CX Hurts....

[madisongrrl]

So, it sounds to me that your mental limiter is more powerful than any physical limiters right now. What are you afraid might happen if you really push it, Renee? I always suggest my athletes go beyond that line at least once. Usually they surprise themselves -- the world doesn't end.

The lack of structured training (on and off since July) is a bit of a physical limiter, but I think it shoots the confidence down more than anything. My limits for mountain biking have certainly been lowered. My late season results have not been as great. If I do push myself too hard, I just might get the pleasure of being dead last. Dead last seems like it is a very easy thing to attain in cross. A few screw-ups or a bad start (depending on the course) and you will be the caboose! And no, the world won't end, but it certainly makes for a long week at work. Have you ever seen the movie office space? That is how my job is right now...except on a larger, corporate level. So recently, my outlets (cycling & racing) have had a greater impact on my emotional life.

This weekend is a double header CX weekend. I wasn't going to race the Saturday race, but maybe I'll just call it my experimental day. I'll just go balls out and blow myself up on Saturday to see what happens. I need to get this sport figured out, before I start to hate it and sell my brand new bike.

Think of it this way. If you push more to hang with the leaders, what are the possible outcomes? One, you could blow and not finish with the leaders or maybe DFL. Two, you could be in a world of hurt but still hang with the leaders. Three, you could hang and still have a little something left in the tank for the sprint finish.

You don't know what your limitations are until you really push to find them.

Very true. I'll see if I'm up for it this Saturday. Then, I'll take my new found knowlege into Sunday's race.

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Training. Since I'm doing run intervals (short), I don't need to do short intervals on the bike right now. My bike intervals are longer (20 min). If I weren't running, I'd probably add one day of short bike intervals. But, everyone is different. I raced non-stop from October 2005 to August 2006. I don't recommend that for most folks, but I had some special circumstances going on. I needed a break from the bike and wanted to run and lift, so that's how I developed my training for this fall. My goal races for cross are in December so I'll pick back up on the bike in November. It's strange not to train 15-20 hours a week, but it actually works well with my work schedule right now because my workouts are shorter and my total training time is only about 8-10 hours a week. And I can see huge improvements in my strength and running already.

I usually strive for 8-10 hours a week, but recently it has been less than 5. Luckily in Wisconsin, you stop racing from Dec to March. But, that also means you have to sit on the boring trainer or be prepared to ride in 10 degree weather conditions.

If you need to improve your power on the flats, I recommend resistance training along with TT-type intervals (2 x 20s). You could do these on the road or even better, on the dirt on your cross bike. One of the hardest challenges in cross is still powering when you're bouncing all over the place. You'll notice the best racers keep their speed/momentum up on the bouncy flats while the more novice races coast a lot. You need to learn how to ride it out.

I think I'll actually head to the basement right now and bust out a 2x20 on the trainer. I also need to get outside and ride my CX bike. It has only been ridden for 2 CX races, 1 Ben Turner CX clinic and 1 commute to work. I'm still not totally comfortable on it. I had my fit done by my favorite local high end bike shop ( www.cronometro.com ) and it feels great...but I still have to get used to the bike. The fit is similar to my road fit, but there are some subtle differences and my muscles are being worked in a slightly different way...or so it feels.

If you can't run, could you get a non-bike high-level cardio workout on an elliptical? That might help with the intensity.

I'll have to see. I'm having top of the foot, base of the big toe joint, nerve/tendon/capsule pinching pain. So I'm not sure if the strap on the elliptical will irritate my foot or not. To be determined....but I really miss running.

Then again, I think the real answer is your fear to push yourself to the edge. You should try it sometime. Pick a throw-away race and just see what happens. You might really surprise yourself.

Saturday is the day. I'll either get a big surprise or I'll pass out and not finish. But either way at least there will be a race on Sunday in which I can redeem myself. Sometimes I sit back and think, "Wow, we actually pay people money so we can race in their events and put ourselves through some of the greatest physical and mental suffering that is personally possible". I guess there are worse addictions in life - like crack or McDonald's. Though a crack habit might cost less than my cycling addiction.