Warming Up

Ouch. I was reminded of a couple "duh" lessons I should already know during the workout last night. I had scheduled myself for 3x4min "power" intervals, to be done in the wattage range just above my threshold range. This was to be my first foray into any real intensity this season. I did the intervals but I ended up cutting the ride's duration in half.

Last night's lessons:

1) Don't eat right before an intense workout (duh)
2) Warm up properly before doing an intense ride (duh)

I stayed a little late at work, hit the hardware store on the way home, then got caught in traffic behind an accident. Arriving at home late, my stomach was growling and my motivation to workout was dwindling. I threw down a quick mug of cereal and a salad. Sue left for folk group practice and I slowly pulled myself into the attic to ride.

I warmed up by spinning along for a while then hit the first of the three intervals. I was going along pretty well, but suffered quite a bit in the last minute of the first interval, and my wattage dropped off a bit. My stomach did a couple flip flops right after the interval letting me know it wasn't happy being stressed out while working on salad greens and garlic dressing.

I started the second interval and right after the second minute, I hit the wall and my wattage dropped through the floor. I could barely maintain threshold range, let alone getting above that. My lungs complained and my stomach threatened to show me what I had recently eaten. I made note of the location of the closest trash can just in case.

The third interval started off okay, within my target wattage range, then dropped in the third minute and I thought I was done for. But as the last minute approached, my legs suddenly picked up and I was able to spin back up to speed without too much trouble and finished the interval strong.

However, my motivation for completing my 1:30 ride time was shot from the queasy feeling in my gut, and it was getting pretty late into the evening, too close to bedtime for comfort. I dismounted at the halfway point.

I thought about the ride while stretching and gave myself a big dope slap. Don't eat right before a ride. No kidding. Also, before intense intervals, just like before races, especially criteriums and time trials, do a few short intervals of high power to get the lactic-acid-flushing systems going in the body. I had survived my first interval with flushing systems not on yet, but it had filled my legs with lactic acid. During the second interval, I ran smack dab into it all and my muscles just stopped working. By my third interval, the flushing systems were starting to crank up and by the last minute, my legs were back to working again. It was a very clear demonstration of the need to do intense efforts while warming up. It took me a few years of racing to realize that a proper warmup included intensity, and that although it seemed like I was burning matches I could use later in the race, it actually would enable me to work more easily at a higher intensity earlier in the race without building up lactic acid that would cause me to hit the wall and get dropped on the first couple race efforts.

Tonight I'll be on the bike enjoying some threshold intervals which will be longer, but much less likely to bring up my latest meal.

See you on the road.