Training Log Archive: Dangerman

Event: NavDash 1 - University of Western Australia
 

Yeeha!
I achieved my cycling goal for the year already :-)
Goal was to finish in the top 50% of a proper race and I got 32nd out of 101 in my class in the Karri Cup. And only 20min behind the likes of Wally and single speeder Greig.
My first stage cost me about 10min on most people around me. Need to sort out that warm up or going out too hard issue. Stage 4 cost too, but that is just more endurance training and maybe eating a bit more during the race.
Yay!

Also, went go karting last night. Wore the HRM just to see what went on with my heart. Have a look at this:
z1 60-65% 7:16
z2 66-75% 12:52
z3 76-80% 10:58
z4 81-90% 15:54 !!
Avg 120 Max 167 (89%)
Oh yeah, I won too despite not having that fastest cart in a straight line!

C • Congrats 7

Somehow ended up riding with the advanced subi group (which I was warned of) while intending to ride with the novice group to learn the ropes. The ride was manageable at first. Needed to get out of the seat a few times up hills and on occasions when I lost the draft to the guy in front of me.

We got to port beach road in what seemed like no time and then they went. My hang on effort was valiant alas it was insufficient. I caught them by doing the shortcut through the industrial estate and hung on until the first hill after Stirling bridge.

Then on my own into another howling easterly I set my own pace up preston point road and back to canning highway then kwinana freeway cycle path. Saw them there and thought that they must have gone the long way staying close to the river. Busted a gut to catch them, although it didn't strike me as odd at that time that I could catch them. Got to the group and realised it wasn't them.

Decided it didn't really matter, had a chat, went for some coffee and rode back to subi.

Where do I start?!
Rather than a blow by blow account (see splits for that), the lesson learnt today was keep your eyes open and trust yourself. My nav was pretty good for all but 2 errors (1 major and 1 minor) but so many times I was in the right place and couldn't see the control.

I find it really hard to read the map while running. It's not that I can't concentrate, it is that I can't actually see the map! It moves around too quickly for my eyes to get a lock on it. Therefore I often don't read or miss read the control descriptions.....

UNTIL NOW! for the last two controls I held the map on my right hand and it all became really clear. I could read the map! Yay!

On the run side, my legs fell better than they did after my 10min jog the other day. Any ideas anyone? I did read on the interweb that when coming back from injury, there is some evidence that jogging is actually riskier than running?!? Weird.

C • Is for me 4

Do not use - Splits

More rest and cleaning [sigh]
As an aside, I noticed I got a flat on the way home from the hospital. How lucky, 115k of dirt, twigs, rocks etc and no punctures. First ride on Perth bike paths and presto! Puncture.
It was a double G too. Lucky there weren't any of those out on the trails over the weekend.

C • Yeah 1

Left leg had weird pains (level 2) in it from the beginning. Outside of left shin and inside of quad hurt after 5 minutes.

Plod to and from sleep study. Luckily I had my usual nights sleep (woke up several times, tossed and turned all night) so the test results will be indicative of my sleep in general. Felt a bit like the Predator with all these wires attached to me. Pity they were just sensors and didn't have any special powers :-(

Must note that brake levers were very sticky and this must have contributed to my arm fatigue during the race. Probably lost all their lubricant when the bikes were hosed down mid race.

Rest week this week.
Plan is to do no more than 6 hours of light intensity pootling of any sort.
I'll treat this recovery with more respect that I treated my mini taper for the Karri Cup ;-)

Drive back from Karri Cup with tRicky and Boltboi. We talked lots about the race and other stuff, then we got bored and decided to have a competition. It involved inventing the best story and putting up on AP.

C • Well... 4

8:00am start time for me. I wanted to have people to chase and a longer lunch break to allow me to eat more.
The start was fun with everyone bunched up and fighting for position. I initially thought that it was taking me ages to warm up but upon reviewing the HRM figures, it seems I went out a bit too hard. Spending nearly half an hour above 90% would prove costly in stage 4.
The stage was ok, the single track trails towards the end were fun and I was mostly passing people which was good for my confidence. Mark Stafford got past however and I didn't manage to reel him in before the end but he didn't extend the gap much either.
At TA1 I found my bag, ate, got some water and had a chat to a few people before heading off. Didn't want to spend too long there as I didn't want to cool off.
Nutrition: 2 shotz, 1 bar, water.
Times and distances approx.

C • Start 2

Absolutely loved this stage and felt great throughout. Was in a great rythm and was able to use my skills to my advantage.

About 10min after the start, the thunder and rain started. The surface changed to either a running stream or mud. Didn't realise how slippery it was and had a few wiggles on the bike (which made climbing harder) but once I got some confidence in the tyres I managed to overtake a bit. Saw a rider down just before the first creek crossing. That would have hurt. Didn't have my speedo on my but would have been going 40-45kph at the place he stacked it.

The single track was great fun especially as I had the energy for it at that stage. I guy wearing Giant branded nix was 1 in front of me and he was shit. Fell off 3 times and wouldn't let the guy infront of me past. I couldn't really say much but was about to when he crashed again and took advantage of the gap and shot past.

The scenery was great, the rain reminded me of being a kid again, playing around in the mud and loving it. I didn't love eating the mud however. Must remember that when i talk to myself I should keep my mouth shut.
The wall hit at the creek crossing just before the finish luckily. As soon as I had gone through the gate I was waiting in line for my ridder's lunch. Downed the whole lot quickly and drunk heaps of water too.
Nutrition: 3 shotz, 1 bar, riders' lunch (sandwhich, cake, OJ 2x600ml, gatorade, apple), water.

C • Weird 4

With the excitement of a mass start, I couldn't help but get in the best location I could. Having previewed the course, I realised the best line was on the left. Off we went and I was boxed in! Did my best to get over and managed it, got a few extra places and ended up infront of the big boys and girls. The single track started and things got slow. I could hear a girl talking behind me and realised it was Mrs Bennet!

Now I was in for a thrashing. We are on single track and I have possible top 10 riders behind me. In an effor to not hold them up and did my best to go fast where there was no space and let them past where there was space. Mrs Bennett passed me at the 12 minute mark and luckily the trail opened up then. I was spent!!

I tried for the next 20 minutes to get my HR down by taking it easy. Eventually it capitulated and I resumed my usual pace (85%). The stage wasn't that great for me as I was starting to get tired. I was still able to go but realised the wall wasn't far away. Upon thinking that I grabbed a shot and some water and made a mental note to keep up with the food. My pace went up and down from then on. I would have a surge for ages at above 80% then a quick break (75-80%) and then back up again (Liver glycogen?)

Andre passed me uphill at one stage only to stop at a puddle (ok, it looked big). I kept riding through it and didn't see him until the end. Well, until just before the end of the stage on the long uphill road before the finishing gate. He kindly announced his presence and I responded appropriately by getting up on the pedals and putting in a last sprint to the end. He didn't follow :-)

TA3 quick chat, loo, water, bar, back out again.
Bike was performing flawlessly. Brakes were hard to press but that was because i had tired arms, they were v-brakes and it was wet. Tyres were fine, gears good.

It wasn't long before I hit the wall in this stage but I was surprised at the pace I could keep up intially. My stomach didn't feel great at one stage. Soon after I got a thought through my head that I was off my food. As soon as I thought that I downed another shot and made a mental note to have one 20min later too. I knew that when you get those weird messages things aren't going well in the energy department.

Riding along a heard some loud brakes behind me. I asked the guy when he wanted to pass and he said "nope, got no rear brakes and the front ones are almost shot". "cool" i thought to myself, not realising as MTBJen pointed out later, that you wouldn't want to have something like that behind you.

Speaking of behinds, i got mine pinched on stage 4. Initially I thought I might be a girl I was talking to earlier in the race and I smiled at that thought. My smile morphed into deep dissappointment when Wally80 passed me. Without the energy reserves to catch up to him and return the favour with a big sloppy kiss, I kept on grinding the pedals in the small front chain ring plotting my revenge.

Things were getting pretty low at this stage. Hills were almost exclusively the domain of the granny gear however I was NOT getting off my bike. After crossing a birdge that I recognised from stage 1 my spirits lifted.....until I saw the hilly paddock and the round tu-it trail ahead of me. Single track in this state? I don't think so.

The trail was an excercise in concentration, conservation and risk management. I had to really try to keep the brain turned on through the technical single track. I had to do my best to conserve the prescious little energy I had. Riding up a long hill with a log corssing ahead, I would slow down and save some energy for the burst needed to get over the log. Risk management as I tackled the downhill sections, with a tired body and tired brake lever hands (and a sore bum too-I had discovered the wonders of chaffing for the first time in my riding career).

The track kept on going forever. Occassionaly I would see riders through the bush that had overtaken me previously going uphill. That meant that the downhill that I was doing now was taking me away from the end! (that is, at least one more uphill slog to go).

Out of the round tu-it, past a marshall that said it was 115km's in total, small burst of anger, past the big tree near the cricket pitch and into the finish with a small sprint. Sigh. Big Sigh. Rode my bike to the oval and just fell off it onto the ground to rest.