Reflection on my Hour Record Attempt- a week later

a self evaluation and therefore no doubt skewed!

With 2 hour attempts under my belt, I'm delighted and somewhat relieved to report that particular monkey is well and truly off my back. 

After my first attempt I was keen to try again...which is not how I feel now.  What I feel now is that  the mark has been made in the sand...it's a soft record and there's at least one person I know who will no doubt give it a go and will smash it...and good luck to her.  Records are there to be broken and if I *ever* do this again it will be as a 70 year old...but please, please stop me when I start talking about it!

So while the World record  will go fairly rapidly, the Australian one will stay a bit longer, if only because there aren't too many female 65-69 year olds racing in Aus.

There was quite a difference in the training and execution between my 2 attempts resulting in a more planned approach this time round.  I walked away this time knowing that I had nothing left in the tank and that my physiological limiters have a lower set point than my mind!  does that make me disappointed?  Well I'd have to say slightly as I had set my sights on 150 laps and despite the comment above I think  I am capable of that, but in the end you can only do what you can do on the night.  

My memory of the ride is that I motored (perhaps too much) for the first 20 minutes  then struggled then returned.  While struggling and seeing Carl walking the line closer and closer to me as I got slower, I'd have to say that only determination and pride kept me going...and the fact that there were people there cheering me on.  

The second 20 minutes is a bit of a blur, I had neck ache, was very thirsty and wanted to vomit...(but where!?).  Then my right leg started to cramp, followed a bit later by my left leg but it was nowhere near as bad as during the previous effort.  I can't recall too much about the last bit except for Alex spruiking "Go Liz!Go Liz! GO Liz! Lawrence told me later many of her "style" signals were ignored...they weren't ignored I just didn't see them..my focus was very narrow.

For the technically minded I rode a 100.8 on 170 cranks  ie 52/14......last time it was 51/15 (or perhaps 52/15).  I can't "spin" for any length of time and so  needed  a bigger gear and ("spinning " for me is anything faster than 85rpm).  To maintain the speed I wanted I needed a cadence of 80-82, when struggling I dropped into ~78rpm.  My bike weighed in at 6.828kg.

So that's it folks...huge thanks to my coach, Auriel Forrester, my crew on the night-Carl, Lawrence and Alex,  Greg, the UCI official, the timekeepers and the CSV rep, Rhys.  Even bigger thanks to those of you who came to watch and cheer...had you not been there I may well have given up.....