Sharing my data - Race data and video

This past weekend provided the first opportunity to race in the New Jersey area. As I am prepping for mid-April goals, it is important to get some race miles in. The workouts I have you do are great for preparation and improvement. There are a couple things missing though; anxiety, high speed, and the element of surprise.

You do your workouts mostly alone, during your available time, on roads or trails you are familiar with. No crowds, officials, start whistles, rules, etc. Most importantly...NO COMPETITION! You may get excited or pumped up to do some intervals but it is generally a pretty relaxed environment. Racing is different. You may be anxious for days ahead of the race. Butterflies as you drive to the venue. Shaking with anxiety on the start line. "Holly Crap! Please blow the whistle and start this race before I throw up"

Race speed is different than training speed. We often race at a level above what we can do on our own. For the MTBers and CXers, it is primarily due to adrenaline. You can push through increased pain and discomfort when the adrenaline is flowing. The road racers have the added element of drafting. A road race is often about 5mph faster than you could possibly do on your own. Turns come at you much faster. your view can be obscured by another racer ahead. Bike handling skills become a much bigger factor when you are pushing the limits around turns. Race speed reduces the margin of error.

The most unique thing about racing is that you never know what or when something is going to happen. During your workouts, you read the description and know what to expect. The effort doesn't start until you are ready. You know how long you will have to push yourself. You have the luxury of knowing a rest/recovery period is coming soon. Not so in racing. You may be forced to increase your effort due to terrain or response to competition. Go around a turn and see the road or trail going straight up. A couple racers launch off the front of the road race and it is "Game On!!!"

In early-season interviews of pro racers, they often say, "Yeah, my fitness is good. I'm on schedule for Blah blah Blah. I just need to get a few races in to hone my form." Or maybe something like, "I've been doing this for 10 years. I don't allow my fitness drop too much in the off-season. After a few early races, I'm good to go."

This weekend, I showed up in Newark for the first day of the Branchbrook Spring Series. After a year off due to pavement issues, this early season series has returned for 2013. In order to maximize my training, I entered the 35+ and the CAT 1/2/3 race. In addition to racing, I was providing some race-day support to a couple clients. Mostly a last-minute show of support and calming of the nerves.

I'll just keep it short and say that the racing was good. 35-40 racers in the 35+ race and nearly 60 in the 1/2/3 race. That is a good turnout for 35F temps in March. I was just going through the motions in the early race. Conserving a bit for the later race. I'll admit, I'm only a Cat 3 and have a Cat 5 sprint. I'm happy to just play with the big boys. I'm not a threat in this race.

The 1/2/3 was pretty fast but I was able to stay towards the front. I responded to all the surges and held my own. The biggest excitement? Another racer reached out and slapped me in the arm. (I don't know why) Also, when the race finished. I was only 100' behind the winner. There may have been 26 other racers between us but I was right there.

Here is my race data. It includes my less than appropriate warm-up and both races. What do you see? Two really long intervals of exertion. Not much else. That is because the effort is completely out of my control. I am responding to the demands of the race. You don't get this experience in a training exercise. I can dive into the data and do some analysis. I can measure the duration of intensity of big efforts and apply them to my training. This course is pretty boring. The competition dictates the exertion required. That can change dramatically from day to day.

Want to get a view from inside the race? I recorded video of both races I was in. Not much drama to highlight so I'll just provide the last lap in its entirety. Enjoy! https://vimeo.com/61003371 

So as you prepare for your own goal events, look for opportunities to race ahead of time. Show up to your BIG event without preparation and you will become easily distracted, stressed out, and generally fall short of your potential. Use lesser races to practice your pre-race routine, experiment with nutrition, and generally use them as practice. When done right, everything goes much smoother on the big day.

Thanks for reading.