Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Day one - track camp

The 6:15 wake up call this morning came a little earlier then wanted, as they always do. But I eagerly jumped out of bed, put the water on for some via coffee and got ready to go. I packed my to go bag the night before so the morning agenda included waking up, drinking some java and catching up on some blogs. There's something about reading about other people's lives and experiences that is truly inspiring. Speaking of which, if you know of any blogs out there that you hit regularly and would like to share, please do!

I digress...

We arrived at the track at 7:30 for our first early morning meeting before the serious work starts at 9am. Benjamin Sharp does a great job of covering the basics (sprinters line, being predictable, communication, no mans land, where warm up starts and ends, etc) and it was nice to get a refresher and make sure we're all on the same page.

On tap for today was three flying efforts - a 1500, 1000m, and 500m. They were all done individually and are used as a baseline test to find out what tools we have to begin with and where to take things. It's also a great indicator of what your strengths are... Such as do you go out hot and then fade? Or are you a steady sister who can just churn away even splits all day long? The nice thing about the track is that you get instant feedback. Go too fast and you pay dearly for it. Go too slow and you have something left in the tank. And the timer never lies.

So what did the timer say? Good things, all very good things. When I spoke with Jennie later that night and relayed my times she said that I shouldn't act so surprised. But I still have this pinch me, I must be dreaming residue left over from nationals. I guess the moral of the story is get used to being fast because I am fast!

After our track session we headed out for a road ride around p.v.. Unfortunately the LA area is not known for its road riding...as there is only one ride. And the locals in the area seriously hate cyclists. Riding single file in some areas is absolutely necessary if you want to get home in one piece. But having a big group of 11 meant we could ride two abreast the entire way back to the velodrome and take an entire lane to ourselves. I must say, that recovery drink has never tasted so good. And getting out of the chamois after six hours felt great. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tomorrow we do a little early morning spin followed by some team drills, which should be good I look forward to figuring out some pacing methods, that's for sure!

No comments: