SATTLEY 20L & 40k TT – NOR CAL DISTRICT MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP – SAT. JULY 11, 2015
Where to start! I will back up two weeks to two pertinent workouts preceding this championship race. Two weeks ago I’d planned to race the Diablo Hill Climb, and since it was suddenly cancelled, I needed to find another race for a final tune-up. As it happened, Total Body Fitness held a triathlon just 30 miles from home, and they were calling out for volunteers to help out in the reg area. Bingo! Go get immersed in a race environment, have fun, and then head out on a new course filled with endorphins soaked in from the athletes I encountered during my shift as a body marker. (Not a bad job! ☺) About an hour before heading out, I mentally mapped out a 50 mile course and took my Hammer Anti-Fatigue, Mito Cap, Race Caps, and 2 Endurolytes. After a 5 mile warm-up, and Espresso Gel, I went to Race Mode - and with little wind and some flatter roads, I rode my Fastest 50 Ever! (Ever, as in my 60s) 2:33 and an average of 20 MPH!! That included 3x soft-pedaling for about 1/2 mile each at 15, 25, and 40 miles. The last five was SO HARD! I was tempted to ease up, since this was “just a work out”, but what I’d wanted was a race, so I stuck with it - and rode the fastest 5 of the whole thing at 21 MPH! I was feeling Totally Ready for a championship race.
The following Saturday I headed out on my Final Hard Workout: 5 mile warm-up, then 1 minute on/1 minute off x 10, 10 minute recovery pace, and a short TT (3.5 miles along an available stretch of road). It went GREAT - right up to the end of the TT, when I felt my right quad twinge….DANG IT! I soft-pedaled home and regretted riding so hard just 7 days before a key race. I should know this by now!! With nothing to gain, and everything to lose, I’d left it out there on a training ride…
So, I spent the taper week in massage therapy, Recovery Boots (Whew - do these things work!), and a lot of roller-time. I rode 2 days for 10 miles each, but my quads (yep, now both of them) burned. I stayed positive, knowing I had a whole week to heal, and that what will be will be.
ROAD TRIP! ☺ Friday morning I drove to Sattley, 35 miles north of Truckee, in a beautiful valley at 5000’. I arrived at noon and rode the course, just beating a rainstorm (whew! Last thing I wanted to do was to clean my bike!) I’ve raced here and won it 4-5 times 25 years ago, and I hoped to win it tomorrow. MaryEllen Allen had just aged up, leaving me a chance. I enjoyed the course, and a 2pm fabulous grilled chicken salad lunch, then unpacked into the Globe Hotel, a few minutes from the start line - love this place! ☺ Enjoyed a quiet evening catching up with another Calaveras racer - Mike Phelps, who was out for another win himself. A simple PBJ for supper, turned in early and played on fb.
Saturday morning - RACE DAY! ☺ Up at 5:30 - instant oatmeal and off the to start line in COLD but clear conditions. Reg, pins, it all went fine and I wore everything I owned to warm up out on the course - a nice perk of being in the early flight! (I do NOT enjoy trainer warm-ups!) I resigned myself to an 80% effort today and hoped I could hold off the other gal in my category. We had one additional racer from So Cal, Laura Lindgren, who broke the American record here 2 years ago, but she could not claim the championship here today, due to her out-of-district status. As my 20k start time approached, it warmed up enough to race in my skinsuit. One hour before my start I took HAMMER Anti-Fatigue, Mito Cap, Race Caps, and 2 Endurolytes, and 20 minutes before, a bit of Espresso Gel. One might think I wouldn’t need these for such a short race – but I knew it would be intense from the get-go. 20k has to be raced faster than 40k, and I have trouble at this short distance. I blew up last year, so I focused only on this race, and left the 40k out of my mind.
The Race: The holder had me wobbling all over the place, so I was grateful we didn’t have a proper start ramp today. 5-4-3-2-1: and I was off! Honestly, there is not a lot to say about a race that takes only a 1/2 hour - it’s intense and mind-numbing. I had good focus and solid rhythmic breathing and stayed at an 80% effort to avoid disaster. My turn was one of my worst ever - the course managers were oddly positioned and I misjudged it a bit. No worries - power on and head home. I’d snuck a peek when I heard my 5-mile split and saw sub-13:00, so I was faster than I thought! I rode solid on the return leg and stayed in control. Crossed the line in 32:19 - 20 seconds faster than last year on an 80% effort! 23 MPH I’d also come within 10 seconds of my Folsom 10 mile TT time - so this was not too bad because I know I had a lot more in the tank.☺ Although I did not come close to Laura, I did take the Nor Cal Championship - which this year comes with a winners jersey!
Since I could not race at 100%, I crossed the line knowing I could race the 40k an hour later. 40k is the gold standard of TTs and since I raced it fast in my 40s, I wanted to see how I’d do now - and I knew it would be good training for the upcoming Silver State 508, where I would team up relay-style with RAAM racer Patty Jo Struve and race 4 varied distances with varied breaks while she raced her legs.
So with little warm-up and a repeat of my trusted Hammer supplements, I rode to the start and hoped for a better send-off. 5-4-3-2-1: and once again, I was off, the probable 5th in a field of 50 year olds. This is the race I love - having to focus at a hard, but sustainable pace. (The 20k, by contrast, feels frantic to me.) I was solid through 15 miles, then slowed more than usual over the last 10 miles, coming in with significant headwind at 1:09. 21.6 MPH This is a poor time (I rode 1:06 last year), but again, on 80% legs and as a second effort, it was still worth doing, just for the much-needed chance to focus when tired.
What a fabulous feeling to be ON TOP OF THE PODIUM! And I realized that podium winners get to have their bike in the photo, too! I was jazzed - I love my Cervelo, and with all its sponsor decals, I finally got to show it off! We had a beautiful blue cloudy sky for podium pics! It was a great feeling to get another winner’s jersey, too, although they are coming in the mail - darn - I’d hoped to wear it home! ☺
A highlight this year was running into an old teammate of mine - Louise Hose, from our 1988 USA Master Team Ore-Ida Stage Race! It was Totally Cool to catch up and we have plans to get together for some riding in the future - she lives in Carson City, so that will be a treat!
Off to an overnight in Folsom with another rider friend, Beate Danielson, one of my Total Body Fitness riders. Great meeting her family and enjoying home-made spinach pizza! Also nice not to have any extra driving to do for my Sunday morning 8am Women’s Cycling Class! 62 mile along the American Bike Trail - tired but happy legs, and home on Sunday afternoon. A Nor Cal Championship is a great way to celebrate a 64th birthfay!
Next up: Silver State 508 - September 19! 508 miles starting in Reno and heading east on The Loniest Highway in America - racing around the clock, this will be my first ultr-cycling event, and I will race 4 legs, the weirdest of which is a 70-miler in the middle of the night! I can’t wait!
To my sponsors: Thank you, HAMMER Nutrition, Rudy Project, Folsom Bikes, EPIC ID, and Total Body Fitness for your support! I am excited and proud to represent! And a Special Thank you to Marnene Anderson, Serenity Springs Massage!
Where to start! I will back up two weeks to two pertinent workouts preceding this championship race. Two weeks ago I’d planned to race the Diablo Hill Climb, and since it was suddenly cancelled, I needed to find another race for a final tune-up. As it happened, Total Body Fitness held a triathlon just 30 miles from home, and they were calling out for volunteers to help out in the reg area. Bingo! Go get immersed in a race environment, have fun, and then head out on a new course filled with endorphins soaked in from the athletes I encountered during my shift as a body marker. (Not a bad job! ☺) About an hour before heading out, I mentally mapped out a 50 mile course and took my Hammer Anti-Fatigue, Mito Cap, Race Caps, and 2 Endurolytes. After a 5 mile warm-up, and Espresso Gel, I went to Race Mode - and with little wind and some flatter roads, I rode my Fastest 50 Ever! (Ever, as in my 60s) 2:33 and an average of 20 MPH!! That included 3x soft-pedaling for about 1/2 mile each at 15, 25, and 40 miles. The last five was SO HARD! I was tempted to ease up, since this was “just a work out”, but what I’d wanted was a race, so I stuck with it - and rode the fastest 5 of the whole thing at 21 MPH! I was feeling Totally Ready for a championship race.
The following Saturday I headed out on my Final Hard Workout: 5 mile warm-up, then 1 minute on/1 minute off x 10, 10 minute recovery pace, and a short TT (3.5 miles along an available stretch of road). It went GREAT - right up to the end of the TT, when I felt my right quad twinge….DANG IT! I soft-pedaled home and regretted riding so hard just 7 days before a key race. I should know this by now!! With nothing to gain, and everything to lose, I’d left it out there on a training ride…
So, I spent the taper week in massage therapy, Recovery Boots (Whew - do these things work!), and a lot of roller-time. I rode 2 days for 10 miles each, but my quads (yep, now both of them) burned. I stayed positive, knowing I had a whole week to heal, and that what will be will be.
ROAD TRIP! ☺ Friday morning I drove to Sattley, 35 miles north of Truckee, in a beautiful valley at 5000’. I arrived at noon and rode the course, just beating a rainstorm (whew! Last thing I wanted to do was to clean my bike!) I’ve raced here and won it 4-5 times 25 years ago, and I hoped to win it tomorrow. MaryEllen Allen had just aged up, leaving me a chance. I enjoyed the course, and a 2pm fabulous grilled chicken salad lunch, then unpacked into the Globe Hotel, a few minutes from the start line - love this place! ☺ Enjoyed a quiet evening catching up with another Calaveras racer - Mike Phelps, who was out for another win himself. A simple PBJ for supper, turned in early and played on fb.
Saturday morning - RACE DAY! ☺ Up at 5:30 - instant oatmeal and off the to start line in COLD but clear conditions. Reg, pins, it all went fine and I wore everything I owned to warm up out on the course - a nice perk of being in the early flight! (I do NOT enjoy trainer warm-ups!) I resigned myself to an 80% effort today and hoped I could hold off the other gal in my category. We had one additional racer from So Cal, Laura Lindgren, who broke the American record here 2 years ago, but she could not claim the championship here today, due to her out-of-district status. As my 20k start time approached, it warmed up enough to race in my skinsuit. One hour before my start I took HAMMER Anti-Fatigue, Mito Cap, Race Caps, and 2 Endurolytes, and 20 minutes before, a bit of Espresso Gel. One might think I wouldn’t need these for such a short race – but I knew it would be intense from the get-go. 20k has to be raced faster than 40k, and I have trouble at this short distance. I blew up last year, so I focused only on this race, and left the 40k out of my mind.
The Race: The holder had me wobbling all over the place, so I was grateful we didn’t have a proper start ramp today. 5-4-3-2-1: and I was off! Honestly, there is not a lot to say about a race that takes only a 1/2 hour - it’s intense and mind-numbing. I had good focus and solid rhythmic breathing and stayed at an 80% effort to avoid disaster. My turn was one of my worst ever - the course managers were oddly positioned and I misjudged it a bit. No worries - power on and head home. I’d snuck a peek when I heard my 5-mile split and saw sub-13:00, so I was faster than I thought! I rode solid on the return leg and stayed in control. Crossed the line in 32:19 - 20 seconds faster than last year on an 80% effort! 23 MPH I’d also come within 10 seconds of my Folsom 10 mile TT time - so this was not too bad because I know I had a lot more in the tank.☺ Although I did not come close to Laura, I did take the Nor Cal Championship - which this year comes with a winners jersey!
Since I could not race at 100%, I crossed the line knowing I could race the 40k an hour later. 40k is the gold standard of TTs and since I raced it fast in my 40s, I wanted to see how I’d do now - and I knew it would be good training for the upcoming Silver State 508, where I would team up relay-style with RAAM racer Patty Jo Struve and race 4 varied distances with varied breaks while she raced her legs.
So with little warm-up and a repeat of my trusted Hammer supplements, I rode to the start and hoped for a better send-off. 5-4-3-2-1: and once again, I was off, the probable 5th in a field of 50 year olds. This is the race I love - having to focus at a hard, but sustainable pace. (The 20k, by contrast, feels frantic to me.) I was solid through 15 miles, then slowed more than usual over the last 10 miles, coming in with significant headwind at 1:09. 21.6 MPH This is a poor time (I rode 1:06 last year), but again, on 80% legs and as a second effort, it was still worth doing, just for the much-needed chance to focus when tired.
What a fabulous feeling to be ON TOP OF THE PODIUM! And I realized that podium winners get to have their bike in the photo, too! I was jazzed - I love my Cervelo, and with all its sponsor decals, I finally got to show it off! We had a beautiful blue cloudy sky for podium pics! It was a great feeling to get another winner’s jersey, too, although they are coming in the mail - darn - I’d hoped to wear it home! ☺
A highlight this year was running into an old teammate of mine - Louise Hose, from our 1988 USA Master Team Ore-Ida Stage Race! It was Totally Cool to catch up and we have plans to get together for some riding in the future - she lives in Carson City, so that will be a treat!
Off to an overnight in Folsom with another rider friend, Beate Danielson, one of my Total Body Fitness riders. Great meeting her family and enjoying home-made spinach pizza! Also nice not to have any extra driving to do for my Sunday morning 8am Women’s Cycling Class! 62 mile along the American Bike Trail - tired but happy legs, and home on Sunday afternoon. A Nor Cal Championship is a great way to celebrate a 64th birthfay!
Next up: Silver State 508 - September 19! 508 miles starting in Reno and heading east on The Loniest Highway in America - racing around the clock, this will be my first ultr-cycling event, and I will race 4 legs, the weirdest of which is a 70-miler in the middle of the night! I can’t wait!
To my sponsors: Thank you, HAMMER Nutrition, Rudy Project, Folsom Bikes, EPIC ID, and Total Body Fitness for your support! I am excited and proud to represent! And a Special Thank you to Marnene Anderson, Serenity Springs Massage!