Since I finished the RAWROD this year I've been thinking a lot about how I cramped up a lot on the ride. I hydrated fairly well, although not as well as I should have. I should have drank a liter before I took off.
So hydration and training I think were my biggest issues.
Reading this book by Chris Carmichael, I figured that I was always too anerobic during the first part of the ride, so I depleted the anerobic part of my ability and all I had left was some aerobic endurance that was hampered by the lactic acid that my depleted anerobic capacity had flooded into my muscles.
So what I need to do for next year is build up my aerobic capacity and only dip into the anerobic for brief climbs.
So what to do...
Probably more time on the bike for longer periods, i.e. 3 and four hour rides. The killer for this is the weather in Utah. It snows. The only way to get long mountain bike rides is to go south to Vegas or something. Not always a great option.
That leaves me with the option of spin class. I don't really like it. It's boring, and I feel less free than being out on the bike.
Another thing I could do is build up leg muscles with workouts like this one that Lance does.
Just watching this workout makes me feel stronger.
At 48, I hate feeling my body get weaker, so this kind of training is a must.
