Pretty Nails!

My cousin is starting 8th grade tomorrow, so today we went out for a nice dinner (Macaroni Grill) and dessert (Sweet CeCe's) and then back to her house to watch the Olympics. She is an artsy one, and I let her do my nails. They turned out well:

I did get in a short workout this morning and an even shorter one this afternoon, but that is worth sacrificing for time with the family. It is also a VERY good thing that I do not have the opportunity to watch the Olympics every night. I would be completely sleep deprived (but also very motivated!).

NC.Com Crits #13, 14: Crazy Fast!

Fighting for position

Tonight's races were crazy hard and fast. The first race was the Men's Cat 4 race, and 39 people were registered (it looks like 33 finished). When I last did this course with the guys, I got dropped 10 minutes in and pulled 20 minutes in. Today I stayed with the field (and the winners) the entire time, even with us averaging 25.5 mph. Success! I tried to move up a little every lap, but all that did was keep me from getting dropped--it didn't put me in any better position for the finish.

Not exactly the ideal position

The field was 23 people and I finished 20th, so I really was in a poor position. Next week I will have to work on positioning.

I'm way in the background in this shot, but we all
regrouped shortly after this pic

Emily and me getting caught

The women's race was next, and I didn't know how I'd do. In fact, I was pretty sure I wouldn't do well, wouldn't be able to stay with anyone. So when Emily took off on the first lap, I went with her and thought, If this is all I have, at least I'll make it look good at the start! We stayed away for a few laps, but I'm sure that's just because the field let us tire ourselves out. Everyone was out to race today, and it shows in our average pace: 23.8 mph! We typically average in the 22s, so this was flying for us.

The lead group

Before long, we had a little separation among the 22 women, and Jes, AJ, me, Jess, Katie, Leah, Catherine, and Kathy were off the front. It wasn't that easy, though, because I felt like I had to work to bridge up a few times and sit in and let Leah bridge up a few times; Jes, AJ, and Katie were by far the strongest and didn't let any of us have a break the entire 25 minutes. We ended up in a field sprint with AJ taking the win, Jes second, and me third. Considering what I had just raced the previous 20 minutes, I was pretty happy in 3rd.

Finishing sprint

Basically I did a 50-minute crit, which is what our last race is going to be, but I doubt it will be an average of 24.5 miles per hour, which is what these two races together were! I really focused today in both races on keeping a higher cadence and shifting more often. If I'm not too sore or tired tomorrow I will know it paid off.

7-21-12 Crit 1M stats: 16.85 miles, 38:41, 26.1 mph, 183 bpm (Saturday)
7-21-12 Crit 2W stats: 14.24 miles, 37:58, 22.5 mph, 178 bpm (Saturday)
7-25-12 Crit 1M stats: 7.94 miles, 20:11, 23.2 mph, 181 bpm (Wednesday)
7-25-12 Crit 2W stats: 10.72 miles, 28:09, 22.9 mph, 187 bpm (Wednesday)
7-28-12 Crit 1M stats: 16.18 miles, 39:11, 24.8 mph, 180 bpm (Saturday)
7-28-12 Crit 2W stats: 14.21 miles, 39:16, 21.6 mph, 174 bpm (Saturday)
8-08-12 Crit 1M stats: 10.34 miles, 24:22, 25.5 mph, 183 bpm (Wednesday)
8-08-12 Crit 2W stats: 9.73 miles, 24:29, 23.8 mph, 184 bpm (Wednesday)

Women's Crit Stats

8-08-12 Stats: 9.73 miles, 24:29, 23.8 mph, 184 bpm, 3rd of 22
7-28-12 Stats: 39:16, 14.21 miles, 21.6 mph, 174 bpm, 8th of 11
7-25-12 Stats: 28:09, 10.72 miles, 22.9 mph, 187 bpm, 2nd of 11
7-21-12 Stats: 37:58, 14.24 miles, 22.5 mph, 178 bpm, 3rd of 11
7-18-12 Stats: 30:04, 11.29 miles, 22.5 mph, 179 bpm; 5th of 15
6-20-12 Stats: 30:06, 11.21 miles, 22.3 mph, 185 bpm; 6th of 16 (no post)
6-16-12 Stats: 40:18, 15.36 miles, 22.9 mph, 186 bpm; 1st of 14
6-13-12 Stats: 29:40, 11.37 miles, 23.0 mph, 187 bpm; 4th of 23
5-30-12 Stats: don't have them; 3rd of 21
5-23-12 Stats:  31:08, 11.63 miles, 22.4 mph (31.1 max); 3rd of 12

Oak Ridge Velo and State RR

We did this race last year (it was an omnium) and came back this year for more. We like to do TN races because that's where we live, but we also like to do well in our state and pick certain races to focus on. This was one of them, because the road race was our state road race (RR). That means if you win, you get recognized in the state and you earn a jersey. So there's a little incentive. (But it also means very little, if any, payout, because the promoters want to encourage state racers and discourage out-of-state racers.)

Oak Ridge Road Race, short course

The RR was first, and I was ready. Last year I DNF-ed this race, and I told Todd that my goal this year was to finish. Baby steps, I said. Parri, Lee, Anna, and I all started together and had 45 miles/3 laps to complete, and about midway through each lap was a 1-mile climb. Last year I got dropped on the first time through and didn't complete the 3rd lap. This year I stayed with the group on the first time through, got only slightly dropped the second time and caught back up, and got dropped the third time. The first 2 laps were fantastic. We started out with 14 (8 Cat 1/2s and 6 Cat 3s) and ended up as a group of 12 working amazingly well together--I'm talking a beautiful double paceline with everyone doing equal work. There were not any attacks until the lead in to the big climb on the final lap, but it was just as hard as any other races because of the high pace. I loved it, and it reminded me the entire time of Hell of the South (or rather, I kept reminding myself of that race, because I'd done well there and it was similarly paced).

The third and final time up the climb, I got dropped but kept pressing on--I had gotten dropped the previous lap and was able to catch back up, plus this was our state race! I knew that I was currently 3rd in the Cat 3s and that if I could catch Stephanie and Jenny I could beat them on the final climb/sprint, but though I could see them for the final 4or 5 miles, I couldn't ever catch them. Still, I ended up 3rd and on the podium!

Oak Ridge State RR 3s: Steph, Jenny, me

I did a much better job with the heat this year; it was still just as hot (we started at noon Eastern), but I had an ice bottle in my pocket (which I drank later), 2 water bottles with me, 1 bottle at the first feed, and 1 bottle at the second feed. Smarter than last year!

Parri was 2nd overall and the 2nd Cat 1/2. I was 11th overall and the 3rd Cat 3. Catherine won the 4s race, and Kiki was 4th overall but 3rd in the state. So we podiumed in every race and won a state jersey!

Oak Ridge State RR 4s: Catherine, Leah, Kiki

Oak Ridge State RR 1/2s: Katie, Parri, Jes

2012 Stats: 47.79 miles, 19.4 mph (44.8 max), 170 bpm (196 max), 3728' ascent, 3348' descent
2011 Stats: 32.53 miles, 18.3 mph (42.1 max), 172 bpm (198 max), 2503' ascent, 2202' descent

The TT was later that afternoon and it was pitiful for me. This was a slightly longer course than last year, but not 2:30 slower! Last year, the first woman finished in 19:16; this year she did it in 20:00. Last year I finished in 20:55; this year I did it in 22:38. I don't know what to say except that I was tired. I was 11th overall and the 4th Cat 3.

Sunday was the crit. I watched Catherine, Shelly, Kiki, and Valerie dominate early in the morning, and then I raced early in the afternoon. Eight of us started, but no one in the final group of 6 had teammates, so it was quite slow and uneventful. I attached with just under 1 lap to go and 2 others came with me. Katie passed me straight up, and Liz sat on my wheel until just before the finish line, so I ended up 3rd overall and the 1st Cat 3.

This course was WAY different different than last year's. It was in an industrial area and had a 180* turn just after the start. It was shaped like a lollipop, I guess, with a little uphill to the finish and a downhill  on the other side of the road. Counterclockwise, shaped kind of like this; the pipe on the far right is the start/finish, and the bracket is the 180:
__
|   |
|   ======|=]

Stats: 54:04, 19.5 miles, 21.1 mph (31.9 max), 170 bpm (193 max)

NC.Com Crits #11, 12: Exhausted

Most weekends are good weekends, and for that I am grateful. This one was definitely a good one, and as I’m sitting here I am not sure exactly what has made it feel like such a good weekend. It was probably a combination of everything—fun, rest, work, training, relaxation, sunshine, rain, and more.

Friday I went to Percy Warner Park to hike the red 4.5-mile trail. My legs felt so good and I really wanted to run it, but I had to remember that I was racing the next day and couldn’t run it all. Instead, I ran the downhills and most of the flat sections (what little there are). As a result, I finished in the fastest time it’s ever taken me: 1:02! Usually it takes me 1:30, though last time Anna and I finished in 1:20. This was so much faster than normally comparatively!

1:02:25, 4.5 miles, 13:52/mile pace (4.3 mph), 143 bpm (170 max), 2164’ ascent, 2183’ descent

Then I walked (slowly—16:45) another mile because I had some time to kill before meeting Kat at Edwin Warner Park for our 5-mile walk through that park. I’d only been in the park once or twice and she knows it well, so she showed me a bunch of the paved paths and where some of them connect to paths from Percy Warner. Those parks together allow for some high mileage without a lot of back-tracking.

1:23:45, 5.0 miles, 16:45/mile pace (3.6 mph), 110 bpm (137 max), 2876’ ascent, 2932’ descent

Then, of course, I spent some time watching the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Pretty impressive! I enjoyed the show and am excited for the cycling events, the track and field races, gymnastics, and more.

Saturday we had some races downtown. Val, Cath, and Shelly raced the Cat 4 women’s race with 17 other Cat 4s—it was great to see so many women out there racing. They finished as the top 3 women (in that order), and Valerie won the overall Saturday series for Cat 4 women. I watched more of this race than last week’s race but still was watching Madison so I didn’t see everything.

Shelly, Catherine, and Valerie post race

I had a few hours between their race and my first one, but that time seems to pass so quickly and before I knew it I was on the line with 32 men for the Men’s Cat 3/4 race. As I did Wednesday and last Saturday, I was racing this race to get the experience of racing with a bigger, faster field, and this race did not disappoint. My goal today was to score some omnium points—the top 15 are scored, so I had to get top 15. I also wanted to stay closer to the front than last week so that I could actually see what was happening. I was definitely closer to the front all race. Every once in a while people would come up on both sides of me and I’d get pushed back farther than I wanted, but at the next available opportunity I’d move up.

Source

Midway through the race (minute 21 according to my HR data, and the race was 40 minutes), there were 4 men off the front in a break. They weren't too far ahead, maybe 10 seconds, but they weren't getting closer or farther away. No one in the pack was trying to bridge up to them or bring them back, so I decided to attack. I thought if I could bridge up, I’d be in a 5-man break and possible get top 5. If I couldn't bridge up, I’d get caught by the field and just stay with them. I stayed away by myself for about a lap and then 2 guys bridged up to me. However, we didn't really work together (I was tired, one had 2 teammates in the break, and the other either was tired or didn't want to work), so we got caught by the field within another lap. I jumped back in where I had been and stayed there, finishing 14th and scoring 2 omnium points. Woohoo! This was an exhausting race, and I worked hard. Yet I had to toe the line for the next 40-minute race 10 minutes after the first race ended. Yikes.

Crit 1 stats: 16.18 miles, 39:11, 24.8 mph (33.1 max), 180 bpm (195 max), 511’ ascent, 475’ descent

The women’s race started out pretty rough for me, and I lasted only 10 minutes with the 11-woman field. I then rode by myself for at least 10 minutes, maybe 20, and then rode the final minutes with the leaders (who by then had lapped me). When the 3 leaders lapped me, I got behind the girl who was last and just stayed with them. I didn't have to do any work, but I also pretty much wasn’t in the race any more—I couldn’t sprint against them, and my only chance at not being in the worst position overall was if they would catch/lap the rest of the field. One of the leaders did, but the two I finished behind didn't, so I ended up being scored 8/11 (not my actual position, but it’s about how I felt and it’s where I was scored, so so be it).

Crit 2 stats: 14.21 miles, 39:16, 21.6 mph (32.2 max), 174 bpm (190 max), 516’ ascent, 528’ descent

I didn’t have much time between getting home and having to go to church, but since I miss so many weekends while traveling, I wouldn’t miss being able to fellowship when I am home. After church, however, I went home and chilled.

Sunday morning I got up and took a short walk and my legs were exhausted! Just that little walk reminded me quickly that yesterday’s race had been hard. But there was no rest for the weary today as Val, Anna, Parri, Shelly, Lee, and I met at 10 for a little ride. We frequently do this ride, but thankfully today we took it a little slower than normal and all stayed together; plus it was windy, and it felt like we had a headwind the entire route. Then it was off to the pool for a BEAUTIFUL afternoon of relaxing and reading Runner’s World and the newspaper. I still had a few chores to do when I got home (like cleaning my bike and changing my cleats, since during today’s ride my cleat actually came out of the pedal because it was so broken/chipped), but at least I did get to relax somewhat, and it wasn’t too hot to just sit in the sun/clouds and rest.

Ride: 32.66 miles, 1:45:42, 18.5 mph (32.1 max), 142 bpm (178 max), 1651’ ascent, 1648’ descent

What is most interesting to me, after looking at and comparing the HR data from the two races and then having gotten on my bike since then, is that I am so tired from the men’s race and I can feel that specifically. The men’s races have been pretty smooth; that is, there is not a lot of sketchy riding around the corners and it is pretty easy to hold your line and know that the others will be holding there line—I don’t have to be worried that someone is going to ride over into me. But, because there are so many people, there are a few surges and there is a lot of I guess what feels like “catching up” to everyone else. I did have to try to catch up or move up a few times, but when I was in the group I could pretty much not work too hard. My HR stayed elevated the entire race, as opposed to the women’s race where it was up and down and up and down the entire race. But today while we were riding, any little reaction I had to make to try to catch someone or stay on pace with Parri up a hill or even just stand up, I could feel that tiredness and those muscles that I’d worked so hard yesterday in the men’s race. I don’t necessarily like that tired feeling, but it is a good sign of a hard job well done.

7-21-12 Crit 1 stats: 16.85 miles, 38:41, 26.1 mph (31.9 max), 183 bpm
7-25-12 Crit 1 stats: 7.94 miles, 20:11, 23.2 mph, 181 bpm
7-25-12 Crit 2 stats: 10.72 miles, 28:09, 22.9 mph, 187 bpm
7-28-12 Crit 1 stats: 16.18 miles, 39:11, 24.8 mph, 180 bpm
7-28-12 Crit 2 stats: 14.21 miles, 39:16, 21.6 mph, 174 bpm

Women's Crit Stats

7-28-12 Stats: 39:16, 14.21 miles, 21.6 mph, 174 bpm, 8th of 11
7-25-12 Stats: 28:09, 10.72 miles, 22.9 mph, 187 bpm, 2nd of 11
7-21-12 Stats: 37:58, 14.24 miles, 22.5 mph, 178 bpm, 3rd of 11
7-18-12 Stats: 30:04, 11.29 miles, 22.5 mph, 179 bpm; 5th of 15
6-20-12 Stats: 30:06, 11.21 miles, 22.3 mph, 185 bpm; 6th of 16 (no post)
6-16-12 Stats: 40:18, 15.36 miles, 22.9 mph, 186 bpm; 1st of 14
6-13-12 Stats: 29:40, 11.37 miles, 23.0 mph, 187 bpm; 4th of 23
5-30-12 Stats: don't have them; 3rd of 21
5-23-12 Stats:  31:08, 11.63 miles, 22.4 mph (31.1 max); 3rd of 12

Olympics Opening Day

I am excited for this year's Olympics and am going to watch whatever sports I can. Hopefully the cycling road race, the marathon, other track and field events, and gymnastics, and then we'll see what else. If only softball were still in the Olympics!

Here is a little treat I made – I couldn't let such an occasion pass without an appropriately themed treat!

Fruit pizza with blueberries, black grapes, raspberries,
pineapple, and kiwi. Yum!

I also got in a good workout this morning (altitude drop legs/phasic hip flexion, altitude drop front delt/phasic biceps curls, lunge press) and am hoping to hike at Percy Warner or Edwin Warner Park with Kat and Valerie later. Should be a fun afternoon!

NC.com Crits #9, 10: Protected

Tonight I decided to do two races again; Saturday I raced the 3/4 men's race and the 1/2/3/4 women's race, and tonight I raced the 4 men's race and the 1/2/3/4 women's race. The course was different than Saturday's but the normal Wednesday night course, so it wasn't anything new but it wasn't anything easy, either!

I stayed with the main field for 10 minutes, 10:22 and 4.3 miles to be exact (25.0 mph), and then I couldn't hang on any more. I ended up with another smaller group for the next 10 minutes until we all got pulled just before they started showing lap cards. This is the second time I can remember being pulled from a race; the first was last year in Fond du Lac in the ToAD series, when I'd already been lapped by the field 3 times and was SO HAPPY to get pulled from the race. Today I wasn't as happy but I wasn't disappointed either, and looking back I am very thankful. In the final lap, there was a big crash in the third-to-last turn. God has been protecting me all season, and this was a visual example to me that He still is! Thankfully everyone was OK, and they placed most of the riders who went down. Preliminary results are below, and I am 19th. Omni points are awarded through 15 people, and my goals is to not only earn omni points but to also place in one of these races!

7-25-12 Men's 4 Crit Results

Since I got pulled, I had an additional 10 minutes to recover between the men's race and the proceeding women's race. After chatting with Anna and Cali, I hit the line again with 10 other women. Pretty much immediately, AJ, Jes, Katie, Marsha, and I were together at the front, and we pretty much saw the other women only when we lapped them. I did absolutely no work, just sat on AJ's wheel the whole time and watched her cover attacks from Katie and Jes. She asked me once to help and I couldn't, so I said no. A few times I did have to bridge up to her and either Katie or Jes; I don't know if the SVMIC girls planned it, but it seemed like they were trying to create some separation among us with only 2 in the front and the other 3 off the back of them. I wouldn't let any 2 get away and AJ wouldn't let any 1 get away, so it never worked. With 1.5 laps to go I attacked and AJ came with me. We basically sprinted the final lap, and she won it with me coming in second. I am pretty happy with both efforts tonight and quite tired!

7-21-12 Crit 1 stats: 16.85 miles, 38:41, 26.1 mph (31.9 max), 183 bpm
7-25-12 Crit 1 stats: 7.94 miles, 20:11, 23.2 mph, 181 bpm
7-25-12 Crit 2 stats: 10.72 miles, 28:09, 22.9 mph, 187 bpm

Women's Crit Stats

7-25-12 Stats: 28:09, 10.72 miles, 22.9 mph, 187 bpm, 2nd of 11
7-21-12 Stats: 37:58, 14.24 miles, 22.5 mph, 178 bpm, 3rd of 11
7-18-12 Stats: 30:04, 11.29 miles, 22.5 mph, 179 bpm; 5th of 15
6-20-12 Stats: 30:06, 11.21 miles, 22.3 mph, 185 bpm; 6th of 16 (no post)
6-16-12 Stats: 40:18, 15.36 miles, 22.9 mph, 186 bpm; 1st of 14
6-13-12 Stats: 29:40, 11.37 miles, 23.0 mph, 187 bpm; 4th of 23
5-30-12 Stats: don't have them; 3rd of 21
5-23-12 Stats:  31:08, 11.63 miles, 22.4 mph (31.1 max); 3rd of 12

NC.Com Crits #7, 8: Racing with the Men

Friday I ended up working out in the morning and then walking in the afternoon, deciding to not do the afternoon workout. My legs and mind were tired, plus the MFY was closed and my gym bag was in a locker there. Thankfully the sun was out and I could walk around a neighborhood in the Cool Springs area for an hour. Here is my route, which was 3.8 miles and included 1022’ ascent/1212’ descent. Then for dinner I met up with a bunch of my teammates for Kat’s 30th birthday party. The food at Olivia’s Good News Café was good, and the company was even better—Cali brought 5-week-old Bennett, who I held for most of the evening!

Saturday we all had a few races downtown. You can (usually) race your own race plus others that you qualify for: women are allowed to race their race plus a men’s race that is their category or one category down. That is, as a Cat 3 woman, I could have raced the Women’s 1/2/3/4 race, the men’s 4/5 race, the men’s 3/4 race, and the men’s 1/2/3 race. And if I were old enough, I could also race the Masters’ race (I will stay young for as long as I can).

The Cat 5 men are the beginners, so I didn’t want to do the 4/5 race. The Cat 3/4 men are more experienced but also faster, but I could convince myself that I was at their level because I typically do women’s Cat 3/4 races. So after getting permission from Todd (because this race was immediately before them women’s one), I lined up for the men’s Cat 3/4 race (with my own condition for myself that if I couldn’t hang with the field, I’d drop out). I didn’t even have to worry about that condition: I stayed with (in the middle of) the field the entire 40 minutes. Woohoo! There were 44 starters and I was 35th—at the very back of the field. I stayed in the middle of the pack until the last lap, when I moved up a little (just to prove to myself that I could) and then drifted back because the extra effort to sprint (for no prize) was not worth putting forth when I knew I had another race immediately following this finish.

Lots more laps in this race, and a much shorter cooldown
Also, a pretty steady HR

Within 10 minutes, I was back to the start line for the women’s race. Catherine, Valerie, Kiki, and I were representing Team Belladium, and we were up against AJ, Marsha, and Karah (Treehouse), Kathy and Leah (SVMIC), and Jess (Trace)—small field compared to the men’s field. The course was the same: 4 corners, all left-hand turns, with a slight uphill after turn 1, a slight downhill after turn 4, and a slight headwind between turns 2 and 3.

There was a lot of action for the first 16 or so minutes of our race, and then for 5 minutes we basically soft-pedaled (for pretty much no reason other than no one was willing to work hard or attack). The pace picked up again after an attack, and Catherine and AJ made it away together. I should have been with them and can’t remember why, exactly, I wasn’t. Then, with 3 laps to go (5+ minutes), I attacked the group that I was with in an effort to catch Cath and AJ. They had slowed down and I could tell, and I knew if I was going to have any chance at catching them it was going to have to happen right then. When they noticed that I was trying to catch them, AJ picked up the pace and I wasn’t able to bridge the gap to them before the end of the race; AJ out-sprinted Cath, and I finished 3rd by myself. It’s pretty evident in the HR data where I attacked the group in the final laps!

Fewer laps in this race, and a much longer cooldown
Also, a pretty unsteady HR

I wish I could’ve won this race; I was feeling really good and we were working together well as a team. But I didn’t make it into the break, and that is completely my fault. I wish I could remember what happened, so that I could make sure I didn’t do it next time we raced! However, this was different than normal because Jes and Katie weren’t there and everyone but AJ and Kathy had raced earlier in the day. Still have some work to do to keep getting stronger and smarter!

The rest of the weekend was a good mix of rest and fun: Easy ride with Val (2h, 34 miles) to watch the Music City Triathlon, shopping, errands (and random conversations with people at the grocery store), church, movie, reading, etc.

Crit 1 stats: 16.85 miles, 38:41, 26.1 mph (31.9 max), 183 bpm, 469’ ascent, 480’ descent
Crit 2 stats: 14.24 miles, 37:58, 22.5 mph (32.8 max), 178 bpm, 618’ ascent, 604’ descent
Sunday ride: 33.39 miles, 2:01:56, 16.4 mph (29.3 max), no HR, 1990’ ascent, 1989’ descent

7-21-12 Stats: 37:58, 14.24 miles, 22.5 mph, 178 bpm, 3rd of 11
7-18-12 Stats: 30:04, 11.29 miles, 22.5 mph, 179 bpm; 5th of 15
6-20-12 Stats: 30:06, 11.21 miles, 22.3 mph, 185 bpm; 6th of 16 (no post)
6-16-12 Stats: 40:18, 15.36 miles, 22.9 mph, 186 bpm; 1st of 14
6-13-12 Stats: 29:40, 11.37 miles, 23.0 mph, 187 bpm; 4th of 23
5-30-12 Stats: don't have them; 3rd of 21
5-23-12 Stats:  31:08, 11.63 miles, 22.4 mph (31.1 max); 3rd of 12