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towc_part_2

June 23 2010

i redlined on saturday. i didnt back off they way i was supposed to, i pushed instead. sometime around on the steep climb a couple of laps in (five 6-mile laps total), i started to feel the sugar running from my body. my eyes were watering, and my heart rate was climbing. i told myself to back off, timetrial the last couple of laps, make the time cut and race on sunday. i said it to myself over and over. but my legs didnt slow or pause and i didnt drop to an easier gear. instead i fought to stay with the front group over the hill. i knew it was over, that i was about to hit the wall. but i didnt back off. as the salt poured from my pores, i told myself again to back off. but i wasnt listening to myself. big mistake. i lost focus, concentration, the ability to pedal. i touched the wheel in front of me and shot out the back of the field like a rocket. i came to a standstill on the hill and then the legs cramped. completely stopped. frozen. take it easy, ride it out, make the time cut, i said to myself. i didnt listen. instead, i pushed to chase. i kept the caravan in sight ahead of me for a good solid lap. then i cramped again trying to chase over the same steep hill. i lost a lap sitting on the side of the road trying to get my cramped tight legs to move. some artemis guys cruising the course getting ready for a later race stopped to help me out. i drank some water. got back on the bike and rode out the distance, finally finishing almost 30m minutes back.

33rd technically, and though the results list me as "33rd, DNF, +29min", they should read "33rd, out of time, +29min" cause i indeed finished. not everyone did. big ups to jim who waited for me at the officials table so he could score me.

but i didnt get to race on sunday. the lesson? listen to yourself, back off, ride it out, and race on sunday. redline and youll blank a manifest, and be watching on sunday.

btw, 15 years almost to the day since i fell off catoctin mountain. and i turned 40 on sunday. next up i have some big officiating duties at the cap crit in dc, and the mabra masters champs following that. and its time to sit down and evaluate the training and reorganize for the final push towards guatemala.

tour_of_washington_county

June 12 2010

so i pulled the trigger on registration for the tour of washington county stage race. road race saturday morning june 19 and a tt followed by a criterium on sunday june 20. joe jefferson and his gang have put forth a masters 35+ cat III/IV which really is my ideal competitive category. aged grouped and cateogrized. and im throwing in the global gutz alleycat back in dc saturday afternoon. the weekend should be a real test for me, and almost identical to the kind of stress the cmwc race will bring the body. just like cmwc, ill race saturday morning and afternoon, and then have a long sunday to try to complete the task.

my hardest struggle next weekend will be the road race on saturday. i have to be able to hang in the saturday opener race even though my training has been dedicated to the long haul. my training has really built my endurance, but im still not comfortable with my top speed, and i really want to race on sunday. if i blow up trying to keep hold of the field on saturday, i actually risk getting dropped, hitting the wall, and missing the cut. but if i make it to sunday, my endurance might take hold by the end of the crit, and my lack of speed might not be as much of a factor. this is the same risk as going all out trying to qualify at cmwc. you go all out making sure to make the finals, but have nothing left for sunday. or worse: blank a manifest as your heart redlines in panic. you have to assume you will survive saturday regardless, and train for sunday if you want to win it all.

but like i said, this is a test and i wont have the answers until after the weekend.

bike_to_work_day

May 24 2010

so last friday was bike to work day. i got to lead the ride from mt pleasant to freedom plaza for the 14th straight year. shout out to rick morgan who is the only one i know who has done these rides for more years, though ive done more consecutively. tons of fun. got some press for my bike shop. close to 200 people came into freedom plaza with me this year.

this didnt count as training in and of itself, but since i needed to ride in from silver spring md to lead the ride in dc, i ended up with close to 60 miles before i got to work.

and yes that was me officiating in the pit in that video from the leonardtown crit with all the tacks on the road. and i think i let bryan back into the field with plenty of time. 2 hard crashes in 2 days just took the wind out of him i think and he couldnt make it back in while others from the group had less problem rejoining.

officiating_the_crits

May 17 2010

So officiating is pretty exciting, but not always worth putting here in my training blog. except to say ive learned a tremendous amount from some of the great veteran officials in MABRA, and i cant wait to use that gained knowledge down in guatemala at the cmwc. for those that dont follow the inner workings of this year's cmwc organization, im heading up registration, results, and awards. so officiating these hectic crits, and a tt also, has given me great insight into how to score, tally, and post results fast and accuately. count on it in guatemala.

but while ill be officiating some races going forward and you'll still see me out there with a clipboard, its time to turn back to the racing that i need to prepare for september. the 25 mile thursday night conte's ride in bethesda is now a mark for my qualifying round, but itll be racing on sundays thatll complete my training.

blueberry_circuit_race

April 12 2010

well i got a chance to race afterall. with a last minute schedule change before i went into my officiating stretch, i jumped again to new jersey for the Blueberry Circuit Race in Hammonton. another low fan fare, well run, fun, friendly race, mostly flat with a 6 mile loop. the masters race was fast fast fast and i got to really test my speed. i didnt want to drop off from lack of full effort, and i have plenty of time to recover, so i redlined to stay with the front group. and there was notable success for me. instead of drifting off, recovering in the turns and with a paceline of others in the same boat, i burried myself to hold the wheels of the fastest group as they accelerated. ultimately, i probabaly could have stayed with the 2nd group for the full distance and i would have gotten a result. but this was better for my final goals. gotta get and maintain speed. i made several laps with the top 25 or so, before i hit the wall. and hit it hard. thats why knowing your redline is so important. you can cross it to stay on the wheels in front of you, but not for long. if you stay above your redline, you will hit the wall. so i scored a dnf, which i dont like and usually i would prefer a placing even lower down to none at all. but i prefer a dnf off the front group than a dnf off the 2nd group.