Last Saturday I did my first race since June, competing in the Highway to Heaven hill climb. This race is a .8 mile time trial up Illchester road; one of the steepest climbs in the area. That description makes it sound easy; it is not. I find I'm as nervous about this race and the pain required to do well as any race I've ever done. I signed up to race twice, which made me even more nervous. I raced once as a Cat 5 (the most novice class of bike racer) and once as 35+ (because I'm getting oldish). I managed to place both times, taking first place in Cat 5 and third place in 35+, getting myself a couple of medals (which my kids love to play with), a nice little bag of goodies and even a small cash prize!
Cat 5: Attempt #1
There isn't a long story to tell about a race that took just a bit over 4 minutes, but there is at least a little story. A lot of my AFC teammates do Illchester almost weekly as part of a group ride and know the hill well. I can't usually make that group ride and have only been up Illy a few times this year. I'm giving that as context for the excuse of poorly pacing my first race. As you can see in the picture above, you get lined up on the starter block and then off you go. I went hard up the first steep section and maintained a fairly high effort for the first couple of minutes. Then the effect of that hard effort started to hit and I struggled to keep going hard. Looking at my power numbers after, I set a two minute power best for that first two minutes, so it is no surprise I struggled afterward. The climb has a slight respite toward the end; a flat section before a final uphill section. It would have been nice to go fast on that section, but I just didn't have the legs for it. I stood to give one more effort up the last bit of hill, crossed the finish and then found a patch of grass to lie down and recover. Looking at my Garmin on the way across the finish, I thought I had done it in 4:15ish, but it was 4:18 on the official clock. I assume the three seconds was the time it took my Garmin to auto-start. That was a personal best time, but I was a bit disappointed. I had a reach goal of getting a bit closer to 4 minutes flat. In the end, my time was enough to win Cat 5. That isn't necessarily a reflection of it being an amazing time as much as that not that many people signed up for Cat 5. It was actually pretty hard to find on the sign up page; many guys ended up signing up for Cat 4 at least partially because it stood out better on the sign up page.
35+: Attempt #2
The week before the race, a teammate pointed out that there was only one entry in 35+, so anyone who signed up had a great chance to podium. I double checked that I was allowed to sign up for 35+ (in group races they don't allow Cat 5s because we are dangerous), and signed up to find that there were actually 6 guys by the time I signed up. Still, that seemed like ok odds. How hard could it be to race twice? I was having second thoughts after my first attempt.
I had a bit over an hour to recuperate between races. After spending some time chatting with team mates and friends, doing the Cat 5 award ceremony (oops, no picture!), I went back down the hill and did a short warmup ride to try to see how I felt. I definitely didn't feel fresh; that first effort had taken a lot out of me. I revised my plan for the second attempt; I would try to pace it much more evenly, taking the first steep section far easier than my first try. As I lined up for my second try, I hoped that my legs would wake up a bit once I got going. Fortunately, they did. I managed to pace things much better the second time; while it was still hard, it wasn't excruciating like the first time. In the end, I managed to finish in 4:21, just three seconds slower than my first attempt and slightly frustratingly, only one second behind second place. Again, it is worth noting that coming in 3rd was cool, but had everything to do with it being a limited field.
Awesome Video
A friend's blog post had this awesome video from the race. I'm featured toward the beginning, showing what it looks like to start the race.
Musings
I don't usually get philosophical during my blog posts, but something about this type of race creates a strange and raw mix of emotions. During and after the race, I felt so many emotions. The euphoria of feeling strong at the start. The fear of the pain that I knew going my hardest would create. The doubt and uncertainty about whether I had really given my best effort and preparation; you find yourself wondering if you couldn't have just gritted through it a bit more or done a few more intervals in the weeks leading to the race. Pride that I place well. Humble when I realize that friends managed to go an amazing 25% faster than I did! Embarrassment that I might not have lived up to my own and my friends' expectations. Relief that it was over. Most activities in my day to day life don't have the ability to generate so many and such strong emotions. I guess that is why doing this type of race is worth it.
Credits
I foolishly didn't have any photos taken with my own camera, so I'm grateful to NoFilm Photography for the pictures and video that make this post a bit less boring.
