Help me with my ignorance about training

[Sandycm]

I'm a concerned wife. My husband is almost 42 years old, has not worked out one bit in over two years, has reoccuring gout in his foot (to the point where he often can't walk - just got over a bout with gout two days ago), and now he says (and notice today's date is July 30) he's going to start training to ride in a 100mile race in Austin, TX on October 8 - OF THIS YEAR! We are having a MAJOR argument over this. I say that's too soon for him. He's not anywhere near being in optimal health, and - oh yeah, forgot this part - his SHORTEST work day is 12 hours. Sometimes, he works 16 hour days. He does not eat correctly, and he doesn't sleep well either.

Am I being ignorant about how much time he needs to train? A 42-year-old man who is not in shape and thinks he can get in shape in just over two months (with very little time to train each day) - well, is he being realistic or would this be a suicide ride? Should he start working out now and getting ready for '07?

I'm completely ignorant as to what it takes to get ready for something like this, but I would think with his current physical conditions, it would take him longer than two months. Please help with any advice. If I'm being overly concerned and he would do fine, let me know. He REFUSES to even go see a doctor first. I asked him to at least go see a doctor first to see what the doctor says, but he refuses.

Okay, sorry to babble. I'm just worried.

 

[RapDaddyo]

You may be right that it is mission impossible to go from untrained to a century in ~10 weeks, but my advice is to offer him encouragement. If he doesn't get in enough training time between now and then, he'll realize that it will be one of two things: the ride from hell or he'll have to quit before the finish. Either way, it's not suicidal. Maybe a blow to his ego, but not suicidal. Anyway, it's not that one has to be in awesome shape to ride 100 miles. If the route is flat, he can ride at the same effort as a walk. He can stop at every rest stop. He can get a comfy saddle and just roll along at ~14mph for ~7 hours. No matter how slowly he rides, he'll have company. So, my advice is don't play coach. Play supportive spouse and offer him encouragement. If he doesn't get in shape in time for the ride, he'll figure it out on his own. And, if that happens, avoid saying, "I told you so."

 

[Sandycm]

Thank you SO MUCH for your advice!!!!!! It's not a flat ride. Austin, TX is part of the Texas Hill Country, and there are some pretty major hills, but I guess my fear is that this man will drop of a heart attack b/c his ego is pretty major about things like this; in other words, he'd die before he'd stop - but maybe not.



Thank you so much!!!!!!!!

 

[RapDaddyo]

Thank you SO MUCH for your advice!!!!!! It's not a flat ride. Austin, TX is part of the Texas Hill Country, and there are some pretty major hills, but I guess my fear is that this man will drop of a heart attack b/c his ego is pretty major about things like this; in other words, he'd die before he'd stop - but maybe not.

Unless he has heart problems, he's far more likely to end up with a chafed ***** and very sore legs. If he rides at a comfortable pace, he will be riding well below his max heart rate. His heart will probably be far more forgiving than his leg muscles. But, if he learns how to pace himself (very key) he will probably be able to finish. Of course, if you want to increase his chances of finishing his first century, try to get him to find an absolutely flat course. Flat centuries are way, way easier than hilly ones. After 75 miles, even freeway overpasses become Mt. Everest!

 

[curlew]

Sandycm,

I agree with RD. Starting to ride regularly from an untrained state places you in situations that, as long as its not hot out, are usually more humbling than dangerous. What helped my wife and I work this out was I agreed to take a cell phone with me. Early on when I first started riding I called her a few times. From the tone in my voice she could tell that things were going well. I still take the cell phone but rarely call her. After a couple of years of coming home humbled but not hurt, she sees the risk to reward ratio of riding differently. Riding is such a great thing. I hope things go well for your husband.

 

[GrooveSlave]

I ride in Dallas and can totally relate to the Texas summer heat. Make sure he focuses on hydration and calorie replacement. Sports drink and food. It makes all the difference.

I suggest doing a search on this forum for bonking - it will help you understand more and hopefully educate him a bit before the ride.

All good advice so far. I'm a pretty stubborn individual too, but I'm telling you, when you bonk by running out of fuel on a ride, pride has nothing to do with it. I actually considered drinking out of a puddle!!

I thinks it's great that your husband has a goal. Keep in mind that he doesn't have to do 100 miles. He can do a lesser distance and still work towards the goal to gain the benefits of training with a goal in mind.

In the end, what he needs is your support. Texas weather and hills will take care of his ego.

 

[keydates]

If it is a race as you say, there's a chance that he'll be pulled out before he finishes if he's not in good enough shape. Which again would just be a blow the ego.

 

[Sandycm]

Thank all of you so much. I will be a supportive wife. If he does this (or should I say when b/c he's pretty determined), I'll be there lurking around in my car from time to time making sure he's still alive

 

[achu717]

make sure he is well hydraded all the time during and after workouts. I have gout myself too. excessive workout or erratic weightloss in gout patients will cause the uric acid in blood to shup up and resulted in crystalization then acute gout attack. I used to be running on my treadmill trying to loose weight, in which I found ineffective. There is alot of impact of my feet on treadmill. Then I would suffer a gout attack the following days. and i just starting cycling a month ago and I foundd cycling more foregiving on my feet. no attacks yet.

 

[ToffoIsMe]

Thank all of you so much. I will be a supportive wife. If he does this (or should I say when b/c he's pretty determined), I'll be there lurking around in my car from time to time making sure he's still alive

Why not accompany him on the ride? Then you will always know he is ok.

 

[Sandycm]

Why not accompany him on the ride? Then you will always know he is ok.

It's ironic that I just read this! We were actually discussing that possibility tonight. I am "in training" with him now. We went for a "jog" tonight (partial jog - mostly power walking) together. We're going to workout every night together. We have four kids, and if I can get someone to keep the younger three that day (their older brother will be busy that weekend), then I just might accompany him!

 

[RapDaddyo]

It's ironic that I just read this! We were actually discussing that possibility tonight. I am "in training" with him now. We went for a "jog" tonight (partial jog - mostly power walking) together. We're going to workout every night together. We have four kids, and if I can get someone to keep the younger three that day (their older brother will be busy that weekend), then I just might accompany him!

Four kids? Wow! But, what a great plan, to train with him. Cool. After a while, you'll have more appreciation for my suggestion to find a flat first century. I wouldn't ride a hilly first century even if I could ride the entire century with Lance Armstrong at my side.

 

[Sandycm]

Four kids? Wow! But, what a great plan, to train with him. Cool. After a while, you'll have more appreciation for my suggestion to find a flat first century. I wouldn't ride a hilly first century even if I could ride the entire century with Lance Armstrong at my side.

We'll see what happens!!!!!! Wish us luck!!!!! If anybody has any good suggestions for us or can clue me in on anything else like bonking (I've now read up on it and am glad I did), I'd really appreciate it!

 

[RapDaddyo]

We'll see what happens!!!!!! Wish us luck!!!!! If anybody has any good suggestions for us or can clue me in on anything else like bonking (I've now read up on it and am glad I did), I'd really appreciate it!

Well, first of all, I absolutely wish you luck. Beyond that, I have three suggestions. The first is to be sure you are well fitted to your bikes. It would be advisable to find a LBS with some fitting experience and ensure that you are in a good position on your bike. There is no "formula" that works for everyone, since a good fitting takes into account your flexibility and how aggressively you want your riding position to be. The second is to get a good saddle. There are hundreds of saddles on the market and there is no one "best" saddle I can recommend. But, the right saddle can make your time on the bike much more enjoyable. Do a search on the equipment forum for saddles. Specialized has a fitting system that uses a device for choosing the correct width saddle based on the width of the sitz bones. That might be a starting point (i.e., determine the correct width saddle). Third, figure out how to pace yourself. The best way to pace yourself is with a power meter, but these are expensive. Another option is a heart rate monitor. These are cheap, but less reliable for pacing. Finally, you can pace yourself by perceived exertion. Some do this better than others. You'll have to experiment. Pacing is absolutely huge! If you pace yourself well and stop frequently, the ride will not be too difficult. If you pace yourself poorly, the last half of the ride could be extremely hard. Again, good luck.