Mid-Race Fade - Comments & Discussion

My tendency to fade mid-race this season raises a few questions worthy of discussion.

1. Did I mis-manage my pre-race nutrition? This is a question raised by an experienced coach after reading my blog entry. It is an interesting insight, particularly because we typically do not think that there is any risk of "bonking" in a 'cross race that is only 45 minutes long. But 'cross racing places demands on your body that are vastly disproportionate to the length of the race. Just think of the energy used in pre-riding the course (particularly if you arrive at 8 a.m. or earlier for a 10 a.m. race), preparing your gear, staying warm in cold or wet weather, and in warming up for the race itself. On some mornings I would eat as early as 5:30 a.m. before driving to the race and then not eat at all in the hours leading up to the race. That was undoubtedly a mistake. Was it the cause of my fade? Probably not the only cause, but certainly a contributing factor.
   
2. Was it a strategic error to start really hard? Is it better to start conservatively and attempt to ride through the field during the race, or start fast and risk blowing up? I tend to favor the latter approach for several reasons: (1) People are closer together at the beginning, so you can make up places more quickly; (2) starting fast puts you in front of most crash-induced traffic jams; (3) everyone else will start fast and fade some, so the key is to fade less than them. The fast start brings the risk, however, that you'll blow up and be passed by dozens of racers, all of which will become hard to re-pass as the race goes on and gets strung out.
   
3. Did my training over-emphasize VO2max and under-emphasize threshold power? I think the answer is certainly "yes." I alluded to this in my previous post in my off-hand comment about doing only two laps of our 5-minute practice course. Early in the 'cross season I was pretty diligent in doing threshold intervals on the 'cross bike, including a couple of good rides out the C&O Canal Towpath. But as the season went on, I more often defaulted to using our Wednesday 'cross practice as my main workout of the week. These practices, while good for many things, cannot be considered threshold training. I should add that, by relying on cross practices, I was not exactly following the advice of my coach! If I had been more diligent in following his weekly plans, I very likely would have preserved more of my threshold power during the season. Next year, I'll make it a priority to keep up with some longer threshold rides and I'll encourage my teammates to vary our efforts at 'cross practice.
   

Reflections on 2008 Cyclocross Season

Reflections on 2008 Cyclocross Season
Successes

• JeanBean: Perhaps the most fun I had all season was watching Jean race. She’s fearless through the corners and a relentless competitor. She won several races and upgraded from Cat 4 to Cat 3, and then rode well in the Elite races. She’ll be a podium finisher in the Elites next year if she follows her current trajectory!

• Got the bikes dialed in. Both the pit bike and the race bike performed well this year. I also managed to dial in Jean’s bike pretty well. Jean had NO significant mechanical issues this season, and I suffered only two, neither of which were race-ending. Admittedly, we missed both local mud races this year because were out of town (Lilypons and Taneytown).

• Learned more about gluing and maintaining tubular tires. My new favorite tire is the Challenge Fango. I even was paid (in Belgian beer, of course) to glue tires for friends.

• Learned to dial in air pressure. I’m still fine-tuning pressure and learning to ride on less, but this year I seemed to find a sweet spot for many races.

• Had GREAT starts in almost every race, despite starting most of my races from the third row. With a few exceptions, I worked my way into the top 10 to 15 by the end of the first lap, usually within striking distance of the leaders. But see BIG FADE, below.

• Technical skills increased a lot this year – rode cleanly 95% of the time in every race. Only one crash, if you can believe it, and no injuries of significance.

• Dialed in the pre-race prep. This is a big one. With two racers, 3 bikes, spare wheels, a trainer, and other paraphernalia, it is quite a chore to get out the door, much less make it to the races with enough time to prepare properly. But this year we really dialed it in, making the pre-race time much less stressful than before.

• Friends. The ‘cross scene just keeps getting more fun as our circle of ‘cross-addicted friends increases. A two-day trip racing trip to Wisconsin, two racing days in Richmond, a full plate of local races, plus hosting friends from Pittsburgh and Virginia Beach made for a fun few months.
  

• Successful Tacchino Ciclocross. Putting on the Tacchino was exhausting, but it brought together our team and deepened our friendships within the community. Receiving complements from racers on the course and from the officials on the race-day organization was especially gratifying.

Problems

• BIG FADE in mid-race in nearly every race this season. In many races I’d be running in the top 10 after the first lap and would subsequently fade to the 20's. I’m still puzzling it out, but likely causes are a lack of endurance fitness as well as chronic low-back pain, perhaps related to my bike-fit. Or maybe we just need to do more than two laps of our 5-minute practice course at a time during ‘cross practice . . . .

• Inadequate fitness base (Chronic Training Load or CTL) coming into ‘cross season. By early September, I felt like I needed a break, but this was precisely when I needed to be raising my CTL coming into cross season. In hindsight, I think I tried to hold too high a level for the entire road season and ended up a little burned out at the end, which made it impossible to hit ‘cross season with enough training in the bank.