Climbed on the trainer, tried out some new shoes, put the fan on to act like a tail wind (instead of a cross wind), and hit play on this playlist.
Holy crap did that hurt. That last and final long interval had my legs about ready to collapse and explode. Kept trying to visualize staying on Skinny's wheel at Gloucester.
Oh and GeWilli did something uncharacteristic. He changed a chain w/o changing a cassette. That SRAM chain i stuck on last year after busting the old worn dura-ace chain at Eco-cross was cooked. In fact I was still running the two power links from when I blew the chain apart in the sand at Goddard Park pre-riding. Man alive was it wicked worn out. Not too stretched though, just not shifting crisply and pretty pooped. Stuck a new chain on there. Shimano isn't using the waxy greasey stuff anymore. They seem to have gone to more of an oil.
About chains and chain lube. EVerlube is still kicking ass. Sheds mud and keeps lubed during a whole race. Washes clean, re-lubes no problem. Quiet too. It is a tad dirtier than say the Slick Willy slick-n-dry. But then you can't get Slick Willy lube any more. The stuff isn't any harder to put on than any other dry lube. You need to apply the dry stuff long before you ride so the carrier can evaporate, just like the EVerlube. And the whole chain cleaning action kicks butt too. Flip side, keeping all these chains lubed means I've gone through almost 12 oz since making a batch of it. But then, I made a gallon so, I should be good for at least all of cyclocross season.
Wrentham tonight. Got some rain in the forecast for today but it should be gone long before they start the training races. Might mean some nice wet grass and a puddle or two, should be fun though.
Speaking of mud. How do you get a skinsuit clean that is mostly white?
Here's what worked for me:
regular amount of ALL detergent (free and clear of course i don't like stinky clothes) washer load set about medium (1/2 tub of water), toss in other similarly dirty stuff like the big orange Michigan DOT jumpsuit, and gloves and socks and all that. First though. Rinse all the mud off somewhere else. kitchen sink for example (after you do the dishes, and not into the garbage disposal, sand and rocks ain't good for that thing). So, we got some ALL, water (warm), and I add almost the same amount of Shout as ALL (too bad shout stinks, but it works) and set the machine for superwash, extra rinse, and pre-soak.
And out of there comes a clean batch of cycling clothes. Hang to dry. Normally I just toss the stinky kits into a small water load and set the machine to the "handwash" gentle cycle. But that doesn't get it clean, even running the load twice (tried it). Gotta do super wash and pre-soak.
I should pull that out as a separate post i guess, I think I might. Later. Maybe, but probably.
Lucy and I went running on Monday. Having to drive the kids in meant I was in the car. No easy ride. So we went for a run. And damn if my HR was low and jogging at Lucy's pace I wasn't even breathing hard. Weird. Really weird. I guess maybe that it is a sign that I can start adding the intense stuff. Kirk's comment about sprinting and all that doesn't work so much for running as it does with the cyclocross analogy I think. Race, recover, train, recover. Recover recover recover. It isn't obviously the same thing, a 100m race and a cross race. But the philosophy is similar. You aren't going to gain much by doing 3-4 hour rides, or riding everyday no matter what. It would seem that you gain most (once you hit the season of course) by cutting volume down immensely and at the same time getting the intensity through the roof. Pretty elementary observation, I know. The other thing is everyone is different, they respond differently to different training programs. Again an obvious statement. Even with out power this sales pitch to use your powertap in cyclocross gives a few extra keys to cross training. I'm not sure about the 15-20 minute stuff though. I've yet to find a course where the time trial sustained power is helpful. Generally it is far more about repeated jumps and sustaining after the return to speed power (sprinting out of the corner, after the barrier), at least that's what it seems to me. The running is about going hard with the legs but not being cooked after getting back on the bike. No doubt, cyclocross is wicked hard. Very demanding. And just flat out fun as hell.
But this whole no coffee thing is opening my eyes to just how freaking exhausting this bike racing shindig is. Man ya is pooooooooped. I go through moments of kicking myself for not doing both races I signed up for, and then at some point later I remember how wiped out I was after just doing one race. Maybe if I hadn't sprinted for 19th place, maybe if I'd just chilled a bit more during the race, slid back to stay fresh for the second race. But no, I didn't. Not racing this weekend is going to be a good thing. It will be hard to miss Eco-cross. It was the very first cross race I did when i started racing again after moving to new england. The beer garden is awesome. The gardens are awesome. The little animals and the food has always been a hit with the girls. But that said, rest. Comes back to rest. Racing this weekend would just wouldn't get me the rest i need to be fresh headed to the New Belgian Worlds. And those are gonna be wicked hahd. Wicked wicked hahd. Need every advantage I can wring out of these damn long slow skinny toothpick legs I've got.
breaking news...
FRITES TRUCK FOR NoHo races...
That's gonna be so freaking awesome. One of the best courses of the year, with... a... FRITES TRUCK (and maybe Harpoon Beer too, and to make eRitchie happy some cupcakes)... But FRITES...
ah man that will be awesome. hot, greasy, fried potatoes...
heddwch
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