Frostbite TT

This weekend was my first opportunity to test out my fitness on the bike and to reexperience the pleasure of lactic acid...a substance that has been completely foreign during bike training since starting the MarkAllenOnline training program this season. I anticipated a less than optimal race, as I figured I would need to have done some threshold work in order to do well in the race again against the clock. Much to my surprise, I had a fantastic race! I have iliac steal syndrome, so I haven't done a TT in the last 3 years without my left leg totally malfunctioning at some point during the race (if I'm unlucky, at the beginning...If I'm lucky...toward the end). I couldn't believe it, but my left leg worked the whole time! It was awesome. I raced as hard as I possibly could and loved it. I was gasping for air and my max HR was a mere 162, even loaded with ultra-caffeinated Costa Rican coffee. I guess this "building the aerobic engine" stuff works : ). I ended up finishing in 32:06 for a 14-mi TT, giving me 1st place in the W35+ category. The cool part was I was only :57 and 2:07 slower than 2 top NRC racers, Georgia Gould and Meredith Miller. I would have expected a 3+ minute gap for those two for this distance, so I'm feeling pretty positive about the upcoming bike racing and triathlon season : ).