Saturday I was invited to go out and ride with the NEBC Women's Elite team. I originally hadn't planned on this ride since Mike and I were going to be in Maine, so missed the email changing the start time from 9 to 10 am. Thankfully, a quick call to Sam while sitting in front of Brooke and Jim's house let me know I was early - enough time for a quick trip back home for more coffee!
We had a great team ride out through Carlisle and Concord despite the cold temps and 16.7 mph wind. After about 2:25 of riding, we returned to Billerica where Brooke and Jim treated us to warm bowls of chili. I was surprisingly sore the remainder of the day until I realized that I had spent a significant amount of time on the front... Typical ;)
Sunday was supposed to be my long ride - three to four hours. I emailed the troops about riding, and Kate and Bob R showed up on the Lexington Green (Sara said something about cleaning her house, but I think it may have been a bit more than that ;)). It is important to note here that Bob rides a fixed gear with no brakes - and he is good! I'd never spent much time riding with someone who rode fixed - the stopping/slowing took a bit of getting used to since I couldn't see him coasting.
After the rides on Friday and Saturday, my legs were pretty cooked. We went out at a pretty brisk pace (although I said I wasn't going to get into trouble for setting the pace this week!), and I was pretty quickly in the pain zone. All I could think was how this was good for me - just hang on, and you will get a good workout. Well, I hung on for dear life, but by the time we hit Waltham, I didn't have anything left. I sheepishly put my tail between my legs and headed home through Lincoln solo. From there, some of the hill climbs were at a whopping 6 mph... It was all I could do to get back to the house. I even left the bike outside, hoping somehow that it would either disappear, or clean itself (neither happened, in case you were wondering).
And is January to early to be thinking that I shouldn't be racing if I stink so bad on a training ride? I don't remember having these internal debates quite so early in the year, but it started with me yesterday - worried that I have gotten in over my head, and won't have what it takes to be competitive once the season starts.
So, I've negotiated with my coach for an easy spin today so that I can at least get outside while it is light, but tomorrow will be an off day, and I really need it, both mentally and physically.
1 comment:
Nah. I predict racing success!
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