Part 3 is here
So, things didn't go all that well in the end. But, what could I have done differently?
Clothes
Would a different choice of clothes have helped?
This is a bit of a tough one. I had additional gear at T1 and I gambled on not taking it. In the same situation at T1 I would still make the same decision. Without knowing how much the weather was going to change I couldn't have prepared any better than I did. If I had worn less I might have dried out before the rain, and I might not have been so affected by the cold.
I could have worn overshoes, but I would never have thought of that before the race. I barely consider them as an option for winter races, certainly not for a summer / autumn race. I should have worn toe covers but I tore them last year when I had my crash and broke my collar bone and I still haven't replaced them. Ordered a new pair now. Might have helped a bit during the cold section.
Training
Another toughy. Could I have trained more?
Probably not. I pretty much don't have a social life, so it is work, train, sleep or TV. And I did way more than I had planned to. If I had put in more I think it would have become counter-productive.
But...Could I have trained differently?
Maybe. I could have run more instead of biking and swimming. I could have swapped out a lot of short runs for fewer longer runs. These might have helped a little, but they might have done as much damage elsewhere. So no, I think I got it just about right.
Race start
If I had been out into the water and had made the start line before they started it might have made 5 minutes difference to my swim time. This in turn would have put me in with a different set of racers on the bike. I would probably have still had to stop for the cold, but that would have put me amongst familiar faces during the section of the ride where I wanted to jack it in. It would also have meant I skipped my good samaratin bit. Could have been out and running 10-15 minutes sooner.
Course
OK, I couldn't change that, but I could have picked another race. I doubt that would have made much of a difference though. The Aberfeldy course would be fine on a warmer, and drier day. I would always have struggled on the hills but I would have made a lot of it back on the flats and descents if I had been warm enough. I also would have spent a lot more time in my TT position if I had been warmer.
I could have recced the course earlier in the year. I think that might have helped as I would have decided to take a second look at it pre-race. A few rides over that course and I think I could go faster just from knowing which corners closed in and which opened up.
Weather
OK, I couldn't change that, but I could have picked another race. I could have gone for a different time of year, or a different location to try and get better weather. Central Scotland in August was always a heavy chance of rain at least some point during the day.
Weight
Could I have been in better shape?
There was more of me than I initially planned to carry over the mountain. I was 78kg on race day. It wouldn't have hurt me any to be carrying 3 or 4kg less. But doubt it would have helped enough to make that difference either.
Fuelling
No, I got that pretty much perfect. I would have need more to drink on warmer day, but I would have taken more care not to lose my second bottle and/or I would have taken a replacement at the feeding station.
Hotel
Having to drive 40 minutes after the briefing on the Friday night and back again on the Saturday morning before the race cost me an hour that would have been better spent asleep. More importantly it was an hour or so of sitting in the car which probably contributed to my back and hip problems. That one I could have done better, would it have been enough to make a difference, hard to tell, possibly not.
Physio and Massage
This is probably the one thing I could have done much better. Stretching and rollering wasn't doing enough to clean up the niggles. It was getting me between sessions but I should have noticed they were coming back too quickly and known they were going to bite me on big days.
Overall
There wasn't much I could have done differently. Certainly not much I could have done to make a big difference. Maybe the physio and massage but when I started this year neither of those was an option for me and by the time I would have been able to go see them I was already settled into my routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment