31 May, 2011

I survived Memorial Day weekend!

Hot fun in the summertime - Sly and the Family Stone

Major holiday weekends the office closes at 1:00. So I setup the Out of Office and left for Target. Picked out a TV table, got help getting it to checkout and loaded in the van and took it home. It was "assembly required" and I had to open the box and carry each piece to the house, one by one. It took me an hour and a half to assemble that puppy, but I did it. My TV weighs a ton, but got it moved along with the componentry (as I was building the thing). So now all of the wires are hidden in the back at least and the TV is no longer precariously situated on a three legged table. 

Saturday morning I loaded up the van and drove to General Butler State park to participate in my very first mtn bike race. yeah  So, have I mentioned that we've have more than double our average rainfall for this first 5 months of the year? I was told it was "race ready". Hah, call me gullible. Never again!  ;-)   Was not my best day. Very muddy and I need much more cardio fitness before I hike with my bike like that (note to self for CX!!!!) Slugging up muddy hillsides is not something I do well, I don't even do it poorly, Embarrassed to say that I didn't even finish the first lap. HR spiked too many times, I could hear my heart beating in my ears over and over. DNF  they suck royally. I hope that is the last one for a very long time.

The Sunday plan was to ride long. The forecast was for 90F+ temps, so I planned on starting early. I got online and saw the HMBA report for Brown County State Park. Trails would be green by noon! And they had had a successful turnout on Saturday for clearing all of the fallen trees from the week's storms. I packed the car and drove up. What a beautiful day! I rode 3 hours solo. There were all kinds of wild flowers in bloom, birds everywhere, wildlife scurrying through the forest floor and plenty of hikers and mtn bikers too. This was my second time, the first was the day after I bought my bike in August. That too was solo. I rode the A, B and C trail and then climbed D up to Hesitation Point. I was havin' a hard time on a few steep climbs. (I dismount at one point and my pedal nicks my buggered knee and my whole shin is covered with blood and sweat) And then I remember! I have a triple on the Anthem. Boy that sure makes climbing a little easier for me. At the top I crossed the street and started to do one of the most difficult trails. But I looked at the time, had guests that were arriving late afternoon and turned back. Hesitation Point trail going down was definitely fun. Still technical and I had to take my time on some rocky descents. All was going well and then all of a sudden I was on my back. I wasn't too far from an intersection of trails and found other guys riding. Asked which was best way back and one of the guys took a look at my pupils, just to be safe. I was fine. But I did crack my helmet. DAMN mo money mo money. hah. I drove straight to Clarksville Schwinn and bought a new helmet. Can't ride with a cracked one!

Haven't raced road all year. Except for that TT last weekend. Should've done crits last weekend, but didn't. Monday morning I slept in a little. Ate a nice breakfast and loaded up the car. Jumped in the first race for me at the Lexington Crit. It was HOT, hard  and good. I'm glad I went. I did better than I thought I would. The CAT 1-3s lapped me 3 times. At one point I see the lap cards and they say 11 to go. My heart sunk! I was riding solo, but decided to settle down. I found my rhythm, got a good gear and cadence sequence throughout the course and before I knew it I passed a cyclist. Then with 2 laps to go I passed another. On the last lap I came up the backside and saw one more girl I could get around. The last straightaway was uphill to the finish. I put everything I had into that, downshifting and sprinting as hard as I could go, like I was vying with a lot of others (I wasn't). Now I have a baseline. I know I need tons of work. BUT I don't want to peak until much later this year. Maybe have a small peak at end of road season and then my big one late, possibly January.  I don't want to burn out. We'll see.

Three days riding my bicycle and being in the out of doors was good. In a previous life it would've been much different. Cookouts and cemeteries. While I did miss that in a way, I'm finding out how to do things in this life. It's a learning process. I'm trying to live in the present. Not in the past or so much planning for the future. When I succeed with that I am happiest. It's not easy. But who wants easy? Not me!


I hope everyone had a great weekend, too.


peace

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