Autumnal musings

 It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged or even looked at this. I think that’s indicative of how I’ve felt generally about swim, bike and run. Well, bike and run. Actually, barely biking of late. It’s not that I’ve lost my mojo, it’s just that it is firmly laying dormant. It is there within me, wanting to bust out and be used to good effect in a race or event, but I just can’t seem to force it to the surface to make me really want to do something athletic. 

Part of it has been to do with work-life balance. I need to caveat the next few sentences reflecting on the fact that I still have a full-time job and that I can pay my bills, which thousands of people are currently struggling with. For them, the foreseeable future must look pretty bleak and I can only sympathise and hope that we can get things back to some sort of normal as soon as possible. Work has had to take a priority for the last couple of months. I’m usually pretty good at knowing when to park work stuff and look after myself, but I need to spend more hours working at home, which means less time to hop on the bike, even if it does just mean a 20 second walk to the end of the garden to get on the turbo. 

The other reason for my dormant mojo has been a lack of racing. To be honest, there have been some events that I could have done but I just haven’t felt in the right frame of mind to do them. I dragged myself out to the Kingston Phoenix Open 10 TT, and pushed out  24:05. It was a really well organised event by my club, but without the usual bants over tea and cake, it seemed a bit hollow, despite the quick catch-up with club mates.

The last few weeks have been more about easy coffee rides with the odd hard effort up hill or on a strava segment. And gradually some desire to work hard has started to return. I’ve begun to focus a bit more on my TrainerRoad sessions, particularly, those horribly hard 90 minute over-under sets which almost leave me honking with effort. They are so hard, but by far the most effective sessions for me to improve my ftp and get back up to 300 watts. I need something to focus on over the winter months and that’s as good a thing as any. With us being in a Covid world for the foreseeable future, it looks like a TT  based focus for next year is likely. At the moment, I think I’d like to have another really good go at my 25 mile pb. Currently, it’s 55:39, so getting g a lot closer to 50 minutes would be rather cool. 

Which way?

Gurning

I think riding this audax is going to be a baptism of fire, not so much in the miles that I'm going to cover but the navigation that will be required. I've taken some advice from a few facebook and forum groups and rather than trying to upload the whole ride as one file to my Garmin 800, I've broken it down into the 5 sections between controls which has taken me a few hours but hopefully will make it a lot less stressful on the road. This makes the file sizes smaller and should (hopefully) stop my Garmin having a meltdown. I've tried to get my head around the route while I've been copying them using Garmin Connect but it's a very long way with hundreds of junctions. The route card is gobbledygook. I've been told that once you're on the road it makes a lot more sense and I'm sure that it's just a skill that needs learning and practice. I am also hopeful of being able to follow a wheel or two through the hard bits (yes, cheating).

Answers on a postcard, please.

Yesterday was the KPRC Open 10. My TT bike is still un-serviceable (I ordered the wrong rear replacement brake and I'm waiting another week for a new one). So I ended up riding on the Van Nic in full commuter trim. It was also a dog of a day with a block headwind on the way out and added to that, my chain slipped off at the start and my pump fell out my pocket at halfway. By that time I well and truly gave up but I bulked it out to do a solid 80 miles after eating my own bodyweight in Cornish pasties all week on a family holiday. Time to get back on it.

Broken noodle stops play

I never learn. I really never learn. At the start of every TT season I take my Argon off the turbo and begin to tinker. This tinkering usually occurs some 2 hours before I am due to sign on to my first big event. Yesterday was no different. The only thing I dislike with my Argon is the low rear brake under the bottom bracket. It looks great and is maybe marginally more aero than one in the standard position but is doesn't half get covered in road crud. Not a problem if you religiously clean your bikes, but I don't. So with two hours to go before signing on for the Phoenix Open 10, there I was trying to recable my rear brake. Not a difficult job and I do have an engineering degree after all, so it should be a pretty easy job. But no. Despite much mucking about and vocal blasphemy, the new cable wouldn't go through. Five minutes later, and the noodle thingy which guides the cable into the caliper is in two bits when it should only be one piece; completely sheared off in my hands.

Broken noodle thingy

Twenty minutes later and I am on my road bike, heading to the 10. It wasn't all bad. A solid 60 miles in the afternoon, but the 10 was very hard. No aero benefits and tired legs battling the winds. particularly on the way back. I was the minute man for the joint winner, Liam Maybank. He's winning everything in the district at the moment and I was hoping that on the Argon that I might be able to hold him off until the turn at halfway, but being on the Van Nic I thought that I could hold him off until Beare Green at quarter distance. Nope, not a chance. He went past me just after the petrol station pushing his 60 tooth chainring like an exocet. The guy is a complete machine. I, on the other hand, spluttered my way round with a mid 26; some 3 minutes slower than this event last year. I'm not too despondent. I did an ftp test earlier this week and that's improved from 226 to 253 watts, which is great news and that test coupled with a hard interval session on Thursday left me feeling pretty wiped, but the test proves that the training's working.

I'm enjoying my running again. Just a few times a week, aiming to get one long one in with a couple of 3-5 milers. No speedwork and nothing stupid. Just slow or steady comfortable miles aiming to keep injury free. Today, I even went for a swim. Well sort of. I took the two little wheezys to the local pool and tried to do a few lengths, dodging the floating mats and inflatables with boisterous teenagers. It was almost like an open water swim start. Ended up doing 900m. A start, but a hell of a long way to go. Onwards.

On the upside

Skinny ankles and hairless

Last week was the Phoenix Open 10 mile TT on the G42/10 course. It was blowing a hoolie as I cycled over with Simon and Dale and therefore I was not really expecting a lot. It even started to try to rain when I got to the HQ and signed on. I had also done something very drastic.For the first time ever, I shaved my legs! In the pursuit of marginal gains, I had decided to take the plunge. It is a lot harder than it looks by the way and I needed a few bits of very un-aero sticking plaster initially to stem the bleeding.

So, like I said, fairly rubbish conditions, very early in the season and  not really feeling the cycling love. But it's the same old thing. Stick on  number and it is game on. 25 minutes or so of very hard work and see what happens. The outleg was very tough. I had cooled down waiting for my start so the first hill out to Beare Green left my legs feeling completely fried, but gradually I got into it, just trying to hunker down and keep as aero as possible in the South Easterly cross/headwind. At the top turn I had recovered a bit and thought about really trying to use the tailwind a little and I could feel myself getting stronger as the ride progressed. The really good moment was the hill at 7.5 miles. For the last 5 years this has been my nemesis and I have always struggled here but this time I felt extremely strong going up, staying on the aerobars and in the big ring; something I don't always achieve. The last mile was a hoot and as I got to the curry house 600 metres from the finish I gave it everything. It felt good. And it was good. 23:56. A course pb in April and only 15 seconds off my pb on a slow day. Vindication for me for the work that I have done on the turbo over the winter. If I can keep the consistency going over the next three months and get onto a faster course or two, sub 23 should be a realistic target. I am very happy with that.