So I started my post-ToS “all-in” plan, and decided to give the mental toughness plan a shot, since I’m really enjoying - and benefitting from - all of the other regions of Sufferlandria. After much debate, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, turns out my Mount Sufferlandria is…a knighthood attempt.
Hey, they told me to reach, and to “make it big”. Plus it seems like all of the other fitness goals I identified were things that I could accomplish en route to the mountain.
I’m looking at January 1st. Is it achievable from where I am today? Who knows? But I guess that’s what we’re trying to find out, aren’t we? OK, in fairness, I’m a reasonably fit guy, recovering my fitness through SUF is going well, the KoS is still tied to my 4DP metrics, so it’ll be the same level of suck no matter what I bring to the table, and I’m giving myself 9+ months to set it up.
My initial questions for you Knights and Dames out there is: how and for how long did you train before tackling the mountain? What were the biggest challenges to overcome? And how much SUFF time did you have under your belt before your attempt?
Don’t overthink it. If I can do it, anyone can. I think I seriously trained for it for about 6-8 weeks, but others with a good degree of fitness just woke up one day and did it. Investigate the KoS prep plan. It didn’t exist when I did mine, but the consensus seems to be that it’s helpful. The biggest help I found was a couple of 5-video practice session so I could nail down food, kit changes, bathroom breaks, etc. as I was unsupported the day of. You can do it!!!
Depending on your current fitness level, it could take much less than 9 months to build up enough fitness. Everybody’s path is different. I had no plans to do a KoS attempt at all when I joined SUF. Last year I built up from doing regular 90 minute rides in March to doing a metric century in Sept, a full century ride in Oct. After some prodding from other knights, I quickly fell to peer pressure. I did the KoS Prep plan and ended it by storming the castle in Nov. Had I decided on a KoS attempt much earlier on I could’ve achieved it much quicker, although I probably would’ve built up to it a bit more gradually. Seeing as you are already ingrained in SUF, I’m sure 9 months is likely more than enough time for you.
Hey @CPT_A, I’ve been through the MTP a few times now and Knighthood was my first Mt Suf, just like you. I had planned for it for the better part of half a year and ended up planning it in conjunction with a couple of local knights. We all did the same menu, on the same day but separately in our individual pain caves.
Between this group and the FB group I’m sure you’ll get all the support you need.
For myself, I was pretty fit but had a history of recurring back spasms that had laid me up a couple times a year (not a problem anymore but was a concern/fear). I had spent over 10 hours on a 100 mile gravel grinder so I was confident I could get through my Knighthood.
A couple of pro-tips:
This is an endurance event, so find the ride intensity you’ll be able to maintain for about 10 hours (70-75% FTP)
Put your absolute favourite ride at #7. It’s the official “halfway” point and the point in a quest that has broken more than one attempt.
mix up the vid styles and avoid long sustained efforts near the end (especially if you’re prone to cramping).
Whether you do the Knighthood training plan or.not (there wasn’t one when I did mine either) you should at least do a few vids back to back to back so you can practice all the things you’ll need to do on the very short 10 min break. Lots of folks set a timer for 8 minutes. Things like: saving the ride, posting a pic, loading your next ride, changing your kit, reapplying chamois cream, going to the washroom, getting in a stretch or two,
There’s more of course but you’re sooooo far ahead of the game by using the MTP to get you there. You will absolutely CRUSH IT!!
I started the KoS training plan and got to the week where I was supposed to do 5 rides on one day and 3 rides the next and decided the day before that I wasn’t doing that twice, my attempt was happening the next day. Because I failed to properly plan this out I ended up eating like garbage and paid for it during the attempt with a massive 3-4 hour bout of gut ache/other nastiness. I made it thru but wouldn’t recommend my method as the preferred option.
