Bing Battled

I knew I wasn't going to get hung up on the result of the cyclocross today. The end of the year turned into a bit of a nightmare in terms of training - more not being right in the head for it, than the body. The on the 23rd of December I picked up a niggly cold that I've still not shaken, leaving me a touch more lethargic than usual. And this morning the nerves were evident - something after years of racing cross I've really not felt that much....

As it was, the result was pretty poor, but, I've at least got the evidence that for once this was not to do with lack of effort. I set a load of personal heart rate records (since I started recording this stuff a few years back), and my theoretical maximum heart rate (subtract your age from 220) is definitely no longer theoretical. So despite the training hiatus, and the illness, I managed to put in a higher effort, for a consistent hour, than I have before.

Pride played a part as well. On my penultimate lap I considered slowing to allow the leader to pass me, thereby ending my race on that lap, but instead I just kept steady, and easily made it over the line to have to pull an extra lap out of the bag.

Loved loved loved, a big, steep descent with a swooping grassy turn at the bottom, which just demanded having the brakes let go (it came with all sorts of warnings beforehand, and is ominously called Hamburger Hill, but it was a hoot!); and the use of a BMX track as part of the course.

Nice to be back. Two weeks to work on the fitness to get more speed out of the same heart rate before the next one.