August 23, 2015

Team Swift Charity 10

Just a week after the '12' and I've scheduled in a 10 on the *fastest 10 course in the entire country (*subject to conditions)! Nice planning, but I was up for it in any case.

The week had gone like this :
Monday - recovery !
Tuesday - train badly
Wednesday - Train less badly
Thursday - 10km run - died at halfway
Friday - train better
Saturday - 5km parkrun, race 3km, jog 2km.

So the week had been a bit of a mixed bag, albeit towards the end, I had started to feel like myself again. so onwards and upwards, and this was an event for riders with a PB above 22 minutes, and with my 22.32, I got a place. I was to be no.16 on the day, which had a 20-22mph near easterly wind howling as we gingerly made our way to the start.

Plan of attack was simple, bury myself into the headwind to the turn, and then hang on for dear life with a backwind for comfort on the way back,

My ride sort of went like this :

1) Approached 40mph down the start ramp, hit the headwind, and abruptly slowed to a more normal speed.
2) Worked bloody hard into the wind, and kept wishing the miles away.
3) Got to the bottom of the halfway ramp at 25.7mph. Crawled to the top to see that drop to 24.2mph.
4) Immediately feel the benefit of the push home and wish that I'd switched to a 55T chainring, 8 weeks earlier than I plan to.
5) See the speed drop in the middle and wonder if I'm bonking
6) Ride a very fast last mile and a half where that 55T would again have been welcome.

21.25, a new PB by a minute, and something to aim for in 2016.

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