Learning To Time Trial

I couldn't quite make of my results from the Detroit marathon soon after the race ended. It was a significantly slower time than my Montreal result (by 5 minutes) yet placement-wise, I did very well. Of course I know that results are not really comparable when gathered from different courses and different conditions. However, what is comparable is how far behind I was from the main pack. Minus the winning breakaways, the main pack in Montreal finished in the range of high 1:14 and the main pack in Detroit finished in the range of 1:19. That means I actually remained approximately 14 minutes behind the main pack in both races. Okay, now I feel much better.

Coach AH scheduled a supplemental practice session today for us to focus on our 300m time trials. With already an hour of recovery ride in the morning and legs that needed more rest, I showed up with my skates but without my skating apparel. AH worked with CC on the mechanics of starts from the very basic so I gladly joined in. The more I practice the motion of a start, the more natural it would become (I looked ridiculous in my T-shirt and jeans though). By the end of the session, I was noticeably more confident at the start, especially with controlling the balance of my body. AH gave me some useful feedback so I'll make a note of them here so I don't forget:

• only stretch my back leg far enough so I can align my body on top of it when I rock back.
• I need to lean forward when I run. Think forward motion. This is not a generic comment about running but to fix my natural tendency to stay too upright when I run.
• start in lane 2 so I do not need to go wide before entering the corner.
• fast legs! Drive my leg speed with arm swing to keep the tempo up.
• once transitioned to crossover, think left leg push instead of bringing my right leg over. Turn my shoulder in. That should generate enough speed to continue crossing over the last 2/3 of the corner without resorting to cross-stride-cross-stride.