Still Around

I haven't been very consistent on posting on here lately but here I am. When it comes to racing I think we all have felt like we were lacking at some point in time, right now I am trying to get my mind wrapped around Dirty Kanza. I have to get my mind right for the pain that is close at hand, if you continue to push on at every checkpoint you can't escape the pain. I think back to last year and two legs in particular I had really good rides, the other 2 weren't bad just a little more pain than one would care to remember. In fact the mind is an amazing thing, it doesn't forget all pain but it does let some of the memories of intense pain fade. Last year at RIM I was in the most pain I have ever been in on a bike, when I sunk into that chair after the race I was so trashed that I wasn't even sure what to do. Now I remember it hurt, I remember I had the opportunity to go back out and take 3rd place and I just couldn't do it but I can't truly remember all the pain....but I know it was there.

I have got some solid base miles in this year but I feel like I am lacking in the intensity aspect with a lack of interval training. I plan to finish at Dirty Kanza, I probably shouldn't even show up if I felt otherwise, but I don't know if my performance will mimic last year. I had a handful of races under my belt before DK last year and most of them were marathon class races that were 3+ hrs. This year I only have one race but at least it was a 6 hr 30 min effort for me. The lack of interval work doesn't concern me as much for DK as it does for Lumberjack which is only 2 weeks after DK. Lumberjack is a whole different ball game this year since I will be riding a single speed, I have no idea what to expect from myself.

I look at some of the riders signed up for DK and there is some very stout competition, very fast Men and very fast Women (fast as in quick...not easy!!!). I know of several of these riders that have a ton of miles on their legs and lots of racing too. I have to remember to not go out too fast at the start, I have to tell myself that at every endurance race (I don't always listen). Last year I was able to hold back for at least 3 or 4 miles and then I just couldn't take it anymore, I really started to feel it at about mile 30. I was smart enough to know that when that fatigue started in to back off and settle into a recovery pace for a bit. I am amazed at the speed that the lead riders take off at, I don't know if I could go 25 miles at that pace. I can't think about what other riders are doing, I should look at it as I am racing against myself. Do I think about winning that race? Sure I dream about that, I would like to win at least one race some day!!!

Dirty Kanza is 3 weeks from tomorrow and it is almost time to start tapering off on the riding efforts. I didn't get around to changing the drive train on my cross bike until recently and I am trying to get some bugs worked out of it...that is stressing me out big time which is a performance inhibitor. I am almost wishing I hadn't changed the drive train now but Cale is going to look at it for me and we will see what he can do. I was getting really excited for the race but since the hiccups with the bike that has faded back a bit but I am sure that Cale can help me out and I will be back on track.