Oh, the Acute Fatigue!
A wee-bit of a dilemma this weekend from a training perspective, as I'm trying to get a handful of "fill" rides in prior to heading up to Bend, OR to visit family and partake in the Cascade Classic master's 35+ race.
The dilemma was how to fit the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix Criterium (MBGP) into my loosely strung together training schedule - two goals this weekend, IOW: race MBGP and fill the right!
Typically, I find it's best to train the high intensity/"raise the left" type stuff the first day in a two-day type of training block. With MBGP coming on a Sunday, this meant I could either half-ass a fill ride on Saturday in order to be fresh for the race on Sunday, or drill it ferreal on Sat and "run what I brung" on Sunday. If bike racing were a math problem, the equation might have suggested one path of action. Instead, I ran things by a trusted advisor, and decided to hit it ferreal on Saturday and run what I brung on Sunday.
Saturday's ride was HOT! Drilled it for ~2200KJ for 2:45:
near the end of the ride, when the legs were really startin' to bark, I saw one of the Toyota-United boyz out pedalin' (Caleb Manion?) with a Jelly Belly guy (sorry, I'm not too good anymore at recognizing pro bike racers as they pedal by!). I waved - they didn't wave back - d'oh!
Anyway, the ride above is a pretty typical fill style ride for me - constant pressure on the pedals, with crackage imminent in the last bit of the ride.
For kicks, here's a comparison of the last time I did this ride (fall '06 power file is the one on the bottom) - the only difference this time around equipment wise, was that I'm now training on a 36 hole rear wheel as compared to the 28 hole rear wheel I used to use (pulled out eyelets on that sucker after only 15,000 km's!).
Guess there's only one logical conclusion from this comparison, eh? Yep, you guessed it, 36 hole wheels are faster! :-) D'oh!
I'm also on a kilojoule deficit kick here currently (though, I still have the leeway to enjoy a discretionary caguama) as I'd like to get down to 67-68kg for Cascade. It can be done!
So, math equations, calorie/kj deficits notwithstanding, I packed up the car and headed up to Manhattan Beach this morning...
The last time I did this race was back in the late 90's as a cat 1. Pretty humorous actually, as somewhere in the Willett household exists a vhs tape of the ESPN2 coverage of the race. My claim to fame on that day was tailgunin' the entire race. I even got some airtime when there was a crash in the late going just prior to the final 180. Davis Phinney was doing the color commentary. Big stack up and yours truly is shown lockin' up the brakes for a good 15m or so before coming to a stop just behind the stack up. Well, the guy on my wheel didn't quite comprehend what was going on, and went full steam into the big pile of doodz on the ground. Phinney mustered up a one-liner something like "What the hell was that guy thinking!" Damn, I gotta dig that VHS tape up. Ahhhh, the good ol' dayz! :-)
Full field this time around! Lots of doodz toe'n the line - something like 120 or so.
Clean start, and on the second lap, I flatted my $80 rear Vittoria tubular - the second rear flat I've gotten this year. This sew-up didn't have many races on it - I think I put it on just after I flatted after/during Devil's Punchbowl 2 or 3 months back...
Got a free lap and was back in business. Not much action along the way, stayed out of trouble and in the first third of the field. With 5 to go I punched it up the front stretch hill and took second wheel. Maintained position in the top 20-30 for the next few laps, making sure I had the sprinters (if I can see Mark Scott or Joel Stangeland - I'll figure out the names of the other guys I recognize eventually - I know I'm in the right vicinity of where I need to be!). On the last lap, I slotted myself in the top 25 on the back stretch as it was kinda strung out - didn't touch the brakes in the last 180 degree corner and picked off a few guys in the finishing straight. Probably finished around 15th or so.
The math equations wouldn't have predicted this effort and result after yesterdays throw down - guess you just have to run whatchya brung, eh?
Oh, the acute fatigue!
Labels: racing
posted by kraig at
3:31 PM
3 Comments:
K-Dub,
I saw you going into the pits (at least I think it was you). Good job to get up there in the sprint.
Just curious... was it 1997 when you did MBGP and it was covered by ESPN? I ask because, if it was that year, I would love to get a copy of that tape also. Of course I'd pay you for your effort. That was the year that we lost a bright young teammate in a fatal crash the week before. The MBGP field let us lead the first lap before the real race began. Jamie P. was our star and he won the race. It was very emotional.
Yeah, that was probably me trying to remember where the pits were located...
1997 sounds about right, though I'm not 100% sure - I'll give it my best shot to dig that tape out of the archives. If I find it, no worries - I'll get you a copy. The coverage of that first lap would be a great memento honoring your fallen teammate.
You asked for my comment but I'm not sure what you're gettin' at here?
Last year I did two days of racing back to back (State road & crit champs), with a 2,441Kj race in 2:42 on day 1 (2,615Kj all up) for a top 10 finish that was obviously pretty fatiguing and on the 2nd day I rode the crit, helped force the break from lap 1 and set new personal best power outputs for the 45 minutes of racing.
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