Muddy Bedford Mass

Mass or Mess... both fit...

This weekend didn't find me hauling me and the bikes to w/in an hour of Montreal. Nope, didn't happen. Tried to rest more than get stuff done on Saturday, even took a nap. Then for some reason I couldn't sleep well Saturday night. Racing the back to back races the previous weekend was tough. When I signed up for two race at Bedford, I'd plain forgotten how after getting home from Auburn NH i was useless. Couldn't do more than sit on the couch. Dishes? Cooking? oh man I tell ya my energy levels were at zero, below zero. Monday's slow run and Tuesday intervals and Wed Wrentham and Thursday run, Friday's medium ride (tried to ride slow, didn't happen - rain and all). I was wicked tired on Saturday. Pooped. But hey. It was raining. Not much different than Amesbury day. It wasn't till I got home when I realized how much the race took out of me when I fully appreciated Gary's wise council to not race again. I dunno if I could have done anything at all once getting home.

The 3/4 35+ race (they did it a bit differently, rather than have one B race they did a 35 under and a 35+ race) was first up of the two I had registered for. Even pinned the numbers on one first, then the second on top for easy removal of the first as the races were back to back. Both were scheduled to run for 45 minutes. The winner of the 3/4 35+ race was just a tad under 45 minutes. Unlike at SBX when the 45 minute Masters A race only was 40 minutes. Diane F did a great job with the timing and scoring. Well done Diane Thanks!

The start was chill. Compared to the races I've been doing, it was odd, but nice in a way. Not easy, but I settled into about 10th wheel and held that for a while. There were some decently fast guys in the race, and it was muddy. Did I mention that? Oh it was spectacular. When I took my skinsuit off at the car it looked like I'd crapped my pants they were so full of mud. Inside of the skinny was full of mud. It was wicked awesome. ROB BAUER shot a few pics of the 35- B race (won't be up for long based on his track record - maybe a week) and it shows pretty clearly the mud on the course. There was a good amount of running. And I made up buckets of time on some people on foot, and just held my own following runners like CTodd and Gary. I was riding the corners a bit tentatively, and tried to jump out of each one, but the sucking mud made it a challenge. I worked my ass off and managed to sprint and claim 19th spot from Eric (50-60 starters?). Not sure where the sprint energy came from but it was there. Get me to the end in a chance to sprint and I'm good it seems. But just getting there is the hard part.

After the sprint and all that running and the slogging through the mud and the prospect of having to go against a faster and thinner race for another 45 minutes and my head was spinning. GeWilli should start. But there is a record showing a slight lack in knowing what is best to get fast in GeWilli's actions. Rolled around and saw Gary, we were both double pinned, both had planned on racing the back to back suicide double. Fortunately Gary talked me out of racing again. #1 we got out money's worth, the race is benefiting a good charity, #2 we were cooked, #3 it would be pretty counter productive. Going out, being fast for a few laps then dieing? No matter how much fun it is to race in slow muddy grass, it is hard, fahking work. Hard work. Legs were cooked. Wicked cooked. Racing again would just overcook and well. One thing I keep coming across is the balance of intensity with rest. The switch from the Great Glen style keep it going forever to all out full out max for 45-50 minutes is a dramatic shift in muscular demands. The difference is in the recovery. Sort of like weight lifting. Back when I was in High School and College (long time ago now) the rule of thumb for building big muscles was only a few reps close to max and that's about it. Hard intense work. Over the spring and summer I've built a lot of work for ever and never need rest muscles. And those damn things are pretty much useless in Cross. Well anyway.

Back to Bedford after that nonsensical rambling. We hosed the bikes off (loads of muddy grass everywhere - I officially hate that stupid front Der Pully, gotta get me a damn TOP PULL fahking der!) and watched the start. No regrets. It wasn't a slouchy field even with all the big guns up in VT. And it was okay. Felt good with the decision that Gary talked me into. I'll say this, every time I knew I needed to drill it, I conjured up Metallica's wicked fast guitar riffs. It helped, but I still have a ways to go to get where I need to be, to get where I know I can be. Took off my soiled clothes, rinsed off, wiped off, changed and walked back to get the pit bike (fortunately not needed today). Yelled at the masters slogging up the hill that was a toss up to run or ride. A bit faster almost to run it if you had the legs. And tried to pedal back to the finish to watch a few laps, and check the results. Tried was the operative word, because it hurt. Finally. I put together a race that killed me in just one race.

Just in time for... Gloucester. Wait. That's not this weekend. In fact there is only ONE Cylocross race this weekend. Hmm. We had three this last weekend, a couple the weekend before, and now it is October and there is only a race on Sunday? crazy. Can't go. Won't be there. Would like to be, but honestly the best thing for getting ready for the rest of the season started at Gloucster is to take the weekend off. Maybe do an interval work out if there is time and I'm feeling okay, maybe go for a longer ride if I can squeeze it in on Saturday. But no racing. Going to work hard at staying in the routine this week... then work in a rest week the next, not completely off, not completely slow riding, but a toned down week, build up on thursday and friday going into Saturday and Sunday and Monday.

Yeah, that's about it.

oh and...
more of rich than we needed to see

And a couple shots of the mud from ROB BAUER