FSC 1: A weekend to forget

The opener of the Florida State Championship Series last Saturday and Sunday in Gainesville at Hailes Trails couldn't have gone worse for me. I brought a slingshot to a gunfight on both days.


The Saturday time trial went great for me as far as riding technically smooth, pacing my effort and saving enough for a burst at the end of the 4-mile test. Unfortunately, I just wasn't going fast enough. I was caught by the guy who started a minute behind me near the end. My time was 19:55, good for last place in the 40-plus Expert Class.


That set an ominous tone.


I got a great sleep Saturday night, awoke Sunday morning feeling ready to race. I had a good warm-up and went to the line feeling loose and calm. We blast from the line and I'm near the middle to back of the 16-rider field going into the singletrack.


I could tell early on I wasn't going to challenge the top quarter of the field. I had labored breathing and was riding above my fitness. I kept pressing until I finished the first of four laps in a pedestrian 25.02.


I knew I had to back off. That's when I began getting passed by a few riders and basically felt helpless. I brought the second lap in at 26.95. In the third lap, I began feeling much better and upped the pace. I found a rhythm climbing and I hammered the straights. I began catching some of the riders who passed me earlier. I finished Lap 3 in 26.31 and began the final lap invigorated. I ended up passing five riders during my last two laps. I passed the final guy to climb into 10th place right before a steep climb about two miles before the finish line. While beginning that climb, I snapped my chain while standing.


That's racing. And that was it for me. A DNF. I didn't bring a chain tool with me because I've never broke a chain in training or in a race.


I wasn't ready to race in Gainesville. I have plenty of miles in my legs, but not enough at race-pace. To go faster, you need to ride faster. It's really that simple, and I haven't been riding fast enough in training and haven't ridden off-road enough. That will have to change for me to improve.


Getting embarrassed like I did can do one of two things: cause you to focus or fold.


I'm focusing on getting faster.

The time is here

On Sunday, the Florida State Series officially opens in Gainesville. But on Saturday, there's a short time trial that gives racers the opportunity to secure up to 5 bonus points for each class. The event was started last year, and many racers seemed to enjoy it, but some skipped it, fearful of expending too much energy the day before the cross-country race.


I wanted to compete in it. I never had done a road time trial and always have been intrigued by the discipline. I did pretty well, finishing third in the Expert 40-plus class.


To do well in a steady-state event, you need to proportion your energy by using the 51-49 principal. TrainingBible Coaching founder Joe Friel, who has coached endurance athletes since 1980, writes at length about this in a Feb. 12, 2008, blog post http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/02/negative-splits.html. Simply, you want to complete the first half of the time trial in 51 percent of the total time and the second half in 49 percent. It's the old negative-split theory. You want the second half of your distance to be covered faster than the first half.


Easier said than done of course. How many times have you gone out too hard during a ride, race or interval session only to blow up before the end? Proportioning your energy is key and no more so than in a time trial.


So good luck this weekend to all the State Series racers. And in the time trial, hold back a little in the first half so you can give back even more at the end.