Atomic Bonk, Recovery, and Wednesday Night World's

Well, the Sea Otter XC race did not go as I planned. I suffered through a bonk of epic proportions. I got a good start and my first lap of the 19 mile course went well. I was definitely in the top 5 or so riders in my age-group. Then things began to unravel, I noticed I was getting hungry and soon thereafter I was in serious need of calories. I sucked down some EFS sports drink and some gel, but it was too little, too late. I was probably a little dehydrated and I couldn't process the sugar. My stomach got upset and I was still in need of energy. I was soon left staring at my front tire and pedaling like a small child. Needless to say, riders started coming by me at a regular rate. To add to my misery, my drivetrain started to skip gears on the second lap because of all the mud that had accumulated in my chain and derailleur cables. I was left with only one functioning gear to negotiate the remaining 8 miles of the second lap. I persevered to the finish taking a lofty 22nd place in my age-group. A little less than half of my field DNF'd. Oh, forgot to mention that is was pouring rain the entire race.

I buried myself to finish Sea Otter. Upon returning to Seattle, my legs were cooked for a solid 7 days. I took several days of the bike to aid in their recovery. I went to bed early and slept a lot. I did do a couple of recovery spins and a 3-hour low-intensity ride to close out the week. The entire 3-hour ride my legs were saying "no!" I was worried that the legs weren't going to come around.

But, with every valley, there comes a peak. I raced my first Wednesday Night race down at Seatac Park yesterday. The legs came alive and I was motoring. I beat all my usual competitors and was in eye sight of the leading pack of pro racers. Definitely a boost to the morale. Fitness is a finicky thing.

This weekend is the Seatac Shuffle. Another Indie Series race that should be a good test to see where I am at on the fitness curve. I'm hoping to build back up some for the NORBA in Fontana, CA outside LA in early May.

That's about all for now,

Blue Star