Unfortunately, this state series is going down hill faster than an acorn rolling off a tin roof. Sunday's race at what I consider my home away from home (Alafia River State Park) because I'm a Tampa native was an unmitigated disaster.
I probably was stale coming into the race because my wife Charmain and I drove to Tampa on Thursday in order to spend a few extra days in our former hometown. I rode Tuesday (2 hours consisting of a Functional Threshold Power time trial) and Wednesday (2 hours off-road at Markham) and planned to ride Friday at Alafia. However, it rained a lot on Friday and decided against going out there.
Riding so little before a race is not good for me and I felt stale when doing my preride Saturday on a wet and demanding course. Then, when I awoke Sunday morning, I had the dreaded "mild sore throat.'' It never got better but I raced anyway and never got comfortable on the bike.
I raced fairly strong on the first lap, but beginning on the second lap, I became a turnstile. Seemed like everyone from classes starting behind passed me like I was a statue. It's times like these when I wonder what the F am I doing out here.
I finished 8th out of 9. Pitiful.
So, now on top of a truly forgettable effort, I'm battling a virus and feeling my fitness dropping lower than the stack of tissues I need to keep close by. Oleta River State Park is hosting the FSC 5 this weekend, and it looks like I won't be there.
It's really hard to handle times like these. You train, suffer and plan with a single purpose: To do your best. When you fall short, it's difficult to handle. Then you start dissecting your plan, looking to see where you messed up. It's times like these when you just need some time to sort through it all. I guess I have that time now.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
FSC 3: Risk with no reward
I gambled early in Sunday's Florida State Championship Series race in Tallahassee at the beautiful Tom Brown Park. I felt like I had great legs and really pushed the pace in the first lap and a half of the four-lap 27-mile race. But I paid mightily.
I was among the top quarter of the field after the first 30-minute lap and felt great going into the single-track for lap two. I was with two other racers, and I decided to try and drop them. I got rid of one but not the other. We were in sixth and seventh place. A short while later, I knew I was in trouble. The other guy built a gap and I started that slow drift back.
I ended the second lap nearly two minutes slower and knew I was in big trouble. I couldn't power up the climbs like before and my descending got sloppy. Halfway through the third lap, two guys from my class passed me, and as much as I wanted to get on their wheels, I couldn't. Then in the final lap, I was passed by another fellow racer. I crossed the line 10th out of 14 and was cursing my flawed strategy.
My final two laps were nearly five minutes slower than the first. Obviously, I rode way above my fitness. In other words, I blew myself up. A lot of times, I ride too conservatively. This was one time where I rode too aggressively. Well, sometimes you need to take a chance. This was not one of them.
One other factor that could've gone against me was the riding I did Saturday, when the team time trial took place. I raced for one of the On Your Mark teams and put out a lot of effort. I also rode fairly hard on the trail earlier in the day. All told, I turned 21 miles and that's a lot more than I usually do the day before the race. I'll never know how much that played a role in my performance Sunday, but I won't use it as an excuse.
I feel like my fitness is really improving. I'm building a strong engine that just needs more time to evolve. It might not be in time to do my best in the state series, but I think my second half of the season, consisting of the Coconut Cup in South Florida, will be really strong.
I was among the top quarter of the field after the first 30-minute lap and felt great going into the single-track for lap two. I was with two other racers, and I decided to try and drop them. I got rid of one but not the other. We were in sixth and seventh place. A short while later, I knew I was in trouble. The other guy built a gap and I started that slow drift back.
I ended the second lap nearly two minutes slower and knew I was in big trouble. I couldn't power up the climbs like before and my descending got sloppy. Halfway through the third lap, two guys from my class passed me, and as much as I wanted to get on their wheels, I couldn't. Then in the final lap, I was passed by another fellow racer. I crossed the line 10th out of 14 and was cursing my flawed strategy.
My final two laps were nearly five minutes slower than the first. Obviously, I rode way above my fitness. In other words, I blew myself up. A lot of times, I ride too conservatively. This was one time where I rode too aggressively. Well, sometimes you need to take a chance. This was not one of them.
One other factor that could've gone against me was the riding I did Saturday, when the team time trial took place. I raced for one of the On Your Mark teams and put out a lot of effort. I also rode fairly hard on the trail earlier in the day. All told, I turned 21 miles and that's a lot more than I usually do the day before the race. I'll never know how much that played a role in my performance Sunday, but I won't use it as an excuse.
I feel like my fitness is really improving. I'm building a strong engine that just needs more time to evolve. It might not be in time to do my best in the state series, but I think my second half of the season, consisting of the Coconut Cup in South Florida, will be really strong.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
FSC 2: A breakthrough of sorts
I had my best race in two years Sunday in Fernandina Beach at Fort Clinch State Park. I was sixth out of 11, which doesn't sound all that great, but it was more about my effort than final placing.
I rode 2 1/2 laps with the racers who would fill out final positions 2 through 4, but I lost fifth near the end of the race when I was on empty. I also was passed again shortly thereafter but surged back into sixth near the line. That took every fiber of my legs and I felt like I was at death's door after crossing the line.
So how did I make this improvement from my flame-out in FSC 1? I simply started riding faster in training, paying as much attention to miles per hour as watts. I did a few rides in the 2 1/2 to 3 hour range, basically riding an hour or more in high endurance/low tempo range (19-20 mph on average). When I finished, my legs were heavy and sore into the next day, when I would rest or do a recovery ride. Also, I was in my Peak period, in which I reduced my volume but included high-intensity race-pace efforts.
Sunday's race began with about a mile asphalt road start that felt more like a road race than off-road race. We'd take that same long cruise to the finish line. The trails were dry and super fast. The whole race felt like a 28-mile short track race. The trails weren't technical and begged you to go as fast as you could. Which is what my 40-plus Expert Class did the whole race.
I made too many huge efforts on the long road sections early on and I paid for it in the final lap. In fact, in the second of the four laps, I actually felt like upping the pace while I was fourth (fifth overall) among the four-man convoy. As good as I felt then, it went downhill suddenly at the end, so it was wise I didn't attack then. Unofficially, my splits were 29:24, 29:40, 30:20, 31:38.
I have a long way to go to contend for a top-five position, but I'm closer than I was two weeks ago. Steady progress is all you can hope for in endurance sports. You can't rush it, as much as I'd like to. I'm back to rebuilding my base this week, upping my volume and miles in the next three weeks.
Hopefully, the best is still to come.
I rode 2 1/2 laps with the racers who would fill out final positions 2 through 4, but I lost fifth near the end of the race when I was on empty. I also was passed again shortly thereafter but surged back into sixth near the line. That took every fiber of my legs and I felt like I was at death's door after crossing the line.
So how did I make this improvement from my flame-out in FSC 1? I simply started riding faster in training, paying as much attention to miles per hour as watts. I did a few rides in the 2 1/2 to 3 hour range, basically riding an hour or more in high endurance/low tempo range (19-20 mph on average). When I finished, my legs were heavy and sore into the next day, when I would rest or do a recovery ride. Also, I was in my Peak period, in which I reduced my volume but included high-intensity race-pace efforts.
Sunday's race began with about a mile asphalt road start that felt more like a road race than off-road race. We'd take that same long cruise to the finish line. The trails were dry and super fast. The whole race felt like a 28-mile short track race. The trails weren't technical and begged you to go as fast as you could. Which is what my 40-plus Expert Class did the whole race.
I made too many huge efforts on the long road sections early on and I paid for it in the final lap. In fact, in the second of the four laps, I actually felt like upping the pace while I was fourth (fifth overall) among the four-man convoy. As good as I felt then, it went downhill suddenly at the end, so it was wise I didn't attack then. Unofficially, my splits were 29:24, 29:40, 30:20, 31:38.
I have a long way to go to contend for a top-five position, but I'm closer than I was two weeks ago. Steady progress is all you can hope for in endurance sports. You can't rush it, as much as I'd like to. I'm back to rebuilding my base this week, upping my volume and miles in the next three weeks.
Hopefully, the best is still to come.
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