Friday’s lunch ride at Specialized is the infamous World Championships, a hammer-fest for the title and bragging rights for the week. I meant to do an easy spin on the Willow loop, but I was curious about the course. It had a bit more climbing than I was expecting, and the heat was getting to me. I followed the lead group halfway through before dropping back. I have a race tomorrow, and didn’t want to burn all of my matches. There are some seriously strong dudes in the bunch, and every time I go out with them I learn something new. Being able to sit on the wheel(s) of these guys going 20+ mph takes some time to get used to. The lunch rides are good training for the lunch rides.
I missed the big group by a couple of minutes and decided to do my own lunch ride. I didn’t want to do anything too intense, just something to open up my legs for this Saturday’s race.
I learned my lesson at Sea Otter this year, in that I suffered and had absolutely no power going into the race because I didn’t allow myself nearly enough recovery time. I practiced what I preached, raced the Shasta Lemurian Classic the following weekend with a week’s worth of active recovery, and pulled a great result.
My legs are feeling great at the moment. The best advice I heard recently was that you can only hurt your performance the week leading up to a race, meaning it doesn’t matter how much extra riding/training you put in. What’s done is done. The best thing to do is rest up, store your energy and save it for the race.
Nothing special today, just a short ride up Old Howell Mountain road in the rain. I’m actively resting this coming week, leading up to the SoNoMas XC race in Sonoma County.
Did the long haul from San Francisco to Morgan Hill this morning, trying out a more direct route via historic El Camino Real. It cut out an hour from the last time I rode to work, with less climbing and miles. I averaged a solid 18.2 mph over 70 miles, fighting a slight headwind the entire way. The return trip up to San Jose was a bit brutal in that the headwind was really intense, which caused me to miss my train by less than a minute. I can’t wait for this commute to become more familiar and easy. It takes up just as much time if I do my morning ride, shower, breakfast and drive to work.
I’m slowly dialing in my new training schedule and route. This morning was another great ride to the top of San Bruno Mountain, this time with a bit of sun to greet me, but just as much wind as Tuesdays ride.
Doing the daily Specialized lunch ride is good training for the Specialized lunch ride. On Wednesdays we do a fast loop out to Bailey and back. Lots of attacks and hanging on for dear life for 20 miles.
Since my schedule is in flux, it turns out I may have to switch up my Tuesday Dawn Patrol rides, in exchange for some super early San Bruno Mountain pilages. It’s a windy, long grind up Guadalupe Canyon all the way to the top, but the view and accomplishment of climbing a mountain that early in the morning is worth it. (more…)
We were graced with Ned Overend’s presence on today’s lunch ride. I didn’t go with the main group for long so I couldn’t tell you what it was like riding with him. I rolled easy with a couple of guys and soaked in the Morgan Hill hot wind.
Did a nice recovery ride with Caroline around the city, trying to avoid the madness that is Bay to Breakers. We went along the Embarcadero, battling tourists, up to the Golden Gate Bridge, battled even more tourists, made our way through Sea Cliff and down to the Great Highway where every crazy person was encamped, following the finish line of the Bay to Breakers party. We snaked our way through the crowd and found our way through The Wiggle, and eventually back home.
Starting to get the hang of the daily lunch rides here. Every day it’s a different loop, but with the same intensity. I’ve been getting used to my new schedule, which is definitely more draining, so I have to make sure I don’t over train. My next race is coming up quickly, and I want to make sure I get in the right balance of fitness and recovery.