Training Thoughts: I want to focus more on the Kentucky Gravel Championships (KGC) here and then add some thoughts on my first week of focused work as I moved to the Hill Phase of my training.
To say I am underprepared for gravel racing, especially what might be called “Enhanced Gravel, is an understatement. The reason for the term “Enhanced” is simply to say that while some sections of the course are your standard gravel roads like you might find elsewhere there are those sections that really made more for mountain bikes and not gravel bikes even though were a number of us that went that route. Not sure about others but my reason for my choice is that it is the only off-road bike I have. As far as my preparedness for gravel, of any kind, other than a couple rides where there were maybe 2-3 miles of gravel the last time I rode gravel of any real measure was at last years KGC.
Funny part is there are parts of this course that I obsessed on knowing the technical aspects they had. The first was the Indian Ridge Descent as it gets rutted due to the rain and makes for some changing of lines and with skinnier tires for me, maybe not for others, is a challenge. Then there is the end of the downhill that gets pretty washed out and last year I bailed on it. Well, I did much better this year being about 2:30 faster but still bailed near the end allowing quite a few people to pass me but all in all better. The second area was one I had not ridden before in the direction we went this year as last year we went up Carpenter Ridge, so I knew the section as I had to walk up it last year was going to be a pretty steep downhill, and so it was. Once again I bailed and walked down as was not sure I was ready to let loose on it as once you get going it is hard to slow down. Once again got passed by many I had caught up with on the previous climb and those I had put some time on so when turned on the new section, Raccoon Creek Rd, I had to work hard to make up some time. The third area that is hard not to forget is Horse Lick road and all its mud. I mean lots of mud and a haven for 4 wheelers and side by sides of which there were many out this year. Funny part is when I got to this section I realized it is not just the mud that is an issue but also the rocks on the parts that are not muddy. This year I got there and shaved about 7 minutes off but was way slower than many others so again had to make up time I had gained on the roads and the less technical part of the course.
In all of this the general flow of the race was I would ride good on the flats and hills but when it went downhill significantly or got technical or overly muddy I lost all the time I made up. So it went for the day. I was glad I had gotten stronger with all the riding i had been doing lately as it sure did help when I was not wimping out on the sections I did not feel comfortable on. Also, the strength helped on the climbs as many are pretty steep and with gravel it is harder to ride with my gearing (34/50 X 11-32) which is a little steep and to keep it going you have to stay on top of the gear otherwise the wheel just start spinning. For example on Daughtry there is a really steep section and I was able to make it up without walking where I did not last year but actually had to walk a bit on the earlier part of the climb as I hit some gravel and just came to a stop and once stopped you have to walk/run it till you can get back on. The strength I have worked on riding thus did translate well to climbing since power is power and you need it when your gearing is not optimal.
I ended up with a time of 5:06 & 17th overall and 2nd in the 60+ category and then only by 4 minutes. Well over 4 minutes were lost on the downhills I had to walk but one thing I now regret was the last aid station at about 51 miles. I was not sure I had enough water so stopped to top things off but then realized I had plenty but spent about 5 minutes there let alone getting started again was slow. All that said my time for the course was about 24 minutes faster than last year and I think, and others seemed to agree, that the course was a little harder with more climbing and for me the trip down Carpenter was harder and slower.
Overall I am very happy with the race as it did show my training is working in that my strength was good and what failed me was my trail skills. That said I think I am a road racer at heart and the kind of gravel I think I would do better on is on the more tame roads that KGC did have, but not enough, and roads like at many other gravel races. I think gravel may end up with two distinct types of races, well I hope so, with some being simply road races on gravel roads and then the races that are a mix, or bridge, with MTB races like KGC. I say I would like to see it this way as I just like the idea of racing without the concern for cars, even though this year we did have to watch out for all the off-road vehicles that were out, and the less technical sections to deal with so falling on descents is not as likely to happen. Hope to get in some more rides before next years race but we shall see.
Equipment wise things held up great for all the rocks and rough downhills on the course. My Orbea Terra that I got from Mike Carrol at Grit Cycling worked great again. It is a little harsh on some really rough stuff but held up well. I used the Donnelly X'Plor MSO 700 X 40 tyres with 35PSI front and 36PSI rear mounted tubeless on Enve G23 wheels and no flats. I hit some rocks a few times that I was sure I would flat on and did not - thank you Lord. If I could I might like 42's but they will not fit my frame so 40's it is. So, other than lots of noises coming from the drive train and brakes near the end with all the mud on the bike it held up well. Might look to put on a 34 in the eyarfor next year but we shall see. While many have singe rings up front I know what I have is good for me right now as I need all I can on the more tame sections of the course.
See below for fueling for this 5 hour ride.
I also want to add that Keith of Boondoggle Events (FB Page) and Boondoggle Events (Web Site) did a great job on the race. I appreciate the work he did to make sure everyone was OK with the race going on with all the craziness around. We ended up doing a sort of TT start with groups of 5 being one minute apart. It worked well but was hard to tell where you were - the guy who won the 60+ started well behind me so never saw him so just had to ride hard, but I guess not hard enough. The riding hard at the end due to the unknown might be why, according to Strava, I was able to get into the top 3 for the last 5.6 mile segment that also included a sizable hill. Again a great ride and next years race is tentatively set for August 14th so join in the fun - Type 2 fun that is.
Now on to more running related thoughts. This week I moved into the Hill Phase of my Lydiard plan for running a good 5K the beginning of November. Probably should have started a week later with the KGC this week as a Hill Repeat and Fartlek sessions in the same week as a race was probably not the best taper plan. Oh, well it is what it is and other than my legs being a little tired it did not affect the race all that negatively. The hill work went well and as I will mention below was all done aerobically, even if at the top end of being aerobic. The Fartlek session was a little harder than planned but went well. I did not try to keep any particular pace but just worked to feel faster than normal and keep my form. The Fartlek session did show I have some work to do and the good part is that in the next 3 week I am hoping this will bring things together. The beauty is that hill work, due to it being more about form and strength, and Fartlek, which introduces some speed, all works to build towards the next phase where intervals are introduced.
As a whole this was a great week and does show my training is going the right way. The coming week is to be a little lower on riding miles, if I do not do a long ride Saturday. As I am heading to CA for work for the month of September my riding mileage will drop some that month due to time and not having my trainer with me but most likely my running will be a little more and just have to be careful how I increase it. I will also need to work when I am there on where to do my intervals but will work that out when I get there.
Overview of Weeks Runs and Rides:
As I moved into the Hill Phase of my training that aims for a good 5K the beginning of November the one conflict was with doing the KGC this week. While I should probably have just tapered and put off the hill repeats and fartlek till next week, I did not. I do think it may have affected me some as I did have some deadness in my legs in that while my energy levels were pretty good considering the course my legs were a little less peppy.
For the week I did a Hill session on Monday, did a 50 mile ride in the AM, that entailed a 4 mile warmup then using two shorter hills of about 0.1 miles each. I did each hill 3 times by going up one hill and doing more of a high knee form run up the hill. Then rested by running to the bottom of the next hill, about .33 miles from bottom of first hill, and then turning around and doing more of a bounding workout up that hill then rested by going back to where I started. I then cooled down 2 miles for a little over 8 miles for this workout. The repeats were, again, more to focus on strength and from so were not anaerobic at all. Was a good workout and sort of fun getting back to more intentional workouts.
The next change in training was to do a Fartlek (Swedish for Speed Play) workout on Thursday. For this the plan was a 1 mile warmup and cooldown with the middle section having a mix of short and longer speedier sections. The faster sections were not to be all out but at the higher range of aerobic work. The mix of sections was as follows: 0.5 mile, 0.25 mile, 0.4 mile, 0.4 miles and then finished up with 7 strides of about 10 seconds each. All in all a good start as did see some speed but also see the need to work on it more but within the context of the plan. The other run of the week was an easy 5 miler in the morning.
Riding wise I did lower the mileage for the mid-week in preparation for the KGC on Saturday and while having a couple faster paced group rides on Zwift they were controlled and felt good. I shared above about the KGC this week but would add that I want to look at ways to integrate bike riding into not just endurance work but for hill workouts, fartlek and intervals. While I think since I am focusing on a 5K in November most of those workouts need to be done running I do think I can get some benefit from a session or two on the bike.
All in all, a good week and a good race at the end of the week. If I did it again without a focus on an upcoming running 5K I would have delayed the Fartlek and hills till after the race but that was not how things landed so there you have it. So, next year if I do the KGC I will make sure to be a little more rested.
Saturday’s Kentucky Gravel Championships
- Monday AM: Ride #1 Warmup 4.21 Miles & Ride #2 50.17 Miles – Ttl of 54.38
- Monday PM: Run #1 Warmup 4.18 Miles & 2.1 Miles Hill Repeats & 2.29 Cool Down - Ttl 8.58
- Tuesday AM: Run 5.04 Miles
- Wednesday AM: - Ride #1 23.03 Miles & Ride #2 33.6 Miles - Ttl 56.63 Miles
- Thursday AM: Ride – 40.54 Miles
- Thursday PM: Run – Fartlek 5.57 Miles
- Friday: Rest Day
- Saturday: Ride KGC Race – 63.13 Miles
- Sunday: Rest Day
Weekly Totals:
- Running Miles – 19.1 Miles
- Running Time – 2:42 Hours
- Riding Miles – 214.7 Miles
- Riding Time – 11.18 Hours
- Total Miles – 233.28 Miles
- Total Time – 14:53 Hours
Diet Notes:
See below for Weekly ride fueling
Weekly Fueling:
Monday: AM Pre Ride – Cup of Coffee with Heavy Cream and 1 Scoop SFuels Life – During Ride – 2 -24oz of plain water - After ride had SFuels Revival
Monday: PM Run – About 4 hours after lunch and no fueling on the run
Tuesday: AM: Run – Cup of Coffee with Heavy Cream and 1 Scoop SFuels Life –
Wednesday: AM Pre Ride – Cup of Coffee with Heavy Cream W/ 1 Scoop SFuels Life During Ride - 24oz of Water and one banana - After ride had SFuels Revival
Thursday: AM Ride: Pre Ride – Cup of Coffee with Heavy Cream and 1 Scoop SFuels Life – During Ride - 48oz of Water
Thursday: PM Run – Ate lunch about 5 ours before run – nothing during run
Saturday’s Ride Fueling
Started out with a vest with a 70oz bladder with a mix of SFuels Train and Race+ and also two 24 oz water bottles. I did carry some extra SFuels Race+ on packets as well as a Vespa, Salt capsules, and a couple gels. As the start was cooler at 65F did not even need to drink for the first 10 miles. I passed on the first aid station at 24 miles and then at about 35 I topped off my water bottles but needed very little. Coming to the last aid station at 51 miles I contemplated not stopping, as stated above I should have passed on it, but did stop to make sure I was good for the last 11 miles but also found I needed very little water and with the lay of the land did not take in much in the last 11 miles. I did take a gel at the last stop just to be ready for the last two climbs. Looking back I did make a couple mistakes in that I forgot to take my Altred, salt capsules, but as it was not as hot as usual was probably not an issue, and the Vespa at about half way which I wish I had not forgotten as the Vespa and Altred does seem to help. With all this I did pretty well and finished strong and based on the Strava segment stats I was the 3rd fastest in the last 5.6 miles what I was pleased with. I do think I was a little dehydrated based on my urine color but not as bad as it has been in the past in races when I tend to either forget to drink or drink too much. As my HR was at an avg of 138 with a high of 155 by not using a lot of carbs - but did use them - I can say fat was the main fuel.
Pre-Ride Fueling:
- Coffee with Coconut Oil and Butter, Collagen, Heavy Cream (399.5/3.6) & 1 Scoop SFuels-Life
- 1 SFuels Bar
-1ea Vespa
-1ea Altred
- Also use AMPHuman PR Lotion
- Total: 647.5 Cals & 23.6 gr Carbs
Ride Fueling;
- 1ea of 70oz Bladder with 4 scoops of SFuels Train and 2 SFuels Race+, drank about 75%
- 2ea of 24oz of SFuels Race+ (100/15) – Drank 75% of it
- 1 Maurten 100 Gel
- Totals: 550 Calories – 73 gr Carbs
- Totals for Pre and During Ride: 1197.5 Calories – 96.6 gr Carbs
The Week Ahead:
This week the initial plan per my Hill Phase schedule is less riding mileage, at around 150 miles, and a little more running, at 25 miles. As I found out this week that I will be heading back to CA for work the end of the month I may do a longer ride on Saturday when I had non e scheduled and then take the weekend off next week to leave time to get things done before I leave. As with this past week I will have one hill workout and one fartlek workout similar to this week. One difference is the hill I may use it a little steeper and will do ¼ mile repeats on it, 8 total. For the Fartlek I will use basically the same course as it seem to work. For riding it will be similar to this week less the race on Saturday, but may ride longer.
Here is the schedule I shared last week:
Last Week's Overview #59
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