Jorgenson Park 4 hr, 2013

Sitting with complaining legs as I type this: having competed in the Jorgenson Park 4 hr MTB Marathon yesterday I'm feeling a little delicate in the lower half region.  Well, the upper half isn't all that uncomplaining either!

The JP 4 hr Marathon is the first in a series of 5 races on the yearly calendar for the Marathon crowd in Perth - well I say Perth but it actually is spread out a bit around the state, with this year seeing the inclusion of rounds in Dunsborough and Karratha!

The series is organised by a bunch of MTB enthusiasts going under the moniker of Single Track Minds - click to check out their web page, events for 2013, and operating philosophy.

Last year I did the Jorgenson 4hr and the Kalamunda 50/50, both organised by Single Track Minds, and have no idea why I didn't blog about it: 2012 wasn't a year of stellar blogging on my part.  Or it could have been something to do with the fact that the 2012 Jorgenson Park half killed me, and the Kalamunda 50/50 finished me off! For someone who pottered around occasionally on the MTB (at least in terms of ride length) both were a rude shock and amply demonstrated that road bike fitness has nothing to do with MTB fitness.  I suffered rather hugely from leg cramps, especially on hills, and the ignominy of walking larger rises was forced upon me on more than one occasion during the events.  I guess I learned quickly that MTB'ing places more rigorous demands upon one's legs than the road, especially with all the out-of-seat work needed.

So, to this year's JP 4 hr.

I decided to take a much more stringent management approach to my ride this year, with strict lap completion criteria, energy and fluid intake, and on-bike technique. Of course, all this is of little value if you decide to forget it all in the heat of the moment, but after a rather nutty first 3rd of a lap I soon woke up and adhered more to the plan.

Last year I'd completed a total of 7 laps for a distance of 40km (yes, I know: it seems very feeble!) and had basically knackered myself after 4 laps and well within half race time. The final three laps consisted of cramp-filled struggles around the course with long interludes in the solo rest area in between. Out of the 4 hours of the race, I had a riding time of just under 3 hours. Not saying I didn't enjoy it, but it was an eye opener!

This year I stuck to my plan - no great over-achieving dreams but an aim to do 8 laps at a steady and measured pace, with blocks of two completed laps followed by whatever amount of time left out of an hour per those 2 laps to rest.

I ended up doing the 8 laps for a distance of just over 50km on the slightly longer course, and with a riding time of a little over 3 hours.  So, my management plan got me an extra 10 km and 1 lap over the 2012 race at a much improved pace, and with only a small period of cramp on the 8th lap after first raising its niggly little head on the 7th.

I ended up finishing the 8th lap with around 15 mins of the 4hrs remaining - not close enough to do another lap, but a big enough gap that 9 laps next year will be the goal.  A realistic goal I think, as the strategy of 2 laps and then a rest for the remaining hour time was, upon hindsight, a little generous.  I spent a fair amount of time resting (I rested between the 7th and 8th laps as well as I'd started to cramp a little on the 7th), and getting less rest minutes between lap blocks should easily give me enough time next year for a final lap time allowance of 30 min.  With an average actual riding-only lap time of 22 mins per I should be fine.

It was a much more fun experience this time around - sticking to the timing plan, ensuring hydration and nourishment, and making sure I rested my legs when riding by staying in saddle when I could (my full suss helped greatly here) meant I was much fresher out on the track, and rather than fighting the track, rolling along with it.

Of course, post-event I was thinking I'd slacked off and taken it far too easy and another lap was there for the taking - this morning however, with sore legs and a even sorer shoulders (got to get rid of that tendency to death-grip the bars!) I think I made the right decision, and 9 laps can wait until next year!

Ride Safe!