As is typical, I haven't posed in nearly 3 weeks again. So, I won't be giving a 3 week update, but maybe a week or two.
I missed almost a week of riding because I headed to Las Vegas to get married. :) This was a nice getaway trip and we had a ton of fun!!! While we walked a ton, there was plenty of food and beverages to keep my attention. I didn't gain weight though, so that is a bonus!
That few days off turned quickly into a week. Whoops! So my March is currently running a bit behind schedule. Here is what I did last week.
Monday I headed to Yankee Springs to get some riding in. With temps in the 60's and hearing very favorable trail reports I couldn't resist. Not surprising, Yankee was in fantastic shape. I did the warm up look and headed down the main trail. I felt noticeably faster than my last ride out here. Looking at my Strava it had been almost a year exactly since my last ride there. Maybe it was just being out of the woods for so long, or being on the trainer for the winter. But the movement felt pretty good. Looking at the results told me a lot. Of the 31 segments I had four 2nd place times and 27 personal records. lol. Amazing what a bit of weight loss will do for you. Overall, was a good ride minus the climbs that I despise in the clock-wise (yellow) direction. They just feel relentless. The last 2 miles or so are my favorite and It did feel good to finish the main trail and then take another cruise around the short loop to cool down.
Friday was another great day to ride. Temps were in the 50's when I started that ride. The wind was making it a bit cooler, but it wasn't terrible for March. I did a warm up look and then headed out to the main trail. Today was the Red (counterclockwise) direction that the trail always used to have. I prefer this direction and it will be the race direction in April. I wanted to see where my times would stack up against last years Time Trial finishers. While I wasn't pushing super hard, I was riding a solid effort. Again, the speed felt faster than my previous rides out there. The miles ticked away. As I reached the guard rail climb I knew the hills were starting. I was able to make it up here pretty quick overall. I kept my speed through all of the next sections and was almost halfway through in what felt like a quick time. I pressed on, the climbing continued. I made every climb. I am still learning how to ride Mudhorn, so there is a lot of changes to my riding style. It is such a different feel than The DUFF had. Bigger wheels and higher ground clearance make it roll better.
I was keeping an eye on my time until I got to about a mile to go. Then I just dug in and started to press more. Being able to put down power 12 miles in is helpful. I have struggled with endurance these past few years, at least keeping high power and speed into longer rides. This time I felt great, and was able to push it all of the way out of the woods. My lap time for the course was a personal record by over 2 minutes. The last time I was this fast was in 2015, and I was on a borrowed bike. lol. To even approach my PR felt amazing, but to smash it was an even better feeling. Knowing that my ultimate race goal time is within 5 minutes is even better. I made all the climbs. I was able to get some calories in. I was feeling great. All good things.
The next day things changed a bit. Temps dropped into the 30's and it was really windy. Tom and I headed to Dirty Donut to do the 42 mile course. We didn't really know how bad it would be. lol. We did notice a head wind right away. The wind was blowing out of the Northwest so we basically had a headwind for 20 of the first 25 miles. Just a brutal drag that made it feel like we threw out an anchor. Add in that the spring gravel hasn't been touched and it made for a rough ride. Lots of potholes, washboard, and frozen ruts throughout the ride. The pavement sections were welcome changes. Even when we had a break from the wind, our legs were shown no mercy. The hills started. They are all pretty much in the middle part of the course and feel like they just keep coming. While not a lot of elevation, my legs started to feel the hard ride from Yankee. At 30 miles Tom was reaching his limit. We struggled for the next 12 miles back to the car. The sun dropped and the temperatures followed in toe. By the time we got done it was low 20's and really cold. Funny how you don't notice it when riding, but you slow down a second and immediately get cold.
The week was a good ride, a great ride, and a survival ride. All good things and all positive riding towards my goals. The gravel ride hit a bit different though. I was guessing my average speed, just at a cruise....and we missed it by a full mph. Not terrible with the conditions....but I expected more. Then I slept like garbage. This added to a mental dip. By the middle of Sunday I was looking at the transfer deadline for Barry, pondering just bailing on LJ100, and second guessing what the fuck I am thinking.
Wavering. Teetering. Waffling.
My mindset has been pretty steady to this point, but that ride threw me for a loop. I didn't spiral. I was just looking at things logically and doubt slapped me across the cheek. Because I am a logical thinker I started to break down how miserable Barry Roubaix will be in a few weeks. I don't have my nutrition figured out, so what am I supposed to do? Then the thought of struggling for 40 miles piled into the idea of LJ being 100....and how I am not physically ready for that. Might be a better idea to bail out, get my money back and just build some endurance this year into next.
But.....
....but I just didn't arrive at the immediate conclusion to dump entries. It was hours of thought. Worry. Not knowing how my body is going to react to things. Its all new. I mean, down over 65 pounds....the body will respond differently. These are legit concerns that can affect my health. Things I need to pay attention to. Barry is only a few weeks out, but I do want to test the nutrition side of things. What better way to do that than with 5000 friends? lol.
Right now no plans are changing. I am feeling better after the weekend and will continue to develop my plan. I can drop out of Barry until Friday. Maybe I will stay, maybe I will bail. I am leaning towards riding, but I need to work on my nutrition plan and have a better understanding of my needs before then. I will probably be able to do that in these next couple of weeks. Or not. It depends. ;)