It Never Stops. And That's a `Good' Thing.

Over the weekend I did a `ride qua race' (for me, at least) called the Skull Valley Loop Challenge.  The course, road conditions, weather, terrain and number of entrants couldn't be better.  SVLC Route

This was the third SVLC in a row for me.  My times are as follows:

2011:  3:21:00
2012:  2:49:00 Garmin Data - 2012
2013:  3:10:00 Garmin Data - 2013

I was disappointed with my time this year, of course.  On comparison of the Garmin data of 2012 and 2013 a glaring difference became apparent: in '13 my heart rate was much more elevated than in '12. 

Long story made short: if you're going to try to `race' a short course don't train for a long course. 

In 2012 my training was more intense.  I pushed myself for speed on the climbs as well as on the descents. 

In 2013 my training was much less intense.  I did far more long, slow, multi-hour training sessions.
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In 2012 I allowed myself to coast down the mountain (max of 48 mph) during the first half of the event and then applied intensity and effort to the climbing back up the mountain in the last half of the event. 

In 2013 I pushed myself hard down the mountain (exceeding 53 mph) and didn't have the training-built stamina to maintain the intensity for the climb back up. 

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The 5 mph addition in 2013 was at the cost of physical capacity to maintain the pace for the race. 

Not complicated.  And had I been paying a 3rd party to structure and supervise my training I would have been corrected and put on a different training track.

I can be properly faulted by not paying for a coach.  But, frankly, I'd rather take this `lesson' than spend my money for a faster, more effective, lesson. 

Lifestyle: as disciplined as I am I'm too stubborn to place my own cycling so central to my everyday priorities.  It's not that I have so many more `honorable' priorities (e.g., family, friends, etc).  I just don't want to be on that treadmill.  I simply prefer to be stubborn and undisciplined in this way. 

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Going forward.  Next year I'll spend the 8 weeks preceding the SVLC ramping up the intensity level so that I can have more stamina and rationally expect as good or better outcome than my 2012 time. 

It never stops.  And that's a good thing.