Anyone seen some time? I seem to have misplaced some of mine…
It’s been pretty crazy to go from a race season without working to working and all this other stuff to do as well. When you’re racing, particularly when you’re not working through it, you have LOADS of downtime. You need it all too, because rest and recovery are critical to being able to perform when the gun sounds. You can spend 30 minutes a day stretching, an hour or more on some mental stuff, read books, watch movies, sit in hot pools (oh yeah!) and just chill - not to mention getting a decent amount of sleep (oh the memories…). It was a bit ironic to lose my job right when my riding hours were about to drop for an extended period (you don’t ride as much when you’re racing - that recovery thing). And now, when I’m about to go in to an endurance phase which means some long hours on the bike, I’m working again. Murphy - boy do you have a lot of explaining to do!
But the job is good. It has peaks and troughs so during the peaks it’s head down to get the work done, and during the troughs it’s head down to organise 2 and a half months overseas and the short track series I’m running as a fund raiser. Not surprisingly, there’s a fair amount of work involved in all of that!
The end of my break has come up much sooner than I expected - I start back on a full training schedule on Monday! Last year my season finished 2 weeks earlier and I didn’t have another season again so soon, so I got a full 10 weeks of just doing whatever. I did a LOT of running, hit the dirt whenever I felt like it and still got in some good road rides. This time it’s been 3 weeks and my mind and body seem to know better than I do so there have been lots of ‘rest days’ - I just wish I didn’t get that guilty feeling… not that I’ll have to worry about that again in a couple of days.
The itinerary for US/Canada is coming together nicely after having to make sudden changes with the new leaving date. Everything apart from the first 2 weeks is pretty much set in stone, and the hope is that which ever city I land in (will be either San Fran or Vancouver) has some good mid week racing I can get involved in. After that I’ll get a final endurance hit from a 3 day tour in Oregon, then it’s in to the final 2 Canada Cups in BC and Alberta before a long haul journey across the continent for another roadie in Ontario, then up to Quebec for Canada National Champs and 2 World Cup races. After that it’s back home for about a week (time to squeeze in an N-Duro - vegas singletrack, yeah baby!) before another World Cup in Canberra. Phew! Every time I list it out like that I get excited. I’ll add in more detail as things get closer. It’s weird but I kind of feel like I’ll jinx it or something stupid if I say ‘this is what’s happening’ too soon - go figure…
So, in my last weekend of ‘freedom’ I’m enjoying just chilling out. My week days start super early so I’m making the most of the opportunity to sleep in, downloading some new tunes for the iPods, playing with the fur babies and right now I’m watching 24 Solo - an awesome movie about the 24hr solo worlds from 06 (I think). After that I’ll probably put on Off-road to Athens - an incredible movie about the USA selection process in 2004. If you get the chance I highly recommend both of these, and MASH - a fixie movie where guys do things on fixies that will make you go ‘huh?’ and ‘but how?’.
For now, I better go eat some chocolate before Monday 
Hi Lisa
just having read of your plans, sound like a good trip. Just make sure that you can start the Canadian champs, we have never had that ability before. And you have chosen good world cups to get your first taste. They are generally “easier” to get results and points with less people traveling to them (hope that doesnt change in Olympic year.
john L
Thanks John. I’ll double check on the champs but spoke to someone who was there in 06 and said it was the same as here - can race but not eligible for titles etc. In any other year I’d agree re the cup races but have a feeling, with the timing pre-Olympics, they may be stacked this year! Time will tell, but either way they will be good for the experience which is what this year is about (and picking up more speed!).
You are thinking, lots of hard work, much clearer, super progress, I am proud of you, showing your stuff, that’s the way, keep studying, almost there, so close, better than ever, I knew you could do it, way to go.