Coach Sean Gilbert

REFLECTION

Now that you have begun to recover it is time to reflect on the season. This is the time evaluate the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of this year and reflect on your success. Review your training log and race notes to get this information or go by your best recollection if you didn’t keep a detailed journal. You will use this information to set realistic goals for the next season.

What do you need to evaluate?

Your best performances. List all of your best or A races. List your times for each event. Make or copy notes about the event. Key things to note are your taper, prerace (meal, warm up, stress level), the start of the race, any moments or conditions that you felt was particular strength or weakness, how you felt at the end of the event and finally how well you recovered from the race.

Once you have all of this in front of you review it. Either make a list or write out a description of your season.

Colleen Lynn, a client of Train Ready, offered her review of her season to use as an example. She used a form from one of Joe Friel’s books as a guide.

Here are five questions to answer at the end of your race (for me recreational)season and before starting to prepare for the coming season:

1. What was the high point of your season? Why does this stand out for you? Was it what you thought it would be at the start of the season?

Mid-July was my highpoint. I bested my RAIN time by over an hour from the previous year and finished much stronger. No tears this year Just a couple days after RAIN, I finished w/the leaders on the fast Tues night ride and took the bridge sprint. That was probably the most satisfying moment of the whole season. Especially listening to the excuses the men were making when a girl out-sprinted them. Oh yes, I took first in age division in my first and (so far) only (citizens) road race in early July. That took me completely by surprise yes, kids, periodization does work. Unfortunately I have not been able to replicate these successes since then.

2. What was your greatest disappointment? Why did this happen? Is there anything you could have done to have avoided it?

I enjoyed TOSRV, but ended up riding a much slower pace than I felt I was capable of. Forgot where I parked my car at the finish and lord have mercy, my butt was so sore after back to back centuries. ouchie-wawa Oh yes I lost a toenail, too, which still hasn’t grown back, bad news for my pedicure.

3. Looking back, do you think you trained as wisely and as hard as you could have trained?

Absolutely, I think this is the only year I’ve ever actually trained wisely. It was my first experience this year w/a coach, and his guidance made it possible for me to have the success I had this year. And when I was working hard in June, he encouraged me to push through and keep it going when I was tempted to give in to the fatigue.

4. What is the one thing you most need to work on for next season in order to perform better?

Developing more discipline to do my easy rides easy. I tend to go too hard on endurance rides and develop some really deep fatigue that leads me to taking longer periods than necessary off the bike.

5. What would you most like to accomplish next season? Is it a good stretch and yet within your reach if you do things right?

I’d like to do a sub-5hr century. And knock another 30 minutes off my RAIN time. Complete a duathlon 5k-30k-5k.

We will then use this to develop her season next year and set goals that are realistic and motivating. I will write more on goal setting coming up.

Urbanathlon photos on Flicker

Just got in from Chicago were we competed in the Urbanathlon. The race went very well we all stuck together and enjoyed the day as a group taking it all in together. It was a great way to spend the morning.

The day started with a cab ride to the start. Anything with these guys is a fun adventure full of laughter and a lot of silliness. Once at the start we checked in our things and decided what to wear for the race. A little hail and cool temperatures at the start required some planning to keep from being miserable for the next couple of hours.

We started out at a comfortable pace and maintained it for the remainder of the race stopping only to complete the obstacles laid out throughout the course. The first was a tires. This was the easiest of the challenges and everyone made to through very well. We then ran from Navy Pier along the shore line taking in the sights of the lake and the sky line. Next up was the monkey bar crossing. Again not hitches and everything is going along smoothly. We continue running to the furthest point of the race successfully conquer the Marine hurdles and head to the stadium were things slowed a bit due to traffic on the stairs. Everyone snakes there way up and down several stairs and exit the stadium heading for the finish. Just before the line we hurdle some cabs and scale the wall, crossing the line together.

The end of the race was a very cold rain and kind of dampened our post race plans so we headed back to the hotel to get warm and start our day enjoying the city.

Yesterday’s practice with Robert was in preparation for the 4th race in the 2009 Bike Authority Lake Effect Cyclocross Series in Willoughby, OH this Sunday, October 17th. Johnny Proppe joined us for the workout. He is a new addition to Team Lake Effect and Rudy reports that he is doing very well this season in cross and XC mountain bike racing.

The usual practice consists of working on starts, some cornering and dismounts and mounts. These starts led us to the first goal of the night. Getting the back wheel to stop when the brakes aren’t catching 100%. Cross is usually raced in conditions less than optimal for perfect bike operation. It’s important to get the most out of your bike no matter the situation. A lot of energy can be wasted with frustration.

In the previous race of the series all that speed he has built up and a little bit of a down hill almost put him on the wrong side of the tape in the first turn. So tonight we did some “fixie skids”, for lack of a better term and some input from Robert. This drill is getting up some speed applying the brakes and then lifting the back wheel, when it hits it should lock up. The unweighted wheel should stop spinning when it is force is relieved by letting up on the pressure. The impact will slow you dramatically. Robert informed me that fixed gear riders us this technique to get the cranks and wheel stopped allowing them to lock the rear wheel and skid.

Robert had two concerns for the upcoming race. The first was having to shoulder the bike up a pretty significant climb. The next drill was 5 x a paw to dirt, steep climb with the bike shouldered, remount at the top and ride around a more manageable section for the descent. Much steeper than the one he will be racing and we actually came up with another tactic for the race.

The second concern Robert had was an off-camber, left handed, 180 degree turn remount. So we practiced that a few times just to get the feel of such awkward conditions.

Robert gives some great advice on preparing for this weekends race on his blog.

The Fall -n- Leaf ride put on by Mid-Ohio Bikers was this past weekend. The Fall -n- Leaf ride offers two distances, 37 and 65 miles, and takes place in the scenic areas of southern Richland and northern Knox counties. Described by some riders as “the most beautiful ride they did all year”. For those of you that stick to racing may not realize the miles these riders cover in a season. If they say an area is a beautiful ride, believe it.

Colleen, pictured above at the RAIN ride, used this event as training for an up coming back to back century. Her description of the course, HILLY. With a large portion of the day spent in very high heart rate zones. The weather was also a little cool for her liking.

Colleen puts in an incredible amount of mileage during the season. This year she completed several of these “shorter” events as training for longer venues such as TOSRV , the RAIN Ride and a couple of other like them. TOSRV is a two day, 200 mile ride from Columbus, OH to Portsmouth, OH and back again the next day. RAIN is a 1 day, 160 mile ride across Indian take the Historic National Highway Route 40.

Check out a future post about her review of her season as part of a follow up to Ending the Season.

Team Lake Effect members spent last weekend in Cincinnati, OH racing in the UCI races there.

I’ll do more on those races and other events that happened last weekend like the Toepath Marathon and Fall – n- Leaves ride.

The 12th race of the OMBC Series was this past weekend at Mohican State Park in Loudonville, OH. TR coached athletes Luke Spisak, Kyle Spisak and Kelly Ayer raced the event all three have been very active in the series using it as training between more important races on their particular calendars.

The Spisak’s both felt the effects of some high intensity training blocks and didn’t feel has their sharpest of the season. They both put in good efforts and stayed focused on the bigger goal of Iceman Cometh. With some great feed back and adjustments that I have to make to their schedule they should be feeling the snap by the race in November.

Kelly had a great race on Sunday coming of a rest from her big race of the season, the Mohican 12 hr were she put in a great performance. The plan was to go out fast, coming off long hours on the bike preparing for the excellent season she had in longer races. She found her self in last place coming off the in last. She comfortably worked her way through the field and after one tumble backwards down a steep, technical climb. That she said she found “humorous”. Kelly found herself finishing 2nd, feeling good about her day and ready for the next race in 2 weeks. This time at Mohican Wilderness.

More information about the OMBC Series and results can be found at www.ombc.net.