"Who's da Mastah?"

 

Fun few days here recently.  Saturday had a descent ride with some folks on the team, a good mix of easy and hard efforts to get the legs opened up for the Jack Frost Time Trial. 

Note to those who decide to jump on the back of bridging efforts during training rides.  You don't get smart rider points for wheel sucking up to the break and then refusing to pull through in the pace line.  Training rides are where you do work.

Sunday we woke up to mostly dry roads and partially sunny skies.  So much for the 70% chance of rain that was forecasted.  Traci and I had packed the car the night before, so we were basically ready to go 30 minutes before we planned on leaving, and decided to just head out to Vancouver Lake.  I'm glad we did!  A pair of missed turns delayed us just a bit, but the parking facilities near the start line were limited at best.  We lucked out and found a tiny parking spot that the Mini was able to wedge into which was close to where the team had setup.

I'm not a big TT rider to start with, and I'm still working hard to bring my threshold wattage up to where it was last season and beyond.  As such, I went into the race having a few specific goals I wanted to achieve. 

1. Pre-hydrated and warm-up effectively, including not wasting too much time between getting off the trainer to when my start was. 
2. Maintain a stable blood sugar during warm up, race, and cool down.
3. Hold off the my teammates starting 1:30m, 2:00m, and 2:30m as long as possible.
4. Ride consistently at or above my current FTP, being careful to not spike the wattage at the start or at the turn around.
5. Cool down and refuel effectively.

Was happy that I was able to nail 4.5 out of 5 for the event!  I started hydrating the night before and when I woke up.  My warm-up was good and not rushed, and I got to the starting area 15 seconds before they called my name to get in line.  Two minutes later I was rolling down the road for my first race of the season, a scant 61 days after my knee surgery.  Score +1

My fuel intake / insulin mix was enough to keep my blood sugars stable during the time trial, which is difficult since they tend to drop during long aerobic efforts.  I was very pleased with this.  I also didn't spike after the race was over, again probably due to this being an aerobic event rather than finishing with a major anaerobic effort.  Again, score +1

My teammates all caught me, with Johnny "The Rocket" Banks, who happened to be 2:30m behind me catching me about 30s after the turn around.  I didn't expect to hold him off at all and was surprised that he caught me as fast as he did.  He be strong.  Rob started 1:30m behind me and caught me just outside of 1k to finish and George caught me with maybe 300m to go.  Both finished about 10 seconds ahead of me.  Score +.25

Wattage for the race was right at my FTP for my 5m, 10m, 20m, and 30m average, and my HR was right at my threshold.  I basically rode exactly where I needed to be and had been training at.  I would have liked to have shown an increase in my FTP between the last time I tested and this TT, but I didn't ride below FTP, nor did I ride too hard and die in the last mile.  Score +.75

Cool down was good.  I coasted for a while with Rob and immediately noticed that my hamstrings were starting to get very sore.  Once I got spinning again the pain flushed out and I felt okay.  Rob and I rode a few miles down the quiet road and back, then I went back to the team tent to change into warm clothes and get a small snack.    Score +1

Legs didn't hurt at all that night, which was great because they really hurt now.  Monday night was cross training, and I've started to integrate legwork into my routine since my knee has healed up and the stability muscles are strong again.  A 45 minute core / leg workout with the kettle bell and a good foam roller session and I was tired.

Yesterday, I had my last PT session with Dave over at P.A.C.E and did more strength work.  At the end, I was barely able to do the exercises since my legs were beat.  I whined a bunch during the day to my other cycling buddies about the trainer workout I still had to do.  Lindsay was kind enough to tell me to quit crying.  She rules. :)

So I worked through the 2x20's at threshold and 3x4 VO2's with the help of Berry Gordy's "The Last Dragon", which is a great 80's flick.  It's packed full of great lines like "Kiss My Converse!" and "Don't bug me, fix your face." along with music by Vanity and DeBarge! As a reward for my work, with a minute and thirty to go in my very last VO2 interval the FedEx truck rolled up to my house to deliver a long awaited box.

Can't wait to get her out on the road.  Sho'nuff!