Time Trial

Today was the first time trial I've done on the road since....well, since Augusta last year.  I wasn't particularly well-prepared.  I haven't been sleeping real well because of random nerve pain.  The last week wasn't a pretty training week.  I had to concentrate just on making the legs pedal, rather than any sort of power goals or training intervals. Work has been  stressful because I have a new boss and trying to balance work and training is becoming more and more difficult.

When my alarm went off at 3am, I really wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. But I pulled myself out of bed, threw on clothes and set off for San Diego.

My antipathy towards the entire race didn't subside as I set up my trainer, in the dark, at Fiesta Island.  My disdain for time trials (well, that's not true, I like racing against the clock the most) didn't decrease when I put on my skinsuit and the ridiculous helmet and shoe covers.  I rode over to the start line, not quite sure what to expect from my legs.

And so I set off - 7:18:30am.  At least I passed the trike and the 90 year old man!  I kept pedaling.  I lost all type of feedback from legs besides pain around midway through the second lap.  So I just kept pedaling, trying to monitor my effort through my heart rate.  I didn't think it was going too well.  But I kept pedaling, trying to feel the pressure/power on the pedals.

I rolled in at 34:43 when all is said and done.  That is 1:44/k.  The national standard is 1:47/k.  97% of the standard.  Not too bad.  Last May I rode the same exact course at around 39 minutes.

I am strangely disconnected from this result.  I should be elated.  This is the first time I've ridden the national standard on the road.  It may be due, in part, to my exhaustion from lack of sleep.  Or as I get further and further into this world of paralympic cycling, I am expecting these results from myself.

Track Worlds

This past weekend I competed in the Paracyling Track World Championships. It was my first international race.

To be perfectly honest, I was terrified going into the first camp.  I almost threw up as I pulled in to the Home Depot Center.  It was hard.  There were a lot of times I didn't feel like I could ride as hard as I was supposed to. There were times that I was disappointed with my performances.  But as each day passed, I became more confident and ready to compete at the next level.  I feel extremely blessed to have two friends at camp. Slowly I made more friends on the team, but I will be forever grateful to FF* and G for their encouragement, answering my stupid questions, loaning me gears (I promise to give them back) and making me feel a part of the team.  Rumor has it FF may have done some laundry for me at some point!

After a month of preparation with the National Team (and getting team clothes, (woohoo! No longer a second class team member), we entered the final camp that would lead us into the competition. 

As teams from other countries began arriving at the hotel, it all became even more real.  But the first big hurdle I had to get through was classification.  Now, we all know that classification was a difficult experience at Road Nationals.  I was classified as a C4 and told I was one point from being a C5 (C5 is the least disabled and C1 is the most disabled).  I had all of my ducks in a row. I had a gimpy speech prepared and all the reasons that my disability affected my riding. I guess I did a better job than I expected because the international classifiers decided I was a C2.  I was a little shocked to hear this.  Personally, this is better for my long term trajectory as the C2 time standards are lower and the competition should be a little slower.  From the perspective of the team, it would be better if I was a C3.    

I raced on Thursday and Saturday. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be. In fact, the 500m race on Thursday went extremely well. I placed sixth out of ten, while not stellar I accomplished my goal of finally beating someone in a bike race.  My time of 47.49 also qualified me for the National B team and was a PR by almost 4 seconds.  Thursday did not go so well. I also placed sixth in the 3k pursuit with a time of 4:44.  This was a few seconds off of the national standard and 3 seconds off of fifth place.  

A video of one of my races...

This is what I looked like after the race.

I'm proud of my first international race. Some things could have gone better (like being able to hear my splits during my 3k), but I didn't embarrass myself, I made a national standard (and thus the national team) and I didn't crash into the infield.

World Championships

On Tuesday, they announced the World Championships team.  I guess since it's published they can't take my name off the list!

This is a big opportunity for me.  I had six weeks to prepare for Nationals (after getting sick). I have a little more than 16 weeks to get ready for Worlds.  There are four camps in Carson in January to prepare for the competition.

Here is the information for the World Championships:
http://paracyclingla2012.com/folders.asp?uid=1

Track Nats

Track Nationals...I can't say that I am 100% happy with my performance, but it is what it is and I have to move on.

My track bike, Zoey, looking pretty in her race wheels

On Thursday, I raced with the elites in a 500m time trial.  I rode a 50.1.  I needed to get under 50 seconds to have a shot at being on the worlds team.  I was disappointed, but knew I had another time trial on Sunday.

 On Friday morning, I woke up and I felt good.  The first song that played on the radio was Coldplay's "Para-dise."  Ha!

I was freaking out a little bit when I got to ADT, so I took Pink Bike outside for a little spin in the parking lot.  I am very superstitious about seeing Notre Dame things.  If I lived in Chicago, the superstition would be useless because ND stuff is EVERYWHERE, but you don't see a lot of cars with Notre Dame stickers in SoCal. This was in the parking lot:

Must mean good things are coming!

On Friday I raced a 3k pursuit in the morning.  We hadn't focused on the pursuit at all, so there was no pressure. I just needed to do as well as I could.  This was my best race of the weekend.  When I was finished, I collapsed - always a good sign of a good race. The emerging time standard for the 3k is 5:09.  I got 5:10. I was the only C3 competing, so I won the National Championship jersey.  Oh well, Sunday was the most important day. 

Official results 

Gold medal in 3k pursuit

Yeah, we need to work on my podium efforts.

I woke up Sunday morning and pus was dripping out of my right ear.  I went to the track and had the EMTs clean it out.  I warmed up. I did a couple of good starts and efforts.  Right before the races started the officials came over and told me that I was being reclassed as a C4.  First of all, this meant that I was racing someone and I was the lower seed, so I would start on the backside.  We already know that I don't start well on the backside. In addition, this meant that I was racing against a much lower (lower meaner faster) time standard. I didn't do a good of preparing for the race.  There were a lot of people there that I knew (my family, etc.) and so I tried to play it cool. As a result, I was unfocused at the start line.  I false started once.  That threw me off.  The race itself was pathetic.  I knew I needed to do well, but I didn't.  I finished with a 51.15 (or something like that).  Emerging for C3, but nowhere near emerging for C4 and clearly not under 50 seconds.

But all is not lost.  In the conversations about my class preceding my race from Sunday, my attendance at the World Championships was discussed.  I don't want to jinx it, so I am not going to say anything.  Fingers crossed.

Every time I see this photo I am reminded of how stupid we all look.

Chris and Pax - Chris deserves his own medal for putting up with Pax and I for an entire weekend!

Pax warming up on my pink road bike.

Update

It occurred to me (after someone emailed me), that if you haven't heard the saga of the last few months you have no idea what's going on here. I started a blog a little over a year ago to communicate about a trip to Europe.  That was a great trip and now I'm on another adventure.

Road Nationals

(don't mind my finger!)

I never really wrote after the Road Nationals because it was a complete debacle.  But I think I need to get it all out and move on.  I need stop thinking about it.  The overall experience - of being with J1 and J2 and Super Blind was incredible! I miss them every day of my life. See post below The Clique. But the racing side, not so hot.

First of all, let's get this straight that we AREN'T talking about the Special Olympics. In my own special way, I might some day qualify for the Special Olympics. Perhaps most likely in the finding where you are and where you are going competition. But this is the Paralympics, the branch of the actual Olympics in which those of us with disabilities are allowed to compete against one another. In an attempt to level the field, the classify us by our disabilities.  There are handcyclists, tricyclists and those of that ride upright bikes.  People who are visually impaired ride tandem bikes - with a sighted "Pilot" (the person in the front) and a blind stoker.  I fit into the upright category, which is called C. There are five different rankings for C, C1 (most disabled) to C5 (least disabled, in most cases there is nothing wrong with her lower body, but she may have an arm amputation, etc.).  You race against people that are "like" you.

The day before the time trial four of us went to go get classified.  I was the second to last person of the day two classifying event. The classifiers were not suited for cycling.  One was from Canada and were not sure what she does and the other was a PT (we all know how I feel about PT) that had done classifying in swimming.  So J1 and J2 go in and come out. They are classified as C5 (most abled), neither of them thinks he fits this class. I go in, the nationals coach hopes I'm a C3 and I do too. They barely talked to me and told me I was a C4, one point away from a C5.  Well....shoot, really?  I am one point away from having normal legs?!  Why didn't someone tell me that?!?!?!?!? That pair of legs would have been a lot more helpful along the way in my life!!!!!

Sign from the basketball kids camp

So suddenly I was racing for a much faster time, against a much faster girl.  I had trained to hit a certain time.  My mind was a disaster - the day before this huge race.  On Thursday, was the time trial. It was 8,000,000 degrees in Augusta at the Strom Thurmmond Damn.  But thankfully, near the para start time it started to rain and cooled things down.  It wasn't a good race. I ran off the road once. I got passed by everyone and their mothers.  I threw up on myself.  It was all over disgusting.

Then I got pulled by the US Anti-Doping agency to be tested.  So this small little woman followed me around until I could pee in a cup in front of her!  Hooray!  Thankfully, so many hospitalizations have made peeing in some small receptacle nearly acceptable for me.

Hooray! My pee!  (and for those who wondered, I was cleared from doping!)

I had a day of rest because I didn't compete in the crit, but Saturday was the road race and that darned thing is hilly.  I got dropped right off the get go on the first steep hill. I hung the whole race with a C2. She claims we "worked together" but I think I did the majority of the pulling there.  In the final 500m we sprinted and I technically "won," even though we weren't really racing against one another because we are from different classes.

 I got second place in both the time trial and the road race.  And some people may say I should stop there.  But I think it's important to say, I got second out of two!  So I got second and last place all at the same time.

Here's a picture on the podium after the road race:

Next year, I'm going to show up to road nats and I'll know what's coming. And I'm going to make sure if I get second, I earn that freaking place - I don't get it out of default!

First "Real" Race

Today was my first real race.  My previous qualifying time was a special time trial at camp.  Today I raced Pink Bike in the CA/NV State Time Trial Race.

I was very nervous. I am very grateful that my uncle (referred to as Ding), was able to go with me. He was disappointed in my lack of bike knowledge. Gonna have to work on that!  He spent all of last night working with me on what equipment I need and talked me through the race.

The time trial was 40K - double the distance I did previously.   I was nervous because I've never raced and I was racing with able bodied bikers.  At the start line, some of the other women were very encouraging.  I'm pretty sure that my lack of time trial bike, aero helmet and the like assured them that I was no competition

When we got to Palmdale, it was WINDY.  We checked the wind advisory and it was blowing at 25 mph. I warmed up.  My standing start was pretty bad.  Need to remember to work on that.  On the first leg of the race, the wind was a tailwind. Awesome! I set up my Garmin so I new exactly my splits for each kilometer. Then I turned the corner and immediately hit the crosswind.  The second corner sent me in to the headwind.  It was blowing really hard.  I had to lean in to the wind not to fall over.  In addition to the headwind, there was a slight climb on this leg of the route.  I tried to keep my speed about 15 mph, but at times that was a struggle.

The good thing about people racing with disc wheels (not me) is that you can hear them coming up from behind. I was passed a lot.  But it didn't bother me.  I knew that all of those people were racing for a different reason and with a different set of body components.  I just concentrated on my computer, making sure I was keeping my heart rate in a range that I could hold.  Other than that, I looked at the ground.  I tried to tape a picture to my bike to inspire angry riding, but that strategy doesn't work for me. I ended up ripping the picture off and looking at the quote in Italian that is written on the top tube of my bike. I have NO idea what it says, but I like to make up things that it says.  Sometimes it says, "Just keep pedaling." Other times it says, "I know you're not trying hard enough."  When I needed other encouragement, I looked on my right arm to find the scar from Peter the PICC line.  Knowing that I survived that debacle always reminds me that I can do anything.  I kept pedaling. I just did my best.

After the final turn, we had to do the first part of the course again to finish.  Again, the tailwind was there. I was able to keep my speed in the range I wanted.  I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:10:58.  That put me at 1:53/k. The standard for Talent Pool is 1:54.  It felt good to accomplish that goal.

I wasn't sure whether I was going to like cycling after racing.  But I like it even more. I was able to use Pink Bike for what she is intended to do - race fast.