Speed Thresholds

Coming off recovery week. Friday 1:15 on the road bike. Dropped down into Ellet valley. Felt half great half sluggish. Sometimes pushing 17-18mph into the wind like it was nothing, other times sluggish legs trying to get up to speed on a hill. Normal for coming off some easy days.

Sat: 2:45 on Brush again. From home up Old Farm
NEW PR: up Old Farm
16:30 from first creek crossing too the top. Didn't even come close to cleaning it, but a PR is a PR. At the top I was into the red zone so bad I weaved into this little tiny sapling that grabbed my bars and stopped me cold. Ran the last 10yards to the top.

Previous PR was 16:50 and that didn't include this stump crossing at the very bottom that hung me up a little. And I'm so close, to making a another jump I can taste it. I'm knocking on the door of breaking another speed threshold.

Speed Thresholds with regard to mtb. This is how I think of them. There was this great article in MBA many years ago. Discussing why it is that pros and experts are and just look so FAST on the trails. Not just downhills but everywhere. The reason is that they've passed the speed thresholds. These are distinct levels of speed at which once you reach them it is actually easier to stay at that velocity than being just a little below it. All based on momentum of course.

You know this feeling when you hit some rock gardens and you're floating over them rather than getting sucked down in to them. In the former the effort required to maintain your threshold velocity is less through the course of the section because once you have your speed it's easier to hold it. Bodies in motion like to stay in motion, bodies at rest like to stay at rest. In the latter even though you are going slower which at first glance seems like you wouldn't be working as hard, you are now having to fight for every pedal stroke as your wheels hit rocks and get sucked into the gaps.

Last year I broke this PR by 1 minute. That is a huge huge increase. It was because I broke some speed thresholds along the route and carried more speed over a large part of the climb.

Yesterday there were several times that I backed off in an effort to bring my HR and breathing under control and fell below a speed threshold and slowed way down as I got bogged down in a section. If I just had a little bit more oomph to hang onto to the velocity to stay about the ST I could have rolled through the section with a lot more overall speed. That's where the huge gains in time come from and that's why pros/experts look so effortless as they just scream by.

The rest of the ride went real well. It's like a brave new world out there for me on these trails that I've ridden for over 10 years. Still trying to figure out how much punishment my legs can take. Was 1:30 into it taking the gap trails back the harder direction. Middle ring up this creek sort of bed lots of rocks, and into this really steep grinder grunt. Always granny gear down, and hover over the tip of the saddle and just try to keep the front wheel from wandering into the trees.

Entered the bottom in the middle and said what the hell, let's see how far I can make it in the middle. Cleaned it. Sure it hurt but no more than usual. In fact not gasping as usualy becase of slower cadence. Pretty surprised about it and stoked.

Later middle ringed through some rock fields. Not just super slow cadence grind, but almost spun through them. Done that before with fresh legs, but not after 1:45 into a hard ride. It's fun to discover again

Trying to work on my skills at the same time, applying some concepts from the new book Mountain Bike Skills. Information overload...tried to just focus on one or two things. Like braking and trying to hold the bar with a lighter grip. It was working sometimes, other times not. But over all getting better. My blister from last week is now 50% bigger.

Might be a chance of getting a coaching clinic here from Gene Hamilton at Better Ride. That would just be so incredible. I'm so happy to be riding strong, but at the same time not having as much fun as I used to on the trails. Wishing for a downhill to be over so that I can get back to climbing just is NOT right. That is like blasphemy. I'm not a bad rider, and can hold my own in most XC terrain, but I want to not be scared so much, and flow and fly again. But trying to coordinate something like that is tough 2-3days on a weekend.

When I got home felt like I'd been through the grinder. Brush is not an easy place to ride. It is pretty relentless with little buffed trail to cruise on. And when you're trying to push it the whole way I just get pounded.

Acheing bad as I rolled in. Ibuprofen, recovery drink..Wanted to roll out the legs with the rolling pin but go the kybosh on that because dirty sweaty legs are not allowed on the rolling pin used on food! Less than 1hr later at the park with little one. You know that saying about recovering from rides:

don't stand when you can sit, don't sit when you can lay down, and if you can lay down...sleep.

I hate that saying. Because it is so far from my reality that it pisses me off.