How bad was it?

If you look at the sidebar on the right, you'll see the Strava links to our club riders. Almost all of them have some reference to the weather in their ride titles. That should tell you something.

It was hot. 78 degree dew points are deadly serious. I took it easy on my girls' team tonight - wish I'd given myself the same break. I've been suffering from a summer cold the last few days, and today was the worst I've felt yet.

We had another fairly good sized turnout. Rand, Greg, Scott, John T., Troy, Miller, James, Galloway, and eventually Allen joined me on this unusual late-summer ride.

The weird started right away. Rand and Greg started pulling us south at around 20 mph. It's not unusual for Greg to push a bit, but Rand on the front pushing on the way out? Weird. Found out later they were chasing John T., who was behind them.

The tone was set, and so when we got to 337 I invited anyone who wanted to be pulled to the county line to get on. John T. asked if I was going to pull 9 miles, but I'd already had in mind to do so. We had a bit of a tailwind out, so though the speed seemed a bit fast for the opening leg, in truth it was fairly easy to do. I say fairly easy, because though I never taxed my VO2, I sweat profusely. By the time we hit the pee tree, I could tell I needed a little help.

Rand gave me one of his Enduralytes, and I hoped that would be enough. He also offered to take the first pull, which I was determined to NOT take since I had just pulled 9 miles. He did a great job, to the point he began to gap the pack. Greg moved around to help Scott get back to Rand, but after a while Scott pulled out. He was worried he was holding us back. I get that, no one likes to feel they are hurting the ride, but he needn't have worried. We could have crossed the gap at any time, and in fact did.

Greg took us right on around Rand, and I knew things were about to get a lot harder. We didn't go very fast, but the truth was my legs were killing me. Tons of lactic acid poured through them. There was no stress on my lungs, but my legs were stretching to their limit. Maybe it was the heat, the summer cold, the weights I've been lifting, maybe all of the above, but I wasn't having all that easy a time with it. It wouldn't have taken much to drop me at that point.

We traded off about every 2 minutes - I think everyone had a touch of that cold - and it was Troy's misfortune to get Lost River Bridge (no sympathy here; I think I've had it more than anyone else this summer!) He did a fine job climbing up, but made the rookie mistake of tapping right at the top. This is a sure way to get yourself dropped, because the guy behind you is fresh and ready to go.

Allen had made his way to us by then. He'd driven a bus for the Mitchell middle school runners, and was late. He attached in the bottoms, and from what I understand held with us for a long time.

The sprint came after a Miller final hill climb. Troy was on the front again, we hit the split hill, and Greg popped around. I tried get on, and for once was able to attach. He was sitting on Troy, waiting for just the right time to blast around. Troy pedaled valiantly, but the conclusion was already foregone. I tried to move to Greg's left to make an earlier try, but just then he looked back and left. I knew I couldn't outkick him, and I didn't want to block him in, so I pulled back right. I was smart enough to look to my rear right, and I'm glad I did - Heatherly was right there! I got out of his way and he chased. I think had I not blocked him he might have made a game of it with Greg. We'll never know. Sorry about that.

We tried to go to Wendy's afterward, but their register was broken, and their manager made no attempt to appease a long line of customers by offering free drinks (which cost a restaurant practically nothing). That line of riders instantly cut out and went to Arby's, where they had a fine meal and discussion. It certainly wasn't a bad alternative - the cashier even brought our food out to us!

We are coming to it now, the final rides of the season. I don't know how much longer I can go. Once interval workouts start, it's over for me. They take too long to make the start of the ride. That will start this week, though the regular day won't resume for a couple of weeks (meets interrupt regular schedule). My guess is next week will be the last one for me. 

Amateur Statistical Analysis Pt. 3

I feel like a chimp who just found a screwdriver in his cage. It feels like something is *this* close to happening, but I can't quite grasp the technology at my fingertips.

We've had fun over the years riding out pace line course. For some of us, the twilight draws uncomfortably near. For others, it's barely past dawn. Either way, it seems like we could be more.

The truth is, most of us have no more idea what we're doing out there on our bikes than a raw beginner in running. We understand basics, we know miles matter, we know riding hard is good. Beyond that, there isn't much structure to what we do.

There's elegance in that. Things are very basic, elemental, and easy to grasp. Get out there and ride as often as possible, as far as possible, with as much hard in it as possible. Yet we well know if we apply the same logic to running, it doesn't work.

We periodize training with base, strength, and speed phases. We have build-ups and tapers. We have tempos, hill repeats, and intervals. We have so many tools to use in running; it seems impossible an activity so similar in nature as riding wouldn't be as varied.

Over the years I honed my training cycles to the point I knew exactly when I would be peaked. I rarely missed. This year at Nationals I knew one thing for sure - I'd missed my peak. I'd felt it come on two weeks earlier. I've been doing endurance athletics since I was 14, I know the feeling well.

I'll be looking at the next riding season a lot differently. I'm not sure what will change, but I think something will for sure. I'm getting too old to just let things happen. I have to make them happen.

Amateur Statistical Analysis Pt. 2

I figured yesterday's post would generate interest from at least a few of the guys, and it did. I was offered suggestions with regards to how better manipulate the data. I guess a good place to start today would be to refresh our memories about the data collected.

TT/Sprint - Efficiency Percentage
Cyclist	Sprint	TT	% of Max
Shep	34.00	26.80	78.82%
Miller	31.30	26.70	85.30%
Sowdet	29.90	26.70	89.30%
Deckard	29.50	26.90	91.19%
Heatherly	29.00	26.50	91.38%
Bartley	27.80	24.20	87.05%
Freeman	34.50	25.90	75.07%
Young	26.30	24.20	92.02%
BurrisA	26.30	24.60	93.54%
BurrisL	25.30	23.10	91.30%
Jarrard	25.30	22.50	88.93%
Sprint/TT - Power Ratio
Cyclist	Sprint	TT	Ratio
Deckard	29.50	26.90	109.67
Bartley	27.80	24.20	114.88
Freeman	34.50	25.90	133.20
Young	26.30	24.20	108.68
Jarrard	25.30	22.50	112.44

You'll recall the first chart displayed TT mph/Sprint mph to provide a percentage of max speed carried over distance. I felt intuitively this was a good number to analyze given my coaching experience. To explain, anytime I'm trying to assess an endurance athlete, I find it useful to discover just what the top end of the performance spectrum is for the individual. Once that is established, workouts can be generated based on percentages of the max speed. Ultimately race pace is based on a very high percentage of the max speed. The only trick is that it's a moving target - as the athlete improves, so can the max speed (somewhat). Whether that is because of improved fitness or technique (or both) is subject to debate.

One of our readers suggested another path (I'll call him "Shmuh-ShMalloway"). His suggestion was to divide Sprint mph/TT mph to get a ratio, the idea being a higher ratio would indicate higher explosive power capability. Shmuh-ShMalloway also adamantly insisted only TT times were valid, and I think I have to agree with him on this point. I might be able to dig these out of Strava and I might not; unless the individuals tagged the rides as TT or Pace Line, I don't really see what I could do. For this reason I have reduced our sample down to what I believe are established individual TT times. 

Possibility Five: a large gap between sprint and endurance isn't a bad thing

I won't lie, I struggle with this one because it goes against my experience somewhat, but it has to be considered. On the plus side, it would suggest there is a gear or three above the regular racing speed a rider could resort to in times of dire need. There are certainly examples of such riders in grand tours, such as the Tour de France. The problem with this logic, also illustrated by the Tour de France, is such designated sprinters never win the overall. They are niche riders. To be fair, the same could be said about the time trialists, to some extent. I can't ever remember a Tour winner who was a great sprinter; I can remember quite a few that could TT very well - the last three champions in a row, for example. 

An additional text that came from Shmuh-ShMalloway went along this line:

"Ratio new tt with pr & new sprint with pr then produce new value s ratio/u ratio"

Sounded like advanced math, so it lost me. If I am interpreting it correctly, we would need to hold a new TT, divide PR time by new TT, hold new sprint, then divide PR sprint by new sprint, then create a ratio from the ratios? I'm not sure if I got that right, but that's what I think I'm reading. I guess I need to ask the engineers in the group. I could easily set that up in a spreadsheet if I can get my directions clearer. 

Possibility Six: there is no one answer

Of all the scenarios, this is the by far the most likely. Just as there is no panacea for education as there is no single kid "type", there is no single explanation for the percentages or ratios developed from the data. I think I could develop a training plan based off either chart based on the data - one plan to achieve a higher ratio, another to hit a higher percentage of the top speed - and both plans could be successful. What I'm not sure of is whether or not I could develop a plan to do both. Once again, my intuition says no.

My gut tells me this is a case where one has to let the style of racing one expects to face in the goal race dictate the training. If one is training for a long-course triathlon, efficiency is obviously the best goal. If one is training to race criterium-style events, explosive speed is a must. While I think you could have a training program that includes aspects of both, a good program would prioritize, having one as the emphasis and the other as very much subordinate. 

Either way you go, putting this type of data to use means one thing for sure - fairly regular TT events. We've probably done more of those this summer than ever before, which in my particular case has been a good thing. The trouble with that is it diminishes the number of all-out bunched sprints we would have, sprints that are necessary to complete either formula. Or am I looking at it the wrong way? Maybe the sprints should be individual sprints? Maybe that would be a more accurate measure of ability? Thoughts?

Amateur Statistical Analysis Pt. 1

I was considering some data today at lunch. I guess I should back up... there was the epiphany this morning about the final sprint - why didn't we have a segment for that? After all, it's clear we're a group of riders with varying strengths. We have courses for hills, time trials, distance... why not sprint? It seemed logical to create a segment out of a sprint we routinely do, so voila! I made a segment from the final half-mile of the TT course.

Reflecting upon my new segment, especially after looking over the leader board, it struck me it might be interesting to compare top speed to sustained speed... specifically, all-out sprint vs. time trial.

This in itself sprang from a conversation I had with Troy the other night, or rather, me railing against him about his mindset. I didn't want him to sound negative about his ability to ride fast on a sustained ride because I believe he's probably one of the best sustained guys we have in the group. He might be inexperienced, but talent is not his problem.

That's when I hit on it... I wanted to divide the TT rate of speed by the sprint rate of speed to get a percentage of top speed at sustained pace. My thinking on this was pretty direct - I felt the higher the percentage, the better.

I did the chart. Check the data yourself.

Cyclist	Sprint	TT	Ratio
Shep	34.00	26.80	78.82%
Miller	31.30	26.70	85.30%
Sowdet	29.90	26.70	89.30%
Deckard	29.50	26.90	91.19%
Heatherly	29.00	26.50	91.38%
Bartley	27.80	24.20	87.05%
Freeman	34.50	25.90	75.07%
Young	26.30	24.20	92.02%
BurrisA	26.30	24.60	93.54%
BurrisL	25.30	23.10	91.30%
Jarrard	25.30	22.50	88.93%

In a perfect world, these times would reflect an individual time trial divided by sprint speed. Obviously some of the rides here were pace line, not TT. The riders in yellow were team rides; the green were individual. Whether or not that invalidates some of the data I don't know, but I think you'd certainly have to value it differently. I'll leave that to the statisticians. Suffice to say, you should be able to compare TT to TT and team to team. Maybe that means we don't have enough samples to be valid, but c'mon, let's roll with it. 

The data somewhat explained, it's time to interpret. This is the part that fascinates me, because there are a lot of ways to approach it. The old saying goes, "Lies, damned lies, and statistics", and one could make these numbers say about anything. For that reason, let's take a bit and explore some of the possibilities. 

Possibility One: riders with higher percentages are in better shape.

Possible, but not conclusive. Looking at the individual times (which are more useful for measuring individual fitness) both Troy and I score high percentages, and I'd say we are two of the guys who put in the most miles. James's time is misleading; he hasn't posted all his Strava data publicly, so his true numbers aren't up. My guess is his ratio is just as high or higher. Scott on the other hand is a relatively new rider. He's talented, but this is his first year. He's still getting his bike adjustments dialed in. His total mileage would not be as high either. 

Possibility Two: riders with higher percentages are more efficient.

Once again, possible. Riding has a skill set to it, and there are things one can do to improve energy expenditure, a.k.a. efficiency. This would explain how someone could sustain a higher output over time, though not have a great top-end speed. In short, this type of rider would have an optimal zone of speed higher than his opponents provided primarily by exercising better technique. 

Possibility Three: riders with higher percentages just don't have high speed ability.

This possibility branches from the concept of fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch muscles. Sprinters have more fast-twitch muscles than other riders. It is a fact that different riders would have differing amounts of each muscle type, meaning riders will have natural tendencies of proficiency that vary from other riders. Some people are built for explosive bursts of energy. They can be taught to stretch the effort over time, but going fast will always feel more natural. 

Possibility Four: riders with higher percentages have higher levels of motivation.

The old adage in athletics goes that winners just "want it more" than the other athletes. While this is a wildly oversimplified way of looking at athletics, there is some kernel of truth in it. Motivation isn't just the ability to accept more pain than other people; it's also the dogged pursuit of overcoming one's shortcomings every single day. What this means is some athletes will do whatever it takes to win at all times. Constantly being aware of terrain, working drills, paying attention to form, pushing one's self when riding alone... these are all signs of high motivation.

To be continued!

Just Slow Enough

I'm not that good, or rather, I'm not that evil. I couldn't have planned it any better though, and as it turned out, for some it was as cruel as last week.

For a group of guys that believed the riding season was ending, we sure have turned them out. 11 regulars showed tonight, and later we added a helmetless DfO. On top of that, the weather to the east and west was threatening - we saw copious lightning and heard the thunder 10 miles away to the east. Nobody even blinked. The ride was on.

Up until we hit 337, things were pretty much normal. The group lazily made its way south, while the anxious rabbit or two off the front stretching it out a bit. However, once they reached 337, they paused to let the rest of us catch up.

I was riding off the back talking to whoever was on the end at any particular time. I was trying not to get caught up in anything this week. Last week I intended to ride easily and wound up laying down a hard track. Still, once on 337 riding for a bit, I saw that thin line half a mile away and receding. I couldn't allow that.

I caught them after a few minutes, then moved to the front. Scott was there, steadily pulling the train. I didn't know how long he'd been up there, but I moved ahead of him to take a turn (shades of DfO!). I realized I was being pushy, but hey, they'd been up there for a while. And, when I went by Scott, I asked if he was pulling. His answer was a decidedly indifferent, "I guess?".

So I got on the front just in time to pull the eastern hill out of Lost River Valley. Of course Scott, being a better climber, immediately rode by. I apologized, and promised to do better over the top. I was a man of my word. I took it to 21, 22, 23... and held in this range for a while. I figured they had been doing no better than this, and I wasn't trying to break them up. It wasn't long before it was 22, 23, 24... I wasn't pushing, I was keeping the same pressure on my legs.

I could see the shadow of the rider behind me, always there, always just off my shoulder. I figured it to be James or Miller, and when we pulled off 337 to the tree, it was indeed Miller. That made sense. James would probably gone around me at some point. I guess I had been waiting for it a bit.

We broke into two groups - 12 is too many people for one line. Galloway, the Burri, Rand, and Scott were the lead group. We followed a bit after. Our group was Me, John T., Greg, Miller, James, and DfO. Troy was going to chase us in a solo TT.

I took the first pull, and as I promised upon leaving, I wasn't going to blast it. I wanted to hold pretty much in the 26's, which I mostly did. I hit the low 25's in some small hiccups, definitely an indication my legs are still tired from my race, but was pulling well. My plan was to tap in Bromer. Shortly before that point I could hear someone behind say, "Pull off!". I couldn't tell if it was a statement or a question, so I tapped. No sense getting stingy.

John T. was next. I rotated back, DfO pulling off to let me in. John T. had a pull almost identical to mine, just a bit shorter, then he rotated back. Then the fun started. Greg shot it up a mile an hour to the 27s. As we stair stepped down away from Bromer, speeds actually occasionally approached 30 mph, but generally were in the 27-28 range. He pulled a good time, then it was Miller's turn.

I don't know how he does it, but Miller always gets the same piece - the northern section just west of Pumpkin Center turn. He was quick too, every bit as fast as Greg. He tapped, then it was James.

This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I hadn't gone full-out in my first pull because I figured both Greg and James would lay it on us. Greg was pushing 29 mph heading into the Lost River hill, and of course it only went up from there. He scooted quickly across the valley floor commanding a 29-30 mph drive that tapped just before the bridge. It was a great pull, and now it was time for me to take the hill.

I wasn't great. My legs are tired, and the hills really show it. I hopped out of the saddle to make the best of it, and briefly dropped in the 17s before topping. Once over the top, my VO2 took over, and soon we were back up to 28 mph in the rollers. I figured this was my last pull, and now I wouldn't be afraid to do what I could. I might get dropped, I might not, but it was time to do it.

I considered tapping after the rollers, but I felt fine, we were moving well, and I figured why not take the last hill. No one wanted it, I was sure, since it would take whoever did it out of the sprint at the end. I wasn't the best sprinter in the group and had no desire to contest it, so I might as well be the one.

We almost held the 20 mph over the top. I think I saw 19.9 or so at the top, disappointing, but it was still a good effort. I laid over the bars, picked up a bit of speed, then tapped.

John T. was on again, and he lead the charge to the break line. As we hit the line, I called to James, who was just ahead of me, that it was now every man for himself, a sprint for the finish. He'd never done this with us before, but he immediately responded as I knew he would - burst of speed. Greg responded, as did Miller, and I tried weakly to minimize the damage. I was at 32 mph and losing ground fast. Miller was dropped. It was now up to Greg and James to sort it out. It was back-and-forth, but ultimately James got it.

It was a fun ride. True, I wound up being more a domestique than contender tonight, but that's fine. I got a great workout out and back, and it was fun being part of that group. James commented on how well the line performed, how well we communicated and did our jobs. I'd agree with that. It was a smooth line tonight, as good as we've ever done it. We all wondered if it would be a record breaker. It certainly had to be close.

Very close as it turned out. By a thin three (3!) seconds I held on to KOM. For the second week in a row, only mere seconds separated first and second on a KOM. It was more luck on my part than plan - I certainly was trying to ride hard. But it's got to hurt. Take heart! I've no doubt there's a whole list of riders in this group who'll soon be shredding that particular time.

Great fun, guys!

I'll part with the tip of the day:
"If you happen upon a group of riders in a pace line, don't try to join on by inserting in the middle of the line."

Just sayin'. 

Almost 11

I ran with the girls' team today, something I haven't been able to do for a while. It was so much fun I decided to add to it by joining the Jimmy group afterward. We ran the regular 5, nothing new there, but Bradford was there tonight. I guess I would also mention WinD showed up, or perhaps she's the Other Miller. Aw shucks, we had one Miller anyway. ;)

We wound up spreading out. Scott, apparently feeling nothing from last night's ride, began to stretch the run out. Rand has lots of energy too, and he joined in. Before long, the line was long and finally disconnected. I looked back, realized I was part of it, and pulled back some.

Galloway said he was tired, so I drifted back and joined him. I didn't think we were going excessively fast or slow, but something Tim said when we finished peaked my interest... "...so THAT'S why I feel tired!" I had carried the time from my first run into the second (it didn't matter to me at the time), so I wasn't sure how fast we did run. I think it was under 40 minutes, maybe as fast as 38 minutes. That would be faster than normal.

Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I might try to jump into a little running at practice, though that's unlikely. We are having a structured workout, so I'll have to monitor the effort. That's more important than my personal fitness. After there won't be time. Guess it's a good thing I ran so long tonight!

Surprise Pace Line Ride

I never expected to make it on time for the ride tonight, but I did. What's more, 10 of us made it for an unusual ride. How was it unusual? Read on...

In mid-August it isn't usual to see a powerful cold front sweep through without bringing with it powerful thunderstorms, but that's exactly what we had tonight. A strong northerly breeze meant the usual pace line or TT options were going to be excessively difficult. We all understood the conditions were and were prepared to knuckle down and do it - we're men, after all - but we hadn't reckoned with the evil machinations of one Allen Burris.

Allen had created a segment for just this purpose. Taking the lion's share of the regular course and reversing it, he created a segment he believed would be prime for the current weather conditions. His idea was we'd go hard on the way out and cruise back. Would the guys bite?

Good question. John T., Miller, Rand, and I had raced over the weekend. Greg is racing this weekend. Lester ran his first 22-miler yesterday. Many of those left were completely indifferent. Despite this, it wasn't that hard a sell. As for myself, I didn't think I'd have a lot of gas for it, especially after my legs hurt so much at the start of the ride. But in the end, what was there to lose?

It was an odd collection at the start. The first few guys trickled out, promising to be going easy. Thirty seconds was all we allowed between riders, so the intervals passed quickly. A few of the guys started talking about riding together, and in the end Greg, John T., Miller, Scott, and Troy went off in a pack. I went last.

This was a tall order. I am not fully recovered from the race yet - far from it. Yet some of these guys raced too, and on top of that, Greg didn't want to go too hard. I might catch them if they stuck to it, but if they got caught up in the moment, catching them might well be out of the question. They are all great riders, and they would grind me to a nub if they tried hard enough.

Out of the gate it proved tough. On the downhills and flats things went exactly as I thought they would - I could draw for a bit, but then a guy would tap and a fresh horse would push it out again. I was pretty steady, so as the horse tired, I drew it in. Then BAM! Fresh horse. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Going east out of the bottoms I decided I might be able to make a bunch on the big hill. If I could carry enough smash into it I might be able to steal some time from guys who were tired and taking a rest. What did I have to lose? So I hit that hill hard, and did indeed close a great deal. At this point I actually thought I had made the catch.

It didn't happen. Fresh horse, the lead stretched out again. I could keep it contained, but could never quite close. When Troy popped in the final straightaway, I knew it was hopeless to catch them. Three of the best time trialists in our club working together against me? Yes, against me. I saw them spot me a little earlier, and I know what I would have thought if I were them - no way you are catching us!

My next option was to contain. I wanted to keep the lead under 30 seconds. Why? KOM. Miller was the current KOM of the segment, and I wanted a crack at it. If I could keep the gap close, I could still steal the crown. That plan worked. I finished 18 seconds after they did. That was good, but would it be enough? It would depend on how quickly they got themselves organized going up the first hill to the start versus how fast I did it. That's a lot of variables, but as I told them on the cool-down, I bet there wasn't a butt hair between all our times.

I was right.

Miller and Greg were tied for KOM for a while tonight. They did the course in 19:44, worth 26.4 mph. That's pretty dang fast! When I saw that, I wasn't so confident I would get it. Then I uploaded my data. Results? 19:42, good for 26.5 mph - and KOM! By the slimmest of margins I came out on top.

On the way back we did a slower pace line with all 11 of us (DfO "joined" us), intending by agreement to ride 19-20 mph. I volunteered to lead all the way back if need be, Allen wanted to take the first pull, so as we started, Allen moved to the front. Then, inexplicably, DfO, ever on his own program, pulled way out ahead of the line and rode. I have no idea what he was doing... what am I saying, I never do... but as my turn came up and we inevitably drew up, I didn't know what to do. Was he trying to lead? Was he trying to escape? Should I try to lead the line past him? Should I slow the group down to his pace? You just never know with him.

I tested the waters and moved slightly to his left. At once he pointed to his left, which I took to mean he was pulling out. He did, and I took over. I was nice, stayed right with the plan, and when John T. suggested I should share, I pulled out. Most of the guys got a turn, until Miller took over west of Bromer. From that point on it was all Miller. He did a great job into the wind - he's getting a lot stronger every ride.

Near the end I considered what I would do. I'm not a great sprinter, a worse sprinter into the wind, and an even worse sprinter coming off a peak race and into the wind. I turned back to John T. and Greg, both behind me, and yelled, "I'm not sprinting!" I yelled they'd better go soon if they intended to beat Miller. We were on the very back of the long line, and there was easily 20-30 yards to cover just to get to Miller.

They couldn't hear me. I started to yell again, then I felt bad about begging off. I had nothing to lose to try. "Dangit, I'll be your lead-out!" I shouted to John T., and bolted off. Up the left side of the line, face after face revealed no appetite to follow. Miller would be the one. I knew he'd go. He always does, right?

Over 30 mph into a headwind, we were moving smartly down the road. DfO and Miller were ahead. I really, really didn't want an erratic rider on board, so I kept it going as hard as I could when passing. There was no hope of keeping Miller off if he wanted on. Not so much DfO.

I kept listening. I can always hear John T. and Miller. John T. sounds like a car coming up behind you. Miller is more like "whzz-whzz-WHZZ" and by you he goes. Neither happened. I hit the line, looked back, and both guys were there. They gave me a freebie!

Fun ride guys. I didn't expect to make it, but I'm sure glad I did.

How did that happen?

I was late getting to Jimmy's. The idea was to get there, change clothes, then run the first segment backwards until we met. There was a better than average chance to catch everyone on the way in, probably down Park Avenue or so. If it went down like that, there was a chance for at least three miles. That would have been fine - I was still sore after the race. This is pretty much a free week anyway, so whatever happens, happens.

Instead, I saw all the guys standing outside of Jimmy's even though it was nearly 5:30. Jimmy had come out, and everyone stopped to talk to him. Jimmy has been off after MRI and surgery, so they were getting status updates. That played into my favor, because now I would get all five miles. As long as the knee didn't hurt, that was fine by me.

The run wasn't hard, but it was pretty muggy. Toward the end of the run Greg asked what pace we were going. I guessed 8-minute pace. Miller said it was 8:50. Darn Miller. That Garmin of his is never right! Sure enough, we came in a little over 8-minute pace overall. Can't trust a Miller.

There are going to be riders tomorrow night. I will try to make all or part of it if all goes well. That's subject to change, as my schedule is very fluid now. Still, I'd like to make it if the weather holds together. I don't know how hard I will ride - I'm kind of over that right now - but I'd sure like to see the guys.

Sore today

It was a long drive, but Rand and I made it home. I've been busy clearing away things that had to be done, things put off, and some things to get ready for tomorrow. Finally I am able to sit down and relax for a few minutes. Likely that means I'll soon be asleep, so let me put down today's thoughts before it's too late.

I'm sore. My knee started aching yesterday morning (actually overnight Friday night) and it still does, but I don't believe at this point it's anything serious, or at least anything a few days' rest won't cure. My neck, back, and quads hurt pretty badly too. That tells me I worked hard yesterday.

I'm really not bummed at all, but neither am I excited about what I did. I learned a lot from it though. I could qualify for World's there, but it wouldn't be a cakewalk. I'd have to swim a LOT more so I could get ahead of the pack and stay there, and I'd have to run faster. My bike is good enough, despite my bad day yesterday. That was one bad day on the year, and that's okay. They happen, no sense trying to get too philosophical about it.

I'm glad I made the trip. Spending time with Rand was fun, and Milwaukee was worth the trip all by itself. It is by far my favorite Midwestern city I've been to. I think there could be a whole lot of history and architecture to dig through, and I have the perfect person to do it with - my lovely wife. We'll be going back soon.

The greatest disappointments of the trip were, in no particular order:

• The girl who sang the National Anthem. My lord, it was animal cruelty.
• Not having a chance to make All-American (again).
• The expo. Or is that Expooh?  
• Not getting to any of the lighthouses we saw dotting the shoreline.
• Not seeing more of the city.

Some of the highlights of the trip, in no particular order:

• Being told I was going to get chick'd. Funny stuff.
• Seeing an iMax movie (Elysium). 
• The weather was perfect.
• Just hanging around national caliber athletes for a weekend. 

Now the attention turns back to the regular menu of work and cross-country. I'm ready. Mentally I'm over the race thing for a while. Time to focus on other stuff and recover. I'm sure I'll mull this all over and over for a while, but it won't be with regret. I'm sure I'll get another chance to go again, so long as I'm healthy. After I put some distance on it I'll consider whether or not I will, and if it's worth the time and expense AND increased training to do it.

Nationals, Milwaukee, WI

Alright. I've had a few people contact me over the course of the day regarding the race, our results, what happened, are you going into witness protection, etc. Believe me, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't a great day for me, but it wasn't that bad. I don't have to be talked down from a ledge or anything.

Rand did great. He hit all three legs pretty well, and finished strong. I was there to cheer him in from a block away, and I made sure the crowd knew who he was and where he was from. "RRRRAND Hammel, from SPRINGVILLE, IN!" He got a kick out of it, as did the crowd.

But I digress...

I'll skip to the good parts... let's start with the swim. This portion of the race was conducted in a protected cove, inside the breakwater, and appeared at first glance to be adequately large enough. The dock was long and wide, the water was deep, and we were able to enter before our waves started. There were a couple of key problems - at least for me. One was my wave was quite large. The other was there was a significant choke point in the swim. The section under the bridge was tight, perhaps 75 feet across, and this distance was cut in half so traffic could go two ways. That meant you had to choke 180 massed swimmers through 35 feet or so. Just so you know, that's less space than 180 swimmers would have if they were in BNL pool. Picture that.

I did not get on the front end - this was the Nationals, after all. I tried to find a clean line, and so long as we were in open water, I could find spots where it was clear. No way on the choke point. I had to go through with everyone else, and the inevitable happened. I wound up on the rocks. I had to do that because I kept having swimmers crawling up my back or hitting me from the side. It was the roughest swim I've experienced in years. I was actually starting to get a little mad about it, and briefly considered retaliation. I just kept telling myself everyone was in the same boat, and it wasn't really anyone's fault.

It wasn't too easy to get out of the water, either. That ramp was steep, and if it wasn't for the human chain of helpers to drag us out, I might still be in the harbor. Then we ran to the transition area, where I decided that socks were the way to go because of the run length. It took a few extra seconds, but I'm glad I did it. Events later would prove the wisdom of the choice.

Once the ride started, I felt as though I would be in my element. My swim time had been right about what I expected (on the low end). If I could put up a decent ride, I would be right on track. Almost immediately my quads began to burn with lactic acid, and the speed just wouldn't come up. I couldn't figure it out. What was more confusing was I was passing people hard despite my relatively slow speed. Then it hit me. We were on a false flat, and the slow grade had visually fooled me into believing I was slow. Eventually the grade picked up enough to make it more obvious, but even then I wasn't happy with what happened. At the top of the hill we turned around, and downward we went over 30 mph. I carried that for quite some ways, which helped make me feel better about the overall average.

I was thinking before the race I wouldn't likely be able to hold 24+ because of the bridge elevation, which we had to cross twice. It was steep, and that would cost us big time. What I didn't know was that wasn't even close to all the climbing we would do in the day. Couple that with the difficulty I had in the swim, and I didn't have the energy to hold the speed up the way I hoped. Don't get me wrong - it was a good ride. I was passed by a couple of riders, but I passed dozens. Given the caliber of the race, that was pretty good. I simply needed a better ride.

When the ride ended, I came into the transition zone and was completely disoriented. I left thinking we would enter where we exited, so I ran down the row before looking up and realizing I had it all backward. It cost me a few seconds straightening that mess out but when I did the transition was fast. I also had a lot farther to run this time than before, and that only added to the time.

I had been worried throughout the ride I wouldn't have enough energy for the run. My legs got tight so fast at the start of the ride I thought it might happen again. It didn't. I started out smoothly, took the pressure up and held it. I ran along someone in my age group, wondering if I would be able to stay with him. He mentioned he had to go out and chase down some bikers, I chuckled, then left him. From that point on I was not passed by another person in my age group, other than a fellow I passed and passed me back. As a result the run wound up being the best leg of the day, as weird as that sounds.

In the end, the numbers didn't add up. I was 2:19:51, 45th in the age group, and out of the running for the roll down. I'm not really disappointed about that - it would have been difficult to go anyway, and I suppose I'm relieved in a way I didn't have to make the choice. No, the disappointments I have are that I didn't bike as well as I thought I should, and I won't make All-American with that finish. It just won't be enough. Oh, well. Not the first time I've been disappointed.

This was not an enjoyable race for me at any point. I was suffering the whole way - some races are that way. I fought for it, using every trick I could pull out of my hat to keep myself going and motivated. I was very successful at that. It would have been easy to just coast it in, especially after the frustration in the water. I am not ashamed at all in my effort.

On the plus side, Rand did a great job. We've had a great time here in Milwaukee, which by the way if you've never been here is a beautiful town. He's a great travel partner, and I would go to any race with him. On the negative side, the CSI Milwaukee team needs to investigate the race site - that young lady murdered the National Anthem this morning. I'm not exaggerating one bit, she made Rosanne Barr sound like Pat Benatar. The ONLY way it would have been worse would have been if it had been served up with a thick layer of speech impediment.

Missed Jimmy up here. Hope the guys at Columbus did well. 

Down to the wire

To use the analogy of the perfect storm, my current competing concerns are pelting my hide like so many hailstones in a warm summer storm.

School started today, and the students arrive tomorrow. It was a crazy day today to prepare, and I'm not sure I'm completely ready. I can't think of anything else, but there is that nagging feeling of overlooking something.

I had to plan a day ahead for the day off Friday - horrible timing, but there's nothing for it. The Nationals are scheduled when they are scheduled, and I either go or don't. At any rate, I left plans already. I hope this speeds my egress from the building tomorrow, as we have to hit the road right away.

Along that line of thinking, I have my bike and gear packed and ready to go. All I have to do is swing by and get Rand and Jimmy, and away we go. Yet there is that nagging feeling of overlooking something...

I still haven't given much thought to the race. What is there to really think about? Go do your thing. An average day ought to be good enough. Boil that down to "just don't have an awful day".

Wow. Inspirational, right?

It's not as bad as all that. There is calm in working out the numbers, because an average day ought to be good enough to give me a shot at Worlds. It would also probably score good points in the hunt for All-American. Just have an average day. Yeah, I can do that.

And there you have it. My mind is wrapped around it. It's attainable, I'm in control, and it will be a good day.  Simple!

On another note, I just want to comment how much it "ES-YOU-EX" Jimmy's knee blew. I know it was a big deal for him, and I hate that it's not going to happen. We all get hurt, but rarely do we get hurt with such spectacularly bad timing. Here's hoping the doctor's appointment gives him some good news...

We miss you, Sir Jimmy!

How can you beat that?

It was really sad not to have Jimmy along tonight. Our hearts certainly go out to you - it's tough to be hurt like this, especially on the eve of a goal race. We missed you!

It was the Alpha and Omega of rides - it was the first night we all rode with our ACC jerseys, and it was likely the last night this summer we'll ride as a group.

It was an oddball one from my perspective. My goal was to ride steady without pushing at all, resulting in a rather different perspective from the start. I wound up on the back end of the ride and stayed there all the way out, something I don't ordinarily do. I watched as the riders strung out, a small group of Heatherly, Miller, and Troy chasing a far-off Greg, the rest in single file. Ten riders in all were out there on 337. Briefly we thought there'd be eleven... Strunk rode by on the start, but once again Strunk'd us by taking off without warning. I never even got to talk to him!

Anyway, Allen, Rand, and I wound up riding slowly to the start. By the time we hit the final straight I could see the others were already off the road ahead. I half figured they would start their ride without us - which would have been fine with me. I was sorry we were holding them up, but I wasn't going to work any harder.

The wind had been slight but out of the southwest, meaning there was an opportunity for speed. It was a good night to time trial, and I encouraged the guys to try if they felt up to it. A few did, and were rewarded with season PR's (Miller, Greg, Galloway, Heatherly, Bartley, and Troy). Considering 6 out of 11 riders (DfO attached at the county line) had their best rides, and 4 were making no attempt at a hard ride, I'd say it was a good call.

For my part, I declared 22 mph the goal, but it was too easy. Way too easy. We wound up averaging 23.1, but it was a chore to hold it there. I really don't even feel like I've ridden, that's how easy it was.

Miller, Bartley, Roy, Rand, and I ran after. I wanted one more brick transition under my belt before the race Saturday. It was easy. Though it was a bit muggy out, the run itself was no problem at all. I did see Bartley engage in a bit of chicanery toward the end - anything for a win - but with very little prodding I managed to coerce Miller into out-sprinting him at the line. Of course it almost cost him his life... the run ends at an intersection, one which Miller carried into the street directly into the path of a vehicle he didn't see coming because he was happy dancing KJ style. That's my version anyway. I was kind of far away, so he might differ in opinion.

Run tomorrow, then rest for the race!

Calm before the storm

There is a whole lot going on this week.

I start work on Wednesday. That's a teacher-only day, but it will be full. There are a million things that will have to be done, and though it sounds like I could have taken care of them beforehand, it doesn't always follow. I've been in my room for three weeks now - some things cannot be done until the last minute. I'm as ready as I can be at the moment.

Cross-country officially started today. The girls had a great summer of training, very consistent with their time and effort, and we're looking for the big payoff at season's end. Three weeks from today is the first meet!

Oh, and there's that Nationals thing at the end of the week.

Jimmy, Rand, and I will be leaving town Thursday afternoon for Milwaukee, WI. It's about a 6-hour drive, so we'll get in late. That should be fine. We'll have to check our gear Friday afternoon, then there are the orientation meetings, expo, etc. That will be a busy day. Race day will take care of itself.

If that sounds a bit blase, it's not my intent. The truth is I need to be steady with my effort, let the race come to me instead of forcing anything. I'm swimming better than I have in years, my biking has never been better, and my running is slow... it should still be good enough to do very well even if I have an average day. That's what I'm counting on. If I'm lucky and have a great day...

When I dwell on it too much I start getting excited, so I've tried to occupy myself with other thoughts and activities. It's too soon to get ramped up like that. On the starting line, if I want to feel some adrenaline, that's fine. Still, I don't want to lose the ability to think my way through it.

Steady effort. Steady effort. Steady effort...

The Dastardly Jimmy Sowdets

The Truth was nowhere to be found. My heart sank, realizing I must forge ahead in the darkness. Without Truth there was no hope, with no hope no purpose, with no purpose no drive. Yes, it was a veritable existential meltdown at Parkview.

Okay, maybe that's a bit overstated. My Airfoil was being serviced at the Bike Doctor, so I was on my backup bike - a Cannondale CAAD 8 from way back in 2005. It's been a terrific bike over the years, but it has a load of miles on it, and there was a nagging squawling noise cropping up after about an hour's riding time. Our ride would probably stretch well over two hours. The problem was obvious.

I switched out the front wheel, believing that was the main suspect in the case. At least I'd be able to isolate whether or not it was the wheel. If the squawl came back, it couldn't be the wheel. And off I went.

Galloway, Allen, John T., Rand, and I were the riders, and south was the direction. The tried and true Huck's run was on the menu. It was sunny, pleasantly warm, and not too humid. Winds were light out of the south, but built up the longer we were out.

Rand and John T. planned to turn back early, before Huck's. The rest of us bellied up for the adult-sized ride, even laying down a hard segment on the Amish Super 2. It wasn't easy - that south wind had gotten a bit stronger by then.

Galloway, ever the caveman, did the hard part but didn't time it. When asked by Allen if he'd be interested in posting the data on Strava, Galloway immediately dismissed the site as unworthy of his attention, ill-equipped as it was for his exacting standards. Okay, so those weren't the exact words he used, but it went something like that. I wouldn't be looking for "Offroad's" profile anytime soon.

On the way back Allen asked me to create a segment for the Cut. I channeled a little Galloway there, stating I had no desire to fight for KOM on the Cut. Several times I said I was uninterested, but you know Allen... he doesn't take no for an answer. So I acquiesced and made the segment. However... since I knew I was going to make the Cut segment, on the way up I gave it all I had. I topped still going right at 20 mph. Now we all know that's not the fastest time ever - we were all there when Jake pulled it at over 22 mph - but I might have a shot at the current times. Anyway, I'm so competitive it didn't matter. Taking a shot didn't cost anything but effort.

When the segment finally populated, who do you think had KOM? That's right, Jimmy Sowdets at over 50 mph! Lessee... how could that be... uphill at 50... can't do 50 on a flat... could it be... IN A CAR?!

Man. Number 2 to a guy in a car. I don't know how I can beat that on a bike, but I'll have to try and think of something...

It's so hard to taper

Easier said than done. It's a trite expression, almost devalued by its overuse, but it is absolutely true about taper. It's not like the basic elements are difficult to grasp. Rest. Recover. Do light work. Do light speed drills, but nothing too taxing. Sleep as you normally would. Eat normal meals. Cut miles way back.

Got it. Easy. Except it isn't easy.

If you have a big base, you begin to feel ready to go. Really ready, as in, "Bring on the race!" ready. As it is, there is another week and a half of laying around until the event. It's going to be a nerve-wracking wait.

Today there was a north wind that begged for an attempt on the Amish Super 2 KOM. I even tried to get Allen to bite - and secretly I told myself if he didn't go, I couldn't either - but he refused. I took that as a sign and returned to my pacing about the house.

It was a long day. Practice was over, the bike dropped off at the doctor, nothing to do at work, all loose ends taken care of... now just time to kill. Dang. Rest is hard when you feel ready for action.

We did swim tonight - Allen, Galloway, and myself. My distance was a well-kept secret from myself until I started. The Bills warred within me for control, the smart and the testosterone-poisoned ones, and ultimately I think testosterone won (as usual). I felt great, got into a rhythm, and pulled a mile in under 25 minutes. I feel really good about my swim now, as the last two or three weeks have been really strong.

We are riding in the morning from Parkview, 9 AM for those available. It's my last Friday of the summer!