Crit Race #5

Today's race was slightly longer than the previous races: 35 minutes compared to 20 minutes and ~12.5 miles compared to ~7.5 miles. I wasn't expecting much at the start; I told my teammate Jay that my goal was to hang on and not lead at all. After all, I put in at least 74 miles yesterday and it was the second crit in 4 days (and will be part of 3 in 8 days come Wednesday). But I think I'm getting my crit legs, and I hope this helps my IM competition in a few weeks!

From Race #1: Race + cool down: 21:57; 7.77 miles; 21.5 mph; 169 HR (197 max!); 2nd place.

From Race #2: Race + cool down: 21:29, 7.89 mi, 22.3 mph; 176 HR; 4th place in a field sprint.

From Race #3: 20:40; 7.50 mi; 21.8 mph; 165 HR (196 max); 3rd by a hair.

From Race #4: 20:14; 7.34 mi; 21.8 mph; 175 HR (196 max); 6th place behind a group of 5.

Today's Race #5:

• Multisport totals: 57:33; 18.19 miles; 1,023 calories; 151 HR; 19.0 average
  
• Warm up: 20:58; 5.19 miles; 14.9 mph; 118 HR
• Race: 16:31 + 17:12 = 33:43; 6.08 + 6.38 = 12.46 mi; 22.1 + 22.3 = 22.2 mph (31.7 max); 161 HR and 184 HR (196 max)
• The first is the start of the race until I took off and was on my own for about 2 laps. I split when the group caught up to me.
• 4th place behind Lisa, Beth, and Olga. I wasn't sure that it was the last lap, so I didn't try to catch up to them. Even if I had, I knew everyone else would have been on my wheel and it would have been a group sprint. I felt really good and think I could have won today. I totally outsprinted Marsh for the finish.
  
• Cool down lap: 2:50; 0.53 mi; 11.3 mph; 142 HR

For some reason, I did much better with HR today. It was a lot of slow and go, and maybe that helped. I did much better about keeping close to my aerobic HR yesterday, and maybe that helped today? I was awake at 8am, had eggs, toast, and pancakes for breakfast, walked to Walgreens (~1 mile), read the paper and listened to teaching on controlling your thinking and imagination, went to the race, took off my TT bars, and then got ready to race.

Then I went to the Y, sat at the pool for a couple hours (talked to Robin and read a book), and then went to do day 3. I was supposed to have done it Friday. Or even Saturday. But I did it today.

• Glute ham: 5 on, 5 off thru 40
• Squat with 55-lb bar: 3×10. Truth be told, I didn't think I'd be able to do this, but I told myself that I would because Will said to do it. I did it. And I focused on pulling down fast with my glutes and standing up fast.
• 1-leg squat: 5 on, 5 off thru 40. I did not feel like I was doing this correctly. It did not feel anything like the lunge with the back part cut off. I need a work-out-with-Will day soon!
• Altitude drop wall squat: 6×6.
• Front-foot elevated (on crate) lunge: 5 on, 5 off thru 40. I did not feel like I was doing this correctly. It did not feel anything like the lunge with the back part cut off. I need a work-out-with-Will day soon!

Then I did a little grocery shopping, had some supper, talked to my parents (I'm expecting a new visor from my favorite pro, Bree, soon!), and then read the Word and a novel by my favorite spot on the grounds here. Time for bed!