how far you can go. Don't go four or five hours b/c you won't be able to sit down on Day 2. Record your distance and time. From that point forward, try to increase the distance by 10%. Add in some short, but fast, rides in between for variety and speed training. Other then that, you need to get out and moving.

Can you do it? Well, I know I could do it (I bike a min of 25 km 4x a week) but it would require a time and training committment. 10 hrs doesn't seem like a lol, but it's a lot when you are exercising that long, using the same muscles.

Take it slow to start. You don't want to overdo it.

[pghmountainbkr]

"is that alot for a girl of 5 feet tall who leads a very sedetary lifestyle?"

yes! you are going to fail if you don't train. plain and simple.

how many miles? how did you calculate 10 hours?

what is the terrain like, hills? what grade (how steep how long)?

chaffing? no matter what clothes you wear, if you don't prepare your inner thighs and butt you are going to be RAW. buy this "Paceline Chamois Butter Skin & Chamois Lubricant" and apply like normal lotion to your inner thighs (all the way up to your private areas), butt, and the chamois in your biking shorts. If you don't have biking shorts....buy some, and don't buy cheap stuff....as seamless as possible.

make sure your bike has been looked over by a local bike shop, or a qualified friend.


here are some good training tips

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/pax/event/event_page.asp?p=5927&e=6437

[FreshTart]

Electric, don't be downtrodded. Just train the best you can, bike nearly every day, and build up some stamina. When the race day comes, even if you can't finish, at least try your best. It isn't a "failure". The only way you will fail is if you don't do the race at all.

Most important, take your time. There is no point in hurting yourself over a race.

Good luck and keep us posted!