Finally, on last Monday I felt somewhat back to normal. I did a long bike ride on Sunday, 50 miles in the beautiful Wisconsin countryside, only got lost once, and felt fine after the ride. I feel I can think critically again and I have some of my stamina back. I even felt good enough to go on the Robbie ride on Tuesday, which is always a 10+ ride. I did well but was exhausted after the ride because I rode at LT for 15mn then a 2mn break then at LT for 15 again. When I checked my numbers my average HR was 173 during peak times and that is over my LT and at 1 time my HR was 183 which is max. These numbers mean I worked way too hard. So I asked myself why did I work so hard?
I think the answer is buried within my experience in France and the ETape. The ETape has given me a ton of confidence. I now feel I can do anything. However I am learning I can not do anything at the speed I think I should be going. My tendency has been to ride too hard and blow-up rather that ration my resources over a period of time, this is called burning too many matches too soon. I need to relearn and remember what my limits are and then not burn those matches all at once.
I am a little disappointed I am not as fast as I want to be. Yet I am a ton faster then I was and I am riding a ton better then I have ever thought I could. I am not sure if my expectations are not reasonable or I am not riding smart. After Tuesdays ride I know I am not riding as smart as I could be, so I am going to concentrate on being a smarter rider. The coaches at VQ said follow the plan and you will get faster. I just need to make sure I stay within my ability and be a good tactical rider. Being tactical will allow be to be fast and efficient. That is my ultimate goal.
Hope to see you on the road. JAM
