August and Everything After

Spring has come and gone, and half of summer now, too. The fitness I cultivated over the long winter now lies withering on the vine under the searing Sacramento sun. The promising spring racing campaign, derailed by vacations and illnesses, evolved into a lazy summer of sporadic rides without any real purpose.

The year started well. Knowing we had a vacation coming in late January, I rode hard the six weeks leading up to it. It was often cold and miserable, but I was focused on being fit when Boggs rolled around.

We had a great time on vacation, and I didn't exactly shy away from desserts and beer.

The time away from home was just what the doctor ordered.  I came back with a mild cold thanks to a taxi driver in Ixtapa, but my mind was clear and my legs were fresh.  I was surprised to find that I felt stronger due to the time off the bike.

I continued to build for the next six weeks and by mid-March I was flying.  I felt so strong.

We made a last-minute decision to visit my parents in Tucson during the kids' spring break in April.  Unfortunately, the trip forced me to sell my entry to Boggs.  No big deal, I thought.  I would just re-focus on Cool in May.

It was a great trip.  I fell in love with Tucson, and it helped me remember how much I enjoy hanging out with my parents.

Again, I came back refreshed and ready to keep training.  I felt good . . . for two weeks.

At that point I caught some sort of cold or infection that eventually became pneumonia.  I missed Cool and spent three weeks off the bike.

When I resumed riding, my fitness and motivation were long gone.  Even if I had wanted to train, my lung function would not have allowed it.  Even short rides left me very tired afterward.

Now it's August, and I'm starting to feel good again.  As the Euros say, "I have good sensations in the legs."

While riding simply for the sake of riding is nice, without some sort of carrot dangling in front of me, something is missing.

I am surveying the local racing calendar looking for something to focus on.  Cross-country racing?  Endurance?  Will I make a run at the cyclocross season this year?

I'm still trying to decide which carrot to chase.  Until then, I'll continue to ride hoping the answer will reveal itself.  Hopefully I can salvage something from this season.

Later.