Saturday, April 10, 2010

Mt. Joy Road Race Recap

Today was a pretty short race. It was a little over 20 miles on a course with some nice, rolling hills. We did 4 laps, and gained about 2300 feet of climbing. With the exception of the 19% grade in the middle of the course, it really wasn't that bad. Since I've done rather poorly so far this year (38th and 31st), I figured I'd change my strategy. Previous to today, I was putting forth a pretty big effort right off the starting line, and blowing up a little over 10 miles in. Today, I figured I'd hold back a little, and try to stay comfortable in the pack, while making the other guys work for me.

When I got out of my truck this morning, it was only 42 degrees, and the wind felt every bit of 20 mph. Last week, I started writing my itinerary down on paper, so that I wouldn't forget to do things...like eat and warm up! I did this again today, and it worked well. After I warmed up on the trainer for 30 mins, I headed to the starting line, where we promptly waited around for 15 mins! Ugh! Finally, we got under way and started on the first lap. I stayed almost exactly in the center of the pack the entire first lap...and felt GREAT. Some guy jumped off the front and kept going. We only caught a glimpse of him when we began the second lap. He was gone. Lap 2 had some good accelerations and attacks, but again, I didn't want to respond with a counter-attack, I just wanted to sit in a draft (out of the wind), and conserve energy. This time, on the hills, the front half of the group accelerated, so I made sure I stayed with them (including the 19% grade!). By the end of the second lap, I was still feeling pretty good, so I moved up into the top 6, and hung out for a mile or so. The wind was pretty rough, and it seemed like the guys up front had the same idea as me, so people actually started to shuffle back into the pack, and I found myself out front. I pulled for about a half mile, then moved back into the pack myself. I didn't want to blow up in the middle of the third lap. A couple miles later, on the big hills, is when the major attacks started. I jumped with the front bunch, and stayed with them throughout the third lap, but once we started lap 4 (final lap), I could feel my legs started to pump up, so I backed off a little. The last thing I wanted to do at this point, was to get dropped so close to the end...especially since I had been so good about sticking to my strategy up to this point. There was a big attack in the hills this last time, and I didn't have the legs to go with it, so I kept my heart rate down, and picked up the next guy coming by. We worked together until the end, almost catching the lead group by the finish line. He sprinted better than I did at the end, so he finished 15th, and I finished 16th.  I'm definitely pleased with the results.

My next race is either going to be 2 or 4 weeks away. I haven't decided which. I'm going to train like a madman between now and then, though. I think I'm going to focus on intervals, as it's what I've been missing for a while.

Overall, today's plan worked. I didn't try to get out front right off the bat. I kept myself from blowing up too early, and sat back, but didn't let the front of the race get away from me. It was a pretty good end to a day that looked like the cold and wind was going to be a problem.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Morgantown Road Race (APRRS #1)

Today's race was another tough one. 4500 feet of climbing, with CRAZY winds. Immediately after the start, I jumped up front and stayed in 5th place for about 12 miles or so. This was a mistake. The entire time I was up there, my HR was around 180. Way too high. On the second climb, I couldn't keep it up anymore, and got dropped off the back of the pack, which is where I stayed. My legs were so dead, that on one of the climbs, I looked down and realized that I was going 4 mph! At least I can say that I finished the race, under my own power. I know, it's not as glorious as staying head-to-head with the competition, but after I realized that I wasn't going to finish with the group, it basically became a survival game. The wind was so strong, that I almost got blown sideways off my bike at the top of one of the mountains. I hate wind.

Next weekend's race looks a little easier. It's on a circuit, and less than half the length. I just need to learn to ride my own race, and not worry about trying to keep up with some of the other guys.