Gaining Perspective

So early this morning I went to great lengths to write about proper recovery after a big race effort. Low intensity ride, low heart rate, plenty of sleep etc, etc... That is the typical recovery regime after most races. This morning however I am trying to gain some perspective on a number of things. I want to see how my body will perform on two consecutive days with big training loads on it. Additionally, I have some things in my life that I'm trying to work through so I find that I do some of my best thinking while on the bike in an anaerobic induced haze.

The subconscious mind is powerful, I didn't realize until I was on the trail that I'd already made up my mind on what I was going to ride. I'd picked out two of the biggest, hardest climbs in Indian Creek to ride up. These are the most difficult and longest climbs that I can do in this area and I know them well, nothing like creating your own little suffer fest.

Over all I felt remarkably physically good but I didn't have the power in my legs that I wanted to feel. This didn't necessarily surprise me due to the fact that I haven't been riding a bunch of hills consistently. I rode 4 hours, 35 miles and climbed 4,500'. While this isn't a big training day it did give me some good perspective on where I am on my training. Ultimately, I'm trying to be in shape for the Breck Epic stage race which has 6 days of back-to-back racing and 40K' of climbing.

The weather conditions today match my mood, overcast, dreary and cold. I'm glad that it never rained but it was damp and cold which kept me hammering to stay warm. On the top of one ridge the single track is perfect and it descends gently at first then drops dramatically toward the end, the ground was damp and the trail was tacky. So with the fog swirling around, I found myself ripping down the trail with reckless abandon. I am riding like I'm being chased by the devil him self. I am acutely aware that no one knows where I am and no one is likely to be by this way for several days so a big crash could be a real problem. Additionally, no one would miss me for at least 2 days this keeps me very focused on not making mistakes.

So for my riding I learned that I must start hammering hills and lots of them over the next 2 months. As for working through the things in my life that are troubling me... they are still troubling me but at least I have a better more well rounded view of them.

Maybe I'm tired enough to sleep tonight. It's all about gaining perspective.

Life is short, Enjoy the Ride.