Recovery and re-entry

On the second lap of the first loop on the World 24 Hr Time Trial I ran out of liquid nutrition one hour before I finished and I ran out of water 2.5 hours before I finished. So many flat tires, waiting, etc, made that lap almost `forever.'

When I finally did come into the finish it was around 11:30am. As JV mentioned in his posts the weather was unusually hot.

Dehydration combined with the intense heat took a growing toll on me as I was wrapping up and loading the car. Dehydration is like that. You don't notice it until it's almost too late.

Despite the fact that I made a good effort to rehydrate at the end ... the heat threw me. The Garmin registered between 96F and 104F the last half hour.  For a while I was actually seeing `spots' in front of my eyes. That's when I got into the car and cranked up the AC for about a full half hour.

Wisely, when I got back to the hotel I just lay down, continued to hydrate and take it easy. Seemed to work. The next morning - early - I felt almost 100%. Walked around the hotel grounds, had breakfast with a few racers and our wives, and got in the car and drove for six hours.

Since last Saturday I've been taking care of domestic and family duties I had neglected for a few weeks before the race. So, today ... I'm ready to get back on the bike and train again.

I'm actually very surprised that I've recovered so well and so completely. I'll be 67 in a few months and ... I'm sort of expecting it to show.

Now that it is `winter' out here (much MUCH less severe than Chicago) I'll be back doing about 50-50% indoor / outdoor training for a while. (Frankly, I can literally avoid winter completely by driving 16 miles and 3,000 feet south --- which I'll build into my training for the winter).

Looking back on the WTT24 I'm very, very pleased with my performance. My first lap was competitive with JV's, except for the flats. After that it all went to hell fast.

I consider the WTT24 performance a good indicator of overall fitness and endurance. It makes me want to target UMCA events and compete, which is something I've not done in the past. (In the past I knew I was a working stiff and could do myself more harm than good).

I don't think I want to afford making it to Sebring this February. But there are several local events (300 miles or so from my house) that I can target.

As well, if I'm going to `compete' I need to round up a crew so that mechanicals don't undo good effort.

Should be a good winter.