4/08/98
Last week, I finally felt I was completely over my sickness, and any slowness was due to my general lack of speed. April 4th was the Volunteer Park Crit, which apparently is the longest running race in the Seattle area, going on something like 37 years. The road surface also seems to be going on like 37 years, as it is very rough at spots, but actually rather smooth at other spots now that I think about it.
I showed up to the race really early, and caught the beginner's race, which only had 7 racers. I should probably have raced with those guys, since I'm so slow. But if I lost to those guys, my ego would take a huge hit. Basically, I hung around, watched a bunch of the earlier races, and talked to my team mates, and some of the other guys I met last year during races. Then it was the 4/5 race. It was 30 laps, and I don't remember how many I did before being lapped last year.
I think I need to start the race trying harder. I think I try too much to be relaxed, and I end up off the back trying to catch up for the rest of the race. I finished 7 laps, I think, before the motorcycle that was leading the pack caught up to me, resulting in the automatic end of the race for myself. I thought when I passed two guys on the 3rd lap or so, we could work together, but by the time I looked behind me, no one was there. So now I feel like I'm fast for an also-ran, but not nearly fast enough. But I guess I'll get plenty of crit practice at the Thursday night Seward Park crits, which are starting this week.
After the race, I did some lab work, but I was feeling so bad about the race, I went for a ride, and punished myself by doing some hills (Juanita Drive). I was kind of pooped at the ned of the day, but I decided to do the team ride on Sunday instead of going to Vashon Island to race, since that course is probably hillier than the crit, and even less suited to my current fitness...
Don Wells was supposed to show up, but we didn't see him. Don Perry moved the start of the ride up 30 minutes, and he and I left a message on D.W.'s machine, but maybe he didn't get it. D.P., Ken, and Tony showed up. Don P. told me how he and the other Master's racers did at Volunteer Park. I didn't hang around at the race long enough to see those guys. I think Don did pretty well, but I don't remember the placing, and the results aren't up on the www.bikeride.com web site yet. Ken was saying that today's ride was going to be really tough, since D.P. did well on his junkier bike at the race, but today, he was riding his Merlin. We went on a very hilly ride. Up Norway hill, down to the base of Juanita, through Kirkland and Bellvue up some rolling terrain, and back accross I-90. I think I would have felt better on the hills if I didn't do the hills the day before, but I think it was very good training for me. Tony pulled off once we crossed I-90, since he lived over there, and Don went to time-trial mode since he had to be back home. Ken and I stopped at a 7-11 near the university and rode back at a leisurely pace. I found out which house Ken lives at. He lives right off the Burke-Gilman trail, up a really, really steep driveway. I thought my route off the BGT was steep, but this one is more so. I could barely get up half-way. One of these days, I'll try going up it when I'm not so tired.
Yesterday (April 7th), I went to Marymoor Velodrome for the weekly (actually now twice-weekly) track training session. I had last been there the Thursday before. That time was a fairly unorganized training session, people pretty much doing their own thing. I was part of a pretty fast paceline, when two people, a man and a woman wearing Master's World Cahmpionship jerseys showed up with expensive and very aerodynamic-looking pursuit bikes showed up. They joined the paceline, and the tempo immediately increased. For about 8 laps, it was no problem for me to keep up, but eventually, the speed was too much for me. I said hi to the woman, who's name is Chris, I think. And yesterday, I learned the guy's name from Matt, but I forgot it. I think it was a name I kind of recognized from some biking periodical.
I did some paceline riding yesterday, and Matt showed up too. Just when things were getting interesting (the two Master's people showedup again), it started to rain. At first, it wasn't too bad, so we continued, but eventually, the rain became much worse, and the training session was cancelled, which was a shame, since me, Matt, Mark, Mike G., and even Don P. showed up. Don, Mark, and Mike didn't even get a chance to get on their bikes.