Training Log Archive: MountyIn the 7 days ending Feb 24, 2008:
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Saturday Feb 23, 2008 #
Cycling 7:38:00 [4]
Otway 100K MTB
All in the Apollo Bay apartment began the day with a sheepish change to mud tyres at 5:30am after the previous evening's proclamations of 'she'll be right' were washed away by a night of heavy rain. Fortunate to be staying next door to a petrol station to avoid using the day's energy trying to get tubeless tyres to bead.
Suprisingly well-behaved start of 800 odd MTB'ers in the middle of Apollo Bay's main street. A few k of getting sucked along the Great Ocean Road, before turning on to a long bitumen climb, quite similar in feel to the Turramurra side of Bobbin Head Rd.
Not feeling super sprightly up the hill, and being nervous about a long-hard ride 6 days after a week in bed pulled the super conservative game plan out of the pocket and cruised up carefully. Over the first hill, and on to a fast firetrail descent with a nasty right hander halfway down that almost swallowed the group in front - skid marks suggested they werent the only ones.
The next 20km were hilly and hilariously muddy - mud as bad as the 2nd ride of the Keen Race long day last year. This meant slippery hike-a-bike's interspersed with sketchy slippery descents. Paid for 6 months of procrastinating on ordering studs for the front of my mtb shoes big-time and had to edge up the hill x-country ski style. Special mention to single-speed cyclocross bike Alan who rode down the descents ignoring the fact that he was basically on a road bike. Nutter.
Most of the climbing and mud was over by 40km, and the next 50km consisted of nice big singletrack loops, passing through the finish area in Forrest at 65km and 87km. Fantastic riding area. Had worked out by now that energy levels werent great - felt OK at cruising speed but tired very quickly when trying to raise the HR - so focused on optimising the bike handling skills. Did OK, but still lots of work to do.
Started to run out of gas after about 5 hours somewhere halfway thru' the big singfletrack maze in Yaugher. Katrin came past at about 80k chatting away happily, until I told her that one of her main 24hr rivals was a few minutes ahead and she took off.
Arrived back at the finish area for the final 13k loop (with a big hill) a bit after 6 hours and feeling very empty. Super tempting to stop, but in the spirit of hardening-the-f*ck up for the next AR race knocked back a couple of brunch bars and plodded off, trying to remember if there was ever a time in XPD that i felt this flat. Bike handling was sh*t thru the final singletrack. Finished mid afternoon and headed straight to the hot dog stand.
Nice town festival at the finish. One of the stalls had hooked up a bike to an ice-cream mixing machine. Oh yeah, and the hot showers felt like a swedish orienteering event. Noice.
Katrin was reasonably happy with her 6th in a strong girls field, but wants to work on riding the first half of these things harder. Reckons she was too conservative.
All in the Apollo Bay apartment began the day with a sheepish change to mud tyres at 5:30am after the previous evening's proclamations of 'she'll be right' were washed away by a night of heavy rain. Fortunate to be staying next door to a petrol station to avoid using the day's energy trying to get tubeless tyres to bead.
Suprisingly well-behaved start of 800 odd MTB'ers in the middle of Apollo Bay's main street. A few k of getting sucked along the Great Ocean Road, before turning on to a long bitumen climb, quite similar in feel to the Turramurra side of Bobbin Head Rd.
Not feeling super sprightly up the hill, and being nervous about a long-hard ride 6 days after a week in bed pulled the super conservative game plan out of the pocket and cruised up carefully. Over the first hill, and on to a fast firetrail descent with a nasty right hander halfway down that almost swallowed the group in front - skid marks suggested they werent the only ones.
The next 20km were hilly and hilariously muddy - mud as bad as the 2nd ride of the Keen Race long day last year. This meant slippery hike-a-bike's interspersed with sketchy slippery descents. Paid for 6 months of procrastinating on ordering studs for the front of my mtb shoes big-time and had to edge up the hill x-country ski style. Special mention to single-speed cyclocross bike Alan who rode down the descents ignoring the fact that he was basically on a road bike. Nutter.
Most of the climbing and mud was over by 40km, and the next 50km consisted of nice big singletrack loops, passing through the finish area in Forrest at 65km and 87km. Fantastic riding area. Had worked out by now that energy levels werent great - felt OK at cruising speed but tired very quickly when trying to raise the HR - so focused on optimising the bike handling skills. Did OK, but still lots of work to do.
Started to run out of gas after about 5 hours somewhere halfway thru' the big singfletrack maze in Yaugher. Katrin came past at about 80k chatting away happily, until I told her that one of her main 24hr rivals was a few minutes ahead and she took off.
Arrived back at the finish area for the final 13k loop (with a big hill) a bit after 6 hours and feeling very empty. Super tempting to stop, but in the spirit of hardening-the-f*ck up for the next AR race knocked back a couple of brunch bars and plodded off, trying to remember if there was ever a time in XPD that i felt this flat. Bike handling was sh*t thru the final singletrack. Finished mid afternoon and headed straight to the hot dog stand.
Nice town festival at the finish. One of the stalls had hooked up a bike to an ice-cream mixing machine. Oh yeah, and the hot showers felt like a swedish orienteering event. Noice.
Katrin was reasonably happy with her 6th in a strong girls field, but wants to work on riding the first half of these things harder. Reckons she was too conservative.
Friday Feb 22, 2008 #
Cycling 20:00 [2]
Quick check that I put the bike together correctly.
Thursday Feb 21, 2008 #
Cycling 1:10:00 [3]
Rode Katrin's bike home from the shop. Bike felt like it needed a bit of a post-service ride, so added an extra loop thru' Castlecove.
Starting to feel sharpish again. Climb up from Roseville bridge felt fast.
Was going to go to the gym at lunch, but Big Dave turned up unexpectedly in town and a long lunch instead was the result. Laksa at Chifley was pretty average.
Starting to feel sharpish again. Climb up from Roseville bridge felt fast.
Was going to go to the gym at lunch, but Big Dave turned up unexpectedly in town and a long lunch instead was the result. Laksa at Chifley was pretty average.
Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 #
Kayak 50:00 [3]
shoes: Viper K1
Back on the water for the first time in a while. 19 degrees, glassy water, bit of mist, no one about and a nice high tide. Glorious.
Even paddle, focusing on technique and maintaining a constant rythm.
Feeling oh so relaxed afterwards.
Even paddle, focusing on technique and maintaining a constant rythm.
Feeling oh so relaxed afterwards.
Running 50:00 [3]
Lunch run out to Ruschcutters Bay. Pretty hot day.
Decent tempo due to the need to get back for a meeting.
Decent tempo due to the need to get back for a meeting.
Tuesday Feb 19, 2008 #
Cycling 50:00 [3]
Rode in the Yeti for some post-AROC care. MTB tyres on bitumen suck.
Cycling 1:00:00 [3]
Rode the Yeti home. Failed to refuse the offer of a beer in the shop on the way out. Feelin' loose on the way home.
Gym 30:00 [3]
Wake up the upper body again session.
Monday Feb 18, 2008 #
Cycling 50:00 [3]
Nice to be up to riding in again. Brakes so squeaky after mounting a tyre with detergent help that its embarrasing.
Cycling 55:00 [3]
Rode home. Legs a bit stiff after morning ride. Need to loosen up again after week off. Stretching and TV tonight once kids in bed.