This year, going for the series, I don't have that option. Today's 45 degree, raining, and 15 mph winds conditions at the start were just something I had to cope with.
This was also my first week on the in-season training plan. It was so strange doing intervals right up until Wednesday and feeling terrible during yesterday's warmup... I was a little worried that I would feel that way again today.
The course was 7 miles, almost entirely flat, with just a very short roller hill that was less than 30 seconds long. The only real technical action anywhere was the turnaround.
It started raining almost as soon as we got there. Luckily I brought the tent to warm up under, letting me at least stay dry for a little while.
It was great running into a few QCW teammates and all the gang from last year. Rich moved up to the 45+ category but Nick and Anthony are back for another round. If I'd had to guess, I expected it would be the three of us fighting out the series.
Being the first race of the year, I was a little out of practice at held starts. I was a little shaky while I was being held but got it together with about 10 seconds to go.
Almost as soon as I started, it started to rain harder... great.
About a mile in, I was so glad that I had a thermal jersey, tights, and waterproof shoe covers on. Still, I could feel the cold water coming off my front wheel and hitting my shins. Within another mile, the water was running over the tops of my shoe covers and I could feel the water squishing in my shoes each pedal stroke. The head wind was not helping any.
I was a little worried about my pacing. As I've mentioned in the last few weeks, my power output has not been great. I was optimistically thinking I would average 280 watts. I hit the turnaround at 284, which had me wondering if I'd gone out too hard.
I took my time with the turnaround. I slowed down way too early to get a look at the turn and really should have kept the pressure up longer. I slowed down a lot, took the actual turn really slow, and then pushed gradually back up to speed. I probably lost several seconds, but I would rather lose a few seconds and stay upright than take the risk and crash. Not to mention, I hadn't done a turnaround at race speed since last August... come to mention it, I haven't ridden my TT bike outside since then either!
The way back was a LOT faster with the tailwind. I still felt good and pushed the power a little higher. I caught two people on the way back, which is always a confidence booster.
I hit the finish line, looked down at my computer, and was really happy. I'd averaged 287 watts, well over my goal. I was a little slower than last year, when I could do 293 watts for a race of this length, but it was much better than I thought I would do.
I was also happy with the time. I was hoping for around 17:00 (25 mph). I finished in 16:32 (25.5 mph).
When the results were posted, that was enough to get me 4th place. The top two guys were triathletes who probably would not be in most of the series race. Anthony got 3rd (at 16:20) and he is definitely competition for the series. He is going for the series the same as I am, so I will have to work to get ahead of him in the coming races. Nick was not far behind in 7th. Knowing those two are fitter than ever will be good motivation for the coming weeks!
Looking at the photos, I noticed two things that I need to work on:
- My head was up way too high, I was trying to hard to see ahead in the rain and it wrecked my aero position
- Anthony wanted it a lot more than I did. His look at the finish line said "I AM HERE TO WIN!!" The look on my face said "This sucks. Am I done yet?"
What I did right:
Warmed up in the tent
Corrections in my training the last few weeks
Maintained my optimism despite the rain and cold
What could have been better:
My turnaround
My position on the bike
My focus on giving it everything I've got
The Numbers:
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 16:32
Speed: 25.5 mph
Avg Power:287 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 167 bpm
