This weekend was the Wilderness 101 race in State College, PA. We awoke to 100% humidity and foggy conditions. Fortunately the cloud cover kept the temps in the 70s most of the day, so it wasn't blazing hot, but the humidity meant lots of drinking all day. We had a few sprinkles near the start and then got caught in a hard rain in the last hour.
Last year I DNF'd after going out too hard in the first third. So I was looking to meter my efforts out a little better this year and to still break the 10:07 time I posted two years ago.
The first section of the race went very well. I kept the heart rate in the 140s and 150s for the most part and got myself through the four climbs and to the Wipple aid station at mile 40 without much trouble. One of my brilliant moves this year was to strap the Gas Tank bag to my bike and fill it with food. I grabbed my sandwich after coming down Little Shingleton Rd and using the long flat stretch to eat a big meal before rolling in to the feed zone. I was able to keep this same nutrition strategy all race -- using climbs and flatter parts to eat from the bag and not spend as much time in the aid stations. I spent a total of 20 mins in aid stations this year compared to over 40 mins two years ago.
My dad drove around this year to meet me at Whipple and at the mile 70 station (off 322). This kept him off the course and it was nice to be able to meet up with him at key points.
I rolled in to Whipple right at 3 hours as predicted and was out after about 10 mins, taking a can of coke with me in the tank bag. The two big climbs loomed ahead. I was able to keep a good tempo using mostly lower gears to spin rather than grinding bigger gears. This helped keep the legs fresher. The descent off Croyle went well, I got held up by traffic about half way down.
At Aid 3 I grabbed more food and downed a Gator Aid and was out within 5 mins. Next up was the big rocky single track sections of Sassypig and Pigpile and Beautiful and No Name. The rocks were hard but I managed to pass through a half dozen people in there. This all the while fighting off cramps. I then went to my pretzels quickly and I think the salt and carbs helped keep off the cramps. Between Whipple (mile 40) and Aid 4 (mile 70) I must have past 50 or more riders.
I ripped through Aid 4 quickly, downing a gatorade, filling my camel back and refilling the pretzels. The long climb up Stillhouse was a bear and I could feel the fatigue in my legs. The going was kind of rough too which made the climb that much more difficult. I only picked up about 3 people on the climb. The next section on Sand Mtn felt long and arduous. The road kept going up. Then there was a ripping descent on a very rough road -- panther run. I kept hitting large rocks and having my bike be deflected a foot or more left and right. I must have really pounded the bike through that section, fully testing the suspension and wheel integrity. Then more fire road climbing with rumbling thunder overhead.
I breezed through Aid 5 quickly, only topping off the pack. It seemed like 9 hours was still a possibility. I really hammered the last 11 miles. 3 miles of bike trail, a medium big climb, and then 5 miles of rail trail. My legs were fried but I kept the pressure on. During the last big climb the rain came down pretty hard and we got plenty muddied in the last rail trail section. I finished in 9:03, just missing the 9 hour cut.
All in all, this race was a big success. I was aiming for sub 10 hours and beat that time by nearly an hour. I had cramps early but managed to subdue them and continue with the race. I put on a hard but even pace, especially over the last 60% and didn't blow up nor did I hold anything back. The only way to get faster is to do intervals and strength training ... gotta climb faster if I want to go faster.
No comments:
Post a Comment