The last few weeks have been busy. We attended the local city fest with friends, did a few races and starting to focus on our upcoming move. Life has been a little stressful at times, but that why I've got a bike to ride.
me drinking a giant beer, and getting "shot" at the same time:
Justin still has me focusing on interval and building. Its been really tough on me. He had me take a week off back a few weeks ago, I was beginning to feel really run down, just in a constant daze..overtrained. Which might have been the goal, but it is not fun feeling like that. The week off did miracles for my legs, my morale and just overall mental outlook and the view of my bike/training. I came back feeling stronger than the week before, and I am seeing what this focused/planned training is doing for my fitness. I am not good at coaching myself. If someone is telling me what I need to do, Im not good at that either, but for some reason, this year, I am able to follow this plan to the "t" pretty much. I know he is impressed with my work ethic for once , haha.
He's had me in recovery mode a lot and a lot of intensity mixed in. I feel like the hardwork is paying off. I am definately up on my fitness as compared to my first race over a month ago. I feel like a different person actually! I started off 10 pounds overweight. Im still needing to lose 4 lbs to meet the goal, but I really need to lose another ten pounds. Having kids does not help women's bodies. I have saddlebags and the biggest ass and I hate it. My arms and upper body are tiny, but I have treetrunks for legs. Yes they have power, but it would be nice to be a bit thinner. I really think it is going to take a while for me to lose the baby fat. But it will happen!!!
Last weekend, I decided to do another U.S. Forces race. This one being at Hohenfels. I have raced there before, and I was excited because it is actually a course that feels like it is 90% singletrack as opposed to jeep roads. The night before it was raining nonstop, so I knew what to expect. I woke up that morning not wanting to go, but I knew that I needed the training if anything and Justin wasnt going to do it, so why the heck not.
Well, I get there, its cold, its damp and its muddy as heck. Im talking the mud you better ride through or you are gonna bust yo ass. Its that slicky, slippery stuff, not thick, but thin and slick.
There is another gal racing the series that is seriously fast. She is also kicking the guys asses in the u.s forces races on the road bikes as well, so this gal is tough! Well, she comes up to me prerace and tells me about the course and just to be careful. I rode the first section, and I knew she wasnt kidding, especially when she showed me her battle wounds from her preride. She also said they lowered the womens laps down to 3 instead of 4. So, I was a bit nervous, but I knew we would go out there and have some fun and battle it the best we could.
So we go to the line, and Im just content on working hard, but not getting crazy, I really didnt want to break any bones, and this was a course where it would be easy to run into some carnage.
I felt out the first sections, my competitor in front of me heading into the singletrack. It was slick, but I felt confident in my technical skills that I could go much faster and still have control. I did fall backwards once in the beginning, and my bike landed on top of me, but I never wrecked or anything after that. When we headed out of the first singletrack section, I waited for a place to pass, and then I went ahead. It was brutal. I was really labored the first two laps, there was a complete section that included steps, you had to carry your bike, not rideable, and it was necessary to run up them if you wanted to keep the competition away. My husband was yelling at me to hurry, she is right behind me and that there was no time for rest and to "time trial it" the rest of the race. The stairs had some beer on them and I was going to grab one, but I knew the celebratory beer could come later. Oh yea...the poppies are bloomin..
In the end, I was able to hold her off and I think I was about 10 minutes or so up. Anyway, I was not able to stick around for the post race activities, but the race promotors gave me a cool engraved beer mug, which I did fill with a tasty beer. Big props to the Hohenfels crew for the fun race. I always have the best time there. I also have to praise the fox fork, it was awesome once again. My Stans wheelset was just flyin'--super light and the maxxis ignitors were superb in the slick mud crud. I was also interviewed for the newspaper, so here I am giving an interview..
Although I felt pretty crappy going into the race, it was not an indicator of my fitness, but more an indicator of my mood/mental state, which goes to show, that just because you wake up feeling like shit, doesnt mean you are gonna race like it.
Well, off to ride my bike for an easy spin, peace, Angie
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