Who can unravel the mysteries of endurance athletics? Who has a crystal ball which allows the user to peer into its depths and glean the future? How can one ever know for certain how a workout may go until it is in fact history?
It's a lesson I've learned many times over the years... often, when you least expect it, or have cause to do so, the best workouts can happen. At the very least, often you can overperform your expectations.
Tonight was one of those nights. It was weird from the jump. There weren't that many of us there - seven riders started, though James was on call and would soon have to peel away. This left us with Miller, Allen, Rand, Scott, Galloway, and me.
We seemed to slowly, every so slowly make our way out to the turn. The wind seemed in our faces the whole way, which at least meant a favorable push back. Something else had crept in, pervasive and palpable, an almost disconnected air. The bodies were there, but the minds weren't. The word that comes to mind is indifferent.
I moved around the group to gather a pulse. Allen was most notably absent, to the point it felt like he was half paying attention to me (a feeling I quite easily recognize!). Rand was talkative, so I felt he was into it. Galloway was pretty normal, though without a big race coming, I couldn't be sure how committed he was to anything. Scott was off the front, so I didn't get much chance to talk to him. Miller had done a 400 workout during lunch, so his legs were a bit wasted.
Hmmm. A 6-man pace line with this group wouldn't do, unless (as I offered to Miller) he and I pulled longer and slower. That might work. Or we might break into groups, Miller and me, the rest of the guys in one group. That might work. Or, since Miller had done the running workout, they could all collect into one group and I could chase. I wasn't feeling very strong, but I was more than willing to try. Then of course we could break into three groups - a 3-man group, a 2-man group, and then myself. That would certainly work, and was the way I favored.
As plans often do, this one fell apart as we neared the line. Here came DfO to meet us. That could be two 3-man groups, possibly. It would be up to the fellows to pick their poison. At the tree, I threw out the options. Galloway sliced right through it all by saying, "Let's just do a time trial!"
It wasn't a bad idea at all. The wind would be favorable enough, and since no one was committed to anything else, it might as well be a time trial. I continued to lay out the team option if anyone wanted to pair up. No one spoke up, so we prepared the take-off for the usual 1-minute intervals.
Scott lead us off. Allen stated he would go next, but when he went - surprise - DfO jumped out too. Rand later claimed he heard DfO ask Allen if he wanted to pair, but the jury is out on whether or not Allen heard him. The rest of us certainly didn't. That pair was certain to be an anecdote generator!
Galloway was next, and being the model of efficiency that he is, fairly well flew out to the start. He was down and in aero before you could say, well, "down and in aero". Rand followed suit, though not quite as efficiently as Tim, then came Miller. Miller matched Galloway in time to start, and it's a time I don't care to surpass. The chip-and-seal surface recently applied becomes quite loose near the intersection of 337, and trying to speed around that corner is an invitation to road rash.
Finally my turn came, 5 minutes after the start (seems like it always works that way). I sped down the rough surface, turned starboard and hit it. I tapped my split on my stopwatch so I could get my preliminary time at the end, and it was off to the races.
First thing I noticed; the wind was no help at all. In fact, it might have been a hindrance, creating a slight buffet. I hoped it was a temporary issue, but the farther along the Amish stretch I went, the more I realized it was just how it was going to be. Still I made decent time. This stretch was spent in the 27-28+ range. By the end of this piece I could see I was gaining on Miller, but only slowly.
Bromer did have a slight boost from the wind, but as soon as the road turned west again, the breeze again was no help. I could see Miller heading into the first climb, tantalizingly close, but I would have to be patient. I topped this hill at 24-high, and by now I was quite certain this week's weather was tougher than last.
Miller seemed to come to me, then recede away, back and forth over the next couple of miles. I finally caught and passed him near the Pumpkin Center turn. Not very far ahead was Rand, and I was closing fast. I was maintaining the speed pretty well, and was beginning to think I might have a good one going.
A couple of turns later and I was in aero heading down into Lost River Valley. Rand was just ahead of me now, and before we were halfway across the floor I had him. He was making good time, and looked solid. Looking past him, I could see Galloway entering the first stages of Lost River Hill.
I tried to hold a better time on the hill this week, and I did, topping at 16-high. Galloway was coming into closer view, so I laid over the bars and went to work. Soon I was back to 27+, and in the following rollers I quickly closed down the distance to Tim. I caught him on the final climb, topped it, then dropped over the side for the final downhill of the course. I used it to bring the speed back up, and prepared for the final push.
As I hit the straightaway, I could see Allen and DfO. They were too far ahead to catch, though I'd closed the gap quite a bit. I focused instead on my computer, watching the speed, trying to hold it up as high as possible. I crossed and looked at my watch - 22:20, or 27 second faster than last week. I was very happy about that one.
Everyone else came in shortly after. I asked Galloway what he thought about the wind. He echoed everything I thought - certainly not helpful, except in Bromer and the Pumpkin Center bend. Other than that, neutral. Despite having a harder night, most guys went faster. That's a good sign training is improving us!
Analysis:
Scott: 26;00 - 23:08 mph. This is a 40-second improvement over last week. As Scott learns how to use his bike more effectively, he will continue to have huge jumps. His confidence and fitness are also growing daily.
Allen: 25:44 - 23:32 mph. This is an excellent individual time. I call it individual because he pulled 90% of the time and did not get help from his "partner" the whole ride. It must have been very distracting.
Galloway: 25:40 - 23:38 mph. Tim is a month distant from a serious break in his training due to health issues, so this is an especially great time for him. Good to see him back out on it!
Rand: 25:36 - 23:44 mph. Rand too has had his share of health issues, but hopefully they are behind him. Regardless, this is a great time.
Miller: 24:36 - 24:39 mph. Great time for two reasons: Tim isn't biking much, and; he did a hard running workout earlier. No doubt about it, a fresh Miller with decent bike mileage is a killer. Over 24 mph on your ancillary sport is not bad, bro.
IronBill: 22:17 - 26.93 mph. I have been faster, though the fastest time was wind-aided. As far as neutral conditions records, if this isn't it, it's close. A year ago in June I have a 27-high time in the mid-21's, but I can't help but believe this too was wind-aided. Regardless, one thing is clear - my biking is dialing in.
Ride data.
It's a lesson I've learned many times over the years... often, when you least expect it, or have cause to do so, the best workouts can happen. At the very least, often you can overperform your expectations.
Tonight was one of those nights. It was weird from the jump. There weren't that many of us there - seven riders started, though James was on call and would soon have to peel away. This left us with Miller, Allen, Rand, Scott, Galloway, and me.
We seemed to slowly, every so slowly make our way out to the turn. The wind seemed in our faces the whole way, which at least meant a favorable push back. Something else had crept in, pervasive and palpable, an almost disconnected air. The bodies were there, but the minds weren't. The word that comes to mind is indifferent.
I moved around the group to gather a pulse. Allen was most notably absent, to the point it felt like he was half paying attention to me (a feeling I quite easily recognize!). Rand was talkative, so I felt he was into it. Galloway was pretty normal, though without a big race coming, I couldn't be sure how committed he was to anything. Scott was off the front, so I didn't get much chance to talk to him. Miller had done a 400 workout during lunch, so his legs were a bit wasted.
Hmmm. A 6-man pace line with this group wouldn't do, unless (as I offered to Miller) he and I pulled longer and slower. That might work. Or we might break into groups, Miller and me, the rest of the guys in one group. That might work. Or, since Miller had done the running workout, they could all collect into one group and I could chase. I wasn't feeling very strong, but I was more than willing to try. Then of course we could break into three groups - a 3-man group, a 2-man group, and then myself. That would certainly work, and was the way I favored.
As plans often do, this one fell apart as we neared the line. Here came DfO to meet us. That could be two 3-man groups, possibly. It would be up to the fellows to pick their poison. At the tree, I threw out the options. Galloway sliced right through it all by saying, "Let's just do a time trial!"
It wasn't a bad idea at all. The wind would be favorable enough, and since no one was committed to anything else, it might as well be a time trial. I continued to lay out the team option if anyone wanted to pair up. No one spoke up, so we prepared the take-off for the usual 1-minute intervals.
Scott lead us off. Allen stated he would go next, but when he went - surprise - DfO jumped out too. Rand later claimed he heard DfO ask Allen if he wanted to pair, but the jury is out on whether or not Allen heard him. The rest of us certainly didn't. That pair was certain to be an anecdote generator!
Galloway was next, and being the model of efficiency that he is, fairly well flew out to the start. He was down and in aero before you could say, well, "down and in aero". Rand followed suit, though not quite as efficiently as Tim, then came Miller. Miller matched Galloway in time to start, and it's a time I don't care to surpass. The chip-and-seal surface recently applied becomes quite loose near the intersection of 337, and trying to speed around that corner is an invitation to road rash.
Finally my turn came, 5 minutes after the start (seems like it always works that way). I sped down the rough surface, turned starboard and hit it. I tapped my split on my stopwatch so I could get my preliminary time at the end, and it was off to the races.
First thing I noticed; the wind was no help at all. In fact, it might have been a hindrance, creating a slight buffet. I hoped it was a temporary issue, but the farther along the Amish stretch I went, the more I realized it was just how it was going to be. Still I made decent time. This stretch was spent in the 27-28+ range. By the end of this piece I could see I was gaining on Miller, but only slowly.
Bromer did have a slight boost from the wind, but as soon as the road turned west again, the breeze again was no help. I could see Miller heading into the first climb, tantalizingly close, but I would have to be patient. I topped this hill at 24-high, and by now I was quite certain this week's weather was tougher than last.
Miller seemed to come to me, then recede away, back and forth over the next couple of miles. I finally caught and passed him near the Pumpkin Center turn. Not very far ahead was Rand, and I was closing fast. I was maintaining the speed pretty well, and was beginning to think I might have a good one going.
A couple of turns later and I was in aero heading down into Lost River Valley. Rand was just ahead of me now, and before we were halfway across the floor I had him. He was making good time, and looked solid. Looking past him, I could see Galloway entering the first stages of Lost River Hill.
I tried to hold a better time on the hill this week, and I did, topping at 16-high. Galloway was coming into closer view, so I laid over the bars and went to work. Soon I was back to 27+, and in the following rollers I quickly closed down the distance to Tim. I caught him on the final climb, topped it, then dropped over the side for the final downhill of the course. I used it to bring the speed back up, and prepared for the final push.
As I hit the straightaway, I could see Allen and DfO. They were too far ahead to catch, though I'd closed the gap quite a bit. I focused instead on my computer, watching the speed, trying to hold it up as high as possible. I crossed and looked at my watch - 22:20, or 27 second faster than last week. I was very happy about that one.
Everyone else came in shortly after. I asked Galloway what he thought about the wind. He echoed everything I thought - certainly not helpful, except in Bromer and the Pumpkin Center bend. Other than that, neutral. Despite having a harder night, most guys went faster. That's a good sign training is improving us!
Analysis:
Scott: 26;00 - 23:08 mph. This is a 40-second improvement over last week. As Scott learns how to use his bike more effectively, he will continue to have huge jumps. His confidence and fitness are also growing daily.
Allen: 25:44 - 23:32 mph. This is an excellent individual time. I call it individual because he pulled 90% of the time and did not get help from his "partner" the whole ride. It must have been very distracting.
Galloway: 25:40 - 23:38 mph. Tim is a month distant from a serious break in his training due to health issues, so this is an especially great time for him. Good to see him back out on it!
Rand: 25:36 - 23:44 mph. Rand too has had his share of health issues, but hopefully they are behind him. Regardless, this is a great time.
Miller: 24:36 - 24:39 mph. Great time for two reasons: Tim isn't biking much, and; he did a hard running workout earlier. No doubt about it, a fresh Miller with decent bike mileage is a killer. Over 24 mph on your ancillary sport is not bad, bro.
IronBill: 22:17 - 26.93 mph. I have been faster, though the fastest time was wind-aided. As far as neutral conditions records, if this isn't it, it's close. A year ago in June I have a 27-high time in the mid-21's, but I can't help but believe this too was wind-aided. Regardless, one thing is clear - my biking is dialing in.
Ride data.
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