remember when I used to post pictures...that was cool. no what else was cool? when i used to be or at least feel like I was reasonably quick on a bike. yesterday's race at snowbird was not as bad as solitude, but i just felt slow. i struggled holding my line on some of the climbs. i kept veering into the banks slowing me down or causing me to stop. this happened at a crucial point in the race and I lost a considerable amount of time that I never gained back. not to mention there is a descent at snowbird that I am pretty sure i continuously lost time on. it is a loose, soft gravel road. I am not good at those at all. it was a bit frustrating. results are here.
next week is the jackson's whole race. this course also has a loose gravel road, but it is on a climb. i have made it before, but not in a race just during a pre-lap. the first year i raced in jackson, i was on the course and it was my third lap when I came across a tree in the trail. the first two laps there wasn't a tree to cross. I figured that I somehow made a wrong turn so i doubled back. i was still on the course though. an aspen had fallen during the race. i thought it was crazy. i will be looking out for changes in the course during the race this year. i think i am looking forward to this race.
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Hey KC, not sure if this applies to you or not but I thought it might at least be worth a read.
TRAIN RIGHT NEWS
Woman-power Isn't Manpower
By Ivana Bisara, CTS Coach
We originally published this article last spring in various publications, and it was so well received that we thought it was worth republishing again this year.
If women and men compete separately, why do so many women train with men? Most women will tell you that it’s to help them ride, run, or swim stronger—if they always chase after someone who’s faster, then it makes sense that they’ll eventually get faster too, right? But is this the best way to do so? Not really.
In the winter of 2001, my collegiate cycling team was preparing for a strong performance at the road racing championships later that spring. Our team consisted of ten men and three women. At that time I believed that the harder I trained, the better and harder riding I’d do. So I trained with the men.
But after only one month of training with the guys I was tired, cranky, and skipping rides due to physical and mental burnout. Sure, I earned some praise for being able to keep up with the boys, but I was struggling mightily to do it.
Physiologically, riding with men every day was taking too much out of me and psychologically it was self-defeating. Instead of comparing apples to apples—my fitness to other women—I was comparing myself to men, a game that all women are set up to lose.
X Never Equals Y
A woman’s heart is smaller than a man’s, which means that the volume of blood pumped with each heart beat is going to be less than that of men. Also, on average, women deliver less oxygen to their muscles than a man can pump to his. Combined, these factors lead to a lower aerobic capacity, and it’s this lower aerobic power, coupled with lower muscular strength and maximum power output in females, that separates women from men.
It’s all right to train every once and a while with a male friend, spouse or boyfriend, but you should match your moderate to moderately hard workouts with his easier training days for the best chance of actually working out together.
I learned from my mistake in college in time to salvage my season. I started training by myself instead of with the team, and as a result of my focused effort I earned a podium finish at Nationals. Even now, 6 years later, I rarely deviate from my training program to join the men. And I’ll tell you why: winning races feels so much better than being able to say, “I can keep up with the guys” on a Tuesday training ride.
I've taken some CTS advice in the past and it has worked well for me. Maybe it's worth a try. From a man's perspective, it would be great to finally be in front of you on a ride!!! Keep your spirits up - your best years are ahead of you.
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