Ah, the PNW winter doldrums...they last from January through May it seems.
CX season ended nearly a month ago. I've been super active, just not on the bike. We've done a lot of hiking, snowshoeing and gym cardio. I'm really determined to lost the "cyclocross 5" that I gained during the season (reduced workout hours and same level of eating...doh).
I have a TON of motivation right now but I don't know what to do with it. My interests are all over the place:
-Road racing- new cycling discipline for me
-Endurance MTB- should I defend my title in Spokane? Or take a shot at Leadville instead?
-Endurace running- I'd love to do a 50K but I might have to delay training b/c of my knee.
Hmmm...lots of decisions to be made in the coming weeks.
1.04.2011
End of season CX recap
USGP in Portland: We spent the first weekend in December down in Portland for the USGP. I only raced on Saturday so I would have fresh legs for Nationals. I raced with the women's B's (last B race ever BTW) and was really disappointed with the small field size- I've heard about the crazy 200-woman fields and we had maybe 20 racers tops.
I started in the 3rd row, quickly moved up to 2nd and stayed there the entire race. The course was SO slow, it was really weird. On the last lap I could feel my collarbone throbbing, most likely from when I crashed back in September, and that really sucked. I just barely fended off 3rd place (the girl I've been trying to beat for a year) with a sprint to the finish.
Nationals: Last year's race, well, sucked. I was really looking forward to this year's event and a chance to redeem myself. Early on I pondered doing the Elite race, but looking at last year's results almost all of the Seattle women were pulled with many laps to go. SO...I stuck with my age group race instead (which still has pros in it). I missed my time trial start so I used Thursday to scout the course and fit in 3 laps. Not as snowy as last year and lots more mud.
Race day was pretty relaxed for most part. We scored a great parking spot, got set up on one of the awesome LeMond trainers and had a nice long warmup. LeMond even provided propane heaters for us!
I was the very LAST person to get called up. It turned out to be OK because 5 seconds after the start a lot of women went down. I still had to dismount but was able to come out unscathed. I think if I had done the TT I would've started right in the middle of that mess. Yea for being a slacker! I settled in quickly, was able to pass some women and a few who crashed eventually passed me. It was great to hear so many people cheering for me! I managed to pass someone right on the final stretch- it was awesome. I ended up 18th, which is a huge improvement over last year!
2011: Cross season is going to be NUTS next year. I have some very exciting plans in the works...more details later!
I started in the 3rd row, quickly moved up to 2nd and stayed there the entire race. The course was SO slow, it was really weird. On the last lap I could feel my collarbone throbbing, most likely from when I crashed back in September, and that really sucked. I just barely fended off 3rd place (the girl I've been trying to beat for a year) with a sprint to the finish.
Nationals: Last year's race, well, sucked. I was really looking forward to this year's event and a chance to redeem myself. Early on I pondered doing the Elite race, but looking at last year's results almost all of the Seattle women were pulled with many laps to go. SO...I stuck with my age group race instead (which still has pros in it). I missed my time trial start so I used Thursday to scout the course and fit in 3 laps. Not as snowy as last year and lots more mud.
Race day was pretty relaxed for most part. We scored a great parking spot, got set up on one of the awesome LeMond trainers and had a nice long warmup. LeMond even provided propane heaters for us!
I was the very LAST person to get called up. It turned out to be OK because 5 seconds after the start a lot of women went down. I still had to dismount but was able to come out unscathed. I think if I had done the TT I would've started right in the middle of that mess. Yea for being a slacker! I settled in quickly, was able to pass some women and a few who crashed eventually passed me. It was great to hear so many people cheering for me! I managed to pass someone right on the final stretch- it was awesome. I ended up 18th, which is a huge improvement over last year!
2011: Cross season is going to be NUTS next year. I have some very exciting plans in the works...more details later!
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