RAAM is well over a year in the rear view mirror and in thinking about getting ready for a future attempt, decided to jump into a long ride, so the Mid Atlantic 12/24 hour TT 100 mile Championships seemed like a logical first test. I entered the 12 hour TT and was not sure of what to expect. In RAAM 2014, the longest shift I pulled was approximately 8 1/2 hours, so that was for the moment the outer limit of a really long race. My original goal was to go at least 150 miles, but was hoping for that magic 200 miles. My intent was to conservatively go out at a 17 mph pace/170 Watts and see how long I could hold onto that before the legs and lung had enough.
The course was extremely flat, but there was a bit of a breeze in the one section of the 26 mile loop that we would contest this race. At the end of each lap we had to check in and if we wanted to take a pit stop for some water/nourishment. Well the first lap went extremely well cruising along at 20 mph and passed the checkpoint at 1:15. My heart rate was in a very comfortable place and my watts were at about 180 Watts, but on the TT bike I was not really pushing it. Karen, my pit crew, advised me that this was a 12 hour race and I needed to settle into a comfortable pace. My pit stop was all of 15 seconds, to swap out two water bottles. The temperature was very comfortable and not too humid. Lap 2 progressed well as I concentrated on backing off my Lap 1 pace. Rolling through the finish area, was now at 19.5 mph, which once again seemed fine. There was not too much energy being expended yet. Lap 2 pit stop 30 seconds, for a snack and 1 water bottle. Lap 3 was a bit of a different story, my heart rate jumped up to about 130 from 115 and my mind began to start messing with my mojo, thinking that this was the beginning of the end. Lap 4 saw the HR jump over 140, speed and watts were still comfortable at 19 mph and 170 Watts. After Lap 4, my plan was to change my kit, get a quick shower and eat something more significant. Laps 5-6 went by in a blur, and my HR dropped back to 110-115 and the watts were very steady at 160. The only difference was each break started to take a little longer, just to get off the bike, eat and continue to hydrate. The temperature was creeping up and was now in the low 90’s and that little breeze started to feel more significant. This seemed to star the mind games going. As I completed lap 7, I had about 1:30 minutes left in the 12 hours, and had just completed 182 miles. I pulled into the pit and decided to take a short break, which mentally was my undoing. The short break turned out to be about 20 minutes and when I started to wrestle with trying to squeeze in that final lap that would have put me over 200 miles, my mind told me that I had had enough for one day. Over the course of the race, my pace dropped slightly, but not to the point that I was falling apart. End result was 182 mile, 9:44 hours in the saddle, 1 hour 10 minutes left on the clock and first place in my age group, eighth overall.
The Retrospective for next race
1. Minimize breaks during the race. Keep the breaks at 5 minutes max
2. Eating/Hydration plan worked well
3. Changing kit halfway through definitely a benefit
4. Cool towel during the hottest part of the day
5. Shower at halfway point
6. 10 hours on a TT bike worked out fine
7. Make sure you have a plan for HR/Speed/Watts during the race
8. Use up all your available time. Could have easily squeezed out another 19 or 20 miles in the time left