The last month has not been great for me. I caught a really bad flu that kept me out of work for a week and off the bike another week after that. I eased back into training, but it was another week before I could ride at full intensity again. In the process, my weight went up 4 pounds and my threshold power dropped about 10 watts.
When I showed up at the PA Masters State Time Trial yesterday, I had no dreams of glory. I just wanted to survive.
Looking over my training data for the last few months, my best 30 minute power was 260 watts. I expected this time trial to last about 32 minutes, so I figured 255 to 260 watts average was the absolute best I could hope for.
The heat made that goal even harder. It's been in the 90's for about a month now and I've done everything I could to stay out of that kind of heat. Mostly I've been riding the trainer instead of riding outside. I've never dealt with high heat and humidity very well and this year I'm completely not adapted to it since I've been avoiding it; so when the temperature at the start line was 82, I new that I was not in for a good day.
I got in a good start and quickly found a pace that felt about right. The course is almost constantly climbing or descending, with very little flat road, so it's critical that you pace yourself. Don't attack too hard on the climbs and don't relax on the downhills. It's really not a course that suits me well, but it is a really pretty course and the race is really well run.
About a mile in, I could feel the sweat just pouring out of my helmet any time I shifted my weight just a little. Not good. Not to mention, I'd be in the direct sun for about the first 7 miles of the 12.6 mile course. I'd be on the shady side of the road on the way back.
I hit the turnaround at 257 watts (normalized), so I was really happy. I felt awful, with my heart rate holding at 165 bpm and sweat just pouring down my face, arms, and chest.
I also made a rookie mistake in the turnaround: I was in WAY too big of a gear. As soon as I was out of the turn I stood up to try to accelerate and I was met with a ton of resistance. I'm sure that cost me 10 seconds right there.
The way back is much more downhill than the way out, but it has a couple solid climbs. As much as I could, I kept pushing on the descents (hitting 39 mph on a couple occasions) but on the climbs I just didn't have the power that I did on the way out. I was really struggling. I couldn't breathe very well and my legs just felt week. It wasn't the classic "I'm working too hard" feeling of pushing really hard. It was the "I'm overheating and my body isn't keeping up" feeling. My heart rate was climbing to 170 bpm.
I hit the finish line at a time of 33:30. It was over a minute faster than last year, so that was good. I was disappointed though since my fitness is better than last year in almost every measurable way. I'm 3 pounds lighter, my threshold is 10 watts higher than last year, and my time trial position is more efficient than last year. I think it all came down to the heat.
Some numbers:
Morning weight: 182.8 pounds (yes, I still have dreams of being 174 by the wedding)
Total
Distance: 12.6 miles
Time: 33:31
Avg Speed: 22.3 mph
Norm Power: 250 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 166 BPM
Total calories burned: 480
On the way out:
Distance: 6.8 miles
Time: 18:55
Avg Speed: 21. 7 mph
Norm Power: 257 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 165 BPM
On the way back:
Distance: 5.8 miles
Time: 14:35
Avg Speed: 23.2 mph
Norm Power: 240 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 170 BPM
