Melon City Criterium... When Life Gives You Melons...

...SQUEEZE THEM.

hmm... these melons seem a bit suggestive,
but still worth squeezing.

Ok, I will admit to being nervous about lining up for the 2011 Pro 1,2 Melon City Criterium.   110 guys, including loads of well accomplished Cat 1's and such.  Why do I do this to myself?

Easy answer, I can't stand backing down from a challenge... and this one was a challenge.  Problem for me this year, is that I am searching for a goal... without one my training is lacking.  I didn't include Memorial Day Weekend as a goal because I wasn't very confident in my abilities, rather just hoping to line up against some of the best Cat 1's in the region.  So what race am I going to target?  I really don't have an answer to that one.  I will do some soul searching and find something specific to work towards.

This race was indeed fast.  I was nervous as hell going down the hill towards the speed bump the first time, but by the third time I launched over it, I had things under control. 

Now time to deal with the uphill.  It was fast but I was managing. About 10 laps in, I did find myself towards the back of the pack, but was able to keep attached by accelerating on the down hill and taking back a few places at strategic places. 

Guys were starting to get popped, and I started to feel good about my chances of being there at the finish, which was my main goal... to finish with the group.  Honestly, I can't even say what happened next, my legs just gave out after about 20 laps, and the field slipped away.  I have seen this happen to many of my Iowa racing peers in  past editions of the race, so now I know what happened.

I have missed tons of workouts this month, so can't say I am too surprised.  But I do have to give credit to the field as well... my inability to finish  had a lot to do with the strength of the teams who were competing, not just my half-assed training regimine.

I thought I would be demoralized if I got dropped from this race... but actually, now that I have raced it at this level and know what needs to happen, I think I will enter it again next year.  I might even make it a goal event, to help insure I don't get dropped.  So, instead of sucking on sour grapes, I am enjoying some fresh squeezed melon juice.  mmm, tasty...

I think I can get things back on  track before the season ends... I will enjoy the journey regardless.