Tapering?

   I had been putting in the miles in preparation for a 65-mile ride organized by the South Jersey Wheelmen, and with just a couple of weeks before the event, I was feeling fantastic. I did a particularly challenging loop of 50 miles that started in Phoenixville and headed out into the hills towards Downingtown, where I would then make connections with several paved rail trails to work my way back. I was amazed at the pace I was able to hold, even over the final stretch of miles!

   Unfortunately, just a couple of days later I was hit by a sinus congestion/nasal drip problem that unfortunately got into my lungs. Riding became impossible when I found that I was unable to take full breaths without severe coughing spells.

   After a few days of recuperation, I did a couple shorter rides and my legs still felt pretty strong, but my breathing was understandably a bit rough. When I tried to bump up the miles, I was shocked that after about 25 miles my legs would just go dead. I thought maybe this was simply a case of having to back off the pace during the ride until I recovered, but it just wasn’t happening. I tried a shorter ride next time out, but my legs felt just as bad, and with a little over a week until the event, I was thinking the south Jersey ride was not going to happen this year.

   As it turned out, most of that week ended up having miserably cool, wet weather I decided to take a complete rest to see how my body would respond. I only did a light, half-hour session on the wind trainer one of those days, just because I was bored sitting around!

   It must have done the trick, because I tested myself on one of my most challenging regular routes which is packed with short, steep climbs, and I performed better than I ever had. Knowing that the double loop course of the south Jersey ride would conveniently allow me to bail, should I end up feeling like crap, I decided to give it shot.

   I tried to pace myself initially, keeping last year’s ride in mind when I went out way too fast and was fairly shattered in the last ten miles. I also recalled the return leg of the route, riding into westerly headwinds, which seem to always kick up in the flat lands in southern New Jersey and Delaware.

   I was relaxed and spun a reasonably low gear, but it turns out I was still tearing it up. My legs felt fresh and the early morning weather was cloudy and cool – very energizing to me! I made sure to keep drinking and was well-fueled with the gluten-free provisions I had tucked into the back pockets of my jersey. Except for the ever-present bananas, feed zones at events like these are usually stocked with no-nos for me.

   My food actually provided a bit of humor as I attempted to eat on the fly on a slight downhill section of the ride. I had packed a half of a crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, which I had flattened a bit (my gluten-free slices are usually a bit thicker) and wrapped in an easy to open foil package. I am very used to eating one-handed on rides, and that wasn’t an issue, but the high speed was causing my sandwich to vibrate as I lightly rested my “food hand” on the bars between bites. Because the bread lacks the binding sponginess of gluten, small chunks would occasionally loosen and break free in the wind. No one was accompanying me at the time, but he or she may have gotten an unintentional snack while riding behind!

   During my son’s graduation party on Sunday, I was talking to a friend who had been a cross-country runner about my recent strange swing in performance. He suggested that the rest was probably just what I needed before the club ride, and he made a reference to top-level athletes “tapering”, or gradually backing off the intensity of their workouts going into big events in order to be well-rested and able give their all-out best performance. He also theorized that I had been pushing so hard for an extended time with inadequate rest in between, and my body was starting to send messages to slow down.

   I took a very short, moderately paced ride Monday, just to work out some of the fatigue in my legs, as I was planning another fairly long ride this week. I also intend to do a ride down to the shore in a couple of weeks, but I will be sure to schedule some down time around those two occasions. I’m going to be more aware of my body’s need for rest in the future, and recognize the signs that I may be overdoing it.

   Just a quick update on the Saeco-Cannondale bicycle project – some decals arrived in the mail with which I could more closely match the team’s color scheme. Before and after shots:

I also purchased a nice used Dura-Ace 9 speed group on eBay (below). Once everything arrives, I will be just about set for completion – if only that Cinelli Alter stem would get here!