As I have begun my journey to prepare for 2012 Ironman Lake Placid, my cycling legs have suffered dearly. Having never ever been a runner (no soccer, no track--I played tennis for godsakes), every run, regardless of how innocuous it may seem, hurts ... badly. Consequently, my riding has come less frequently, and when it does, it's often on the flattest roads I can find. I knew I wasn't in my best cycling shape, but, wheather it's the Transition or 1080's, I have done a few respectable time trial times, and therefore I figured I'd at least be able to survive the Concord Crit, but I really didn't WANT to race. I did however, feel like hanging out with some of my best friends for a weekend, and it was easy to be away because my wife was away with the girls...so I had run out of excuses, and I'm soooo glad I did.
It seems those long hours with Ashton and Jeff riding endlessly in my basement or Ashton's garage were years ago and I had no intention of doing any racing beyond Wilmington-Whiteface RR weekend. Last year the trip to Concord, NH was the swan song of my season..(when Kelley, perhaps rightfully, put the kibosh on GMSR). Luckily, I was introduced to the joys of D/H mtb'ing by Mike, and this new found sport kept me lovin' life till the snow flew. This year, the trip to Concord has rejeuvenated my desire to compete on the road.
A few questions remain...can I scrounge up the will-power to train my biking the way it needs to be trained to compete? Can I lose those last 4 stubborn pounds by September? Can I continue to run and make any progress at all? Will my life and wife allow me to race the weekends there are races?...We will see. For now, suffice it to say that the Concord, NH trip always seems to be a revelation.
No comments:
Post a Comment