![]() Run
![]() Transition 1
![]() Bike
Comments: I pushed hard on the bike which is something I've never been really good at. Since this was the first time out for the race wheels, I didn't think to move my speed sensor from my normal wheels, so all I had to go on was my heart rate which ended up working pretty well. I battled w/ Eric Greene throughout this ride but he left me for dead on the run. About a mile and a half from the transition, Katie caught me on the bike and at first I was a little pissed at myself for allowing it, but the truth is she's a damn good cyclist. What would you do differently?: From a race strategy standpoint, I probably shouldn't have pushed so hard on the bike, but I feel like I gained a valuable mental edge from it. I now know that I need to give my bike training some attention. What would I do differently? Train more ![]() Transition 2
Comments: ehhh - kind of a crappy transition. I just wasn't prepared for it. What would you do differently?: Mentally rehearse my transition before I get to it. Usually, I'll walk through the TA and picture what I'll do during the race, but I didn't do that this time. ![]() Run
Comments: As soon as I got off the bike I knew my run was going to be pretty tough. First, my legs were absolutely toast and we started off w/ a nice uphill. My legs weren't turning over and my HR spiked up over 180, so I decided to walk until I got everything under control. Of course while I was walking, Katie and some of the other familiar faces passed me again. This time I handled it much better and just focused on MY race for the moment. I re-started my shuffle/run just before the top of the hill. I suspected Katie would be running at roughly my usual pace and it was easy to see her since she was wearing a pink shirt, so I decided to keep her in sight as we turned onto the muddy trail. From there until the water station, I kept my pace consistent. My legs were still worked over from the bike and I didn't want to blow up in the middle of the race. After the aid station, we turned onto pavement and my legs felt much better, so I slowly started reeling in each person in front of me. I finally caught Katie just before we turned onto the concrete trail to the finish (Big thanks to her for pulling me along even if she didn't realize it) and pushed until the finish. What would you do differently?: Train more. I did the best I could with the fitness I have, so no complaints about my performance here. ![]() Post race
Warm down: Walked and chatted w/ everyone. What limited your ability to perform faster: My training. Unfortunately this is always the case. I'm just not consistent enough. Event comments: The Chilly Cheeks is a no frills kind of race, but it's got great character. No matter what, you know you'll be going to a race and the atmosphere feels like you're racing a bunch of friends. Maybe that's because there's so many BTers that show up :) Last updated: 2008-02-16 12:00 AM
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United States
Racing Underground
50F / 10C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 40/193
Age Group = 39 & under
Age Group Rank = 21/60
I haven't done a race report for any of the Chilly Cheeks races this year, but for me, this one was such a break through on so many levels, I thought I should document it so I could re-read my thoughts later on.
First, I bought a pair of 404s back in October and hadn't ridden them yet and this race would be my first opportunity due to the weather at the first two races. Anyway, I ended up spending about 2 hours last night getting my derailler adjusted. Keep in mind that until now, I've been afraid of that mysterious thing. Well last night I finally buckled down and figured it out with a little help from SheldonBrown.com. By the time I was done, my bike was shifting better than it had in a long time. That's break through #1. My Zipps were on and my bike was ready to rock.
The morning of the race, I switched from my typical pancakes and eggs to a bowl of Wheaties and a banana. I love my pancakes and eggs, but I thought I'd test out a lighter breakfast and it seemed to do well.
At the race, I got my transition set up, figured out what to wear and did a little socializing w/ other BTers. I met Mtskibum for the first time and he seems like a pretty cool guy.
Just before the race, I rode down towards the boat ramp, did a couple laps around the parking