I crashed on a hair-pin turn ripping down a decent at speeds upwards to 30-40 mph. I was the last man of a group of 4 and couldn't see the turn’s exit and had to lay the bike down or risk flying off the mountain.
My shorts were shredded and I had some serious road rash on my bum, but I didn't come to this camp to give in. I laid there for a few minutes to catch my breath and then hopped up and got back on my bike. We were in the middle of a 28 mile race and I decided to finish what I started. I ended up feeling ok probably due to the adrenaline rush and ended up riding a few minutes slower than the lead group.
This was a huge mental achievement for me as was this entire camp.
I felt pretty fit going into this camp, but was a bit nervous because I hadn't been on the bike as much as I would've liked heading into a bike camp. I had asked JD how he felt I should approach the week and his instructions were this. Look at the camp as a way to test your limits and see what you got. Look at each day as if it were the only day of the camp--Don’t hold back!
Gordo added that I should base my performance off the other athletes at the camp. This isn't advice for everyone, but in the past, I think I've set mental limiters on my performance.
Here are a few of my sporadic observations from the camp.
Limits, Heart Rate, and Power Meter--My thoughts on this subject are still very open. What I'm about to write is what helped me push through during this camp.
This wasn't the sort of camp that tested your ability to absorb huge amounts of volume, such as an Epic Camp. This camp was moderate in volume, but high in intensity and stress. We weren't pinned the whole time, but the sporadic periods of high intensity is something that we triathletes aren't accustomed to.
When going hard, go hard, take risks--I didn't use my HRM during this camp. Partly because it is broke, but mostly because I knew my objective and didn't care what it said. It is great to get a HR or power numbers from an effort that you thought was unachievable, but for most efforts at this camp, pacing was not an issue in regards to my personal strategy.
Outside of this camp, if I were doing specific intervals, I would be tracking numbers making sure I'm training at my desired intensity.
On day two, there was a climb that we were racing up (Mt. Fig). I heard other athletes talking about seeing this power number or heart rate and based on those numbers had slowed down to follow their pacing strategy. In my circumstance, I went as hard as I could the entire time. If I blew, I blew. This was a training ride where I wanted to test my limits. Had this been a 5-6 hour time trial, you can be assured that I would be monitoring my power and heart rate data.
On the last day, after my crash, I was riding back through the field and came up on Alan. He decided to go with me and hopped on my wheel. When we got to the finish line he was still in one piece. I asked him if he thought he could do what he had just done and his answer was "no".
Just to be clear, there is a time and a place for these sorts of efforts. Racing a half or full Ironman is generally not the time and one's efforts should be monitored throughout the day to give the athlete the best chance for success.
Climbing vs. Power on the flats--I never knew I could climb like I did at this camp. Every time the road went vertical I felt at ease and seemed very strong. I weighed about 15-20 lbs less than most of the athletes that I was riding with, which is a significant advantage on my end. Being lighter is an advantage, but the power to weight still has to be there. You need to be able to put out the power. If you lose 20 lbs and lose your power, you won't be any faster. The guy's that were heavier than me all put out greater power numbers. Basically, what I'm saying, is if you have good body composition, you need to focus on the power not weight.
On the longer climbs, I figured out that I can recover by changing my style of riding along the way. This may be a common trend in cycling, but was new to me. I would use torque for power while standing and RPM's while sitting.
When seated I would be spinning 90+ and then shift up to a harder gear and stand to accelerate or to just change the muscle firing pattern. Later into the climb when my legs were toast. I would stand in an easier gear with a higher cadence, which seemed to allow me to recover.
When the flats and rollers would come. I'd have to hang on for dear life when the bigger, stronger athletes pushed the pace. Normally, I could just tuck in behind a rider and sit in the draft if there was one available. One day in particular, Mark "The Wolf" Pietrofesa was riding 350-400 watts with a tailwind diminishing the effects of the draft. Needless to say, I was out the back in a hurry because I currently don't have that kind of power in the flats.
I feel that having a good aero position, minimizing what I'm throwing into the wind and having good power numbers will allow me to ride with the bigger, stronger athletes. If I can ride at relatively the same speed as another athlete on 40 less watts I will be happy.
Diet--During this camp I also realized how important it is to give your body enough fuel to operate successfully. I was constantly eating, trying to consume as much carbohydrate as possible. My metabolism was so ramped that I could eat whatever I wanted, foods that I would normally stay away from during normal training. I want to stress that I still ate very well and stayed away from chips, pizza, ice cream and other foods that come to mind when I say "whatever" I want. I would eat a lot of oatmeal, potatoes, pancakes, French toast, Infinit Recovery, and eggs--foods that are all easily digested.
A camp like this isn’t the time to try and lose weight. In my circumstance, I need to be cautious of getting too light during periods of intense training. I naturally lose weight when training this way and in order to train well I need to do my best to combat this. I focus on eating the best quality ingredients that I can afford and the frequency of my meals. I try to never sit down and stuff myself, but focus on a steady flow of carbohydrates throughout the day.
Roadies--One night, JD and I showed up to dinner about 15 minutes late and there were only two seats left. They just happened to be right next to Floyd Landis. I always make it a point when I'm in contact with high profile athletes to talk to them about something other than their sport. I assume that they are sick of talking about it and that I get a better response talking to them like a normal person. Floyd was no different and before you know it we were sitting there laughing it up.
I guess that I haven't been in the sport long enough to understand the roadie vs. triathlete relationship, but road racing sure is fun. I learned a lot about tactics, team work, different riding formations, drafting, and that a group is much stronger than one.
This was a great break from the constant grind of Ironman training. With road racing, you can't just shut your brain off and turn the pedals. You need to be totally focused, aware of your surroundings and what is going on in the group. This made cycling very stimulating for me and I enjoyed the constant anticipation. Also, roadies tend to train either at the low or top end of the training spectrum leaving out a lot of the middle where we Ironman athletes spend the majority of our time. This was a great place to get some of the intensity that I was looking for.
Positive thoughts--If you read Gordo's blog, he mentions a few of the athletes that really made an impression on others at the camp. The VQ squad is filled with some of the most positive people that I have ever been around. I want to incorporate their attitudes within my own personality. Making everyone around you confident by being motivating and encouraging creates an atmosphere ready for success. In cycling, business, and life, those who are most successful surround themselves with a great team.
This is starting to get a bit long. I had a great time at this camp and met some really great people. I'm looking forward to going back next year.
Mat
