Race-Day Reflections

Coach Mohr

I had a solid performance in my qualifier this a.m. I had planned on
doing a more thorough and methodical warm-up than when I would just shot-gun it, like in years past. I came up with a template based on
target cadence and max HR which generates a warm-up for you. I
entered all the data and copied the output onto an 8.5x11 sheet of
paper.... that I left on the dining room table this morning. The funny
thing was that on the paper was also my list of things to pack for the
race. Unfortunately, I didn't include "the list" on the list of things
to bring with me.

That not withstanding, I did have the most solid warm-up I've ever had
prior to a race. Even though the course is a flat (relatively) 1 km
circle, I still brought along my trainer (the rear wheel mount kind) so
I could concentrate on HR and cadence and not worry about cars or
runners or dog walkers or bird watchers (seriously...). I spent 20
minutes working up to around 135 bpm in my 50x19 ring. I then went to
the john and then got back on the bike and started my progressive
interval. It was 2 minutes in 50x17, but in the harder resistance zone
going at 90 rpm (crank cadence). I then rested for 2 minutes and went
up to 100 rpm. Then did the same for 110. My HR's at the end of the
intervals were 140, 155 and 165. I then got the bike off the trainer
and rode the actual race route where I would do more intervals. They
were less strict than I would have prescribed, but it felt right. I
would do a dig at a little faster rpm, but an easier gear just to help
with some potentiation (yeah, I made that up), but also to prime my
lactic acid flushing mechanisms (yeah, I made that up, too).

I wanted to finish my warm-up no more than 5 minutes prior to the start
of my event. That's a tough call to make because no one wants to blow
their wad in their warm-up. I've been fearful of doing that throughout
my running/cycling "career." However, today, I figured I didn't have
much to lose and some more knowledge to put in the vault. When I rolled
up to the line, there had apparently been a snafu with the previous
cyclist's time (he was 3 laps in before everyone realized that no one
was recording his time). So, they were basically looking for someone to
just start whenever they wanted. This worked out great for me, so I
said I'd be ready to go in like 2 minutes.

I took off, and within the first lap, I could tell that the warm-up was
effective. About a minute in to most max effort trials, I feel like my
legs fill up with lead, and I spend the rest of the race fighting
through dead leg syndrome. Today was a little different. The speed with which my fatigue set in was much slower. That has a big psychological
benefit because if you feel like you just got punched in the face within
the 1st lap, then you know that the next 7 laps are gonna be too hard to
continue at your original pace, so you back off. Either way, the guy
who put down the fastest time last year had a commitment today. So, he
did his qualifying run on Thursday and posted an 8-lap time of 12:40. I
knew that was gettable because a month ago I posted 14:11 for a
9-lapper, and I was 95% sure that I went though the traps at the 8-lap
mark at 12:38. Today, I started my watch a little late, but I could see
pretty early that I was making good time. Also, while there was a
little bit of a wind coming out of the North, it seemed to lessen by the
time I had to ride. Also, for alot of other riders, there were lots of
dog walkers and what not on the road to deal with. My ride was pretty
clear from that standpoint. Either way, my 2-lap time was around 3:06,
which was on target, but my 4-lap time was 6:08, which was much faster
than my original plan was for. I think I was at 9:12-ish by the
6-lapper, and my stopwatch had 12:21 as my overall time. The
scorekeeper said I was at 12:25, and I figure he's probably more
accurate than I was. Regardless, for a 5.2 mile race, that's 25.13 mph.
Since getting >25 mph for one of my TT's was a goal of mine this year,
I'm pretty pleased with the overall result. I ended up being the
fastest rider (2nd place went to the guy that did 12:40 on Thursday, and
third was the Master's Cat 3 racer that I think was a tick over 13:00).
It's probably as good as I have felt about a competition effort and
result as I've felt in an awful long time.

I'm not sure how much the warm-up help my overall performance, but it
seemed to get my body in a better "race mode" than previous plans. I'll
have it more dialed in for my 9/11 race.