tuesday night time trials: week two

Holy @#$%… that was COLD.

Wearing just a SOAS kit and arm warmers – the forecast wasn’t supposed to be rainy + 52 degrees! – I was a bit under dressed for week two of Tuesday Night Time Trials. And, as Nick and I drove to Medina, I was kicking myself for not having him bring warmer gear from home (I brought my gear to work, and we met on the way, so I didn’t have to backtrack across MSP).

After signing in and picking up my race number, I bolted back to the car to stay warm – and crossed my fingers the rain would stop by the 7p start.

It didn’t.

I was thisclose to bailing and whined a lot to Nick about the weather (I’m three for four on rainy races in 2013… I hope it doesn’t become the norm this season!), but after seeing everyone else warming up, my competitive side got the best of me. So, I sucked it up, threw on some arm warmers and socks and pedaled off on an uneventful seven-mile warm-up.

Once moving, it actually wasn’t too bad. Cold, yes, but tolerable enough to race for 30 minutes.

During the 10 minutes I waited in line to start after my warm-up, I did two things: 1) shivered uncontrollably; and, 2) told myself that I would just enjoy the 11-mile ride.

But, no matter how many times I tell myself to just ride (or run) and not race, it never happens. Two minutes in, my heart rate hovering around 150, I decided to ride the best and fastest I could in the dreary conditions. Besides, the faster I biked, the faster I would be done and back in a warm car with heated seats.

The race itself was fairly uneventful. The rain continued, the road was slick. My socks were soaked, my toes were numb. And, while one girl passed me – gah! – I caught the guy in front of me, which was fun. It even seemed a tiny bit easier than week one, though according to my heart rate data, it was about the same (week one: average 155 + max 168; week two: average 153 + max 167). Maybe I’m just getting more comfortable with the uncomfortable!

official results | 30:51.274, 21.4 mph average, 1st AG, 5th women’s open class.

Given the weather, I was surprised my time was seven seconds faster than week one. It’s gotta be the sweet race wheels friend Jon Vick loaned me 🙂