Avg miles/day: 10.3
Hours mountain biking: 9.9
Total hours: 50
Over beers at High Horse the other evening, I lamented to Matteo and Stoneman that I'm feeling like I've lost my edge; that I'm getting old and complacent as an athlete. I can still train-- 50 hours is perhaps my biggest volume month ever, even if the mileage isn't impressive. But I haven't raced since October due to injury, and I haven't raced *well* in a year or more. I have let the marathon get the better of me and I have stopped competing at this distance. Meanwhile, my training partners have started kicking ass recently-- Stoneman PR'd at the Vermont City Marathon, and Matteo demonstrated conclusively that he is, quietly, one of the best trail runners in New England, despite racing only sparingly and spending many hours in the yoga studio. Winning photo here. The only thing to do is start racing-- immediately-- trying a variety of events this summer, returning after 10 years to focused cross-country racing this Fall, and onward. The Edge can easily be regained after just a few weekends revisiting it, but the only way to do that is to put a number on and face it.
Next up: Domnarski Farm mountain bike race this Sunday. This particular course is well-suited for me: at 10 miles, it's short (forgiving me for not having true bike legs) and technical (rewarding technique and aerobic conditioning and taking the advantage away from the guys who get all their conditioning from the bike).
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