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June 29, 2006
Crit #2 and 16x150
I rode in my 2nd crit last night and I gotta say, I'm starting to get hooked.
Usually they only race once a week but since they won't race next Tuesday (because of July 4th) we raced again last night. It was kind of a special night. There was a big picnic/cookout and ALL the races (the women's plus all 3 of the men's were held on the same night). Anyway, because there were so many races our race was only 15 laps (7.5 miles) instead of the usual 30 (15 miles).
My teammate K was also racing last night so we developed a strategy of sorts. As I've quickly learned, cycling races are all about teammwork and so riding alone can drastically change how you go about things. Coach J told us before the race that K and I should just try to take it out after 2 laps and get away from the pack - see if we could drop them and if we could run away with it and because there was 2 of us, we could take turns leading and not have to do ALL of the work up front. Unless you are a FAR superior rider than the rest of the field, I'm pretty sure you couldn't get away with doing that on your own. It's just too hard to ride away at the front while the rest of the pack is in back of you working together to catch you.
Anyway, things didn't turn out as planned because right away there was a rider who took off and gapped the field. K and I lead the chase to catch her and after about 6 laps we did so. This is when the craziness started. We just rode HARD last night, way harder than on Tuesday. I don't know if it was because K and I were trying to push it or if it was because it was a shorter race and everyone was trying to push it, but these kinds of races are just what K and I want and need because:
(1) they will likely produce a greater training benefit
(2) riding hard and taking the sprint out of people is probably the only chance K and I have at winning one of these races
And let me tell you - I really want to win one now. My competiveness has taken over.
In the end K and I did get outsprinted. It was no surprise. But this time we actually sprinted too and I came in 5th (out of 15). The official results aren't up yet but I can't wait to see our times. We were definitely moving and I was definitely tired when we finished. I'm starting to realize that riding hard can almost feel like running hard...almost. :)
Anyway, I'm really loving the whole atmosphere of the crits. All the different teams are fieriously competitive and even some of the women (who are usually a little tamer than men) were trash talking during the race! K and I are the only women who ride for Trizilla but it's really fun to have a teammate (plus all our guy teammates) again and to scheme as to how we might possibly beat the other teams. In the end I think trying to break things open in the middle of the race and take the sprint out of people is our key, but we have to become a lot stronger cyclists to do that. Motivation for my rides - that's for sure!
After our race Coach J told us to stay around and watch the men's races so we could learn what we are really supposed to be doing. :) The men are so aggressive! And their fields are much larger. And unfortunately there was a big crash in one of the men's races that involved another Trizilla rider. It was bad and I'm glad I didn't actually see it since it happened at the far end of the oval. Several riders went down but the one to take the worst hit ended up okay - just with some massive road rash and a banged up bike. Yuck.
Anyway, this morning when my alarm went off I wasn't too happy. All the biking and racing this week has been keeping me up pretty late and I've been lacking on sleep. But I managed to get myself up and get my suit on and head to the Pitt pool for practice. The pool was set up long course this morning which isn't usually the case on Thursdays but is actually to my liking so I didn't complain.
We did 16x150 meters and thankfully one of the faster girls from one lane above mine swam with us so she led and I could just follow along. Leading the workout for my group is so much harder! The 150s were 100 hard and then the next 50 an easy "active rest".
We started with a 3 minute interval which was too easy, then did one on 2:30 which was too hard and then settled on 2:45 for the next 6. For the next 4 we did them on 2:40 and the last 4 we did on 2:35. It was a good workout. With warmup and cooldown I swam 3200 meters.
I learned today at the pool that there is an open water swim race in our area this Saturday - a one mile race and a 2 mile race. It sounded really interesting and is something I should probably do, but I also want to go to Trizilla's team ride on Saturday morning. Choices, choices! The triathlete has so many choices! :)
And on that front - I feel like my running is taking a major hit this week. Thus far I've ran 20 minutes this week at about 8:30 pace. Hmmm.... That just will not do! I've heard more than one person say that triathletes can really only be good at 2 sports and should just "get through" the 3rd one on race day. How sad would that be if running was my "get through" sport! :) Oh well - tomorrow I have a tempo run on tap to redeem myself. Next week I might have to try and run more than 8 miles for the week... :)
Hope everyone has a great night!
Posted by beth at June 29, 2006 7:37 PM
Comments
Wow! I'm impressed at how dedicated you've become at making yourself a better triathlete--Pitt practices, open water swims, crit races. You go girl!
Posted by: Caitlin at June 29, 2006 8:52 PM
it is really hard trying to balance three disiplines... especially when swimming is so diffrent from the other two...i try to practice out the saying "work on your weakness but don't forget your strengths"
Posted by: Kranky C Dale at June 30, 2006 9:21 AM