This week is a bit of a Mexican stand-off; Allen, my usual morning training partner, is off to Honduras on a mission trip, but dead week is over, so I am training with the girls' team again. Tie, kiss your sister, whatever you call that situation when there is give-and-take, that's what I've got.
So to start the morning I ran with the team. It was a slow one, and with three good reasons - 75 degrees, 75 degree dew point, 100% humidity. I probably lost a few pounds of sweat on that one, though it didn't seem too hard. Runs like this are insidious because they take more out of you than you can recover in a day. The first day or so go okay, but if the weather is prolonged this way, eventually you wear down. I do anyway.
After that I considered a ride. I didn't have a particular direction in time, place, or distance, and this is where I realized I've been spoiled this summer. Without Allen to call, I was bereft of impetus to get going. I decided (ultimately) to put it off to the evening. I'd decide then whether or not I really needed to ride at all.
Figuring into the equation was the condition of my legs. I felt last night's ride, which was harder than I planned. I also went 8 miles on the morning run, which is also farther than I usually go. I also had tomorrow night in mind... how much could I peel off the legs and still have anything left for the pace line?
Yet the sun shone, unlike the last couple of weeks, and rain is forecast throughout the week. I knew I'd kick myself for letting sunshine go wasted, so out I went. There was no particular path planned, but once on the saddle, autopilot took me south.
It was later in the evening and traffic was light. By the time I hit the highway I decided to stay on the highway if traffic was light enough, taking it all the way to Mitchell. Once there, I would turn at 10 miles and reverse the course. I wasn't looking for a time trial per se, it's just nice to get a real measure of my fitness every now and then, and the only true way to know your speed is to go out and back on the same course.
The wind wasn't too strong, but it was out of the southwest, meaning the way out would be harder. On top of that, much of the way out was a climb, slow but steady. In fact, from about mile 3 (the river bridge) it's basically uphill all the way to Mitchell. That should have meant slow speed.
It didn't. Sure, climbing out of the river bottom was slower, but once I got on top of the first climb, I was quickly over 20 mph. I was amazed at how easy it was to hold speed, even on the grades. Into the breeze, no less!
The turn occurs right at KFC in Mitchell. I was lucky, and caught a break right as the Garmin ticked over to 10 miles. I crossed the road and headed back. Of course this was much easier, riding the gradual stair-step downward to the river bottoms. Staying in aero, I road up the cut, into town, and into my drive in a bit over 56 for a bit over 20.
This usually happens when I ride alone. I get caught up in the moment and ride harder and harder. In this case it may make the pace line tomorrow harder or it may not. I don't care. I'm getting ready for an Olympic distance race, and that means a long time down in aero. That doesn't just happen - you have to practice it. Spending some time over the next few weeks brushing up on my aero skills won't hurt a thing. If it takes the edge off tomorrow, so be it.
The ride was a confidence booster in a lot of ways, but mainly because I wasn't pushing for the speed. I kept my heart rate in the 150's, a comfortable exercise range. I didn't blast the legs either, meaning I didn't feel any lactic burn at any time. I was in a sustainable effort for time, and considering the climbs in the course, the average speed is pretty good. Heck, I didn't even start putting any effort into the ride until I was on the bridge on the way out.
I don't really know why I've ridden so well the last couple of years, but right now I'm the best I've ever been, or darn close to it. It's probably a result of getting the right gear together and getting it tweaked just right. Hard to imagine this aging body could improve like that...
Ride Data
So to start the morning I ran with the team. It was a slow one, and with three good reasons - 75 degrees, 75 degree dew point, 100% humidity. I probably lost a few pounds of sweat on that one, though it didn't seem too hard. Runs like this are insidious because they take more out of you than you can recover in a day. The first day or so go okay, but if the weather is prolonged this way, eventually you wear down. I do anyway.
After that I considered a ride. I didn't have a particular direction in time, place, or distance, and this is where I realized I've been spoiled this summer. Without Allen to call, I was bereft of impetus to get going. I decided (ultimately) to put it off to the evening. I'd decide then whether or not I really needed to ride at all.
Figuring into the equation was the condition of my legs. I felt last night's ride, which was harder than I planned. I also went 8 miles on the morning run, which is also farther than I usually go. I also had tomorrow night in mind... how much could I peel off the legs and still have anything left for the pace line?
Yet the sun shone, unlike the last couple of weeks, and rain is forecast throughout the week. I knew I'd kick myself for letting sunshine go wasted, so out I went. There was no particular path planned, but once on the saddle, autopilot took me south.
It was later in the evening and traffic was light. By the time I hit the highway I decided to stay on the highway if traffic was light enough, taking it all the way to Mitchell. Once there, I would turn at 10 miles and reverse the course. I wasn't looking for a time trial per se, it's just nice to get a real measure of my fitness every now and then, and the only true way to know your speed is to go out and back on the same course.
The wind wasn't too strong, but it was out of the southwest, meaning the way out would be harder. On top of that, much of the way out was a climb, slow but steady. In fact, from about mile 3 (the river bridge) it's basically uphill all the way to Mitchell. That should have meant slow speed.
It didn't. Sure, climbing out of the river bottom was slower, but once I got on top of the first climb, I was quickly over 20 mph. I was amazed at how easy it was to hold speed, even on the grades. Into the breeze, no less!
The turn occurs right at KFC in Mitchell. I was lucky, and caught a break right as the Garmin ticked over to 10 miles. I crossed the road and headed back. Of course this was much easier, riding the gradual stair-step downward to the river bottoms. Staying in aero, I road up the cut, into town, and into my drive in a bit over 56 for a bit over 20.
This usually happens when I ride alone. I get caught up in the moment and ride harder and harder. In this case it may make the pace line tomorrow harder or it may not. I don't care. I'm getting ready for an Olympic distance race, and that means a long time down in aero. That doesn't just happen - you have to practice it. Spending some time over the next few weeks brushing up on my aero skills won't hurt a thing. If it takes the edge off tomorrow, so be it.
The ride was a confidence booster in a lot of ways, but mainly because I wasn't pushing for the speed. I kept my heart rate in the 150's, a comfortable exercise range. I didn't blast the legs either, meaning I didn't feel any lactic burn at any time. I was in a sustainable effort for time, and considering the climbs in the course, the average speed is pretty good. Heck, I didn't even start putting any effort into the ride until I was on the bridge on the way out.
I don't really know why I've ridden so well the last couple of years, but right now I'm the best I've ever been, or darn close to it. It's probably a result of getting the right gear together and getting it tweaked just right. Hard to imagine this aging body could improve like that...
Ride Data
No comments:
Post a Comment