So after a chance to reflect a bit more, time for some thoughts on what the Glasgow to Edinburgh ride has brought to me.
1. You can pick the race, but not the weather
That will always be the case, so I've got to be prepared for whatever is thrown at me. And as horrible as the conditions were yesterday, they could've been worse.
2. How hard can the metal aspect of endurance events be? Very
I spent long periods of the route on my own, cursing the weather and my tired legs & tight hips, but as I prepare for Challenge Roth, I need to be able to fight through these kind of things. So much work goes into the fitness side of things, and often the changes are clearly visible, but I guess a lot on non-athletes don't really know quite how much mental training is required to get you through these events. In that side of things, this event could prove invaluable for me.
3. Going long is achievable
A year ago, I bought my first (and current) road bike. 20km on it and I was blowing hard. Through longer and longer rides out with the club, nutrition failures and pushing myself up hills on my own I've come a long way since then; I know so much more about what it take and what my body can do when pushed. At the end of the ride today (thanks in part to the massive downhill I'm well aware) I could've carried on. Could I have got off and run a marthon? No, but then, thats for next year, isn't it! Even my recovery times feel faster, when popping out to the shops last night I took a gentle jog for the short 500m it was & my legs felt relatively fresh. After my first 10km run 3 years back, my legs were in bits for days. I've just done my first ton ride, and they feel so much better. I carry on, and long distance is mine.
4. Friends make it so much easier
I can't stress how important the support of Mark, Martin & Ross was on the day; they held back & waited at times for me to catch up, when they could've been finished much quicker and been out of the grim weather that much sooner. I know, you go out as a group and you stay as a group as much as possible, leave no-one behind, etc. But still. Appreaciated. And the run in at the end was plenty of fun with the banter.
5. My hill work still needs to be vastly improved
I've made good progress in this department, but there's still so much more to go. Practice & technique are two things, but I should also look at my positioning to make sure the power is where it should be. And then more practice. I should probably look at setting up some kind of program on the turbo looking at getting a good spin going for starters. And spin classes. Both worthy things to do over teh inevitable long, cold winter we have on our way.
6. Cleat positioning is important.
During the Strathclyde standard bike, I could feel my ITBs tightening up. I shifted my cleat round so that my foot & leg were in a more normal position for me, so that rather than knee being over the middle of the foot (as I've seen recommended as best technique), my toes were pointing out the way a little (when I stand I have duck feet). This seems to have relieved the pressure on my ITB, so I need to make some tweaks to my right shoe to get the same effect. After the bike, my left knee & ITB felt fine, my right... not so fine. If I can get this sorted, not only does it minimise the damage to myself, but it should also mean I can run faster off the bike. This actually came to mind after a conversation with Alasdair Marshall about biomechanics & running. So cheers Alasdair!
7. Find the positives wherever you can
During some of the darker moments, I managed to distract myself occasionally by thinking how this was all about prep for Roth & the fact that I was having such a horrific time at that point meant that I will be able to overcome so much in the future.
8. Sense of Humour Failures Happen
As Jo Hewitt keeps saying, these things happen. You can't control them, but you can control what you do next & you can refuse to be broken by it. So I will refuse.
9. Brighten the world, brighten your mood
During the route, I changed from TSR gray tint to amber high contrast lens that brightened everything on a dull day, and it did help improve my mood remarkably. It makes green lights look blue though.
10. I can be proud of myself
I gave myself a big challenge & didn't train for it specifically, heck, I only agreed to it a couple of weeks ago! I was relying on the fitness I've gained over the last year to pull me through, and it did. As a guage, it shows the massive leaps I've made since signing up for Lisboa, and that is something I'm immensly proud of. Now to make similar gains in the next 12 months!!!!
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