I enjoyed this ride. Very low impact. It was good to get on the bike after the start of this week. I haven't been out for a couple of days and really needed a ride. I kept it slow so I wouldn't overdo it after the days off.
09 February 2010
03 February 2010
Wednesday Night Live
This was a good training ride. It was short, because I had to get home to get ready for dinner at church. I didn't want to not ride tonight and this was the only window of time I really had where there would still be some daylight outside. It was a fun ride. I had some good leg burn and a couple of okay sprints. I love riding my bike!
02 February 2010
Easy On The Cranks
I had a good little training ride. I didn't push myself much at all. I may have done a few medium efforts but they were half-hearted at best. It just was not the day for that. I was home from work sick today but still felt I needed to get at least a little time in the saddle. I feel much different on the bike since finishing in the middle of that race Sunday. I don't know what that did to me, but I like it.
31 January 2010
Threading the Needle
Today was great. We started off with the mentoring clinic which was called "Threading the Needle". This consisted of us lining up in a double paceline, and then one person peeling off the back and swiftly pushing themselves to the front and then peeling to the front of the line. We did it that way for a few laps, then with two abreast threading the needle simultaneously. It was interesting to say the least. The idea was to teach us how to sneak through those small holes inside the group when we want to get up front but can't get around on the sides. This feels very uncomfortable at first, but we did it a few times and though still feeling weird, there was a certain level of confidence in doing so if you have to.
After a small break, it was time to race. I prayed a lot on the way there and during the pre-race break. I prayed that I would remember my last few weeks on this course, and to stay aware of the simple mistakes I have been making to put me at the back of the group. So we raced and I was not Mr. Nice Guy any more. When I was on a wheel, I fought for it and kept it until I chose to let someone else take it by passing the guy whose wheel I was on. It one point I found myself on the back end of a group that was deciding to break away, so I decided to just rev it up and stick with them. We did not break away for long, maybe 2 minutes, but I was in my first break. That's kind of cool. So for the rest of the race I just continued to jockey for whatever position I decided I wanted to be in, and it worked out fine. I stayed with the group for the entire race.
After we have done 6 laps, a race official holds up a number letting you know you have 5 laps left and that continues for the remaining laps. Every time I passed a new number I was more confident that I could finally do this right. I would pedal, and turn and we would surge and I would stick with it and then I would see the numbers 4...3...2...and by the last lap I was so happy and thankful. I heard the bell ringing and saw that big black number 1 on the flip chart and certain I finally did it. I finished 27th in a group that started as 58. Thanks for your prayers everyone! I love racing my bike!
After a small break, it was time to race. I prayed a lot on the way there and during the pre-race break. I prayed that I would remember my last few weeks on this course, and to stay aware of the simple mistakes I have been making to put me at the back of the group. So we raced and I was not Mr. Nice Guy any more. When I was on a wheel, I fought for it and kept it until I chose to let someone else take it by passing the guy whose wheel I was on. It one point I found myself on the back end of a group that was deciding to break away, so I decided to just rev it up and stick with them. We did not break away for long, maybe 2 minutes, but I was in my first break. That's kind of cool. So for the rest of the race I just continued to jockey for whatever position I decided I wanted to be in, and it worked out fine. I stayed with the group for the entire race.
After we have done 6 laps, a race official holds up a number letting you know you have 5 laps left and that continues for the remaining laps. Every time I passed a new number I was more confident that I could finally do this right. I would pedal, and turn and we would surge and I would stick with it and then I would see the numbers 4...3...2...and by the last lap I was so happy and thankful. I heard the bell ringing and saw that big black number 1 on the flip chart and certain I finally did it. I finished 27th in a group that started as 58. Thanks for your prayers everyone! I love racing my bike!
30 January 2010
Pushing Through
Today was a very good training ride. I did my best to keep the cadence up. I remembered to push through the pain when it came, instead of my former (I only realized yesterday) habit of stopping the pain when I felt it. No wonder I was losing speed/power/cadence. My focus during this ride when pain came was to tell myself Okay now focus on what you are doing, keep the cadence up. Stand up, shift, something for just a second and then get back to it. It's just pain. That seemed to work better for me. I know I didn't give it everything, but I have a race tomorrow. It was still high intensity and close to what I will need in the criterium. I did some seat and handlebar adjustment last night which made a big difference for me, too. Pray I hang in there tomorrow and do well in the race.
Oh, I almost forgot, my average cadence for this ride was 86rpm! Maybe for you that is nothing. But, for me it is a milestone!
Oh, I almost forgot, my average cadence for this ride was 86rpm! Maybe for you that is nothing. But, for me it is a milestone!
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