Doing what I did, so I will get what I got.

I stuck a pretty agressive 5 day training routine, and gained some ground towards my mental and physical preparation to begin the final fitness peak of 2008. Cyclocross.

I tried to run (literally) but I could not hide from this curious athletic endeavor. Training lost all purpose until I began to really commit to taking on the 2008 cross season.

I have up to 8 races on my calendar, with the first one being the 'cross out crohn's' race this sunday in Newton, Ia. Pictured to the left is a scene from last year's race. I won this race last year as a Cat 4, and subsequently upgraded to Cat 3 after getting a bronze medal in the state championships.

I really can't say I ended the season well, there is a huge jump in ability from the Cat 4 'B' races to the Cat 1, 2, 3 'A' race. However, I know I can hang, and at least enjoy trying, as all-out, time trial type efforts are my preference.

For my weekend 'training blitz', I entered the 'Miracle Ride' fundraiser in Wilton, Ia, and was able to finish the 100 mile route. Lots of pain and character building... perfect training. My mom was the one who talked me into doing this one, she did about 65 miles so we could finish at roughly the same time. I was even able to ride with her for the first 14 miles before I had to succomb to the urge to get in a 'steady state' work-out. I am amazed that people can actually ride their bikes purely for enjoyment... I will work on that later in life.

The next day I did a group ride century. I really didn't feel like going that morning, but this freaking blog was haunting me at 7:30am, as I was still in bed negotiating whether I would attend the 8am ride. I went, and was able to, then accomplish over 250 miles for the week. I realize that getting in 'base' or 'endurance' mileage doesn't make much sense with respect to cyclocross training, but I accomplished what I needed, a confidence boost, some fitness gains, and some weight loss. Let's roll!