I did 500 meter intervals at the track Sunday morning.
My original plan was to race Ballard on Sunday but when Kenny was adjusting my bike he found that the steer tube was cracked on the inside. So my road bike is in the shop to get a new fork.
So Sunday morning I did sprints where you drop down from the rail and do 500 meters hard. You rest until for 3/4 of a lap and then do it again. It felt great to sprint in my new position but I was careful not to overdo it.
It's funny when you train at the track people always stop by and spectate. Sometimes they take pictures too. At one point I saw someone had a stopwatch out. It made me laugh. I wanted to know my time but didn't want to ask.
I did a couple of more laps hard and then warmed down while the Broakmark team was just starting their workout.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Bike Fit with Kenny!
I finally got a bike fit with Kenny Williams. I should have done it long ago! He adjusted my bike position on my road and track bikes so I will get more power out of my legs and hips. He also put some wedges in my cleats to get even power delivery from my feet to my pedals. He uses the Bike Fit wedges by Paul Swift. Mark also got a fit. You can see the wedges in the picture below. I needed three purple ones and Mark needed two yellow ones.
I can't wait to race on them. I could see Mark's pedal stroke get smoother as Kenny made the adjustments. I had a weird bobble in my right knee that we was able to get rid of also. I think I will have less pain in that knee now.
Last Friday Marymoor
Last Friday was really windy. Mark decided to let me use his Cane Creek wheels but when I put them both on I couldn't control the front one in the wind so I used just the back one. The wheels are deep dished to be more aerodynamic but are also harder to control in a side wind. The back one made me feel faster and I was eager to take it up to speed.
On the Tempo race I was anticipating a split after the 2nd sprint and went really hard but then the split happened after the third sprint just when my legs were dead. So I missed the split again.
The next race was the miss-and-out. I tried my "stay at the front strategy" but got swamped on the third lap and didn't get out of trouble fast enough. As we came around the last corner I was behind Amara who is the strongest sprinter right now. I didn't make it past her.
On the last race I really wanted to be in any break that happened to make up for the tempo race. I anticipated the first strong attack and got away with Jaydeen on a prime sprint. But then she pulled up track and I should have just kept going because she would have followed, but we were caught by the group.
Nothing much happened and we were on the second to last lap when I heard Jennie (Tela's coach) yell "rest!". This was the first that Tela has raced with us and I knew that she was super strong so I attacked hard, not wanting her to get any rest. I got a good gap and held it for about a lap but on the last 200 meters Tela caught me with the group in tow. I ended up getting last last but it was fun! I found out later that Jennie also coaches one of the other women in the group and was telling her to rest, not Tela.
I really want to work on my power and one of these days my attack is going to stick.
On the Tempo race I was anticipating a split after the 2nd sprint and went really hard but then the split happened after the third sprint just when my legs were dead. So I missed the split again.
The next race was the miss-and-out. I tried my "stay at the front strategy" but got swamped on the third lap and didn't get out of trouble fast enough. As we came around the last corner I was behind Amara who is the strongest sprinter right now. I didn't make it past her.
On the last race I really wanted to be in any break that happened to make up for the tempo race. I anticipated the first strong attack and got away with Jaydeen on a prime sprint. But then she pulled up track and I should have just kept going because she would have followed, but we were caught by the group.
Nothing much happened and we were on the second to last lap when I heard Jennie (Tela's coach) yell "rest!". This was the first that Tela has raced with us and I knew that she was super strong so I attacked hard, not wanting her to get any rest. I got a good gap and held it for about a lap but on the last 200 meters Tela caught me with the group in tow. I ended up getting last last but it was fun! I found out later that Jennie also coaches one of the other women in the group and was telling her to rest, not Tela.
I really want to work on my power and one of these days my attack is going to stick.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
8 minute intervals
I did 8 minute intervals on Tuesday. I did them last Tuesday too. I do 220-230 watts with a 15 second surge every two minutes. Last week I went higher power but really died at the end. This week I did 220 watts and felt better as the workout progressed. The surges are 280-300 watts. I felt like my pedal stroke was getting better and I concentrated on the recovery part of the pedal stroke.
Enumclaw Omnium
After racing at the track Friday night I got up at 4:45 am to drive down to Enumclaw to work the stage race that my club was putting on all weekend. I worked at registration, was a spotter for the time trial, posted results, helped pick winners in the kids race, went to the hospital in Auburn to check on a fallen rider, collected primes for the criterium from the crowd, and corner marshaled for 8 hours at the road race. The race was a success though and the weather was awesome! It was unfortunate though that someone blew up a porta-potty with a pipe bomb. They want $1000 to cover the damage. That will cut into our profits and the money we were donating to the Special Olympics.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Friday Night Racing - first miss and out
It was a fast women's field last Friday. Beth, Jen, Carol, and Karen were there to add speed to our field. I got psyched out on the point-a-lap race. After just losing a sprint to Beth I missed an important break and was not able to catch back up to the leaders. I need to watch for the break after the sprint!
The next race was the miss-and-out. I went straight to the front and rode tempo. That worked for a couple of laps and then Christine and Jen came around me. I squeezed through and rode next to them and then came around again on the next lap into the lead. That kept me safe for another lap. After that they came by but this time I got trapped in the back and had to back out and around to the side quickly. I was close but couldn't quite make it by the last person. I was happy to have lasted half way and to have followed my strategy of riding in the front.
The last race was a points race. Everybody was tired. I got a few points by being near the front and I closed a gap to a small break. But then after the third set of points Beth and Christine went off the front. At first I thought it was someone else and didn't chase. Too late I realized the mistake. They stayed off and I didn't get points on the last lap. It was a fun night though. I think I got 6th but it was out of a faster group than the previous weeks. It was a nice night for racing too with warmer than normal temperatures.
The next race was the miss-and-out. I went straight to the front and rode tempo. That worked for a couple of laps and then Christine and Jen came around me. I squeezed through and rode next to them and then came around again on the next lap into the lead. That kept me safe for another lap. After that they came by but this time I got trapped in the back and had to back out and around to the side quickly. I was close but couldn't quite make it by the last person. I was happy to have lasted half way and to have followed my strategy of riding in the front.
The last race was a points race. Everybody was tired. I got a few points by being near the front and I closed a gap to a small break. But then after the third set of points Beth and Christine went off the front. At first I thought it was someone else and didn't chase. Too late I realized the mistake. They stayed off and I didn't get points on the last lap. It was a fun night though. I think I got 6th but it was out of a faster group than the previous weeks. It was a nice night for racing too with warmer than normal temperatures.
Marymoor Crawl
So this is the Marymoor Crawl - three minutes on the track without crossing the start line followed by 1 lap all out sprint. Mark got 3rd! He was blown away by how fast Grant came by. The funny part is when the Counterbalance rider takes an extra hand off his bike just for fun (on the left side during the 3-min balancing part). It's even better in person!
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