I was eager to try out my new steed (the Ellsworth COefficient) for the first time in a race situation. Also, I was curious to see where my fitness was as I have been un-training for the last 6 months - doing whatever strikes my mood. I definitely still push myself, but don't do any structured cycling workouts. So, I signed up for the Beat the Clock time trial.
I rolled up just before the start having parked at Woodside Town Hall and used my ride in as my "warmup". It was near freezing and raining. I had 3 layers sausaged under my skinsuit and the seal skinz on my feet. I was happy to see teammates - Marsha, Liz, Andrea and Cammy around, as well as a few other brave souls who showed up despite the weather.
I got a good hold from veteran TTer Lisa and a good start. I was a little tentative with the wet conditions and the new bike. I never let myself touch the brakes, but I also didn't put as much gas into the downhill sections as I normally would. I felt it was going to be hard as the winds as well as most of the climbing would be back-loaded with the storm coming in. I was happy to see I was able to "spin" in some slightly larger gears than in previous attempts. That was a good sign for my power output. I had no computer at all on the bike, so I was just "keep looking at the horizon and go as hard as feels reasonable". I was planning a 10k run for the following morning, so definitely held myself below the "all out to puking" effort. As I crossed the line, I felt reasonably well, looked at my watch, and knew I had posted my best time on the course....but not sure of the exact time.
When the results were posted, I was 31:27...WAY better than my prior best of 32:45. Yay! I don't know if this is a testament to the awesomeness of the new bike or to just letting myself have fun...but a good result, nonetheless. I'm looking forward to going under 30 mins for the first time when the conditions are good on this course and I'm able to put on the aero wheels, too.
