Wausau

The new camper was great. . . . much nicer than the old one. The tear down needs a bit of work. . . . .it seemed to take us a lot longer to pack up.

The race was ok. I've decided I'm very disappointed in myself in general. . . . .but such is life. My goals for this race were simple. Finish the race, don't hurt myself, stay out of the way. I accomplished them all. I really wasn't sure how racing 2+ hours at a high heart rate would go for me. . . . .since the last ride I had done (before pre-ride) was Monday's ride at Suimaco. But I survived an average heart rate of 181 for 2:20. . . . .so that's a good thing. My laps were even somewhat consistent (45 min, 47 min, 48 min - roughly), so that's good too I guess. I got off my bike a few times to let comp riders pass through. . . . . .but I also rode my ass off a number of times through the single track as well, just to stay out of the way.

I can't believe we've already finished the 3rd race of the season and instead of ramping up my training, I'm finding excuses to do other "more important" things. I think this is what a lot of women contemplating elite must go through. I know we've seen a number of them come and go over the years, bounce back and forth from Sport to Elite and back again. I think honestly there is just SUCH a big gap in the very small woman's elite field, it makes those of us finishing at the bottom wondering why even bother? It's not like I can pull 20 or 30 minutes out of my ass at a race. . . . . .even if I hire a professional coach and start training 8 hours a day. It simply isn't going to happen. Can I gain a few minutes? Sure. But that still leaves me towards the bottom. . . . . .so does it really matter? Why not do other things I enjoy?

These aren't really questions I'm looking for answers on, these are just things that float around in my mind. Obviously if I train 3 or 4 hours a week I'm only going to continue to lose more fitness. . . . . .but going back to the 8-10 hours a week I used to do seems like a lot of work considering I'm only going to gain a couple minutes at best.

So I guess it once again all boils down to fun. So far, I'm still having fun. I'm discouraged because I'm "out of shape". . . . . .but being out there riding my bike is still fun. Wausau left me feeling very impressed with the support and kindness of the other riders out there with me. I can't even tell you how many people encouraged me to keep going, complimented me on my single track skills, told me I was doing great. . . . . .those comp and elite boys were simply nice as well as all the "screaming spectators".

It's a different world out there, racing among people where YOU are now the slowest. It takes a little adjustment, a lot of motivation to keep pushing, and a bit of humility. It's easy to judge when you're not wearing the shoes. I guess right now I'll be happy that I'm even trying to wear the shoes. Who cares if they don't fit? At least I'm trying. :-)