The cycling season is a long one, no question about it. To maintain a smart and consistent training and racing schedule requires much motivation and discipline. There is no limit to the number of issues that can derail a season. I am always amazed at how some riders I know can maintain such consistency throughout such a long and arduous season.
My season really began in April of 2009. That is when I really started riding and training specifically for cycling. At the time I was training for the Vermont City Marathon and coming off a year of no substantial aerobic training (although my biceps and pec’s were impressive). I have always oscillated back-and-forth between cycling and running. I have never really been able to do both at the same time. Forget about adding in swimming either. Not a chance. My marathon training was nearing the end and I was ready for a change, ready to start riding again. So I did. And I didn’t stop for a full year+.
I spent the Summer and Fall riding a ton and continued through the winter. I was logging many miles in the basement and, due to the relatively snowless winter, outside as well. I started a cycling team, so I was extra motivated to ride as much as possible. I wanted to be absolutely peaked for the Tour of the Battenkill at the beginning of April. And I was.
After Battenkill, I continued to race and train hard. I raced well in April and into early May and then IT happened. I started to feel that downward slide. That feeling of “your cooked” began to haunt me a week before the Killington Stage Race. This coupled with the disasterous criterium a week before (See “Who’s the Moron Now” for details) left me absolutely physically and mentally destroyed. It was the beginning of June; I was supposed to be in peak form.
At this point I did what any athlete with half a brain should do: I took a break. I took some much needed time off the bike. I ran a little, swam a little (maybe I might be a triathlete after all), and ate a lot. Just as I was to resume my bike training I found out that my mother’s health was getting progressively worse. I decided to take another week to travel to see her. That meant another week off the bike.
At the same time this was happening, I was still waiting to find out if I had a full-time teaching position for 2010-2011. I was fairly confident it would come through, but it still weighed me down mentally and emotionally.
I attempted to start training again in early July, but I realized I had lost something. I didn’t lose a lot of power or aerobic fitness as much as I lost something much greater inside myself: DESIRE. Cycling had been front and center for over a year and now I was faced with issues of much greater significance. The mental and emotional drain, as well as the time I had to devote to meeting the needs of my family, prevented me from resuming any significant training. But that’s life. And I love my family more than I love cycling.
I just returned from another trip south to see my mother and I am headed back once more before the end of the summer. I realize any chance of salvaging a season is pretty much over. I have gained weight and lost power, which is disappointing. The Green Mountain Stage Race, our local 4-day epic stage race, is on labor day weekend exactly 4 weeks away. I don’t know whether to do it or not, knowing I haven’t trained nearly enough to be competitive. One thing has changed however, DESIRE.
I want to do it. I need the focus back. I need the fitness back. And, I love to race. I realize under the circumstances, I will not be as good as I could be if I didn’t work, didn’t have kids, and didn’t have a mom with declining health that lives 10 hours away. But I do and they come first.
So, with 4 weeks until the GMSR I will try and follow a standard 3 weeks of build and one week of rest training plan. I will also try and lose the 5 pounds I’ve gained as a result of stress, lack of training, and overindulgence. Provided I can do this, I will race the GMSR. After GMSR I will transition to running and train for the Vermont 50K and Richmond Marathon in November. And who knows, maybe I will finally learn how to swim well and figure out how to manage 3 sports!
Happy riding, mb