Fast Fitty preview

 Well, my next event is about a week and a half out. It will be my longest race of the year, and my longest ride of the year all rolled into one. 

Fast Fitty is a gravel race that is exactly what the title says. It is 50 miles...and it is fast. But I am only half-fast....so.....a half-fast finish is expected.  haha!

There are other options to choose from. You can do the Shorty, that comes in around 20 miles. Or you can do the Speedy, which clocks around 36 miles. I am a sucker for pain, so I do the long course....Fast Fitty. Ironically enough, its closer to 54 miles....but what are a few miles between friends? 

As of right now there are 8 clydes signed up for the Fitty. Last year there were only 4 finishers. The winner averaged 16.5 mph. The gap to 2nd place was a full mile per hour...or a 15.5 average. The time difference was about 13 minutes between the top 2 steps. Third was only a couple minutes later, with a 15.3 average. So logic tells me....I will have to average at least 15.5 to even stand a chance. To have a better chance, I would need to be closer to 16 mph. 

My time would have to be 3:22 to average that fast. With that in mind, I want to give some context as to why this is a super steep goal. I have done Fast Fitty three times since it started. It has been a mixed bag of results for me over those three attempts. 

First Attempt: 2020

I distinctly remember sitting on the side of the road and waiting for the SAG vehicle to pick me up. I was under 10 miles to the finish....but I was gassed. Eventually when the car didn't come....I struggled my way across the finish line. It was an ugly finishing time over 5 hours. UGLY. It was hot, I was out of shape, it was covid years, yada, yada, yada. 

I finished....but it wasn't by choice. lol. I was forced to finish because a few people were struggling worse than me that year. 

Second attempt: 2021

My second time at this event went much better. I took nearly an hour and fifteen minutes off of my time from 2020. That is taking an average from 11.5 to 14.5. I felt good on the bike that day. While it wasn't easy, I was happy with the results. This gave me hope for better outcomes in the future! 

Third attempt: 2023

This year wasn't terrible either. However, I did backslide. My average speed dipped back to 13.5 and my time was about 15 minutes slower than 2021. That is ok.....my riding has been chaotic over the years. I did this race because its a fun and fairly flat course. 

So that leads us to next weekend. I once again will make the East to Charlotte. I will line up and do what I can. The biggest obstacle...is the 23 minutes from my PR to my new goal time. That is 30 seconds a mile I need to pull in order to achieve my goal. 

30....seconds....a mile. Whew. Seems steep, but not outrageous when I look at things a bit deeper. Here are some things to consider.

1. I am lighter. This is a given at this point. I should be faster just based on that alone.

2. I am faster overall on my gravel rides than I have been in years past.

3. Who cares what the outcome is? Only me.....because my opinion is the only one that matters.

Some factors that bring a steep goal into a realistic perspective are listed next. 

a. my gravel rides have gotten faster, but are still not touching 16 mph when elevation is involved. 

b. My body doesn't cooperate all the time. I have good days and bad. I haven't been riding as much as I would like, so my fitness is ok....but not race level for this distance. 

c. I tend to fade over 30 miles. Its consistent. I get to 25 and the tanks get low....speed dips. Being able to sustain a race pace for 3 hours will be rough. I will try, but that is all I can do if the body has other ideas. 

All I can do is go race. The results will be what they are.

I am hoping to have a good start and latch on to a group. I don't want to ride in a huge group, because I am out of practice. But a group of 5-10 would be great. If I can hang on for the first 30 miles that will be a huge help is holding my speed higher while not blowing all my energy. I HAVE to find a group to ride with. 54 solo miles would be brutal for me. I don't mind stretches of riding alone, and I have done this event pretty much alone every time....I just know a group is going to help. So finding a group is my main goal at the start. I will start as hard as I can without blowing up and then hold on as long as I can until I just can't anymore. Easy enough? lol.

I will make sure I have plenty of nutrition for a 4 hour ride....and enough energy to keep the levels high into the finish. My goal time is officially 3:36. I would love to break 3:30, but I want to be realistic. The goal is 15mph average. If I hit 15.5 or faster it will be icing on the cake. I know it won't be easy, but I will do what I can and see what happens.

If anyone wants to come and pull me for 50 miles that would be greatly appreciated. You can take turns, you can throw a rope out of the back of a truck, you can use a horse and lasso if needed. ROFL! 

Keep the mindset right, and things will fall into place. Even if I miss my goals, I am passing everyone on the couch. I am planning one last test ride this weekend. It will be on the Dirty Donut course. It is shorter and flatter, but will give me a good idea of how my legs will hold up under a higher pace. Wish me luck. 

Keep moving forward.