Albion O-cup

So my second race as an elite went a lot better than the first. I finished 17th out of 33 starters. I am super happy with how it went, learned more, and know how I can do better.

My pre-race nutrition consisted of:
- one large bowl of oats with berries
- one sandwich with tones of Nutella + dates on organic rye bread
- another sandwich but with peanut butter and a banana
- a banana bread flavored oatmeal to go bar
- some of last nights leftover veggie pasta
- a taste of the omelet my dad made
- a large coffee from McDonalds
- greens+
- 1-2L of water
All put down by 11:30am

I warmed up on my trainer to make it easier to to get in the zones i wanted to. 5min at 150bpm, 3min at 160bpm, 2 min at 170bpm x 2 with a ten minute spin first and with 5 minute at 140bpm between. I did not have room to bring a wheel with a slick mounted, so I had to annoy everyone with my buzzing Rocket Ron's. Hip hop blocked it out for me.

My start was good, I was a little back, but I grabbed Tim Carlton's wheel and followed it around for more than half the race. I knew he was a good guy to follow because he rides smooth and steady and uses energy wisely. He only punched it to pass, and I could respond no problem. I was feeling great for the first 2 laps. Good enough to attack, but knew that would be wasted energy.

Lap 3 was painful. cramps crept in, and my legs felt tired and sore. The Green Monster hurt. A lot. But I kept with the group.

Lap four I started to feel a bit better. My train slowed a bit and I liked the pace. Tim slid out on one of the slick bits, and could not make up the lost ground. I felt like I could go faster at some points, but did not want to risk cramping up, and hung in with the others.

Lap 5 was similar. I dropped one guy on the Green Monster, but the another (Logan) kept me in sight and we were soon back together. He attacked a couple times in the last km, but I chased him down and took him in the sprint for 17th.

The course was almost entirely dry, with the exception of a few big puddles. Very fast, and lots of good recovery after the climbs. I felt like I was recovering quickly between efforts and can already notice improvements from the interval training. I have asked Adam Morka to provide some coaching to help me do the right training at the right time. I have a good idea how to train smart, but I am really just guessing when to do what.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the driving, feeding and Tai food after.
Later