RAW 2026 Training: Week Four
My best and worst week yet.
An incredible start to the week immediately tanked when I got sick with the stomach flu.
Redoing My Longest Ride
After completing a 37 mile ride the other week with relative ease, I felt confident to take on a longer ride. I set my sights on 50 miles. Not only is it half of a century but it’s also the longest distance I’ve ridden completed back in 2024. Then I thought, why not attempt the same path I took two years ago?!
The Mount Horeb route is #12 on Trek’s “Great Rides Madison” collection:
Roll through picturesque farmland and sleepy small towns—and visit one uniquely Wisconsin attraction along the way. Start at Henry Vilas Zoo… Pass through the town of Verona, hang a left toward Mount Horeb and its famous Trollway: a collection of more than 20 larger-than-life carved wooden trolls that line the main street. Grab lunch or a snack at one of Mount Horeb’s bustling cafes, pick up a troll souvenir at Open House Imports, then follow the Military Ridge State Trail back to the zoo.
My pal Grant from my men’s workout group joined me this time. That makes three guys that have joined me on these longer rides. I am overwhelmed with gratitude - their support means the world to me!
The first half of the ride was delightfully challenging. Endless rolling hills provided plenty of opportunities to practice hill climbs. The back half was quite flat which was a nice reprieve. A result of a Friday night storm, there were lots of downed trees too that we had to navigate around.
Comparing my stats from 2024, I’m thrilled with my progress. One hour less of moving time and a 40% decrease in relative effort? Awesome. Perhaps I’ll ride it once more before the RAW event to see how much I can improve these numbers.
“Lose Weight with This One (Horrendous) Trick!”
After a wonderful Sunday ride, I felt accomplished heading into the work week. Monday night took an immediate turn for the worse: I experienced some stomach discomfort but didn’t think much of it. The next day though, it was full-blown painful cramping. It was so debilitating that it made it challenging to work, though I tried my best. It lasted until Saturday (yesterday) effectively killing my ability to train.
On Wednesday, my youngest developed symptoms so we kept him home the rest of the week. We cancelled our Memorial Day weekend plans to head up to northern Wisconsin. Besides the family R&R, I was excited to explore the wonderful network of trails in the Northwoods with my new road bike.
All in all a brutal week across the board. The only positive? I lost eight pounds (ha!).
Reflection
Given how the week went, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to write this post. However, starting off by covering my record-breaking, longest ride yet was the dose of reality I needed. Yes, the week went to hell quickly but the Sunday ride serves as a reminder that I need to focus on the positive. In aggregate, I am accomplishing what I set out to do - consistently training for a century ride. I knew going in that it would be a challenging project with lots of ups and downs, but that’s, in part, why I’m doing it!
Seven weeks to go. Time to reset and move forward.