Sunday, July 4, 2010

Where to Begin?

Well, I set a new record for blog neglect to the point that no one might read this anymore! Glimmers of inspired racing during cross season, but all in all a busy adjustment to my new teaching job, with plenty of moments of run-over-by-a-truck fatigue. I had to step back from being driven and find my footing at work. Coached rowing this spring (even rowed a few times), reveling in the progress of my novices and the victory of the top boat, but was unable to race the bike or train as I am used to. Just started racing three weeks ago, one crit where I faked it for 4th, then two road races where I got clobbered. I super-loaded the training in advance of a professional development trip to Costa Rica focusing on conservation, ecology, and certification programs for sustainable agriculture and forestry. I had a crackpot plan to race Fitchburg the day after my return after a week off the bike. (This was not even "seemed like a good idea at the time," this was "seemed like a bad idea at the time.") In spite of this it was fun to finally race with my team, and surprisingly exhilarating to leap directly from an inspiring week in Costa Rica right into my favorite local pro race with great teammates. But ugh. I was woefully in over my head. Dropped in the circuit race, rode it in. Then dropped in the road race, rode it in but time cut. At some point I will need to decide if I am committed to being fast and if I can make it happen with my current circumstances, because I will tire of being terrible, but it was fun and certainly served its role as a training boot camp. This photo from the flight from the Osa Penninsula, the remote southwest corner of Costa Rica.