Last night I managed to screw up and miss the group as they left our North Vancouver meeting area at 6pm. Coming over the bridge during rush hour was not enough, as I battled the North Shore traffic along Marine drive on my way to the Rona shop where we were all to meet, I was congratulating myself for having timed this drive perfectly. I would arrive at almost exactly 6pm, the time of our departure. I could get ready to ride in less than 2 minutes and BOOM, I'd be off to Horseshoe Bay with the North Shore Tri Club for their weekly Wednesday night ride.
Pulling into the parking lot, I saw that nobody was around. "F#$^", I thought, "they didn't even wait 2 minutes for any of us latecomers!"
I then called my coach, who was also supposed to be there, to let him know that I had showed up but was apparently too late. To my surprise, Dean answered his cell, and proceeded to chastise me because, well, I was at the WRONG Rona Shop... And, since everybody was getting ready to leave from the RIGHT Rona Shop, they couldn't wait for me.
So, I got back in my car, and drove to Park Royal, hoping I could get a little bit ahead of the pelaton and join up with them there. But North Shore traffic is not cooperative. In fact, I'd say that North Shore traffic delays are inversely proportional to the anxiety of the person who needs to get somewhere in a hurry. The more you need it, the slower the traffic goes, and the lights invariably turn red at each and every intersection. Yes, I know Einstein's little relativity theory, but I will contend that on this day the biking spirits were testing me...
I got to Park Royal just in time to see a group of three ride by. As I got ready, I realized there were no more riders coming, so I knew I had to catch up. I flew out of the gate up Marine Drive towards Horseshoe Bay. I deduced that if I rode a little harder than usual up the many hills on the way, that I could probably catch some of the stragglers. I was a little disheartened when I finally arrived at Horseshoe Bay, only to find that there was nobody. But, I did catch the three riders who had passed by about 5 minutes before I got going... Unfortunately, those three were not riding with the group. They invited me to ride with them, but I was determined to catch up with somebody I knew... Too bad, too, because one of them was quite a cute girl and I figure with the speed I was trying to go she must be a pretty good rider...... But I digress!
I turned back up the hill, and managed to run into a member of our group, Duncan, who was "sweeping" (the last man back to make sure everybody's okay). He proceeded to tell me that the main group, including my coach, had passed by a few minutes earlier. Okay! I'm just behind them. I turned onto the highway and proceeded to push up the three main hills that take you back home from the Horseshoe Bay terminal. Again, with the hope I could catch the group in mind, I was riding up the hills with fearless abandon. However, with each crest, as I looked ahead, I could not see anybody in front, and now, having rode past our sweeper, I could not see him behind me. I was a little discouraged, believing that I was either going slower than I thought, or not gaining any ground (at best) despite believing that I really was pushing my limits. There is something unnerving about believing you are giving it and hammering, but not getting anywhere.
I pushed up the last hill past the Cypress Mountain turnoff, and my legs were burning. Three days of riding already were taking their toll. Did I ever mention biking is my weak link?
Finally, I pulled into Park Royal, having caught nobody, having spoken a few select words - a real challenge for me to speak little - and having put my maximum effort into the entire ride. Average heart rate for the entire 90 minute ride was 155, and I was able to max out at 178. Vince has me somewhat interested now in picking up one of the more technical heart rate monitors so that I can start tracking my altitude and speed and graphing it all out. It would be interesting to start really doing this scientifically and see how it all fits together... But I'll save that for the next time (yes, I am already thinking of my next race). Maybe somebody can tell me how far I went, though, because I can't quite figure out how to hook up my MEC bike computer - okay, maybe I shouldn't be worried about a heart rate monitor with all the gadgets until I figure that out.
I don't have any race reports to put on here yet, so this will have to do! Vancouver marathon is coming up, and I am off to Atlanta for four days beginning Friday, so I'll be on a "running only" diet until Monday night - I don't know if that's like the South Beach diet or not.
Have a great weekend and good luck to those who are doing a Hill Time Trial on Saturday at Cypress Mountain... I'll be looking for the reports to see what I should be aiming for!
"The best motivating is self-motivating. The guy says,'I wish someone would come by and turn me on.' What if they don't show up? You've got to have a better plan for your life." - Jim Rohn
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