Wednesday night was rained out! I did a few quick intervals instead before our team meeting. I did two 5 minute intervals but was surprised at how low the power was. It was a struggle to hold 230 watts. Maybe I should be working the intervals on the weekends.
Last Sunday I went to the sprinting grounds and did 30 sprints. You can really learn a lot doing a sprint 30 times. You can really think about what your body is doing and how balanced or unbalanced you are. Every part of me was tired after that workout. It reminded me of doing "puke in the gutter" sets when I was swimming at the UW.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Hot racing at Marymoor Velodrome
It was hot last night - at least for a Seattlelite.
I felt a bit weak as I was fighting off a small cold that I had during vacation, so I didn't feel 100%. The first race was a point-a-lap. I tried for some of the points but ended up missing it and then just hung on until the end. I had one teammate in the race but she had also been on vacation all week and was feeling tired as well. After the race I was coughing a whole bunch. I was worried that I might not be able to finish the night. I spit in the grass to clear out the crud.
The next race was the miss-and-out. I stayed out of trouble for the first three laps but I really needed to rest on a wheel. On the 4th lap I was beat and the wave came around on the outside. I think riding in the front is a really good strategy but I think at some point you need a wheel to rest on for at least at lap. After the race I noticed my cough was pretty much gone! Hooray!
On the final race I tried to be in front for the points laps but I didn't have the acceleration in my legs and I kept getting 5th (points go 4 deep). At one point I tried an experiment. The plan was to counter my own attack. To do this you get a gap on the field but it's not a real attack. After the field catches you - you counter. Well the attack went well and I soft pedaled and felt good and was ready to counter when the field came but I misjudged their speed and got swamped. I'm going to try it again sometime but I have to work on the timing. I think if you get it down the field will have trouble deciding if you are going for real or not.
We had about two laps to go and my teammate had some points so I decided to try and set her up for the finish. I attacked hard with about 1-1/2 laps and when the field caught me Karen was right on my wheel. I looked back and she said GO! I hammered around with all I had. I was worried that if I didn't go hard enough someone would come around and box her in. It was not a problem though. She rested and then sped around to take the final points! It was exhilarating to get it together as a team on the final lap.
I felt a bit weak as I was fighting off a small cold that I had during vacation, so I didn't feel 100%. The first race was a point-a-lap. I tried for some of the points but ended up missing it and then just hung on until the end. I had one teammate in the race but she had also been on vacation all week and was feeling tired as well. After the race I was coughing a whole bunch. I was worried that I might not be able to finish the night. I spit in the grass to clear out the crud.
The next race was the miss-and-out. I stayed out of trouble for the first three laps but I really needed to rest on a wheel. On the 4th lap I was beat and the wave came around on the outside. I think riding in the front is a really good strategy but I think at some point you need a wheel to rest on for at least at lap. After the race I noticed my cough was pretty much gone! Hooray!
On the final race I tried to be in front for the points laps but I didn't have the acceleration in my legs and I kept getting 5th (points go 4 deep). At one point I tried an experiment. The plan was to counter my own attack. To do this you get a gap on the field but it's not a real attack. After the field catches you - you counter. Well the attack went well and I soft pedaled and felt good and was ready to counter when the field came but I misjudged their speed and got swamped. I'm going to try it again sometime but I have to work on the timing. I think if you get it down the field will have trouble deciding if you are going for real or not.
We had about two laps to go and my teammate had some points so I decided to try and set her up for the finish. I attacked hard with about 1-1/2 laps and when the field caught me Karen was right on my wheel. I looked back and she said GO! I hammered around with all I had. I was worried that if I didn't go hard enough someone would come around and box her in. It was not a problem though. She rested and then sped around to take the final points! It was exhilarating to get it together as a team on the final lap.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Upper Latitude Training
Mark and I were on vacation last week in Anchorage. The hotel we were at had some bikes so we got a couple of rides in. We saw some moose too! I don't know if high latitude training has the same benefits as high altitude training but it's worth a try.
The last day we went riding the hotel had already rented out 30 bikes! So we got what was left. My seat had a shock absorber and was really cushy. The position was so upright that I didn't even have to stand going up hills. It made the handling a bit tricky though, the slightest move and the handle bars turn. I almost rode off of the trail a few times.
The last day we went riding the hotel had already rented out 30 bikes! So we got what was left. My seat had a shock absorber and was really cushy. The position was so upright that I didn't even have to stand going up hills. It made the handling a bit tricky though, the slightest move and the handle bars turn. I almost rode off of the trail a few times.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Attacking the field
Last night I raced in the men's category 4 field again but this time I raced more aggressively. It was a nice warm night and my legs felt great. I took the bus over from Seattle and rested my legs. Mark brought my track bike to his work and then took it with him to the velodrome.
My first race was a snowball. I thought it would be a fast race since the points increase each lap. But it seemed slow and a bit sketchy in the pack. I got swept up track at one point and lost my wheel and had to chase back on.
The next race was a win-and-out. Six laps around and then each lap someone "wins" and leaves the field. I figured we might have a slow pace for the first six laps as riders tried to jockey for position. So I attacked the field right from the start and was off the front for at least a lap before the field caught up with me. It was great fun and I really caught the guys off guard. The crowd was rooting me on too. I finished with the group but felt good about being able to get away from the group and forcing the pace.
The last race was a points race. I had two teammates in the race and I worked out a plan with one of them to do another surprise attack. Mark was watching from above the banking and on our neutral lap he yelled to me "attack the field!" He didn't think I was actually going to do it though! About two laps into the race my teammate went to the front to cover while I attacked hard up the side. I got a good gap and was away from the group for 3/4 of a lap when I heard Mark yelling "work together!" I didn't realize it but a rider from the Wines team had bridged up to me. This was awesome, we had blocking from two teams now. It was a vote of confidence that another rider was willing to take a chance with me. I pulled up track and we worked together for another lap until the field caught us. We were almost away long enough to take some points!
After the group caught me I got gapped off the back for awhile but one of my teammates pulled me back to the group and I finished with the pack. It was fun!
My first race was a snowball. I thought it would be a fast race since the points increase each lap. But it seemed slow and a bit sketchy in the pack. I got swept up track at one point and lost my wheel and had to chase back on.
The next race was a win-and-out. Six laps around and then each lap someone "wins" and leaves the field. I figured we might have a slow pace for the first six laps as riders tried to jockey for position. So I attacked the field right from the start and was off the front for at least a lap before the field caught up with me. It was great fun and I really caught the guys off guard. The crowd was rooting me on too. I finished with the group but felt good about being able to get away from the group and forcing the pace.
The last race was a points race. I had two teammates in the race and I worked out a plan with one of them to do another surprise attack. Mark was watching from above the banking and on our neutral lap he yelled to me "attack the field!" He didn't think I was actually going to do it though! About two laps into the race my teammate went to the front to cover while I attacked hard up the side. I got a good gap and was away from the group for 3/4 of a lap when I heard Mark yelling "work together!" I didn't realize it but a rider from the Wines team had bridged up to me. This was awesome, we had blocking from two teams now. It was a vote of confidence that another rider was willing to take a chance with me. I pulled up track and we worked together for another lap until the field caught us. We were almost away long enough to take some points!
After the group caught me I got gapped off the back for awhile but one of my teammates pulled me back to the group and I finished with the pack. It was fun!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Slang
Check it out - there is even an entry for Jerry Baker:
http://www.velodrome.org/cms/files/downloads/terms_slang.pdf
http://www.velodrome.org/cms/files/downloads/terms_slang.pdf
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sunday training at Marymoor
Mark and I did a workout at the Velodrome today - 2 hours. It may be the longest I've ridden on the track at one time. Mark did some pursuits and some 1-lap efforts. I practiced hanging on to his wheel. I think I am getting better at staying on the wheel. I can stay on Mark's wheel at least! I found that using my core muscles helped.
At the end I practiced coming around Mark in the sprint. One of the other riders, Hugh, was helping me with the timing of slingshotting around. It was fun but my legs were toast afterwards. I took an ice bath to cool them down.
At the end I practiced coming around Mark in the sprint. One of the other riders, Hugh, was helping me with the timing of slingshotting around. It was fun but my legs were toast afterwards. I took an ice bath to cool them down.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
My own cheering section at Marymoor
I had a real cheering section last night. My Mom and Dad, my brother, his wife and son, and my cousins from Iowa all came to watch us race. It was great to have everyone out. It's also fun to hear what others think when they see the racing in person. They all liked watching us race but the kiddie kilo was a show stealer! They couldn't believe how many kids were out there. I can't wait until my nephew is old enough for a tricycle so he can "race" too.I made the mistake of resting too much after the FSA race and my legs felt like they were missing the snap needed for the sprints. I had a good time racing though. The first race was a tempo and Devon and I got away for several laps. The Women's field was small though and everybody got points so my placing wasn't very high.
In the miss-in-out I managed to get through the first couple of rounds by riding on the front but I was out on the third round on a very close finish. I was pleased not to be out in the first round though after the last two miss-in-outs.
The last race was a 15 lap scratch race. I conserved energy for the finish but wasn't able to do much more at the end. It felt like my gear was huge even though it was the same one I've been using all year. I think I need to do some sprints during the week to keep the legs strong even if I am recovering.
Thanks everyone for coming out - and for taking pictures!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
