I can smell it

The perfect image for this post..

Our vacation in Hawaii was wonderful. It was warm, sunny, and, literally and figuratively, thousands of miles away. Now we’re home and the air is cool, the skies gray, and the ground is wet. Leaves are beginning to fall and the sun goes down earlier each day. Naturally when all these wonderful things come to pass a young man’s heart turns to Cyclocross. By the way, the same happens to an old man's heart.

I am excited to get started and see if my training will pay off. Based on my off season research the first thing one should do is develop a training plan. The plan will have phases depending on the time of year in relation to racing season. There are also different elements that receive different amounts of focus in each phase. Strength training, endurance training, specific drills such as intervals or one legged pedaling secessions. Since I organize, schedule and track for a living, this wasn’t a problem. I had my plan in place in January.

If you are Evo, the next thing you do is constantly alter those plans based on the injury that seems to be at the forefront at the time. Cracked ribs were a significant setback. Now my shoulder is acting up and I am wondering if I managed to tear my rotator cuff when I slipped while part of the Peloton of Discovery on our Oregon bike trip. This has affected my weight training and we’ll see how it works for cross.

I realize the fragile nature of my body as I continue to push the edge of what my aging bones will allow me to pursue. I don’t want to cross the line, but I do want to get really close to it. It reminds me of our boat trip to see the lava flowing into the ocean. The captain said people just want to get closer and closer. He said some private boats have gotten closer, but then something bad happens. While nobody wants the bad thing to happen, we all want to get closer don’t we?

I am getting ready for Cyclocross season with few expectations. I was disappointed in my racing last year, so I have made some changes. We’ll see if they help or not. Either way, Cyclocross is the coolest thing ever. I have three bikes I want to have ready by Saturday. One orange bike, another one is black and the last is a pink and black combo.