Back On The Horse... If It Can Hold Me

For all the those Simpsons viewers out there: do you remember the episode when Homer is trying to gain weight to get out of work, and when he hops on the scale he isn't heavy enough until Bart points out that his roll of fat stuck on the towel rack revealing that he hasn't only met the weight, but exceeded it by a good number? That's kind of how I felt when I hopped on the scale and it was way over what I had estimated it would be. I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to care about my weight until January, but come on, you can't just shake being a racer for three months. By the time I found out I had become a massive sea cow it was too late.  I had a disappointing Wednesday night CX race with a 9th out of 39 followed by an even worse Saturday race getting second to last place. Just back in September, right before the Crested Butte race, I started dead last and ended up 3rd during the Wednesday night race, and now I'm struggling to even finish!? I've accepted that I suck at CX, but this is just pathetic! I guess I took the off-season theme and ran with it a little too far. I have two weeks until my next CX race. Time to get back on the horse and lose some pounds. Hopefully I can get back into form so I won't completely embarrass myself this CX season.

Fall = Off Season

After an awesome vacation in Ireland followed by a trip to Moab to bike with friends from the Midwest, I'm moving a little slower these days.  I eat what I want to, and I drink what I want to drink.  My race weight for the fall is whatever I happen to be at race day, and hopefully I'll still fit into my team kit.  After nine months of dieting, training hard, and racing, it's time to dial the ambition level down for a little while.  Sure, I'm still going to 'train' for the cyclocross season, but when I feel like just riding rather than hitting my intervals I'm going to do so.  Soon enough, January will come around and it will be back to business.  Undoubtedly, I'll hop on the scale, cry a little bit while shaking my roll of fat, and focus on a getting down to race weight... a race weight a little more sustainable then last year's bout of near anorexia.  All I have to do is cut my race time by a half hour and I'll be at pro level.  Easy, right?  I guess we'll find out.  For now, it's time to drink some good beers, enjoy cross season even if I am going to suck, and take it a little more easy for a couple of months.  Oh, and I'm going to take as many weekend getaways as I can except when I'm racing.  I love fall.