Fight for Air wrapped up....

Cooked done, finished. Over.

Till next year? Perhaps.

Up late friday, slept like crap, up early, coffee, rode in (at least it was a smidge over 20F) rode in.

Pretty decent warm up actually despite the cold. Locked the bike up...  Picked up number and chip and totally forgot to get my "goodie bag" and my T-Shirt. Oh well. I may have only worn that one I got last year three times. Def don't need any more T-shirts but still, wonder what other stuff I'd never use I missed out on...

Goal, remember, was to beat last year's time. Last year 2:07 and I totally collapsed half way through, but I passed a couple women who started in front of me (they started immediately behind me this year) and was passed by one or two (who I guess didn't show this year). I was one of the first handful to go off at 30s intervals.

BEEEP and I started running. Rhythm was found very quickly...  pretty quickly I started feeling light headed, but not excessively out of breath. A handful more floors later and my legs started being leaden. I never really hit the wall like I did last year, never totally broke down, but I just got slower and slower with each floor until I was pulling myself up with my arms, esp the right arm. It didn't feel very fast, but I was surprised it when it was over.

On the positive side? Within less than a minute my breathing was recovered and i was mostly fine. Legs still hurt but a couple sips of water and I was fine. Last year? Holy shit i was dead for two days. This time? Sure my legs were a touch sore but I was fine. No big deal. Recovered super fast. BUT, ya know what? Climbing stairs kind of isn't as muscularly interchangeable with cycling. It is close, not close enough for a 2 min all out sprint.

BUT given the fact that I nailed the aerobic side... I think maybe all I need to do is actually run some stairs before the event next year (on a regular basis and at a race pace). I didn't do that. Not once. Or not long enough to make a difference. Sure I'm 205+lbs right now and the guys beating me badly are 30-60 pounds lighter at least. Not so insignificant I suppose. At least I'm carrying functional weight, even if a hell of a lot of it.

Best indicator? Day after? Only my right bicep was sore. Pulling my fat ass up when the legs were failing (winner has major guns btw, I think maybe that's not by accident) over used it. But then last year I couldn't walk for a day or two, and I was completely fine the next day? Good signs. Other than I was one second slower than last year.

Slower, by a second, but nearly unphased by it vs totally and completely destroyed by it.

I'll take that as a win. Even if slower one year later. Paul C still kicked my butt and I lost to the winner by 37 or so seconds unofficially. But this is his thing and he's way smaller with huge'r arms. Probably maybe not as good at CX. I hope. Not to say I think I'm any good at that...  got my reality check in triplicate in Asheville this year.

I didn't blow up but I found out some good stuff about me and current state...

Sunday was good, today was crazy, but class went well and heading home, holy shit how about that motherfucking sunset?
Check the instagrams and shit... yes I posted three... took 4x that many and very difficult choosing which ones to post and how to only post three.

I take photos with my phone. I don't have a fancy camera, just this ancient old smart phone. But it works, mostly and some of the time. Too slow most of the time but hey. Fitting I guess. That said - i dunno, i just try and capture what I see. Doesn't seem like anything special or different or unique or anything that anyone else can't do. Heck look at Syl's photo from Sunday night. His bike one was off the hook, but that wouldn't have happened if I hand not dragged him back down there...  So yes, seeing, knowing, being there and recognizing what to take a photo of is part of it.

Sometimes I wonder what I could capture with a legit rig and what I could do using PS/Lightroom and shit.

But usually I'm just so happy, like tonight, to be on the bike, to be able to pause and capture and move around and get a chance to represent the magnificence of nature around me that I'm riding through, it is enough...

Lecture today...  minor detour...  nearly 2 hrs later I asked what time it was...  whoa... then asked if I should keep talking. Nearly unanimous NO. Not sure when saturation level occured but we covered a shit ton of material and I think hopefully all the continuous pauses and confirmations that it was making sense and explaining again differently if it wasn't got the concepts and ideas across. Maybe I'll toss em a quiz next week to see.

If i have enough time to do that then.

Guest lecturing stupid early tomorrow.

Then insanity continues on a non-stop cycle. Maybe I'll get a break in June. or July. Maybe August. or not...

heddwch
G