Greenville Spinners 10-mile TT #3 - Race recap

 
Photo: Greenville Spinners

After the last Greenville Spinners Time Trial event (#2 in the series but my first time participating in the event), I made note of some areas of improvement. Although only a few weeks separated the two events, there were so many lessons learned from my first ever Greenville time trial event. 

There are so many differences between endurance racing and time trial racing. In an endurance triathlon event, it's all about energy management - being great at not slowing down. In a time trial race, it's all about you versus the clock. Although both are extremely uncomfortable, it's a very different type of hurt. In endurance racing, the body endures great mechanical fatigue, not to mention dehydration, glycogen depletion and central nervous system fatigue. You can't fake the training if you want to perform well in an endurance event. There's no skipping steps or rushing the process. You need great body awareness and exceptional mental strength. Going into an endurance vent with a haphazard fueling and hydration strategy (before and during the event) often leads to GI issues, early fatigue and other performance limiters. In a long distance event, there is room for error and mistakes. Not always does the "fastest" athlete perform the best on race day.

In a time trial event, every physiological system in the body is called into action. The little details (like aerodynamics and willingness to suffer) are extremely important. Although nutrition is important, it won't necessarily make or break the race. Being fit, strong and powerful go a long way. Did I mention the ability to suffer? It's a very uncomfortable feeling when the heart is beating out of your chest, your legs are burning and at any moment, you feel like you can't go any harder but something inside of you tells you that you still have a little bit more in you. 

After my first attempt at the 10-mile event, I knew there were things that I needed to do differently if I wanted to perform better. I certainly felt a bit of expectations in this last time trial event as I had a reference point to compare to (series #2). Knowing that improvements are not always linear, I felt like I could do things better this time around. 

               

I went into this race very tired - emotionally and physically. Still mentally exhausted from our 6-days of training camps, this past week has been extremely busy. I've also found myself emotionally drained from all of the COVID-19 news/media. When Karel and I arrived to the Donaldson parking lot around  4:45pm on Thursday late afternoon, I was anxious to get on my bike to loosen out my legs. As I started my warm-up, my legs felt just like they did throughout the week - heavy and tired. Interestingly, my running legs have felt good and I've been enjoying swimming long course this week. But on the bike - ugh - I had no oomph. I made sure to give myself plenty of time to warm-up. I felt it out as I went along and did a warm-up that helped me get into the zone. It took me the entire warm-up to finally start to feel somewhat good. 

Warm-up
15 min EZ
2 x 30 sec all out (w/ 60 sec EZ)
2 x 45 sec all out (w/ 60 sez EZ)
3 x 3 min build w/ 3 min EZ
EZ spin until my start time of 6:14pm EST

Karel joined me (as a participant) for this last series (even though he is not a fan of time trial events - he was always a crit-style racer and enjoyed the sprint at the end of a road race). Of course, with 8 years of triathlon under his belt, he has become a different cyclist and much more of a well-rounded endurance triathlete - not to mention an incredibly fast and efficient runner! Karel put himself in the Merckx category (no time trial equipment, just a road bike) just to keep it more fun for him. 

As I warmed up (Karel and I each did our own warm-up), I took note of the wind direction and made mental notes of the parts of the out and back 10-mile course that I needed to take advantage of. In the last event, I felt like I could not have gone any harder/faster on the downhill segments. Instead, I needed to embrace the suffer and push harder on the more difficult sections (climbs and false flats and in the wind). This is where I would be able to gain a little more time (talking seconds - not minutes) but it would certainly come at a cost. I also knew that I needed to have a really quick start (clipping in) and needed to nail my u-turn at the turn around. 

Having friends/athletes at the event made a huge difference. Our athletes Alvi and Yannick, along with our former athlete and good friend Thomas, were also participating in the event. Since the starting times are first come, first serve (you sign-up online), we strategically positioned ourselves one after another for motivation. With a 1-minute gap between each rider, we each rode our own race but also had vision of who was around us on the out and back course. Having Karel ahead of me gave me a rabbit to chase (I never caught him but I did ride faster than him ;) and I also felt like I had a bullseye on my back as I had Yannick, Alvi and Thomas chasing me down (in that order). I knew Yannick would catch me but my goal was to not let Thomas catch me (he started 3 minutes behind me). All three of these guys are incredibly fast. This mental approach helped tremendously. Even though it was me against the clock, I was able to squeeze a bit more out of myself knowing that I had people chasing me down along with having Karel to chase. 

Lastly, I focused on all the little things during the race that could make a big difference. In addition to my race bike set-up, I had a little sport nutrition in my Ventum hydration system to keep my brain alert and to keep my mouth/throat from getting dry. Although it was a little added weight (I didn't have anything in my front bottle - it was just there for aerodynamic purposes), it was negligible. After the last event, Karel put new elbow cups (Wattshop) on my Ventum and moved the cups a bit closer to the aerobars. While this position allowed me to get more aero, it also helps me feel even more stable on the bike (especially when pushing hard). Lastly, all 5-feet of me needs every opportunity possible to gain free speed - whether it was tucking in my head (while still safely looking ahead), nailing my start and u-turn (thankful there was a cop controlling traffic, which allowed me to quickly and safely take the turn), pushing as hard as I could on the downhills (to get out as much watts as I could) and lastly, being willing to suffer a bit more on the inclines. 

It's amazing what you learn about yourself after one all-out effort. You quickly realize that you are always capable of a little more - even when you think there was absolutely nothing left in you. 

I left everything out on the course. It took me several minutes to return back to life after I crossed the finish line. I didn't physically catch Karel, Yannick passed me a few miles in and Thomas never caught me. Although the course was slightly shorter than the last time, I had a big improvement. It hurt, it was painfully delightful and I was reminded of why I love racing - there is so much satisfaction in breaking down physical and mental barriers. You learn so much about yourself (like thoughts/feelings are not actions) and you get to surround yourself with like-minded individuals who understand your joy for suffering. 

A big thank you to the Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club for putting on this series. With all that is going on in the world, none of us are immune to a wide range of emotions. I can't escape my daily rollercoaster of emotions but for these brief moments in time -when I move and use my body - I feel tremendous joy and gratitude for my physical health. I didn't come this far to only come this far. Onward I go! 

GARMIN STATS (Series #2)
Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: 25:33
Speed: 24.0 mph
Normalized lap power: 198 watts (average power 192 watts)
Elevation gain: 436 feet
Average cadence: 95 rpm
Average HR: 152 bpm (max 166 bpm)
Average temperature: 87 degrees 

GARMIN STATS (Series #3)
Distance: 9.98 miles
Time: 24:17
Speed: 24.7 mph
Normalized lap power: 203 watts (average power 201 watts)
Elevation gain: 410 feet
Average cadence: 90 rpm
Average HR: 151 bpm (max 164 bpm)
Average temperature: 87 degrees