Saturday, July 30, 2005

State Criterium- Tomorrow

Tomorrow looks like a ridiculously hot day for the crit at the U of M. Fortunately for us geezers on the wrong side of 30, we race first. Last year, that meant we raced in the driving rain, while everyone else had sunny weather. This year should bring good weather.

My expectations are rather low for this race. This is usually one of the most crash prone races of the season. The last two years brought riders down very near me. With the crazy hairpin turn they usually have, someone invariably ends up in the flowerbeds.

I rode maybe twenty miles last night, and I'm staying off my bike today. Even at the leisurely pace we rode the 80-some miles on Wednesday, my legs still don't have the snap that I like the day before a race. My heart rate hasn't been above 150 since Tuesday evening. I felt sluggish on Thursday and Friday, and today, while stuck indoors at work all day, I feel like a houseplant. After tomorrow, there are only two more races at Rosemount, and then the season is finished. I am actually looking forward to the end, so I can resume commuting and riding indiscriminately. I don't like this business of "pacing myself" so I have something left on race day- especially considering how little I actually do have left.

This year has been much better than last... and there is always my mantra, "there is always next year."

3 comments:

Sascha said...

I'll be there, but just with the camera. I'm too lazy to race in this heat. But I gotta cheer Annie on!

filtersweep said...

You'd be done by about 11:15 am... it should only be about 80 by then.

Sascha said...

It's 80 now :) I bet it's 90 by then. But really, it's the humidity combined with abundant sun that does me in--not the heat really.