weekend update

Finally, a chance to sit down and type a blog. This weekend went pretty well; as I returned to my flatlandish roots.

Saturday was supposed to be a quasi-lazy day for me, a chance to catch a mid-afternoon nap and recover from a restless week. It started out with a bang... the Saturday morning ride out of Kiln Creek featured a brisk and steady pace. After emerging on Cool Rd, I turned right as the group turned left... a few, including Pete and Pat, joined me. No regrets on turning a steady temp ride into a conversation pace ride-if only for a few minutes; we eventually were reintegrated into the group. I did get a couple good sprint-like jumps in Saturday morning, which did inspire some confidence for Sunday's race. On the downside, my HR did have trouble recovering after efforts on the ride, I casually chalked this up to lack of sleep the night before. Also of note, I tried the Jelly Belly Sport Beans... although they are very tasty, and definately provide a confectionary treat... I found myself with a bit of a sugar rush not long after consumption; better stick with the Hammer Gel (and the occasional Enervitene when push comes to shove).

As for the rest of Saturday, it was filled with good cookin'. For lunch, I met Jeff at the Mongolian BBQ in Williamsburg. What a delight... it was the best it's been since I can remember. Definately a bonus, as Jeff and I (and several others) used to raid that place on a regular basis in high school (especially on half days). Between the ride, a haircut, and lunch, an impromptu appearance at BB in Kiln Creek helped burnt some time I had to kill. I found some pretty smokin' Pearl Izumi RED shoe covers using their "Aerosensor" material. DW figured I'd be among the first to buy; he was right... he had just put them out on the floor that morning. Fortunately, I was able to dodge Gilly Garlow's marriage advice 101 this time. Oh yeah... they also updated the layout of the store... it looks great. I was very impressed. After lunch I stopped in to see the 'BurgBeat people, then home to wash the car and bike, and eat dinner with the parents and bestman Matt.

So Saturday turned out to be a marathon. Fortunately I was able to get a full night of sleep... made even better with the window open. Sunday turned out to be a hot 80-something degrees with relatively high humidity.

Chris and I met at Kiln Creek to carpool down to Chesapeake for the Snowball Crit #2. We had a good team meeting and warm up. I was able to secure a front line starting position, and the the race was off! Whoa... man, is my HR really that high!? "Uh oh..." is what I was thinking fairly early on. The 3/4 race turned out to be a bit faster than the previous Snowball, but that wasn't the problem, my HR would not recover! I repeatedly tried to move up to the front, and try to join my teammates in taking turns at the front, but I just couldn't move up far enough! It was even more frustrating when I was struggling just to hold the wheel in front of me! I finally shifted up a few gears to lower the cadence and thusly try to lower the HR; eventually I started to feel a little more comfortable... although I still had trouble moving up in the pack.

I don't even t hink I was in the top 20 as we hit the bell lap... not where you want to be if you want to have any chance to sprint in the end. Fortuantely, I managed to find Chris' wheel with just about half a lap to go, "PUNcH IT CHRIS!" Next thing I know, Chris has delivered me right onto Steve Simet's wheel. Perfect! Rounding the final turn, I shot out wide, sheltered from the wind at just the right time. BOOM! The first (remotely) explosive sprint of the year for me! I was able to obtain immediate separation and handily took the field sprint for 2nd. However, I hate to admit, I did not even know that a guy solo'ed in by a large margin (refer to my inability to move up). Apparently the guy attacked on lap 20 of 35, and put 25 seconds on the field in two laps. Not to shabby considering we were flying and it was windy. I also hate to admit that I nearly dropped out of the race; although I was determined to not let my teammates down as they agreed to help me... a win would've secured my Cat 3 upgrade.

On a positive, the field sprint gave me a significant boost in confidence. It confirmed that I've been working hard, and that the power and drive is there. On a negative, I feel horrible for not pulling my share of the load up front during the race. I can't recall ever really suffering that bad in a crit before... and not having much to show during the race. The sprint was great... and as usually, after a good sprint I just want to see straight, not puke, and get off the bike. I'm looking forward to more suffering in races... although a lot more productive suffering!

Yesterday's recovery spin was maared by wind. The wind managed to kick a leaf up into my brakes as if I was mountain biking in the fall. I also tried the Gatorade Endurance Formula sports beverage (lemon-lime)... it was tasty and fit in my water bottle. I forgot my bottle before the ride... I think it's still sitting right where I left it (unless Target or Walker knocked it over)

Restin' on a Rest week!